tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12624466877421585872024-03-05T14:43:14.267-08:00Reasoned ConsiderationThoughts on art, science, reason, software, language, astronomy, liberty, economics, and 'other'. Corrections welcome.David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-24296422081350928022023-02-22T21:36:00.003-08:002023-02-22T21:36:23.008-08:00Rules of Reason<p><a href="https://reasonandliberty.com/rules"> Rules of Reason</a> -></p>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-53540988386068980312023-02-22T21:27:00.006-08:002023-10-12T14:08:33.241-07:00English - Dutch Humor Dictionary created by ChatGPT<p><br /></p><p><a href="https://dictionaryq.com/GPT-dictionary/">Humorous English - Dutch Mini-Dictionary created by/using ChatGPT</a></p><p>Possibly the first online dictionary created by/with AI's GPT <br /></p><p>Created with TLex's new integrated OpenAI functionality.</p><p>New 3 Oct 2023: New article on this work by Prof Dr Gilles-Maurice de Schryver:</p><p>"<a href="https://academic.oup.com/ijl/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ijl/ecad021/7288213">Generative AI and Lexicography: The Current State of the Art</a>"<br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://dictionaryq.com/GPT-dictionary/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QC7eH8i9YK3eNGa1klD_3aPvfW_fXV9K0Gg7nvxmityc5w8_wg1zGDZ2dIgDid6iJJToWpCcn3ceZ81T_b0PkHUrrOz_rPVt8ZHhkmX9-t2YP_0XTUw0E-AiLL2fwNQ6r69p3UR5y0OryMq6IXQGVjyFUKCZI4LV4hLuWisz5nKHPkEKMmI7Nn10X9WP/s320/m_ecad021if0002.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://tshwanedje.com/articles/CODH-video-presentation-TLex-OpenAI-Integration/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlsMLE5tMEZLW2TZtm06jzpZ6ZLQFHLAC_v3KIJDhBfYhczDAvRHRw0PffmLxUJtnIhTi7WLH3nMFhnXP_n7mUX00ewR_F7ehGeMFfMTM1hcbPfljIG5puqP_JHo7pXmqvVZR9RDQXb8Qnbpl3soZsvChgDAzcjr2b9ugrbYUSZ04TE7IcoynqKVysMr5/s320/m_ecad021if0001.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images by David Joffe<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-7816957611306481202023-01-29T09:41:00.004-08:002023-01-29T09:45:48.090-08:00DaveGnukem Debian and Ubuntu packages etc.<p>Packages for Debian, Ubuntu etc. for <a href="https://djoffe.com/gnukem/">Dave Gnukem</a> ... :)</p><p><a href="https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/davegnukem">https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/davegnukem</a></p><p><a href="https://packages.ubuntu.com/lunar/davegnukem">https://packages.ubuntu.com/lunar/davegnukem</a></p><p>Thanks to Matteo Bini for major contributions to get this happening, as well as the many others who have contributed</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HPp7TP70lRqUgt8ybmmRtPvM8FWhsSKp1GDiOK3M13p6aAVMUeGgBxzQ-qJ1cIjCgleYFi1HaLlQphyLvxkRzL_m_X8HJiuh77S4Y2e8V-rd8NpbhH-Fg-j8TsTEOsdkC14d08tZ5cPLnsoPiX7PpLlGrDHcTvU_ulVFxdw9ji5ns5Bp789ZexyK5A/s670/2023-01-29%2019_39_54-Debian%20%5BRunning%5D%20-%20Oracle%20VM%20VirtualBox.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="670" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HPp7TP70lRqUgt8ybmmRtPvM8FWhsSKp1GDiOK3M13p6aAVMUeGgBxzQ-qJ1cIjCgleYFi1HaLlQphyLvxkRzL_m_X8HJiuh77S4Y2e8V-rd8NpbhH-Fg-j8TsTEOsdkC14d08tZ5cPLnsoPiX7PpLlGrDHcTvU_ulVFxdw9ji5ns5Bp789ZexyK5A/s320/2023-01-29%2019_39_54-Debian%20%5BRunning%5D%20-%20Oracle%20VM%20VirtualBox.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>More/future: <a href="https://repology.org/project/davegnukem/versions">repology: davegnukem </a> (and alternative package spelling: <a href="https://repology.org/project/dave-gnukem/versions">repology: dave-gnukem</a>)</p>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-54299189567371330572023-01-14T06:45:00.010-08:002023-01-14T06:47:35.965-08:00Stopping Aging<p>Some thoughts on aging. Aging seems to me 'unnecessary'.</p><p>Imagine all the benefits if we could cure aging, and have lifespans of over 1000 years.