Here is an interesting site that shows where the recovery money is being spent. It shows many of the projects funded by the ARRA. Interesting that, as of today, it is last updated last year. Still, it is a fun read if you want to scare yourself with details or where your tax dollars are being spent, like waterless latrines in Arkansas and a picnic shelter at Turkey Point Park in Kansas.
A good deal were for construction projects as they were supposed to be, but pork always finds its way in. A few more goodies, $5 million and another $1.75 million, the Jennie-o Turkey Store, MN, (the only description for both is "small turkey deli breasts". $3 million to Accenture to help construct a data warehouse for the Farm Service Agency. $707,000 to increase demand for the National Health Service. $90 million to Leland Stanford University to develop 3 x-ray instruments. $27.9 million for "The purpose of this procurement is to obtain the services of a broadband industry consultant to implement the statutory requirements of the American Recovery Act and Reinvestment Act of 2009."
Especially interesting are the amounts to outlying areas, such as the $2 Billion to Puerto Rico, $93 million to the Virgin Islands, $78,000 to the American Samoa Coalition against domestic and sexual violence (that is a real jobs booster). Guam received money for Catholic Social Services, Salvation Army, Guam coalition against social assault, Soroptimist Club of Guam, an organization of business women, and more. Seems some folks like pork more than I do.
Jan 22, 2010
Skiff
Here is a very slick and flexible reader. E-Readers are proving to be all the rage and here is one called Skiff from Skiff LLC. Flexible screens have been promised for the past 3 or 4 years, and now we actually have one.
With an unannounced released date or price, the flexible Skiff will deliver content on Sprint's 3G network.
We found that the e-reader, which uses resistive touch, had better and faster reactions than the similarly sized Que from Plastic Logic (which is capacitive). Both are basically the size of a sheet of paper and are marketed at readers of traditional newspapers and magazines.
The Que will come to the market in April, retailing in two versions that cost $649 or $799. I have been waiting for this for a few years, since I first saw the prototype.
With an unannounced released date or price, the flexible Skiff will deliver content on Sprint's 3G network.
We found that the e-reader, which uses resistive touch, had better and faster reactions than the similarly sized Que from Plastic Logic (which is capacitive). Both are basically the size of a sheet of paper and are marketed at readers of traditional newspapers and magazines.
The Que will come to the market in April, retailing in two versions that cost $649 or $799. I have been waiting for this for a few years, since I first saw the prototype.
Electronic Greeting Cards
link
For those folks who do not use the internet, here is a great solution. A mini electronic picture book. The self contained digital greeting card is a digital frame with a 2.4-inch LCD that springs to life when the card is opened. It has battery life for about three hours of playback and storage for fifty images or five minutes of MP3 audio. The cards can be recharged via USB and are priced at $19.99. I can see many new grandparents getting these for the next holidays.
For those folks who do not use the internet, here is a great solution. A mini electronic picture book. The self contained digital greeting card is a digital frame with a 2.4-inch LCD that springs to life when the card is opened. It has battery life for about three hours of playback and storage for fifty images or five minutes of MP3 audio. The cards can be recharged via USB and are priced at $19.99. I can see many new grandparents getting these for the next holidays.
Jan 15, 2010
Look Young, Die Old
A study published December, 2009 in the British Medical Journal reports that longer survival of 1,826 twins correlated with the “perceived age” of the subjects. Perceived age was significantly associated with survival, even after adjustment for chronological age, sex, and environment. The bigger the difference in perceived age within a pair, the more likely that the older looking twin died first.
The study began in 2001 and concluded in 2008. There are a variety of factors which are instrumental, including smoking status, body mass index, and sun exposure.
Physicians traditionally compare perceived and chronological age, and for adult patients the expression "looking old for your age" is an indicator of poor health. The study indicates that this practice, which has existed for centuries, is actually a useful clinical approach especially given that in a clinical setting perceived age is based on an array of indicators in addition to facial appearance. The next time someone says 'you look good for your age', make sure they know how old you really are.
The study began in 2001 and concluded in 2008. There are a variety of factors which are instrumental, including smoking status, body mass index, and sun exposure.
Physicians traditionally compare perceived and chronological age, and for adult patients the expression "looking old for your age" is an indicator of poor health. The study indicates that this practice, which has existed for centuries, is actually a useful clinical approach especially given that in a clinical setting perceived age is based on an array of indicators in addition to facial appearance. The next time someone says 'you look good for your age', make sure they know how old you really are.
Inventions
The bathtub was invented in 1850 and the telephone in 1875. If you had been living in 1850, you could have sat in the tub for 25 years without the phone ringing once.
Norman Rockwell
“The Runaway” (1958) is one example from the recently published Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera (Little, Brown and Company, 2009). More about Rockwell’s photo realism, including an image gallery, is currently on NPR’s web site. Rockwell’s digitized photographic archive LINK .
Jan 13, 2010
Fifty Years Ago
As we approach the new decade, let's look back at the decade of the 1960s to see the grand food things that were invented then.
1960, Coffee Rich, aluminum cans used for food and beverages, Domino's Pizza, Granny Smith apples introduced to the USA, and single-serving ketchup packets.
