I read an interesting article recently (actually several) about new developments in robotics technology and AI. Specifically, I've learned that human beings are slowly but surely losing out to computers in age-old strategy games, such as chess and checkers. You can read the article here.
I am, of course, wary about the inevitable robot revolution that is sure to come, but I take comfort in one fact. Man can still triumph over machine in the game of poker.
Let's all be careful with these robots, ok? I've read way too many "I, Robots" and seen way too many "Terminators" and "Matrix" movies to feel like we haven't been warned well ahead of time.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Is Obesity Really That Big a Deal?
I stumbled upon an interesting article/forum/debate this morning in the Freakonomics blog. For those of you who don't know, Freakonomics is a very popular book, written by Steven D. Levitt (Economist) and Stephen J. Dubner (Journalist), which most notably argues that the enactment of Roe v. Wade in the 70s--the act that legalized abortion in the United States--had the effect of reducing the crime rate during the 90s. The blog post involved the debate about the obesity "epidemic," and contained several "expert" views of how we, as Americans, should be looking at the problem, analyzing it, and solving it.
Now, let me start out by stating one fact that everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting me would most likely already know: I am a fat-ist. I have been ever since I was a little kid and I saw my first fat person. He was very mean to me, which as a child can scar you for life. Hence, today I tend psychologically associate fatness with meanness.
That being said, I do indeed acknowledge that the Americans are larger today than they have been in, say, thirty years. I also acknowledge that the rest of the world considers the United States to be the "fattest" country in the world, occupied by lazy, gluttonous idiots who indulge every whim and eat until their heart's content (or discontent, har har). You need not have traveled abroad for an entire two weeks like I did to realize this fact. You no doubt have heard this argument before: Americans like their beer and hamburgers.
However, I have a little problem with the fact that the obesity "problem" is now referred to, even by epidemiologists, as an "epidemic." Really? REALLY? An EPIDEMIC? Yes, I understand that obesity satisfies the definition of an epidemic in terms of it being a condition that affects now an exceedingly larger number of the population than expected. Yes, this can lead to such chronic conditions as heart disease, diabetes, unattractiveness (no doubt the major one), etc. But, my problem is that obesity is being less thought of as correlated with these diseases and more as the disease itself. Obesity does not necessarily imply unhealthiness, and what is further is that the definition is what precisely is obese has become a bit wishy washy. That is why, I particularly enjoy J. Eric Oliver's comments on the aforementioned blog. Of course, even still, Oliver seems to believe that obesity should be entirely ignored, when it should not be.
The one commentator who I had a major problem with was Dr. Lisa Hark, who wrote:
Unfortunately, we have become a society obsessed with TV, and kids are learning this at a very young age. Experts now agree that screen time of all types needs to be limited for children and teenagers to less than two hours per day. I believe the less TV our kids watch, the healthier they will be. Studies show that the more children are exposed to TV ads for junk food and sweetened drinks, the more likely they are to consume large amounts of unhealthy food. We need to avoid putting TVs in our children’s bedrooms and start monitoring how much and what they are watching. This also includes computer and video game time. Children spend most of the school day sitting, so get them outside for some play time after school, and use weekends for active family bonding outings.
This offends me on a personal level. I'm so tired of TV bashing; we all get it! Super Clinton-esque Democrat-Liberals want to censor video games and have our children watching less television in an absurd effort to make them more "intellectual" and possibly eat better.
Absurd. I, for one, am an avid TV enthusiast and I have been all my life. I am not obese by any stretch of the imagination (or who knows, I might be by this country's current standards), and I certainly have not let television affect my diet and exercise. How come no one blames books? When you're reading Shakespeare, you're also not out there running ten miles, playing basketball and lifting weights. Everything has an opportunity cost. EVERYTHING!
Furthermore, who are these "experts" and where are these "studies?" Experts apparently agree (unanimously it seems) that children's screen time needs to be diminished to two hours a day or less. Experts also agree that I am 70 % more attractive than Brad Pitt.
I do happen to agree that the advertisements on television make children more susceptible to want to snack down on some junk food. And Dr. Hark was right in saying that it is the parents' responsibility to ensure that their children make the right choices and stay clear of the road towards unhealthiness. But let's not get carried away when we say that television is the primary source of obesity in America. It isn't.
What do all of you loyal readers think about this? Let's see if we can get our own forum started up in the comments section.
Now, let me start out by stating one fact that everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting me would most likely already know: I am a fat-ist. I have been ever since I was a little kid and I saw my first fat person. He was very mean to me, which as a child can scar you for life. Hence, today I tend psychologically associate fatness with meanness.
That being said, I do indeed acknowledge that the Americans are larger today than they have been in, say, thirty years. I also acknowledge that the rest of the world considers the United States to be the "fattest" country in the world, occupied by lazy, gluttonous idiots who indulge every whim and eat until their heart's content (or discontent, har har). You need not have traveled abroad for an entire two weeks like I did to realize this fact. You no doubt have heard this argument before: Americans like their beer and hamburgers.