</p><p>If we had 1000-year+ lifespans, journeys to other stars that may take e.g. 'hundreds' of years would suddenly seem reachable 'within a human lifespan'.</p><div>I see curing aging as ultimately "just" a (big, complex) technological problem to solve. A big complex puzzle with lots of pieces, but a solvable puzzle.</div><p>A very big, complex and difficult problem to solve (to be sure) - but I feel it must be solvable. Our bodies are ultimately just machines. Really complex machines.</p><p>And solvable possibly potentially within most of our lifespans, if we try.</p><p>Attitudes like "Oh, we are just meant to age" seem like confounders to progress toward solving these problems - we could solve it faster if more people dedicated attention to it instead of simply assuming it's unsolvable, or adopting irrational quasi-religious views like "We are meant to age".</p><p>To be sure, and I'm not denying, there are many <i>difficult</i> challenges to solve. E.g. tricky issues like build-up of mutations over time in the body's cells. But we will solve them. Hey, 'nobody said would be easy' - but it will an interesting and fun challenge to solve.</p><p>I still feel it's solvable, if we work hard and put our minds to it, and put attention and resources toward solving the problem.</p><p>The approach should include things I feel we should do in general anyway, e.g. exploring and understanding more and more of the human body on a molecular level (and in the process building ever-increasingly detailed and larger databases like the Protein Databank, molecular simulation models, molecular simulations of human cells etc.) - and also increasingly start looking at how we can utilize and integrate AI models like ChatGPT toward helping solve these problems. We should build increasingly sophisticated AI models, then link them directly to databases like Protein Databank, and link them more directly to molecular simulation supercomputers, and allow researchers to use AI as advanced 'medical research assistants' and harness them to help both cure regular diseases and cure aging at the same time. Also techniques like in silico drug design and pre-screening.</p><p>Curing aging is a big, complex 'puzzle' to solve, but ultimately I feel it must be <i>solvable</i> - we need to just get to work on the "how", do more research, make lists of the challenges that need to be solved, and come up with ideas on solving each.</p><p>We should also work on how to solve regulatory obstacles that may arise in a way that allows humans to move forward on solving problems like this.</p><p>These technologies shouldn't be forced on anyone - ultimately, if some individuals still believe humans are "meant to age" then they should be allowed to choose to age and die "naturally" - but as we solve the problems technologically, individual humans could and should be able to decide for themselves if and whether to adopt it in their lives.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-28865583143030575682022-09-17T08:43:00.042-07:002022-09-17T09:19:40.413-07:00On disorders and fear of being alone<p>Consider what we call "disorders" - many of them, of course, are genuinely maladaptive. But some appear only contextually maladaptive and perhaps even beneficial in other contextual circumstances.</p><p>Consider, for example, the fear of being alone (autophobia) - frequently classified as a disorder. Of course, there are symptoms (or traits) that may be maladaptive, particularly in modern society - i.e. that negatively affect the person who has it, and that the person may need relief from these.</p><p>But consider that for much of the last 5 or 10 million years of our evolutionary history, our way of life was probably largely relatively approximately something between modern hunter-gatherer societies, and the way the chimps in the documentary Rise of the Warrior Apes lived (and still live) - frequently in dangerous conflict with neighboring tribes. Likewise our last common ancestor with the chimps.