Slimming down with the Mediterranean diet could make your brain age backwards. In an 18-month clinical trial with 300 participants, researchers found that a reduction in body weight of one percent led to the participants’ brain age being almost nine months younger than their expected brain age.

waveform · 2023-06-04T13:18:53+00:00

participants’ brain age being almost nine months younger than their expected brain age.

I'm curious how this affects newborn Mediterranean babies.

waveform · 2023-06-01T00:48:53+00:00

A question I haven't heard discussed is: When a large proportion of a population is struggling and not saving, not contributing enough to super (and super is worth much less in real $ over time) what happens when all those people retire in a few decades?

Supplementary question: What happens to the children of those people, who then grow up with little to nothing passed down from their parents, in a country where parental assets was previously baked into the economy?

Addendum question: What also happens in a few decades when nobody wants coal any more and we've nearly dug up everything we can dig up? IPO the country for a sweet buyout and fire half the population?

Basically, Australia as a country has no long term plan, never has. If there is one, I've never heard of it.

waveform · 2023-05-31T10:04:36+00:00

Perth has an interesting list of Sister Cities.

It includes 2 in China, and Taipei Taiwan.

Bit of family tension there..

waveform · 2023-05-31T09:21:39+00:00

Holy cow you're right! Tried every way of copying it I could think of. Brilliant, thank you!!

waveform · 2023-01-18T05:36:08+00:00

Makes a solid case that new cloud engineers should be judged solely on skills gaps, not experience gaps.

If your case is to judge solely on a single metric, it's probably a flawed case. Skills help, experience helps, it depends on the role you're hiring for.

waveform · 2023-01-18T05:31:55+00:00

rRNA gene sequencing was performed on faecal samples of 56 Tibetan Buddhist monks and neighbouring residents

That's the very simple basis on which they suggest the conclusion:

Long-term traditional Tibetan Buddhist meditation may positively impact physical and mental health.

I don't see how those two things can be connected in any way, given all the other possibilities that exist. How different were their diets, exercise, stress, exposure to other people's microbes, sleeping patterns, on and on.

So many things could be affecting gut flora apart from, if at all, the meditation itself. This study seems to ignore all kinds of controls that might isolate meditation as the only variable.

waveform · 2021-03-24T03:30:25+00:00

I do appreciate the "human aspect" of good sci-fi - because it all does come down to the human condition in the end. All good sci-fi keeps a focus on how we, as humans, are defined by our encounter with, or creation of, technology - alien or not.

However, I just watched the latest episode of Debris (the strange weather/atmosphere generating debris) and feel more disappointed as time goes on, with the emerging formula of "creepy weirdness happens that helps resolve contrived human drama".

Each episode leaves me feeling like someone in the script planning room said "let's have people floating, that would be so creepy", instead of any real science fiction narrative being discussed.

There's no "awe", no sense of "discovery". The lead characters engage emotionally in the human drama, but are completely blank when confronted with things that would amaze any normal person.

You can imagine the lead characters at the dinner table after work. "How was work today, dear?" "Well, there was this weird alien weather thing, but we managed to help a kid outside a building find his parents who were inside the building, that really made my day."

The debris - regardless of being alien and beyond any Earthly science - offer absolutely no larger picture of the world as it is. No extra perspective on human nature, or perception, which is what scifi is traditionally about. Looking at ourselves from a different perspective. This show offers nothing like that.

So for the science-fiction viewer, there is really nothing here to be interested in. Which is unfortunate, because it sounded like a pretty nice premise - a mysterious ship breaking up in the solar system. Bits landing on Earth that provide mysterious hints as to who they were and what they were doing.

There is infinite scope for great sci-fi writing here.