However, I have a little problem with the fact that the obesity "problem" is now referred to, even by epidemiologists, as an "epidemic." Really? REALLY? An EPIDEMIC? Yes, I understand that obesity satisfies the definition of an epidemic in terms of it being a condition that affects now an exceedingly larger number of the population than expected. Yes, this can lead to such chronic conditions as heart disease, diabetes, unattractiveness (no doubt the major one), etc. But, my problem is that obesity is being less thought of as correlated with these diseases and more as the disease itself. Obesity does not necessarily imply unhealthiness, and what is further is that the definition is what precisely is obese has become a bit wishy washy. That is why, I particularly enjoy J. Eric Oliver's comments on the aforementioned blog. Of course, even still, Oliver seems to believe that obesity should be entirely ignored, when it should not be.
The one commentator who I had a major problem with was Dr. Lisa Hark, who wrote:
Unfortunately, we have become a society obsessed with TV, and kids are learning this at a very young age. Experts now agree that screen time of all types needs to be limited for children and teenagers to less than two hours per day. I believe the less TV our kids watch, the healthier they will be. Studies show that the more children are exposed to TV ads for junk food and sweetened drinks, the more likely they are to consume large amounts of unhealthy food. We need to avoid putting TVs in our children’s bedrooms and start monitoring how much and what they are watching. This also includes computer and video game time. Children spend most of the school day sitting, so get them outside for some play time after school, and use weekends for active family bonding outings.
This offends me on a personal level. I'm so tired of TV bashing; we all get it! Super Clinton-esque Democrat-Liberals want to censor video games and have our children watching less television in an absurd effort to make them more "intellectual" and possibly eat better.
Absurd. I, for one, am an avid TV enthusiast and I have been all my life. I am not obese by any stretch of the imagination (or who knows, I might be by this country's current standards), and I certainly have not let television affect my diet and exercise. How come no one blames books? When you're reading Shakespeare, you're also not out there running ten miles, playing basketball and lifting weights. Everything has an opportunity cost. EVERYTHING!
Furthermore, who are these "experts" and where are these "studies?" Experts apparently agree (unanimously it seems) that children's screen time needs to be diminished to two hours a day or less. Experts also agree that I am 70 % more attractive than Brad Pitt.
I do happen to agree that the advertisements on television make children more susceptible to want to snack down on some junk food. And Dr. Hark was right in saying that it is the parents' responsibility to ensure that their children make the right choices and stay clear of the road towards unhealthiness. But let's not get carried away when we say that television is the primary source of obesity in America. It isn't.
What do all of you loyal readers think about this? Let's see if we can get our own forum started up in the comments section.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Today I may have hit a low in my job search. I applied to work at a pre-school, where I'd only be paid $1 more than minimum wage. I wouldn't mind working with kids, but she asked me for references. Honestly, I don't think I've ever babysat anyone aside form my younger sister many, many moons ago. So I kind of just ran out, and promised her I'd email her non-existant references. This wasn't the worse, though. I applied to be Star Jones' personal assistant for her new show on Court TV, which I hear sucks...but are we surprised? So that brings me to the question: What's the worst job you've applied for, and if you were offered it, would you take it? I probably would've killed myself if I had to bring Star Jones food everyday or listen to her talk do her lawyer spiel. Then again, I may have actually taken it.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Old School
On Sunday I acquired a GameBoy Advance. It was $30 used at Game Stop on Ryder's Lane. Along with this monument of handheld awesome, I purchased three games: Naruto: Ninja Council 2, Breath of Fire 2, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords.
Naruto, while good, spans the time from just before Team 7 enters the Chunin exam through the Naruto vs. Gaara fight along with some minor side quests. It's short. I beat it in one night while working security at Rockoff Hall. Character selection is limited to Team 7 (minus Kakashi) and Vs. Mode is only inter-console.
I'm still working on A Link to the Past.
But I digress from my point.
Thirty fucking dollars for a GameBoy Advance! The GameBoy Color was $10 used and most games ranged from $4-$17! I remember having my old brick of a handheld with its green and yellow screen playing Aliens Vs. Predator (if any of you have played this game you will know how miserable I was). I would beg for a new game but they were just too damn expensive.
I can't wait till other new technologies are this cheap. As soon as mechanical hearts are $15 used at the Lay-Z-Shopper, I'm upgrading to cyborg!
Naruto, while good, spans the time from just before Team 7 enters the Chunin exam through the Naruto vs. Gaara fight along with some minor side quests. It's short. I beat it in one night while working security at Rockoff Hall. Character selection is limited to Team 7 (minus Kakashi) and Vs. Mode is only inter-console.