1961 Total breakfast cereal, Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup, Green Giant frozen peas, Sprite, Coffee-Mate, Hardee's
1962
Frozen bread dough, Pet-Ritz Frozen Pie Crusts, Diet-Rite Cola, tab-opening aluminum cans for soft drinks, Taco Bell
1963
Tab soda, Wundra flour, Cremora
1964
Pop-Tarts, Buffalo Wings (Anchor Bar, Buffalo NY), Coca cola in cans, Ruffles potato chips, Lucky Charms breakfast cereal, Bugles, Chiffon Margarine, Seven Seas Salad Dressing, Yoplait Yogurt, Awake synthetic orange juice, Maxim freeze-dried instant coffee, Carnation Instant Breakfast
1965
Shake 'n Bake, Cool Whip, Tang, Rock Cornish game hens, Apple Jacks breakfast cereal, SpaghettiOs, Cranapple Fruit Juice, Gatorade, Diet Pepsi
1966
Bac'Os, Product 19 breakfast cereal, $100,000 candy bar, Caravelle candy bar, Taster's Choice freeze dried coffee, Doritos, instant oatmeal, Easy Cheese
1967
Lawry's Taco Seasoning Mix
1968
Red Lobster restaurants, Legal Seafoods restaurants
1969
Chunky Soups, Kaboom breakfast cereal, Frosted Mini-Wheats breakfast cereal, Chipos snack food, Pringles potato snacks, Wendy's restaurants, Long John Silver's Fish 'n Chips restaurants
1960, Coffee Rich, aluminum cans used for food and beverages, Domino's Pizza, Granny Smith apples introduced to the USA, and single-serving ketchup packets.
1961 Total breakfast cereal, Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup, Green Giant frozen peas, Sprite, Coffee-Mate, Hardee's
1962
Frozen bread dough, Pet-Ritz Frozen Pie Crusts, Diet-Rite Cola, tab-opening aluminum cans for soft drinks, Taco Bell
1963
Tab soda, Wundra flour, Cremora
1964
Pop-Tarts, Buffalo Wings (Anchor Bar, Buffalo NY), Coca cola in cans, Ruffles potato chips, Lucky Charms breakfast cereal, Bugles, Chiffon Margarine, Seven Seas Salad Dressing, Yoplait Yogurt, Awake synthetic orange juice, Maxim freeze-dried instant coffee, Carnation Instant Breakfast
1965
Shake 'n Bake, Cool Whip, Tang, Rock Cornish game hens, Apple Jacks breakfast cereal, SpaghettiOs, Cranapple Fruit Juice, Gatorade, Diet Pepsi
1966
Bac'Os, Product 19 breakfast cereal, $100,000 candy bar, Caravelle candy bar, Taster's Choice freeze dried coffee, Doritos, instant oatmeal, Easy Cheese
1967
Lawry's Taco Seasoning Mix
1968
Red Lobster restaurants, Legal Seafoods restaurants
1969
Chunky Soups, Kaboom breakfast cereal, Frosted Mini-Wheats breakfast cereal, Chipos snack food, Pringles potato snacks, Wendy's restaurants, Long John Silver's Fish 'n Chips restaurants
Credit Card Non-Use Fees
I have heard of overdraft fees, but this is a new one. Fifth Third Bank began charging a $19 fee if credit card borrowers had no account activity in 12 months. Also, there are quasi-inactivity fees -- Citigroup has a policy on some cards where if you don't spend up to a certain amount you'll be charged a fee up to $90.
Bank of America will start experimenting with new annual fees from $29 - $99. Citi now has a policy where credit card borrowers who pay late, have to pay a reinstatement fee in order to redeem accumulated rewards points and you may be charged if you get a paper statement instead of an electronic one. Hmmm! Pay me if you use me, pay me if you forget to pay me, pay me if you don't use me, pay me for paper.
Bank of America will start experimenting with new annual fees from $29 - $99. Citi now has a policy where credit card borrowers who pay late, have to pay a reinstatement fee in order to redeem accumulated rewards points and you may be charged if you get a paper statement instead of an electronic one. Hmmm! Pay me if you use me, pay me if you forget to pay me, pay me if you don't use me, pay me for paper.
Half Cocked
Back in the days of loading flintlock pistols and rifles, the hammer had to be cocked halfway back in order to load the weapon and put in a new fuse. Sometimes a person would make a mistake and the hammer would come down after loading the powder and the gun would go off. That is how we get the saying to "not go off half cocked."
Trees Are Bad?
I read that cutting the rain forest is part of causing global warming, because trees absorb Co2, and greenies say we should plant trees. Well, here is an article that says trees can cause warming.
"Although temperatures have risen throughout the globe, they've gone up most dramatically in the Arctic. Past warm periods indicate that deciduous tree (deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter) expansion into the Arctic is a common occurrence when the region warms up, so a new study has looked into the impact trees could have on the regional climate.