</p><p>In these societies in which our ancestors lived, <b>finding yourself lost and alone from your tribe likely often meant death </b>- either from lack of food, or being eaten by predators, or from attacks from neighboring competing tribes.</p><p>If you're e.g. a chimp in the jungle (or our last common ancestor with the chimps), you <i>should</i> feel anxious if you find yourself alone, because someone or something wants to kill you and you'd best find your tribe again as quickly as possible - coded into our genes are the (in effect) "memories" of millions of years of natural selection from actual threats lurking nearby in the shadows. It's not meant to be <i>rational</i>, it's just genetic coding to help keep you alive, where those who experienced no anxiety were probably more likely to die.</p><p>In these contexts, a "fear of being alone" would in fact be <i>adaptive</i>, that is, it would <i>help you survive</i> - having an instinctual urge to remain close to your tribe, under the protection of the group, and not get lost.</p><p>But all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye (in evolutionary timescale terms), we have modern civilization ... maybe a few thousand years, which is nothing ... our genes haven't had time to catch up.</p><p>Also, there's no guarantee we won't return again to living in such societies, e.g. if we regress technologically - and then those people with this (contextually-labelled) "disorder" would be more likely to survive.</p><p>If a chimp in Rise of the Warrior Apes finds themselves alone, and feels anxious, we certainly wouldn't say they have a "disorder" making them feel anxious - because death is literally lurking nearby in the shadows, and they are vulnerable alone.</p><p>Is this really a "disorder"? I don't know. The answer to that may also vary from individual to individual, too. Also, all our modern ruminations are 'approximations and abstractions' of an extremely complex body and brain with trillions of cells and molecules, much of which is still not mapped or understood.</p><p>This is a complex and lengthy topic; this is just briefly touching on this.</p><p>But if you have autophobia, cut yourself some slack. We're also social animals.</p>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-86597655562815640522022-09-15T04:31:00.007-07:002022-09-17T12:03:47.051-07:00Aliyah tips and mistakes to avoid<p>Just writing up a few minor tips that might be useful to others making Aliyah, based on my personal experiences:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>It's a good idea to have a permanent Israeli number as many services (e.g. banks and banking Apps) seem to need an Israeli number (I recommend trying to have a dual sim phone, so you have Israeli sim card plus sim card for your home country in same phone, so it's easier to travel)<br /></li><li>On leaving Israel in 2019 I thought I could just activate roaming on the prepaid sim card I had been using. Several days before I left, I went to the Partner store to ask them to activate roaming, and was told that the prepaid sim cards 'don't support roaming' and that I'd need to sign up for a plan. Although I didn't mind doing that (and immediately signed up for a plan), I had so little time left before my flight that I didn't have time to go collect my sim card, and in 2020 when the Covid situation and travel lockdowns arrived, I got stuck for an extended period outside of Israel without a working Israeli number - this caused very large headaches (e.g. with banking services, still linked to my old number)</li><li>Although the mobile company (Partner Mobile) was willing to send a new sim card, they'd only send it to an 'address in Israel', so personal friends of mine in Israel (Ilan and Merav Kernerman) very kindly assisted me with this to get my number