I'm still working on A Link to the Past.
But I digress from my point.
Thirty fucking dollars for a GameBoy Advance! The GameBoy Color was $10 used and most games ranged from $4-$17! I remember having my old brick of a handheld with its green and yellow screen playing Aliens Vs. Predator (if any of you have played this game you will know how miserable I was). I would beg for a new game but they were just too damn expensive.
I can't wait till other new technologies are this cheap. As soon as mechanical hearts are $15 used at the Lay-Z-Shopper, I'm upgrading to cyborg!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Hot Water
That's it, I've had it. Something is definitely up with Russia and I intend to find out what it is.
First, there was the whole North Pole debacle, in which Putin claimed that the Arctic Ocean lay within Russia's economic zone, thus in his mind, could still count as potential acquired territory. Hell, he even went as far as to send ships there. I think no man put it better than Canadian Foreign Minister, Peter McKay, when he said, "This isn’t the 15th century. You can’t go around the world and just plant flags and say, ‘We’re claiming this territory’."
As absurd as that sounds, there is more. Oh there is more. Russia then, for no good reason at all began "regular, long-range patrols by nuclear cable bombers over the world's oceans, resuming the practice after a 15 year hiatus in another sign of Russia's growing assertiveness." I'm sure by "assertiveness," the New York Times was trying to convey, in the nicest way possible, that Russia was beginning plans to take over the fucking world again. Look at the headline! "Recalling Cold War..." Already, that projects something negative to the reader. No one looks at the Cold War as a good time; it was a god damn war! Except for those damn structural realists (I'm talking to you, Waltz and your modestly named book, Theory of International Politics), we all think of the Cold War as a time of instability, panic and fear. A time when Russia consistently played the bad guy in movies. A time in which Superman actually had to get involved and kick some communist ass.
Does it sound to anyone else like we should be concerned? Claiming territories, sending bombers, drinking vodka, skinning cats...this could potentially lead to somewhere dangerous.
Then, I read an article which pushed me over the edge. It was so intense that I was compelled to immediately to stop reading, open up this blog, and start posting this rant. After all this, Russia is now going back to fix its hot water pipes!?!?!? Not on my watch. Everyone knows that when countries start tending to their plumbing, wars start. After all, Stalin's reign began by installing these pipes throughout the Soviet Union.
The good news is that the lack of hot water coming in to residencies in Moscow and St. Petersburg is actually having the effect of producing some atrocious poetry. Take this beautiful number from the aformentioned Times article:
Anyway, we had better start paying attention to the subtle goings-on of our pals to the East. Before we know it, they might have hot water and know how to use it.
First, there was the whole North Pole debacle, in which Putin claimed that the Arctic Ocean lay within Russia's economic zone, thus in his mind, could still count as potential acquired territory. Hell, he even went as far as to send ships there. I think no man put it better than Canadian Foreign Minister, Peter McKay, when he said, "This isn’t the 15th century. You can’t go around the world and just plant flags and say, ‘We’re claiming this territory’."
As absurd as that sounds, there is more. Oh there is more. Russia then, for no good reason at all began "regular, long-range patrols by nuclear cable bombers over the world's oceans, resuming the practice after a 15 year hiatus in another sign of Russia's growing assertiveness." I'm sure by "assertiveness," the New York Times was trying to convey, in the nicest way possible, that Russia was beginning plans to take over the fucking world again. Look at the headline! "Recalling Cold War..." Already, that projects something negative to the reader. No one looks at the Cold War as a good time; it was a god damn war! Except for those damn structural realists (I'm talking to you, Waltz and your modestly named book, Theory of International Politics), we all think of the Cold War as a time of instability, panic and fear. A time when Russia consistently played the bad guy in movies. A time in which Superman actually had to get involved and kick some communist ass.
Does it sound to anyone else like we should be concerned? Claiming territories, sending bombers, drinking vodka, skinning cats...this could potentially lead to somewhere dangerous.
Then, I read an article which pushed me over the edge. It was so intense that I was compelled to immediately to stop reading, open up this blog, and start posting this rant. After all this, Russia is now going back to fix its hot water pipes!?!?!? Not on my watch. Everyone knows that when countries start tending to their plumbing, wars start. After all, Stalin's reign began by installing these pipes throughout the Soviet Union.
The good news is that the lack of hot water coming in to residencies in Moscow and St. Petersburg is actually having the effect of producing some atrocious poetry. Take this beautiful number from the aformentioned Times article:
"They’ve turned off all the hot water,
my liquid of love, my stream of words.
I should complain to the people,
but a scarf’s been thrown over my mouth.
