I am a video game lover. Not an addict-yet, a lover. For those who have seen SHUTTER ISLAND the world inside my head is like that inside the head of Leonardo DiCaprio. Worth seeing. I dream of games which will, by their sheer brilliance and capacity to understand societal dilemmas, lift us from our downward spiral. Instead, we get more shooter games. Bioshock creators have the ability to do more--their concepts are so unique and interesting. An underwater city where brilliant scientific minds are allowed to flourish. An advanced utopian creation gone awry. So we must shoot and kill. Here's ...
Few have projected the details of what will occur if the current healthcare initiatives are stalemated in Washington. There has been some general talk of costly overruns for Medicare and a significant increase in interest rates as well as a depressed stock market but these hallmarks really don't mean much. I would like someone to run an extrapolation as to when the costly healthcare system will begin to depress the economy and the details of what specifically will happen with Medicare. This shouldn't that hard to do for the Office of The General Budget or the Auditor. If The American ...
Posted on March 9, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
About one in four Americans married or living with someone say they are so sleep deprived that they are too tired to have sex, according to a new study by the National Sleep Foundation. Scientists say what couples do before bed time has a critical role in whether they engage in sex. TV is not [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on March 8, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
I am a video game lover. Not an addict-yet, a lover. For those who have seen SHUTTER ISLAND the world inside my head is like that inside the head of Leonardo DiCaprio. Worth seeing. I dream of games which will, by their sheer brilliance and capacity to understand societal dilemmas, lift us from our downward [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on March 8, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Few have projected the details of what will occur if the current healthcare initiatives are stalemated in Washington. There has been some general talk of costly overruns for Medicare and a significant increase in interest rates as well as a depressed stock market but these hallmarks really don’t mean much. I would like someone to [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on February 26, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Yesterday, my wife and I were heading to the Shanghai Museum and on the way in a young Chinese woman in her early 20’s and her male friend came over and offered to take our photo. Her friend was a childhood buddy from their hometown a couple of hours a way and they both proceeded [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on February 18, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
I am in the Shanghai airport traveling to Kunming after three glorious days of the Chinese New Year in Shanghai. The world dynamic aside for the time being, the Chinese mothers and fathers and grandparents I see here hold and kiss their children as if they will not see them for many years. They dote [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on February 8, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
1. HIV Vaccine: Researchers have deciphered two antibodies produced by some HIV patients which have neutralized many HIV strains. These are far more potents than the four previously discovered and may be specific to the developing world where 95% of the new cases happen. The current focus is on creating a vaccine active ingredient to [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on February 8, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Global attention appears to be turning away from the AIDS epidemic and this comes just at the wrong time as a fresh wave of the disease is expected to infect millions of people in high risk countries a leading expert said Friday. “There seems to be a perception now that AIDS has been dealt with [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on February 2, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Two nights ago, I went to see Avatar. Although I had tempered expectation, in the end, I must admit that I became totally immersed in the film beginning to end. There were things about the film I did not like. The dialogue was riddled with clichés and the moralistic themes were over done.
There was, however, [...]
Posted on February 2, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Soon I will be traveling to Kungming China with my daughter, who will spend six months studying the Chinese culture and the Chinese public health system. I figured I’d better read some books about China since I know dangerously little and what little I do know comes from our news media. Martin Jacques, a Professor, [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 28, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
For as long as the net has been around, .com has dominated the URL’s for web site addresses. Soon, new extensions will come into use and some believe that companies like GoDaddy will begin selling subscriptions for these extensions and there will be a renewed land grab for the most popular extensions.