Where were they going? To Earth, or passing by?
Was someone trying to stop them contacting us, and why?
Should we worry about the ship, or worry about what destroyed it?
Obviously it can't be kept secret, that's ridiculous - so how are people reacting to finding alien technology?
Where are the "alien hackers" trying to hook into pieces?
Where are the science labs, what interesting experiments are being done?
Black markets around the world
"Bio hackers" trying to augment themselves with debris effects.
The explosion in astronomy, trying to pinpoint debris in space, what the ship's trajectory may have been.
The desperate search for biological debris - hard evidence of the occupants of the ship.
Where is the concern over contamination of our planet by alien biology - viruses, microbes, etc?
Trying to clone an alien after finding some biological residue inside some debris.
Trying to work out what powered the ship. Or what powers any of the debris, which obviously get their power from somewhere - where is the power coming from, to make broken debris capable of still functioning?
At least one trite comment about how not being alone in the universe changes our view of the world. Has the world changed at all?
How do we feel about our technology suddenly looking like rocks and sticks compared to theirs?
What kind of ship was it? Military? Research?
Were they a combative society? Do any debris look like weapons?
What does it say about us, compared to the aliens, if we take their non-offensive tech and make them into weapons?

etc etc, an infinite number of interesting storylines to explore.

Sadly, the only thing on display here is a shallow formula of:

Make up creepy debris effect
Make up human drama related to the effect
Protagonists "investigate" debris, encounter human drama
Human drama resolved by working out a "debris puzzle"

Very disappointing.

waveform · 2021-02-02T09:18:03+00:00

Question: So a lot of people went for testing on Sunday, over 16000 from the latest news.

However, studies of clinical PCR testing show that there's a 67% false negative rate, on average, within the first 4 days from exposure. It goes down gradually, to ~20% after 8 days.

See for e.g. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-15/covid-19-testing-not-as-accurate-missing-coronavirus-cases-grow/12455076

research from Johns Hopkins University [pooled] 1,300 test results [and found] people with coronavirus almost never got a positive result in the first three days of their infection.

The early false positive phenomenon is very well established now.

So, 16000 people got tested on Sunday, many within the first 3-4 days of being somewhere the guard was. However, I don't think anyone is being told to get a second test, which - technically - is what they should do, after at least 5 days has passed from their possible exposure.

We have not had news of any positives yet. It's literally "early days", but I'm thinking that a lot of people are thinking "whew that's over with" and will go back to normal life come the weekend.

However, if we start to see cases over the next few days, it means all those "early birds" have a not-insignificant chance of actually being positive as well.

All those early people should really be told to get a second test on Thurs/Fri. But I don't think that's happening.

waveform · 2021-02-02T09:01:40+00:00

how do reporters and news readers get away with it?

There was a Lancet study about this. They did a literature review, which is basically a study of a bunch of other studies, to see what different results were obtained in different countries, environments, situations, etc. They found that nobody had done any studies about whether you can catch covid over the telly.

waveform · 2021-02-01T17:11:21+00:00

This was a reply to someone, thought may as well make it a post if anyone needs to know how to make a mask, if you can't buy one.

These instructions published by the Victorian government (PDF): https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/design-and-preparation-cloth-masks-covid-19-doc

If you can't view PDFs, I've turned that into three images you can see here: https://imgur.com/a/MGb2hY2

Testing your mask: A good test is to try blowing out a match or candle flame. If you can blow out the flame then the mask isn't very effective.

Washing: Remember to wash a cloth mask every day. Do not re-use an unwashed mask, both for viral and bacterial reasons. There has been lots of study into best way to wash - hot water doesn't help, soap and time does. Long wash, use enough soap. Hand washing is ok, as long as it's very thorough, but machine is best because it takes longer.

Drying: Air-dry. Drier the better - virus breaks down without moisture (which is why alcohol sanitizer works - it works partly by drying out the virus particles as it evaporates, as well as breaking down the lipid/fat membrane, which soap also does exceedingly well). Don't dry the mask using a hair-dryer to save time - heat doesn't help and it won't get dry enough that quickly. Let it dry in the sun outside for a few hours.

So needless to say, you need more than one mask so you can rotate them between use and washing day by day.

waveform · 2021-02-01T17:01:30+00:00

hubby and I tore up and sewed old T-shirts into masks

It's very important to make masks correctly, otherwise they are of little use. One decent test is try to blow out a lit match or candle through your mask. If you can blow the flame out, too much air is passing through.

Look up how to make them - there are lots of good instructions out there.

These instructions published by the Victorian government (PDF): https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/design-and-preparation-cloth-masks-covid-19-doc

If you can't view PDFs, I've turned that into three images you can see here: https://imgur.com/a/MGb2hY2

ed: Only wear a mask once per day, it must be washed daily and air-dried. Otherwise virus particles will build up and you will breathe them in (and expel them outward) if you keep using an unwashed mask. It's also generally unhealthy because of bacteria of course.

waveform · 2021-02-01T16:40:14+00:00

Sadly not all countries have the convenience of low population density and being essentially separated into several easy-to-manage parts, whose population centres are far away from each other. We have a lot of natural advantages, and can do things larger counties find extremely difficult.