working again. When the sim card arrived it didn't work, but Partner Mobile gave good technical support and very phoned me and assisted to do a sim replacement on the system, which fixed it. Although Partner Mobile was very difficult to get English technical support via their mobile number, I eventually got hold of someone via their support email (orange.pniya@service.partner.co.il) who was very helpful in assisting me while overseas (in English)<br /></li><li>I only have experience with two banks (Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi), and although I've had some difficulties with both, ultimately I'd recommend Bank Hapoalim over Bank Leumi, based on the fact that I was able to verify my identify in the new Hapoalim App by letting the App scan my ID (Teudat Zehut) and face, but with Bank Leumi (although they seem easier to contact) ultimately just said they "can't help me because they can't verify my identify overseas"</li><li>For the bus system etc. get a 'Rav Kav' card. There's an App you can also install on your phone and if your phone has NFC support, you can even just hold the bus card to the phone to scan it (when I was there there seemed to be only a Hebrew App, but since then I've seen also a separate English Rav Kav App in the Play Store)</li><li>I found the Moovit App very helpful for transport timetables etc.</li><li>I found the Gett App helpful as a local Uber-like alternative<br /></li><li>If you are staying in Tel Aviv, check out the Facebook group 'Secret Tel Aviv' - very helpful for various things<br /></li><li>Sherut: Although most the public transport (e.g. buses) stop on Shabbat, there's a minimal service called <a href="https://www.touristisrael.com/taking-a-sherut-in-israel/6670/">Sherut</a> that is helpful if you need to get around then<br /></li><li>Banks: I found that although in many of the banks most the staff don't speak English, usually they'd maybe typically have one or two staff members who could speak English, so when you go into the bank ask for English ('Anglit')</li><li>Similarly when I went to the government department for applying for passports etc., they seemed to have specific staff members that can assist in English - ask when you go in for English ('Anglit') assistance<br /></li><li>[Google Translate] I've found services / Apps like Google Translate indispensible, although be careful as they can become a 'crutch' where one avoids learning the actual language<br /></li><li>[National Insurance and leaving Israel]<br /></li></ul><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Learning Hebrew<br /></h3><p>Useful resources:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://youglish.com/pronounce/%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%99%20%D7%90%D7%95%D7%94%D7%91%20%D7%90%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%9A/hebrew?">YouGlish</a>: Search for Hebrew text in YouTube video subtitles (Closed Captions) so you can hear how words are pronounced (you can also use automatic translation of Closed Captions here, though imperfect, to translate the text into another language to help understand)</li><li><a href="https://forvo.com/word/%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%99_%D7%90%D7%95%D7%94%D7%91_%D7%90%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%9A/#he">Forvo</a>: Listen to how words or phrases are pronounced by mother tongue speakers<br /></li></ul><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-74724704535821689472022-09-09T10:50:00.003-07:002022-09-09T10:50:18.607-07:00TLex 20th Anniversary Specials<p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"TLex is 20 years old this year!<br /><b>SPECIAL</b>: Until end
September you can get a 20% discount on our software (TLex, tlTerm,