Continue Reading
Posted on December 8, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
This post apocalyptic thriller and its two main characters so captured me that after reading the book, I listened to the book on tape and would sit in my car until I was nearly late for appointments. The father and son, constantly close to death, facing and surmounting one challenge after the next. I rooted [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 8, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
In a couple of weeks, James Cameron’s film AVATAR will be released in 3D. This unique melding of digital imaging and live action will also be attendant with the release of a dynamic video game of the same name. The video game uses the same themes and characters found in the film as its basis [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 13, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
Yesterday, after having read THE ROAD twice, I saw the film adaptation. As I have said about the book, I was captured and entranced by the characters, who became a part of my life during the read, to the point of distracting me during working hours, especially when I knew they were in trouble. It [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 14, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
Social media has become the subject of a lot of writing and discussion and its hard for someone not in the field to get a sense of the realistic trends for the coming year in this arena. Here is what I have come up with for social media predictions (probable trends) for 2010; 1) New [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 18, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
Mounting evidence from rigorous scientific studies reveals that power napping boosts mental performance, information processing, learning, reduces burnout and increases test scores significantly. Studies funded by The National Institute of Mental Health, overseen by Alan Hobson M.D. at Harvard show that a midday nap reverses information overload and increases learning, memory and motor skill by over 20%. [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 18, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
According to the Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry, the niacin in peanuts, when eaten regularly, provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease. The study, conducted on 3000 men 65 or older found that those getting 22mgs of niacin a day were 70% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those consuming 13 mgs. In addition, peanut butter [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 20, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
Australian scientists have found that antibodies in shark blood are highly resilient, can withstand high temperatures, extremely acidic or alkaline conditions and could be crucial in the development of a cancer fighting pull. Professor Mick Foley of Melbourne’s La Trobe University said the shark molecules can attach themselves to cancer cells and stop them from [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 23, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
There is one invention concerning mobile devices that I’d like to see advanced next year, for the safety of the American public and my sanity. I would estimate that over half of the drivers in America text while driving. This estimate is entirely anecdotal, based on my own observation of accidents, near misses and crazy [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 28, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
“The Future”
Give me back my broken night
my mirrored room, my secret life
it’s lonely here,
there’s no one left to torture
Give me absolute control
over every living soul
And lie beside me, baby,
that’s an order!
Give me crack and anal sex
Take the only tree that’s left
and stuff it up the hole
in your culture
Give me back the Berlin wall
give me Stalin [...]
Posted on December 28, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
Now here’s a new invention worth mentioning coming into 2010;a driving assistance system which controls the driver’s attention level and helps prevent accidents caused by dorwsiness or distractions at the wheel. Called the Advanced Driving Alert System (ADAS), it involves the installation of a videocamera on the dashboard of the car which measures eye blinking [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 28, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
Trial X is an useful web site that allows individuals to find therapy and clinical trials for various disorders in their geographic location. It is expected to increase availability on clinical trials and as such speed up the development of life saving medicines. See @trialX in twitter and fill out your health profile to see [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on December 31, 2009 by Jeffrey Newman
Date: 1910
What was predicted: Halley’s Comet was due to cross Earth’s path in 1910, but it wasn’t just the usual panic which accompanies the appearance of fire in the sky that had people worried. The comet’s tail contained cyanogen, a highly toxic substance, and according to scientists Earth was due to travel straight through it.
Posted on January 1, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
From one website (not this one)
A 2012 prediction based on a comet hitting earth was pulled directly from the Bible Codes.
Some believe that a lot of the 2012 predictions were created to discredit revelations in the Bible. “Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible (also known as the Torah). These five books are [...]
Posted on January 3, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
As global warming melts the world’s ice sheets, scientists are finding viruses hidden for thousands of years, for which humans have no resistance. One group, studying ice-core sections found pathogens that survived in ice for over 140,000 years, its protein overcoat allowing it to live even in extreme cold. Another team of researchers at the [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 4, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
New computer modeling based on human behaviors in the past have resulted in the ability of military analysts to predict the probable outcome of particular battles. The research is being done at The University of Maryland and is expected to enhance the battlefield decision making processes in a major way.
Continue Reading
Posted on January 5, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Do movie theatres face a bleak future as a result of digital technology advances that will allow for film viewing via computer tablets or television? Digital projectors exist in only 1500 screens across the country of a total of over 40,000 screens and the consumers are demanding higher quality images. The gaming industry is surpassing the film [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 7, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Top researchers have completed a major study which concluded that consumption of caffeine in coffee greater than two cups per day significantly reduces the incidence of certain liver diseases. January 2010 Journal of Hepatology
Continue Reading
Posted on January 10, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Avatar, the hit film has created more interest in 3D TV and now Samsung has a 3D TV the width of an iPhone. Its development was aided by blue-ray and it will be internet enabled allowing downloads of internet TV content. Analysts predict a 3D revolution which will maximize the TV watching immersion experience.
