Magnet Therapy - Still Doesn't Work

The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, did a double-blinded study of Active Comfort magnetic insoles and found, to no thinking human being's surprise, that they don't do a damned thing a regular insole doesn't do. Not that any of the fools that buy into magnet therapy will listen - magnet treatments are a $500 million dollar industry in the US, $5 BILLION worldwide, so there're a good number of people invested in keeping this magnet canard going as long as possible. The only effect above the basic alleviative one of wearing an insole was a placebo noted in people professing a belief in magnet therapy before the beginning of the study.

So stop with the magnets already. When I see someone with a magnet bracelet on, it only functions as an external announcement of their scientific illiteracy. It shouldn't take a double-blinded study by Mayo Fucking Clinic to point out how moronic magnet therapy is yet, sadly, it does.

Last and especially, thanks to the people at Spenco Medical Corp, makers of the insoles in question, for funding the study and providing both the magnetized and false magnet insoles for it. It's great to see a company honestly interested in the function of its products and willing to let facts be known no matter what. Next time I need an insole, it's a Spenco.

H3N2 Flu Strain is Becoming Resistant to Antiviral Medications

As if the impending bird flu isn't forecast to be bad enough, there's evidence coming up that H3N2 strains are becoming resistant to the common antiviral medications amantadine and rimantadine, most likely due to over-the-counter availability in Asia and Russia.

At some point soon we're going to have to collaborate with Asian governments to bring influenza under control worldwide. In an era of increased global transit their policies are having a direct and deleterious effect on public health in the western world.

BIO504 - Molecular and Cell Biology, First Lecture

The first class was last night. We got the basics in order, sorted out the usual planning and program nonsense, discussed the syllabus, and got started.

I guess Dr. Bournias, the program head and teacher of the class, really wants to create a "we're all in this together" atmosphere, which explains the mostly-idiotic "bonding" exercise a group of 2-dozen adults had to go through next, determining which of a list of things we'd need most to survive a short trek from a wrecked lander to a mother ship on the moon. First we figured it out ourselves, then we did it in small groups, then she told us what NASA had come up with. Complete waste of time. Can't stand the cutesy group shit.

The next segment was a talk on a local biotechnology company given by Dr. Tim Osslund, an early and longtime employee of the company. It was entertaining, but very light and fluffy. For a first class that's ostensibly the first week of school for us all the entire 6pm-9pm period was remarkably devoid of meaningful scientific fact, with nothing I'd call grad-level work discussed. Hate to be cruel about it, but there it is.

Nevertheless, I'm sanguine that later discussions will be more substantive though this "molecular biology" course, with its surplus of guest lecturers, seems most likely to take the form of a survey of the biotechnology industry with only partial emphasis on science itself. Taken as it is it should be interesting, but having expected something along the line of my rather rigorous undergrad molbio class a decade ago it feels a little hollow.I want things to get much more serious than this, and quickly. But I remain upbeat - next week is the first project management class, so a new thing.

"Say goodbye to your social life."

That's what my coworkers, friends, parents, etc are all saying. I don't doubt it. Just hope I have enough time to stay with the important things, wife and kid and all. Cornball, I know, but the biggest worry on my mind about starting grad school has been giving my family the short shrift. There'll inevitably be more time away, I can't help that, but I do want to be there as much as I can.

CSUCI on Flickr

Just thought I'd link in photos coming up on a search of "CSUCI" from Flickr, to give you-all a look at the campus. It looks nice in these photos, but the infrastructure needs a ton of work. Lots of it is run-down, dilapidated and in serious need of revitalization. Maybe I can get some more photos on my own at a later date.

National Preparedness Month

Almost mockingly for Katrina victims, September is National Preparedness Month. In light of the anniversary of 9/11, the global security situation regarding terrorism, etc, and recent events on the gulf coast, put together a preparedness kit. Just do it. Don't think that some similar version of Katrina can't happen to you. If it's not a hurricane it's an earthquake, tornado, fire or (God forbid) another attack. Responsible parents and families make some provision for the worst and, as Katrina demonstrated, even the Federal government may not be there or be there in sufficient force to provide for or protect you.

Dumb and Dumber

That's largely the state of science reporting in the popular press. The UK Guardian's Ben Goldacre examines why science journalism sucks so much, and the journalistic motivations for portraying science poorly in the press.

This misrepresentation of science is a direct descendant of the reaction, in the Romantic movement, against the birth of science and empiricism more than 200 years ago; it's exactly the same paranoid fantasy as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, only not as well written. We say descendant, but of course, the humanities haven't really moved forward at all, except to invent cultural relativism, which exists largely as a pooh-pooh reaction against science. And humanities graduates in the media, who suspect themselves to be intellectuals, desperately need to reinforce the idea that science is nonsense: because they've denied themselves access to the most significant developments in the history of western thought for 200 years, and secretly, deep down, they're angry with themselves over that.

Read it, it's good.

Look, Ma! I'm Orientated!

Orientation was on Saturday the 10th - met Dr. Berg, CSUCI's Dean of Extended Education and all-around nice guy, Dr.s Bournias and Wang of the Master's program and Biology dep't respectively, and one Dr. Ken Feldmann of Ceres, a local company that produces hybrid plants through genetic engineering.

We got through the basics - cost ($4.7K this semester), parking ($135 per semester - Jesus!) and registration, and each of them talked to the class about the program and the biotech industry. They seemed as excited and hopeful for it as I was, and fully professional. One of the things I was worried about with a new program was that it'd be run in a half-assed manner. This is clearly not the case here. Also, luckily, there's a transit pass that lets me do park & ride to the campus for only $25/semester. I know I'll be doing that rather than shucking that ridiculous bill for on-campus parking.

I'm working on clearing up some technicalities with tuition deferrment for my job's reimbursement program, so I ought to get paid up soon. Class begins on the 21st.

Waiting Waiting Waiting

Things are moving like molasses, and I'm eager to start school. The program's got an orientation session scheduled for September 10th, with classes starting the week of the 19th. Project Management on Tuesdays, Molecular Cell Biology on Wednesdays.

Got my Molecular Cell Bio book.

I received Alberts et.al.'s Molecular Biology of the Cell yesterday. Jammed through the first chapter but I still need to install the software. Want to get a jump on reading through the book before classes in September.

Your Cell Phone's Trying to Kill You! (Part III)

High-frequency radio scrambling your brain? Eh. Hearling loss due to over-loud speakers? Bah. The latest vogue in cell phone threats is that they'll boil your eyes.

Sigh.