As expected, the increase of the leafy trees would result in less reflective ground, but the study suggests they could also induce more cloud cover and an increasingly warm surface and ocean that have more turbulent weather patterns. The simulation indicated that the expansion of leafy trees, by their ability to increase water vapor and absorb light, would result in an increase of the surface temperature in the Arctic region of about a Kelvin (1K is about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next 20 years. " Taken from ARS Technica Dec, 30, 2009. Trees cause clouds, warm up the earth and are bad - trees are good and eat Co2. Hmmm, The trees I sit under in the summer seem to cool me off quite nicely and their leaves drop in the fall, so they don't block the sun in the winter.
"Although temperatures have risen throughout the globe, they've gone up most dramatically in the Arctic. Past warm periods indicate that deciduous tree (deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter) expansion into the Arctic is a common occurrence when the region warms up, so a new study has looked into the impact trees could have on the regional climate.
As expected, the increase of the leafy trees would result in less reflective ground, but the study suggests they could also induce more cloud cover and an increasingly warm surface and ocean that have more turbulent weather patterns. The simulation indicated that the expansion of leafy trees, by their ability to increase water vapor and absorb light, would result in an increase of the surface temperature in the Arctic region of about a Kelvin (1K is about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next 20 years. " Taken from ARS Technica Dec, 30, 2009. Trees cause clouds, warm up the earth and are bad - trees are good and eat Co2. Hmmm, The trees I sit under in the summer seem to cool me off quite nicely and their leaves drop in the fall, so they don't block the sun in the winter.
Quotable
When confusion ceases, tranquility comes;
when tranquility comes, wisdom appears; and
when wisdom appears, reality is seen.
when tranquility comes, wisdom appears; and
when wisdom appears, reality is seen.
Cultured Pork
Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it. Scientists from Eindhoven University in The Netherlands have for the first time grown pork meat in the laboratory by extracting cells from a live pig and growing them in a petri dish.
The scientists, led by Professor of Physiology Mark Post, extracted myoblast cells from a living pig and grew them in a solution of nutrients derived from the blood of animal fetuses (although they intend to replace the solution with a synthesized alternative in the future).
Professor Post said artificially cultured meat could mean the meat of one animal could be increased to a volume equivalent to the meat of a million animals, which would reduce animal suffering and be good for the environment. As long as the final product looks and tastes like meat, Post said he is convinced people will buy it. Wow, pork with no methane. . .
At present the product is a sticky, soggy and unappetizing muscle mass, but the team is seeking ways to exercise and stretch the muscles to turn the product into meat of a more familiar consistency. Post described the current in-vitro meat product as resembling wasted muscle, but he is confident they can improve its texture. Nobody has yet tasted the cultured meat because laboratory rules prevent the scientists tasting the product themselves.
The research is partly funded by the Dutch government, but is also backed by the Dutch sausage-making firm Stegeman, which is owned by Sara Lee. The scientists (and presumably, the sausage makers) believe the meat product may be available for use in sausages within five years.
Other groups are also working on trying to produce cultured meat. NASA has funded research in the US on growing fish chunks from cells and meat from turkey cells, with the idea that the technology could have wide application in future space travel, since growing edible muscle would allow future astronauts to avoid a range of problems associated with using live animals in space. In a June, 2009 paper in the journal Tissue Engineering another group of scientists proposed new techniques that could lead to industrial production of meat grown in cultures.
The reaction of vegetarian groups has been mixed. A representative of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said as long as the meat was not the flesh of a dead animal there would be no ethical objection. Last year PETA even offered a prize of $1 million to the first person or group who could come up with a commercially viable cultured meat product.
The scientists, led by Professor of Physiology Mark Post, extracted myoblast cells from a living pig and grew them in a solution of nutrients derived from the blood of animal fetuses (although they intend to replace the solution with a synthesized alternative in the future).
Professor Post said artificially cultured meat could mean the meat of one animal could be increased to a volume equivalent to the meat of a million animals, which would reduce animal suffering and be good for the environment. As long as the final product looks and tastes like meat, Post said he is convinced people will buy it. Wow, pork with no methane. . .
At present the product is a sticky, soggy and unappetizing muscle mass, but the team is seeking ways to exercise and stretch the muscles to turn the product into meat of a more familiar consistency. Post described the current in-vitro meat product as resembling wasted muscle, but he is confident they can improve its texture. Nobody has yet tasted the cultured meat because laboratory rules prevent the scientists tasting the product themselves.
The research is partly funded by the Dutch government, but is also backed by the Dutch sausage-making firm Stegeman, which is owned by Sara Lee. The scientists (and presumably, the sausage makers) believe the meat product may be available for use in sausages within five years.
Other groups are also working on trying to produce cultured meat. NASA has funded research in the US on growing fish chunks from cells and meat from turkey cells, with the idea that the technology could have wide application in future space travel, since growing edible muscle would allow future astronauts to avoid a range of problems associated with using live animals in space. In a June, 2009 paper in the journal Tissue Engineering another group of scientists proposed new techniques that could lead to industrial production of meat grown in cultures.
The reaction of vegetarian groups has been mixed. A representative of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said as long as the meat was not the flesh of a dead animal there would be no ethical objection. Last year PETA even offered a prize of $1 million to the first person or group who could come up with a commercially viable cultured meat product.
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