tlCorpus, tlDatabase, dictionaries) by using coupon code "<b>tsep2022</b>" if ordered through THIS order page:"<br /></p><p><a href="http://tshwanedje.blogspot.com/2022/09/20th-anniversity-special.html"> http://tshwanedje.blogspot.com/2022/09/20th-anniversity-special.html</a></p><p> </p>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-54275978319764558132022-09-01T06:18:00.027-07:002022-09-05T15:16:27.689-07:00Motorcycle Rider Superstitions and Safety<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PYGt_qxy0l2kALTQ3EpVsIIrLx3IeDgxpZpXT0ZHCrIpRwUyWLs9QRW0HOfsz6CE_hc44N6dbQQpxqOwY2sj4VQKnokKRHIsQaCgs9wpmgolRQ0tu6PMOeILqqrknedKjBJvyh8LBCPSYRWRxl20QBKTmeRaV4DXMHub9rXWNY1HnOlzclOgECHM3Q/s640/david%20motorbike%201.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PYGt_qxy0l2kALTQ3EpVsIIrLx3IeDgxpZpXT0ZHCrIpRwUyWLs9QRW0HOfsz6CE_hc44N6dbQQpxqOwY2sj4VQKnokKRHIsQaCgs9wpmgolRQ0tu6PMOeILqqrknedKjBJvyh8LBCPSYRWRxl20QBKTmeRaV4DXMHub9rXWNY1HnOlzclOgECHM3Q/w211-h211/david%20motorbike%201.jpeg" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My girlfriend Simone, 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Years ago, not long after I had sta<span> </span>rted riding, I stopped one day somewhere at a roadside cafe in the Western Cape for coffee, and innocently put my helmet down 'upside down' on the ground. I had no idea this was considered to some riders a <i>faux pas</i>. A stranger immediately came hurriedly up to me looking simultaneously offended, worried and agitated, and angrily said to me:<p></p><p><b>"Never put your helmet down upside down!" </b>He scolded. <b>"The way you put your helmet is the way you're going to land on the road!"</b></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_DL-3PSIDXYQovls5c3ZHk65B5C9HjGUuz7GcJ6EnX4p8pDrTfIx5wOfw3Z76rJQOJiIUnJtdTcy0uF5I8d4Z-86j1dshyFuJKAZOrX-K5iFBiDDOIIZIo9O1qp3FWrEEWXAz0l-9OKl1K__otGHHfbDy7deMNqOFovJFqxQsZygJ4IBxSvphF3rAQ/s1600/david%20motorbike%202.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_DL-3PSIDXYQovls5c3ZHk65B5C9HjGUuz7GcJ6EnX4p8pDrTfIx5wOfw3Z76rJQOJiIUnJtdTcy0uF5I8d4Z-86j1dshyFuJKAZOrX-K5iFBiDDOIIZIo9O1qp3FWrEEWXAz0l-9OKl1K__otGHHfbDy7deMNqOFovJFqxQsZygJ4IBxSvphF3rAQ/s320/david%20motorbike%202.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My girlfriend on my bike, 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />He seemed convinced I was going to have an accident because I put my helmet down "wrong".<p></p><p>I didn't say anything at the time. I just kept quiet, and he walked off. Initially I felt like I'd done something 'wrong', but I thought about this in the back of my mind for a long while, and have since concluded that (objectively and rationally) this is really just pure superstition.</p><p>And I made a decision to promise myself to <b>never, ever rely on any form of superstition</b> (not even a little bit) to keep safe on the road. I refuse.<br /></p><p>To stay safe on the road you must always have your wits 200% about you. I don't want to even be subconsciously <i>slightly</i> incorrectly feeling like I'm somehow slightly safer because I put my helmet down the 'right' way when I'm not even riding.</p><p>So still today I regularly deliberately put my helmet down the "wrong" way, to remind and reaffirm to myself never to rely on superstition.<br /></p><p>Personally I think it sends the wrong message to younger riders to even suggest believing in superstitions may help you stay safe on the road. Trying to trust superstitions may get you killed.</p><p>I still don't know if this is a commonly held 'belief' in motorcycle communities worldwide? Anyone else heard of this? Nobody else ever mentioned it again.</p><p>I'm no expert, I still consider myself a novice after about 12 years of riding, but here are a few of my personal basic 'ground rules' for trying to keep safe:</p><p>* Respect the laws of physics at all times. If you think you can beat the laws of physics, even for a moment, you're dead. The laws of physics are brutal and unforgiving. Every molecule in your body, the road, your motorcycle, must all obey the laws of physics at all times. No exceptions.