Like this, without moisture of life,
I’ll dry out, along with the unwashed dishes,
I’ll gather moss, a stone unturned,
or perhaps be forgotten, lost in the grass." - Tatyana Shcherbina
Anyway, we had better start paying attention to the subtle goings-on of our pals to the East. Before we know it, they might have hot water and know how to use it.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
I Blogger
Here's the deal. I have started a blog, primarily for the purpose of having a medium to share my various rants, ravings, philosophical musings (ha, yeah right), and funny anectodes/stories. Also, I'm sure it will be good writing practice (and a tremendous time-waster, which is something that I absolutely need nowadays).
Also, this blog will serve as the official site for news on my internet sitcom, Franks and Brains: a show that I am writing along with two friends about a family of zombies living in secret among the human beings, who are, for the most part, too moronic and oblivious to tell that they are actually zombies. The lead goes by the name of Frank (hence, Franks...), the typical American father-figure, except for the zombie part, who works in the kitchen of a famous metropolitan restaurant (hence, ...Brains). His restaurant gained its notoriety for serving a delicious mystery meat that only he has access to. Can you guess what it is (hint: rhymes with trains). Other characters include Frank's trusting best friend, teenage son who attempts to deal with the rigors and stresses of high school life with the added disadvantage (or advantage?) of being a zombie, and beloved wife.
Anybody who is interested in playing any of these roles, please comment on this blog or e-mail me at coldshoulder56@gmail.com. To be considered for the part, you must meet any or all of the following requirements: a) Must be a good actor; b) Must fit the age range of the desired role; c) Must be capable of purchasing myself and the other writers some beer. We are also looking for people interested in filming the project, or those who just own a digital camera. We plan on uploading the (probably 15 minute) episodes onto the internet as webisodes
Anyway, has anybody ever seen any of those Discovery Health or TLC medical shows, such as Dr. G., Medical Examiner or Mystery Diagnosis? They are so f-ing cool! For those of you unforunate television-deprived people, most likely with better things to do like "read" or "work," the former is about a famous medical examiner in Florida who solves these absurdly dramatic and "shocking' autopsies, almost consistently revealing that someone died due to some gross negligence of his or her body. The latter is basically the same thing. I saw one episode recently where an abnormally lethargic infant suffered from frequent sinus infections. Upon treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics, he still continued to experience the infections, though less frequently. Then, when he learned to walk, the parents noticed that the child was supporting his body in an odd way (hard to describe). A visit to the pediatric neurologist revealed that the child's peripheral nervous system was damaged, and the final diagnosis was some rare genetic deficiency, in which his body kept converting a certain type of sugar into lactic acid, which damaged his nerves. So cool! These are like real life House episodes.
Moral of this post: television is a magical, mystical and almost transcendental entity. All of you should watch more of it. Despite what you may think, it will most certainly make you smarter.
Also, this blog will serve as the official site for news on my internet sitcom, Franks and Brains: a show that I am writing along with two friends about a family of zombies living in secret among the human beings, who are, for the most part, too moronic and oblivious to tell that they are actually zombies. The lead goes by the name of Frank (hence, Franks...), the typical American father-figure, except for the zombie part, who works in the kitchen of a famous metropolitan restaurant (hence, ...Brains). His restaurant gained its notoriety for serving a delicious mystery meat that only he has access to. Can you guess what it is (hint: rhymes with trains). Other characters include Frank's trusting best friend, teenage son who attempts to deal with the rigors and stresses of high school life with the added disadvantage (or advantage?) of being a zombie, and beloved wife.
Anybody who is interested in playing any of these roles, please comment on this blog or e-mail me at coldshoulder56@gmail.com. To be considered for the part, you must meet any or all of the following requirements: a) Must be a good actor; b) Must fit the age range of the desired role; c) Must be capable of purchasing myself and the other writers some beer. We are also looking for people interested in filming the project, or those who just own a digital camera. We plan on uploading the (probably 15 minute) episodes onto the internet as webisodes
Anyway, has anybody ever seen any of those Discovery Health or TLC medical shows, such as Dr. G., Medical Examiner or Mystery Diagnosis? They are so f-ing cool! For those of you unforunate television-deprived people, most likely with better things to do like "read" or "work," the former is about a famous medical examiner in Florida who solves these absurdly dramatic and "shocking' autopsies, almost consistently revealing that someone died due to some gross negligence of his or her body. The latter is basically the same thing. I saw one episode recently where an abnormally lethargic infant suffered from frequent sinus infections. Upon treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics, he still continued to experience the infections, though less frequently. Then, when he learned to walk, the parents noticed that the child was supporting his body in an odd way (hard to describe). A visit to the pediatric neurologist revealed that the child's peripheral nervous system was damaged, and the final diagnosis was some rare genetic deficiency, in which his body kept converting a certain type of sugar into lactic acid, which damaged his nerves. So cool! These are like real life House episodes.
Moral of this post: television is a magical, mystical and almost transcendental entity. All of you should watch more of it. Despite what you may think, it will most certainly make you smarter.
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