Random Thoughts

Researchers from Yale and George Mason Universities say that, despite a lack of concern over climate change, the American public is in favor of policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing cleaner forms of energy. The survey released today found that Americans are in favor of policy initiatives such as funding more research on renewable energy (85 percent), offering tax rebates for people buying fuel-efficient vehicles or solar panels (82 percent), regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant (71 percent), and signing an international treaty that requires the United States…

Those of you who primarily follow this blog by RSS should come check out some of the remodeling done around here: Hot Topics: Scientific Blogging has some outstanding writers, who are now coming together on a monthly basis to give you a slew of different perspectives on a current topic. The most recent topic is 2020 Science, and includes pieces on topics like home computing, particle physics, nanopore DNA sequencing, information filtering, and sustainability. Some of the best writing on this site goes up here. Blog Makeover: The Adaptive Complexity home page has a slick new look. I can't take…

To celebrate my 1st anniversary writing for this site, I thought it time to update my biography here.  You'd think I'd have one ready, but in fact I can't stop with just one.  Having too many facets is a hazard of being a rocket scientist with a life.   My favorite is perhaps the most useless, my Facebook Profile:Born in the heart of a dying star (as we were all), Sandy's consciousness swam through uncounted millenia until ultimately coming to rest in the 20th century on a tiny planet called... Earth. I was a bit more professional over at 365DOA:Sandy is a scientist and science…

A theory-based, abstinence-only intervention appears to be associated with a lower rate of sexual involvement among African American sixth- and seventh-graders and can be combined with other strategies to help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate one intervention, an eight-hour abstinence-only program targeting reduced sexual intercourse. A total of 662 African American students (average age 12.2, 53.5 percent girls) were…

Researchers from Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland who studied the seasonal patterns of population health say the month you were born in could influence your future health and fitness, thereby influencing your chances of being a professional athlete. The results of the study are published in the book Analyzing Seasonal Health Data. The authors analyzed the birthdays of professional Australian Football League (AFL) players and found a disproportionate number had their birthdays in the early months of the year, while many fewer were born in the later months,…

What you can do with a college degree upon graduation depends on where you're from, according  Université de Montréal professor of education Jake Murdoch. In some parts of the world diplomas from elite universities can practically guarantee employment and salary conditions, and in others--not so much. This is referred to as the "establishment effect." The conclusion is based on two large pan-European studies addressing the relationship between higher education and employment, which surveyed 36,000 graduates from 12 European countries. The next step, Murdoch says, is to conduct a similar…

Many public health advocates and scientific researchers have suggested that increasing the tax consumers pay when purchasing soda would be an effective way to help stem the growing rate of obesity in America. Most vocal among them in recent years has been Kelly Brownell, Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. In an October policy report published in the New England Journal Of Medicine, Brownell and six co-authors laid out the case for a federal tax on all sugar sweetened beverages. Based on four long-term, randomized, case-control trials, the authors…

Whether people will indulge or be prudent with their money is not necessarily based on personality type or education, but may be strongly influenced by advertising and other environmental cues, according to two studies recently presented at the Academy of Consumer Research Conference in Pittsburgh. In their studies of about 500 participants, the researchers divided consumers into two mindsets. The "being" mindset was related to one's current state in life, while the "becoming" mindset reflected a desire to think of one's future goals. The researchers showed volunteers an advertisement that…

As I quickly approach my forty-fourth birthday, I can almost feel the decline in my mental and physical abilities. Sure, I try to oppose it, but it is arguably an uphill fight. One of the means I have to gauge the line-up of my neurons is to play blitz games in the Internet Chess Club: my Elo rating is still rather stable on the ICC, although the rate of blunders per game seems to increase. When I play a nice tactical combination, however, I have the feeling of rejuvenating: it is just as if somebody injected some magical youth potion in my veins, for a while. Have a look at the following…

Random Noise #19 : How Many Things Have Scales? Justice has scales. Wikimedia The famous scales of justice used to be about a fair and balanced trial.Today, scales of justice are rates of pay  for lawyers based on how much justice the client wishes to buy - a matter of simple economics. Fish have scales - how else are they supposed to keep to their prescribed diets and slip through nets ? Models have scales - how else are they supposed to cheat on their diets? An overweight person may, when weighing themselves, adhere to the rules of snooker and pool and keep one foot on the floor.…