Reconstructing the Antikythera Mechanism

 

"Clickspring" makes gorgeous videos about an inspiring project: building a replica of the Antikythera mechanism using only period-appropriate tools and methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBRCL090PxA

 

I particularly like this project because it's an excellent way to debunk the "ancient astronaut" kookery surrounding this piece of ancient technology (and other "too advanced" ancient human achievements).

Link: Research on Calorie Restriction in Humans

 We've known for decades that calorie restriction prolongs the life of lab rodents. There's also correlation between a low-calorie (but nutritious) diet and longer life in some human populations, Okinawans being the most frequently mentioned example. This recent summary of NIH-sponsored work starts to hint at what the mechanism might be:

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2022/03/08/biology-of-aging-study-shows-why-curbing-calories-counts/

How Many Genders Are There?

 I like this guy. The only better answer I can think of is "When's lunch?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMDlFn-NGKk

 

For family reasons, I have been

The Futile Utility of the Cell Phone

Thursday morning I woke up and found that various family members had been texting and calling all night (my cell phone is set to stop ringing at 9:30). My mom had been on the couch watching the aftermath of the Capitol riot like the rest of the country, gotten up for a glass of water, and tripped on a throw rug. Bottom line:

Thug: An Introduction to the History of a Nasty Word

Has anyone else noticed the gleeful way certain people use the word "thug"? Like it tastes good in their mouth when they say it? Like they have found a socially acceptable substitute for the N word? That anagram of "ginger," which was "taken away" from "us" by "political correctness?" 

It turns out that "thug" was brought into the English language in the 19th century to help justify the British Empire's conquest of India. So it's been doing the work of dehumanizing the racial "other" to justify violence against them all along.

https://sshankar.net/2020/06/04/s-shankar-thug-the-rhetorical-work-of-a-contemporary-american-word-originating-in-colonial-19th-century-india/?fbclid=IwAR2ud0eiL1aFU4x02wcWDYPENvh9vwjiX0zXX8wrcctKJFQOa0h6phhAY34

I knew Shankar in grad school, where he was a real standout. Proud to point at him and say "I know this guy!"

In the Time of Coronavirus

Today I'm completing my third week at home, semi-sheltering from the corona virus. Twice a week I go to work to care for the animals in our teaching collection. Other days I work on Fernbank's social media and website, here at home. I am also my household's self-appointed hammer when it comes to running errands like grocery shopping.

I have known all through this that

Maybe Tobacco Wasn't First

So perhaps industry efforts to influence science and perception of science started back in the 1950's . . . . . .
https://www.npr.org/2016/09/13/493801090/sugar-industry-manipulated-research-about-health-effects-study-finds

https://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/sugar-papers-reveal-industry-role-in1970s-dental-program.html

https://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/suppressed-evidence-of-health-risks-of-sucrose.html

The War in Afghanistan is Approaching Its Eighteenth Birthday.

I haven't written this before. I'll save the tearjerking details of "where I was" and "the moment my child saw the video" for some other time. What is on my mind this morning is the night of the eleventh. My memory is this: I'm in the bedroom with my wife, we're both exhausted by that day.

I know that memory is tricky, but what I recall is telling her "I'm afraid our country's response is going to be bombing a bunch of brown people." Probably about the same time (if not earlier), Dick Cheney was in a meeting and wondered aloud whether the attacks could be our pretext for "doing" Iraq.

Lowery on Texas

The piece in the link (if it's not behind a paywall) is difficult to read. Difficult emotionally; the prose itself is plainly written and more powerful because of that. It's an account, by many eyewitnesses, of the Texas church massacre last weekend. Wesley Lowery, the lead reporter, described it on Twitter this way: "We emptied our notebooks of every detail we have . . ."

I have recently finished Wesley Lowery's excellent book They Can't Kill Us All, and recommend it if you're interested in what's behind the movement(s) protesting police violence against unarmed black people. In addition to reporting on the crime scenes, Lowery takes the time to get to know the community leaders who dedicate time and energy to keeping these needless killings in the public eye.  One thing that becomes clear as you read the book is that reporting on these events takes a huge toll on the journalists who cover them. My second reaction on reading this piece is how devastating it must be just talking to people who have so recently gone through this, let alone actually being present during the killing.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-sound-of-hymns-drifted-from-the-country-church-then-came-gunfire/2017/11/08/4bd191b4-c4b7-11e7-aae0-cb18a8c29c65_story.html?utm_term=.d450c89e921e

Atomic War Tips

This guy Yonatan Zunger has some stuff worth reading. The following showed up today and includes good reminders of things I read about as a child.  https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/island-tips-for-surviving-a-nuclear-attack-5708fc56fb5d

How Long is Your Doughnut Hole?

My "retirement package" can be accessed at 62, and I have some "emergency savings" to live on if I ever am out of work. If my emergency savings continue growing, and my age continues to approach 62, I should have an ever-decreasing "doughnut hole," the time between when my emergency savings would run out and when I reach age 62.

I am sure I'm not alone in thinking that once the doughnut hole is gone, continuing to work is optional rather than a life-or-death necessity. And so I like to keep an eye on the size of the doughnut hole. When things are going well, I only check once a year or so. When things are miserable, I check slightly more often. Twice a day maybe. It would be nice to develop a bit of software that would display the doughnut hole "countdown" style on my smartphone. Or not. After all, that leads to a mindset of wanting "this part" of my life to be over so I can be living in "that part." Which of course is illusory thinking; the only part of my life I can ever live is THIS HERE NOW.

Still. It's nice to have something pleasant to think about, so here's an online calculator that will tell you how long your emergency savings will hold out. Add that to your current age, subtract the sum from 62, and you know the length of your doughnut hole.

You're welcome.

Doughnut Hole Length Calculation Helper

Set Your Car to Nookie Mode

Worth reading. Based on the concept: what if human nature remains about the same as "driverless cars" become commonplace?

https://medium.com/hidden-in-plain-sight/concepts-in-autonomous-mobility-80732bc4a44d#.bjjnykj1a