<br /></p><p>* Alcohol and motorbikes don't mix. Not even a tiny bit. There is no such thing as "just one drink" if you're riding a motorcycle. If drinking is an important part of your social life or something, it's advisable to sell your motorbike. "Just one drink" can and will impact your riding ability (everything from balance to reaction times) past the point of dangerous, just don't do it, it's not worth it. Fortunately I don't like drinking anyway, I think there are better pastimes.</p><p>* Own your lane</p><p>* Stay within the limits of what you feel safe doing.</p><p>* Always be aware of human cognitive deficiencies (e.g. always double-check before changing lane that there isn't a car there, no matter how "sure you are" that there isn't one, because the brain makes mistakes)</p><p>* Never let anyone else dictate your pace - always ride the pace you feel comfortable with. Even if it means being left behind. E.g. if you are riding with a friend and they keep riding much faster and you don't feel safe going that speed - just let them go further ahead. Likewise if riding in a group. Your life isn't worth pushing yourself past your own 'operating limits', whether for ego or some other reason - your gut knows. Ignore your ego, be aware of it and don't let it get you killed.</p><p>* Don't rely on superstitions to believe they're going to make you 'safer', rely on your brain (and on knowing the types of mistakes human brains make)</p><p>* If I see a car in front of me even slightly wavering in their lane (e.g. swaying even slightly left or right or toward the lane edges), I pull back to steady speed and won't go past until I see their intention and scope the situation further - very frequently, my 'gut' is right and they're e.g. on their phones zig-zagging and not even watching</p><p>* Assume drivers may be drunk, or texting on their phones, or bought their licenses etc. - all of which are very common</p><p>* Never be arrogant </p><p><br /></p><p></p><p>* Watch out for side roads <br /></p><p>* Try display unambiguous intentions as far as possible (e.g. don't sit at the left of your lane unless you explicitly want cars to try pass you, as if you might want or need to get in the middle of the lane again to avoid danger ahead, you may find a car in your lane trying to pass you) ... showing wishy-washy or overly "polite" 'vehicle body language' is inviting danger ... take up space, take up the space you need to stay safe<br /></p><p>* Assume all other vehicles are trying to kill you, all the time (which is not that far from the truth, especially on South African roads)</p><p>* Assume other vehicles may be coming through red traffic light even when it's green for you</p><p>* Never overtake on blind rises<br /></p><p>* Extra lessons from experienced riders can be useful</p><p>* Know when you're too tired<br /></p><p>* Do things like adjusting of helmets etc. before pulling off (e.g. if passenger still adjusting helmet when you pull off, they're vulnerable)</p><p>* Selectively use sound to help alert drivers of your presence<br /></p><p>* Passenger must hold on tight at all times</p><p>* Be constantly alert for things like gusts of wind (or a flailing passenger on back not sitting still) that can 'pull' the bike or throw the bike into the oncoming lane or off the road if you're new to riding</p><p>* etc.</p><p>* More: https://safelyhome.westerncape.gov.za/road-safety/529 <br /></p><p>What else?</p><p>Might I still have an accident? Yes, of course, but at least if I do I'll know it wasn't caused by me trying to rely on some type of superstition. The way you ride is the biggest factor, and the only factor you have control of. Stay sober, healthy, fit, mentally alert.