You are currently browsing the daily archive for August 17th, 2007.
I came across an interesting difference in usage between British and American versions of the word assurance. The word typically means a promise or a guarantee in American English. So when I came across this ad on the Scotsman it caught my eye. Hell yes I want my life assured! Turns out, to the Brits, it just means insurance. Pity.
Now this will be a nifty little device if they can get it to work. It’d be great to not have to charge your cell phone as frequently. Though the logistics of having a patch on your body with a cord running to your phone might be a little dicey. You could at least power your bluetooth ear-piece with it, though.
Sometimes journalists say the damnedest things. “Giuliani’s Gaza Analogy” caught my attention because I haven’t been following the Republican candidates very well and was curious what his take on Israel/Palestine was. Alec MacGillis goes through some moderately interesting points about Giuliani’s 17-page foreign policy proposal, trying to say that he will deviate from the neo-con stance that democracy should be established whenever and wherever we go, regardless of the cultural and political climate in the countries we (will) invade and/or influence unduly. Personally, I think this is whitewashing. Just because he recognizes that democracy won’t take root in a place like Iraq or that it will elect “terrorists” in a place like Palestine doesn’t mean he has left neo-con behind.
ScienceDaily is reporting that some scientists have managed to erase some long-term memories of tastes from rats. These were the oldest memories ever removed purposely. The researchers also discovered that the brain actively maintains memories and failure to do so results in memory loss. There is still a lot of work to be done before this translates into a viable therapy of any sort. With the recent media hype about traumatic-memory-erasing drugs as treatment for victims of PTSD, this will no doubt find a use in therapy. Why be shackled with the memory of Uncle Herb molesting you? Just zap it.
