The Barfomatic
Nausea. We all know the feeling. Sometimes it briefly grabs our attention, and then slips quietly away. Other times, it builds to an inescapable climax and then….. Friends and family all secretly hope it’s something you ate and they didn’t (So glad I passed on the oysters). Many times it’s due to a virus that […]
Who Wants to Know?
“Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.” This oft-paraphrased line from Thomas Gray’s 1742 poem has certainly gathered a lot of cred over the past two hundred and seventy-some years. It is sacred tribal knowledge that what you don’t know won’t hurt you, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that which is […]
All Is Not Forgotten
Ninety-five percent of all lab animals are mice or rats. Without them, we humans would be in pretty bad shape. They have been used as models for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer’s and a host of other human maladies. If you’ve ever been cured with a medication prescribed by a doctor, odds are you […]
Methane Monitor (aka Fart Tracker)
The Apple Watch is lots of things to lots of people – chic, attention-grabbing, fun – but at its core, it is basically a sophisticated computer worn on the wrist. Like any computer, it is only as good as the software that it runs. Apple is well aware of this, and has promoted apps which […]
Group Hugs
“Can we all get along?” This famous line (often misquoted) was poignantly spoken by Rodney King. He was appealing for calm after the verdict in his police brutality trial that triggered the ’92 Los Angeles riot, a rampage that cost the city over $2 billion dollars. If you think anyone listened, just Google “Ferguson, Missouri.” […]
Eye of Newt, Wing of Bat…
3D printers are one of those inventions that took a while to grow out of the toy stage. I have several friends who have been making key fobs for some time now. Having one made is a bit like ordering a soufflé at a restaurant. As he takes your drink order, the server advises […]
Male Contraceptives
The beginning of the sexual revolution is often tied to the birth control pill, which allowed women to separate recreation from procreation. Suddenly it was OK for women to enjoy sex just like men, and our entire culture changed and has never looked back. Women have always said that it makes more sense to shoot […]
Longevity
The best way to increase your life expectancy is to choose your parents carefully. If that didn’t work out so well, then plenty of exercise combined with proper nutrition will definitely extend your stay on the planet. These facts are well known, timeless, and probably wrong. The Japanese apparently know something that we don’t; they […]
The Good Grade Pill
“One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at all.” (opening lines of “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane). Just as physics teaches us that nature seeks the lowest possible energy state, so are humans wired to search for the “Easy Button”, or […]
Rush to Judgment
Dr. Benjamin Rush was a highly respected physician and medical administrator in the early 1800’s. He was enormously influential, and widely known as a man who got things done. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and is one of the founders of American psychiatry. Dr. Rush did not […]
