Posted by Bill McGonigle
Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:47:00 GMT
So far the 2008 flu vaccine looks promising.
Last year, the flu vaccine was a big miss so one needs to question any possible risks of thimerosal vs. the benefit of the vaccine (note: thimerosal-free vaccines available this year - I made this one-page pdf of just the table from the FDA page to bring with you to the clinic for reference; the vaccines with thimerosal are in strike-through type).
This year's vaccine consists of the following strains:
an A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1)-like virus
an A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus
a B/Florida/4/2006-like virus.
Collected samples to date (strain completely identified) break down as:
H1, all A/Brisbane/59/2007-like (157)
H3, all A/Brisbane/10/2007-like (18)
B, 4:9 ratio of B/Florida/04/2006 to B/Victoria (13)
It's possible that of the untyped samples there are other strains, but none have been detected so far. So, assuming the above distribution holds over the sample and over time, getting the flu shot ought to be useful against 95% of the flu currently in the wild. The 5% chance of getting a B/Victoria is likely dependent on the state you're in- 8/9 Victorias were detected in one state, but the FDA doesn't say which state. From the data is looks like it's probably in the South East or West South Central areas, so those of us in the North should likely see a higher than 95% efficacy.
Posted by Bill McGonigle
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:28:00 GMT
There’s a new study out that says that three out of five baby boomers will outlive their retirement savings, due to inflationary pressures and too high a standard of living. For the first, precious metals would be a good answer, and if that road is taken, the second problem may just solve itself.
But the problem with the study is it only looks at baby boomers living to be 90-100 years old. With practical gene therapy, telomere extension technology, and perhaps even nanobot reconstruction, a significant number of baby boomers could live to be 120-130 instead. This is nothing that was planned for, and our social welfare programs cannot support it. We may very well see people who have been on the dole longer than they’ve been productive workers.
Are you willing to bet against advances in medical technology and Moore’s law? Boom, indeed.
Posted by Bill McGonigle
Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:40:00 GMT
Emma and I went to see Indy 4 last night.
I got Phantom Menace‘d again. Drat. I’m not surprised anymore that Lucas would do this, but I am surprised Spielberg let him. It’s not just a Star Wars thing anymore then, Lucas is off my list.
There are some interesting scenes, and as a collection of vignettes the movie has some moments. But the plot is absurd on all kinds of levels. Now, this is Indiana Jones - of course it’s absurd, but the absurdity is in its internal inconsistency. You’re not asked to suspend your disbelief, you’re asked to stop thinking and ignore what just happened for the sake of… what? So they wouldn’t have to write a sensible plot? Twenty-ish years was too short a time to come up with clever plot elements?
The SciFi channel’s special on the crystal skulls was frankly more interesting, and that was as good as you’d expect it to be.
Thankfully this was a double-feature at the Fairlee Drive-In, and Iron Man was up next. Emma and I first saw it on opening night on a huge digital screen in CT with our friends Andy and Robin and two things can be said about seeing it a second time: 1) It stands up well to repeated viewings, improves even and 2) Big digital theatres are really the way to see this kind of movie. Oh, and 3) this time I stayed for the Nick Fury scene. The corn dogs were great, but visuals like Iron Man’s are more enthralling when they’re bright, crisp, and big. And loud (our window speaker was the last on the cable run and rather low).
If I were going to buy a BluRay player for a movie it would be Iron Man. That’ll have to wait for the projector.
Also of note is the cost of gas as a factor in going to the Drive-In. It takes about four gallons round-trip. Last night’s bill: $8 for admission, $12 for two corn dogs, fries, and drinks. $16 for gas. $36 for Indy 4 just isn’t a good deal, I could have bought the DVD for half of that. $36 for an evening out with Emma is of course well worth it.
Most municipal water fluoride is taken from the industrial smokestack scrubbers of fertilizer plants and as a byproduct of the aluminum industry. It’s not purified, as radiation studies have shown. It can increase blood lead levels. Most of it is not consumed by humans, and the amount that is is barely on the teeth long enough to have oral effect. Modern studies show it doesn’t even have a positive effect that can be separated from non-fluoride factors (correlation vs. causation).
Try instead a Xylitol toothpaste. Instead of perhaps having a positive benefit on remineralization of the tooth enamel after teeth have been decayed by plaque bacteria, Xylitol kills the plaque bacteria, because they can’t digest it but ‘think’ they can, so they effectively starve. Long-term use is likely to reduce one’s oral cavity infection of plaque bacteria significantly (this has been shown to be effective in treatments of chronic strep throat as well). Xylitol is a simple sugar made from either birch trees or corn, and is safe for diabetics and those with insulin resistance syndrome (or those just trying to eat healthily). It can be substituted in any recipe not using sugar for structure or fermentation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, except in this case I’d love to eat an ounce of xylitol but a pound of fluoride would kill me.
Tom’s of Maine has a good fluoride-free toothpaste line (Fennel is my favorite) and Spry has some available on Amazon. NOW has one with whitening, but we’ve had tooth pain in the family from prolonged use.
Posted by Bill McGonigle
Sat, 05 Jan 2008 04:50:00 GMT
Emma and I went to see Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep the other night. It was exactly as it should have been. So, 5 stars on the lived-up-to-its-job scale.
I was especially impressed that it was emotional, suspenseful, and just about scary for a kids' flick. Emma was on the edge of her seat more than once, but it never stepped over the edge. If you think Disney flicks are all that kids should see, you won't like this one. There's no inane humor, and while there *is* toilet humor, it's not fart-jokes at all, it's very tastefully done.
I had an ounce of trepidation going in as it's billed as part of the Chronicles of Narnia, and I didn't like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe all that much, but there are almost no similarities between the two.