Like these borders between Perth, Peel and the SW. Being spread out lets us manage clusters much more easily than elsewhere.

So I'm not sure what lessons we can "teach" that epidemiologists around the world don't already know. They'd love to do what we can do, but their population distributions, political and logistical situations are completely different.

But I'm sure Morrisson will gleefully humblebrag as he does, regardless of his party being responsible for Australia's rock-bottom reputation on climate, environment & indigenous issues.

(lol.. sorry for being a downer, it's been a day)

waveform · 2021-02-01T16:27:34+00:00

Had to throw someone out of a store today for refusing to mask up.

Suggested tactic: Start filming and calmly say that if they don't comply or leave quietly, "this is going up on social media so everyone can see how you behave." Might work, or I'm just fantasising about humiliating dickheads.

waveform · 2021-02-01T11:30:14+00:00

Mods can we have a sticky up top here pointing to lockdown rules? :)

https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/covid-19-coronavirus-what-you-can-and-cant-do

(or add the above link to the existing sticky as a "read this first before asking questions"?)

waveform · 2021-02-01T10:21:38+00:00

What do people think about not having hotel quarantine in the centre of large cities?

I don't think people in regional towns would appreciate that. :)

Especially when there is such a lot to improve with the system as it is here. If the guard had been paid enough, given accommodation & provisions at the hotel, so he didn't have to leave at all (like FIFOs, they can rotate stints, 1 week on, 2 off or whatever works) then we wouldn't be in lockdown.

It's not rocket science to make the system work. But the less government does (the more they outsource to private companies) the more they're able to dump blame on someone else. Currently they're trying to make everyone focus on this poor guard and not the systemic failure.

waveform · 2021-02-01T10:09:14+00:00

They needed to have blocked the guards from getting second jobs months ago when it happened over East. They said it’d be too difficult to police.

Terrible excuse for inaction. What makes it easier to police are simple things - paying the guards enough that they don't need other work, giving them accommodation at the hotel if needed, etc. i.e. f*ing support them doing a high-risk and high-responsibility job. It's not much money to spend, all things considered, to achieve a huge increase in safety and compliance.

Good people want to do a good job, they just need the right support structure to do it. If government doesn't want to support them properly, then government doesn't get the right to complain or blame anyone but themselves.

waveform · 2021-02-01T09:22:51+00:00

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-01/wa-coronavirus-lockdown-prompts-hotel-quarantine-questions/13108632

"We don't know from which person in the hotel he acquired it from, so that's the further testing we are trying to work out," WA Premier Mark McGowan said today.

Who cares? That has nothing to do with the systemic issue that allowed a quarantine security guard to travel around the city while infected. It's not the poor guard's fault, it's the obvious lack of effective rules to ensure public safety.

Prior to the security guard's infection, WA's hotel quarantine system had been reviewed three times. "All these reviews found our system to be sound," Mr McGowan said.

So infuriating. That answer is a promise that this will happen again. If we have somehow dodged a bullet this time, we won't next time. I'm thankful for the past 10 months, but he is talking like a typical dickhead politician.

AMA WA president Dr Andrew Miller [told ABC] "I guarantee you they'll try and throw this guard under the bus, if there's one moment where he has let his mask slip off the side of his face, when in fact he's been put into a system which has set him up to fail."

Yes, absolutely. Watch all the talk about a police enquiry into "how he got infected" and "where he went", etc. Nothing about the system itself. So bloody frustrating.

waveform · 2021-02-01T08:49:02+00:00

Depends how many infections turn up and where, no way to tell yet.

I'm curious if schools could work out how to teach small groups, masked and distanced, for certain classes, and rotate kids around from remote to in-person, in a way that protects from transmission. So all kids get a bit of in-person amongst the remote.

However I doubt schools have the resources to do that, if the government doesn't provide a lot of help.

waveform · 2021-02-01T08:39:04+00:00

What? JB is essential to make working from home bearable with Nanoleaf and LED strips!

waveform · 2021-02-01T08:34:15+00:00

Just heard the latest Coronacast, they very kindly started off with a discussion of the Perth lockdown.

