Friday, July 20, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The long struggle: vaccines versus malaria | Ars Technica
The long struggle: vaccines versus malaria | Ars Technica: 
A good lesson that not all scientific goals can be achieved with a “moon shot”
Recyclers disagree on impact of glued-in Retina MacBook Pro batteries | Ars Technica
Recyclers disagree on impact of glued-in Retina MacBook Pro batteries | Ars Technica: 
This is really interesting article on the philosophy of eco-design versus consumerism. On the one hand, Apple’s devices are harder to separate into their component parts, but on the other hand, they have higher-quality materials (like metal) and their users keep them longer.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
"The Glaxo case is the latest and biggest in a series of Justice Department prosecutions of Big..."
“The Glaxo case is the latest and biggest in a series of Justice Department prosecutions of Big Pharma for illegal marketing prescription drugs. … The Department says the prosecutions are well worth the effort. By one estimate it’s recovered more than $15 for every $1 it’s spent. But what’s the point if the fines are small relative to the profits, if the wrong people are feeling the financial pinch, and if no executive is held accountable? The only way to get big companies like these to change their behavior is to make the individuals responsible feel the heat. An even more basic issue is why the advertising and marketing of prescription drugs is allowed at all, when consumers can’t buy them and shouldn’t be influencing doctor’s decisions anyway. Before 1997, the Food and Drug Administration banned such advertising on TV and radio. That ban should be resurrected. Finally, there’s no good reason why doctors should be allowed to accept any perks at all from [drug] companies… It’s an inherent conflict of interest. Codes of ethics that are supposed to limit such gifts obviously don’t work. All perks should be banned, and doctors that accept them should be subject to potential loss of their license to practice.”
- Economist’s View: Bigger is Not Always Better
- Economist’s View: Bigger is Not Always Better
Monday, July 16, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
"the process of polarization is not symmetrical. The parties have not become equally ideologically..."
“the process of polarization is not symmetrical. The parties have not become equally ideologically homogenous or moved equally far toward their extremes. They do not behave in the same way or share the same attitude toward established social and political norms. Republicans have moved farther right than Democrats have left.”
- The left’s gone left but the right’s gone nuts: Asymmetrical polarization in action | Grist
- The left’s gone left but the right’s gone nuts: Asymmetrical polarization in action | Grist
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
"A study led by Dr. Jessica Savage of Johns Hopkins University found that children who had high..."
“A study led by Dr. Jessica Savage of Johns Hopkins University found that children who had high levels of triclosan and parabens in their urine, were at increased risk of both food and environmental allergies. According to US News HealthDay, the children with the highest levels of urinary triclosan had more than “twice the risk of food allergies and nearly twice the risk of environmental allergies as children with the lowest levels.””
- Antibacterial soaps can double the risk of allergies in kids | BabyCenter Blog
- Antibacterial soaps can double the risk of allergies in kids | BabyCenter Blog
This is why unions are important
Fair wages and reasonable hours and vacations are all well and good, but the most important reason for unions is the same reason they are getting targeted by Gov. Walker in Wisconsin and the national Republican Party.
They are the one and only source of middle class political power that can stand up to corporations.
"If it were true that lower tax rates and more wealth for the wealthy would lead to more job..."
“If it were true that lower tax rates and more wealth for the wealthy would lead to more job creation, then today we would be drowning in jobs. And yet unemployment and under-employment is at record highs.”
- Was Nick Hanauer’s TED Talk on Income Inequality Too Rich for Rich People? | Business | TIME.com
- Was Nick Hanauer’s TED Talk on Income Inequality Too Rich for Rich People? | Business | TIME.com
Friday, June 22, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Why I will not buy the new Macbook Pro
MacBook Pro with Retina Display 15” Mid 2012
Repairability Score: 1 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair).
Proprietary pentalobe screws prevent you from gaining access to anything inside.
As in the MacBook Air, the RAM is soldered to the logic board. Max out at 16GB now, or forever hold your peace—you can’t upgrade.
The proprietary SSD isn’t upgradeable either (yet), as it is similar but not identical to the one in the Air. It is a separate daughtercard, and we’re hopeful we can offer an upgrade in the near future.
The lithium-polymer battery is glued rather than screwed into the case, which increases the chances that it’ll break during disassembly. The battery also covers the trackpad cable, which tremendously increases the chance that the user will shear the cable in the battery removal process.
The display assembly is completely fused, and there’s no glass protecting it. If anything ever fails inside the display, you will need to replace the entire extremely expensive assembly.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
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