Continue Reading
Posted on January 12, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Denmark has spearheaded the use of electronic healthrecords and use of telemedicine via the internet to assist doctors in treating their patients. There are a number of telemedicine projects allowing monitoring patients in their home saves doctors an average of 50 minutes a day in administrative work. Apparently Denmark’s success may relate to its small [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 12, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
The steady and significant increases in the price of medicines, which has no indication of slowing, cries out for an extrapolation of costs going forward. Statheads come forth. Between October 2008 and September 2009, the brand-named medications most commonly used by Medicare beneficiaries rose an average of 9.3 percent. Interestingly, this was a period [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 13, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Following on the heels of Google’s announcement that it may pull out of China, Joe Schoendorf, a Partner at Accel Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm told the New York Times “Google has Microsoft on the ropes, and China is arguably the world’s most important market outside of the U.S. You don’t walk away [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 16, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
An asteroid 30 to 50 feet across will pass by the Earth at just more than one-third the distance between the Earth and the moon on Wednesday. That’s the closest near-Earth object approach currently known between now and the flyby in 2024 of a similar-size object known as 2007 XB23.
The new asteroid, called 2010 AL30, [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 16, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
The alleged terrorists on this list have been indicted by sitting Federal Grand Juries in various jurisdictions in the United States for the crimes reflected on their wanted posters. Evidence was gathered and presented to the Grand Juries, which led to their being charged. The indictments currently listed on the posters allow them to be [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 16, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
The new Hollywood film EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES, starring Harrison Ford as a brilliant scientist, opens Friday and is based on a true story taking place at Genzyme Corporation in Cambridge. It is about the treatment developed for Pompe disease, a rare enzyme deficiency. Genzyme created Myozyme using in house research. Boston Globe staffer Geeta Anand [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 16, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
These were taken by my daughter Haley
(c) Haley M. Newman
Posted on January 17, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Memorable Quotes and quotations from Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi Indian ascetic & nationalist leader (1869 – 1948)
Mahatma Gandhi -
- The future depends on what we do in the present.
Mahatma Gandhi -
- The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Mahatma Gandhi -
- It is the quality of our work which will please God [...]
Posted on January 17, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
One of the more significant developments in technology and medicine is the creation of a cell-phone microscope allowing for the use of a standard cell phone and off the shelf lens. This allows physicians to view blood cells to help diagnose blood borne illnesses such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. This device, created by Aydogan [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 18, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
What will libraries be like in the future. A growing number of librarians are already planning for bookless libraries, administered by central sources in order to allow for “sustainable scholarship”. At one recent conference, experts explained that groups of universities are already exploring shared digital repositories and archives. This collaborative outsourcing will also include catalogue [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 19, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
The hackers which penetrated Google’s defenses recently demonstrated a level of sophistication which paints a frightening picture of just how vulnerable the internet is. The hackers used a combination of encryption, stealth programing and found an unknown hole in internet Explorer. A dozen or more pieces of malware and numerous lawyers of encryption allowed the [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 19, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
A Los Angeles based law firm representing a U.S. company in a $2.2 billion law suit again the Chinese government and some global computer companies, said it has suffered cyber attacks coming from China. Gibson Hoffman & Pandone said the hack could be in retaliation for its historic intellectual property law suit against China on [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 21, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Researchers have founf a molecular switch that can prevent the development of fatal Huntington’s in mice. Huntington’s is a neurological condition caused by a mutation of a gene that codes a brain protein known as huntingtin. It is characterized by uncontrolled jerking movements and stuttering. According to a study published in NEURON, a chemical modification [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 21, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
The results of studies show that the prevalence and incidence of dimentia continue to rise Incident dimentia was almost identical in terms of the percentage of men and women. The number of people with dimentia has risen to 35 milion up from 24 million in 2004. A statistical analysis of the numbers shows that dimentia [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 24, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
In July 2009, a Beluga whale named Mila saved 26-year-old Yang Yun when her legs froze up during a free dive competition in Mila’s arctic aquarium home. When Yang tried to surface, she realized that she couldn’t move her legs and she began sinking. She thought “that was it for me – I was dead, [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 24, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
Prolific Brigham & Women’s Hospital surgeon Atul Gawande has written an interesting book extolling the benefits of utilizing checklists in order the reduce errors, increase quality assurance and systematize everything from medical procedures to daily endeavors of everyday life. Gawande sprinkles his thesis with excellent examples of how basic procedures sometimes result in sickness and [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 26, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
According to various TV rating services, the show HOUSE M.D. is the top rated television show. Why? First, I want to disclaim that I do like this show myself, so I may not be totally objective here. First, I think viewers are attracted to the unique personality of the main character who is antisocial, arrogant, [...]
Continue Reading
Posted on January 28, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman
A Belgian man thought diagnosed as comatose for 23 years after a near-fatal crash was actually conscious and paralyzed the whole time. The false diagnosis case raises serious questions about those diagnosed as vegetative and for those removed from life support. Rom Houben could hear every word his doctors spoke but could not speak to [...]
Continue Reading