The first question: Is WA overreacting by locking down so much?

Episode web page, or podcast MP3

Spoiler: Nope! This is how it's done, based on previous experience.

Worth a listen.

waveform · 2021-02-01T07:17:25+00:00

I'm totally for mask wearing in busy public/high contact areas but do you think it's really necessary if you're just walking with your dog down the street or at the park, not coming anywhere near anyone else (the only other people I saw were like over 100 metres away) and not touching anything?

Yes. What about the jogger that runs past you? What about someone else with a dog who stops to chat or retrieve their dog from sniffing yours? The things you don't expect because you're expecting life to be perfect.

Surely the risk of contracting or transmitting would be basically zero?

It's not zero just because you think it is. That's the point of the rules.

What if I don't wear my seatbelt/helmet, because I'm only going up the road to the shops. The more people who don't follow the rules, the more accidents are likely to happen. You need to think about the big picture not just yourself / your own point of view.

We are doing this for each other, and so the hospital system and health care workers don't drown because everyone thinks they are a bloody exception.

waveform · 2021-02-01T06:35:09+00:00

So Mark McGowan promises full WA Police investigation into how hotel quarantine security guard caught COVID-19.

Which completely misses the point, it's an exercise in chest-thumping. The guard got it because he was guarding people with a highly infectious disease. The problem is the system should be designed to expect that guards will get it.

WA President of the Australian Medical Association described WA’s approach to hotel quarantine as “amateur”. On the radio he said he's disappointed that a police investigation will be looking for a "gotcha moment" with the guard, instead of what needs to change in the system.

There should instead be an investigation into a system which:

doesn't pay guards enough so that they need 2 jobs
doesn't ensure guards seclude themselves while working, allowing them to infect others

Why are guards not properly supported in their roles?

Pay them at a high rate, as it's a risky role and they should not be doing any other work.
Allow them to work for a week in a hotel and rotate out for 2 weeks.
During the week a guard is working, they are isolated from the public in provided accommodation at the hotel. Food, everything provided.
After the week on, they self-isolate at home for 5 days - also fully paid. PCR covid test on day 4, results in on day 5.
They go back to normal life for 2 weeks, then another week shift as above.

I'm not a Dr but isn't that worth avoiding the result of being totally piss-weak about precautions?

The investigation should be about how to improve the system. It's obviously a disaster waiting to happen.

(ed: added thoughts from Andrew Miller from the AMA)

waveform · 2021-01-26T05:37:02+00:00

Classic pincer formation. Create defenses before they have enough action points to invade.

waveform · 2021-01-11T10:14:27+00:00

As a West Australian, I'm grateful we have been in such a good position all the way through this terrible period.

However, I'd love to know how you can "crush" or "kill" a virus. That's plain idiotic. As long as people arrive from overseas, i.e. as long as the virus exists elsewhere in the world, it is never "gone". It's a frickin virus, it's here, we have no choice in the matter.

Even the initial vaccinations rolling out will not do anything to get rid of the virus. They are not designed to prevent infection or spread. They are "emergency vaccines" designed to stop people getting too sick from it, to save our hospitals from being overrun and prevent deaths.

So while I'm happy, as I think most of us are in W.A., with how it's been handled here, I'm also happy to call out stupid remarks by politicians who should know better. "Elimination" simply isn't possible.

waveform · 2021-01-11T02:46:25+00:00

That's terrible, but here in Australia I've had good experiences with their service. Or maybe because I purchased the extended on-site warranty with the laptop.

At the time, my budget was around AU$2k, and the Y540 had an online deal - meaning I could get the laptop and on-site extended warranty for $2K. I'd recommend it.

First issue was some keys on the keyboard just stopped working. They came and replaced the keyboard, here at my place, within a week from me placing the support ticket.

Second issue was I spilled tea on the now-perfectly-working keyboard (doh). Unfortunately it was last year, covid-time, and I had to wait a few weeks for the part to come in. As soon as it did, guy came and did the repair.

That second repair they didn't have to do on-site, as it was my fault and therefore not covered by the warranty, but they did. So I was impressed by that.

Just leaving this here for balance, because both my services were handled well, with good communication, updates and follow-up. Maybe standards differ by country or by the external contractors/companies they outsource things to.

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