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgu04SIJ_mtxOs3KKOW4y7KY7QsyIEDUjz8cGvHpRkXMbA-Kp6nZ3NNJ5gMkijobBBZ6BcOu0JIC0CERVeRAXa2-eTyTzrwC-RR5Tdp7p0Q6bG9xO4dZiOWC8EKnjfX5HV32jqJeczkn7cgTurUpSTf67TbEeMX31imMBG19GPDSiY4sx8EOJvwyCw_w/s640/david%20motorbike%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgu04SIJ_mtxOs3KKOW4y7KY7QsyIEDUjz8cGvHpRkXMbA-Kp6nZ3NNJ5gMkijobBBZ6BcOu0JIC0CERVeRAXa2-eTyTzrwC-RR5Tdp7p0Q6bG9xO4dZiOWC8EKnjfX5HV32jqJeczkn7cgTurUpSTf67TbEeMX31imMBG19GPDSiY4sx8EOJvwyCw_w/s320/david%20motorbike%203.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my girlfriend Simone 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44KqvImUjxH4icWmYD7RYa6oB3uPOs0aU2sGujd5T8FaNYTBVBbhwbrjZtfe2ZdGxYuJqqzlnKVPhps1A8O68_U4UztiQg9savGB6ZQ_Zk49ApcF4EwEVsm9Hg-Hw6ckCTh8p34R8MqjTMaVpFnTDLnH47bQOtUXE0mYxj__aUlCfz5_yC34u_XNRsw/s2560/2016-07-23%20On%20Clarence%20Drive%20(R44)%2015%20minutes%20out%20of%20Gordons%20Bay.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44KqvImUjxH4icWmYD7RYa6oB3uPOs0aU2sGujd5T8FaNYTBVBbhwbrjZtfe2ZdGxYuJqqzlnKVPhps1A8O68_U4UztiQg9savGB6ZQ_Zk49ApcF4EwEVsm9Hg-Hw6ckCTh8p34R8MqjTMaVpFnTDLnH47bQOtUXE0mYxj__aUlCfz5_yC34u_XNRsw/s320/2016-07-23%20On%20Clarence%20Drive%20(R44)%2015%20minutes%20out%20of%20Gordons%20Bay.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarence Drive, near Gordons Bay (South Africa)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuyuE8xOi3acWuRcIB-OrfwxUTiE4Qr8jsUdveSE-Qho0YxyfHxSDF2g9lYPRRoWhKbuJUQeaYYEQuHFtWCWuIv7H9loAw5ntFIxj3htIN-sC4_06xguAWfIGINdZpgySZJOIQVmBxIJxcfQJaQpker-OnoqHZGpTJ-x84FiY-YK7Ifxfgn03--bT6w/s1273/Clarence%20Drive%20(R44)%20out%20of%20Gordons%20Bay%20near%20Dappat%20se%20Gat%202016.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1273" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuyuE8xOi3acWuRcIB-OrfwxUTiE4Qr8jsUdveSE-Qho0YxyfHxSDF2g9lYPRRoWhKbuJUQeaYYEQuHFtWCWuIv7H9loAw5ntFIxj3htIN-sC4_06xguAWfIGINdZpgySZJOIQVmBxIJxcfQJaQpker-OnoqHZGpTJ-x84FiY-YK7Ifxfgn03--bT6w/s320/Clarence%20Drive%20(R44)%20out%20of%20Gordons%20Bay%20near%20Dappat%20se%20Gat%202016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarence Drive, near Gordons Bay</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0LxSIBId2ySSksbOYG4LJ5gSfyBEEn4DOr8cUX-IxTDPKwKNZOq6hAUFYio4jfjpvEVOfgtCWBTMMoj28lBaRPtDd3XOmWmPhEanNcwWCapigqdbztjV_jNhp9jZx-a4lGDAZULtqA3BRKB8qLYD4h23IoLvs-_rvQZfKkZNjrjCLYt3cJHVRLfoQg/s2560/Alongside%20Clarence%20Drive%20(R44)%20Looking%20toward%20Rooi-Els%202016-07-22.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0LxSIBId2ySSksbOYG4LJ5gSfyBEEn4DOr8cUX-IxTDPKwKNZOq6hAUFYio4jfjpvEVOfgtCWBTMMoj28lBaRPtDd3XOmWmPhEanNcwWCapigqdbztjV_jNhp9jZx-a4lGDAZULtqA3BRKB8qLYD4h23IoLvs-_rvQZfKkZNjrjCLYt3cJHVRLfoQg/s320/Alongside%20Clarence%20Drive%20(R44)%20Looking%20toward%20Rooi-Els%202016-07-22.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarence Drive, near Rooi Els</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div>Also, the brain adjusts to risk; it's a known phenomenon that those who ride cars with more safety features tend to take more chances, thereby compensating for the reduced risk from the safety features. So the concern I have is that if your brain even <i>slightly</i> feels safer because of any superstitious element, you might end up taking more chances at <i>just the wrong time</i>.</div><div> </div><div>I feel, rather always be aware that nothing is protecting you - that even a slight lapse in alertness or judgment can get you killed - and that there's only a thin line between you and death. And the way you put your helmet down isn't going to change that.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Many young riders think they can beat the laws of physics, or let their egos push them to push past their limits. Motorbikes are in some sense to a small degree a form of Darwinian selection.</div><div><br /></div><div>Or is there maybe some argument to be made that if someone believes they have some sort of superstitious protection, they're less likely to 'freeze up' in an emergency situation? A sort of 'human element'<br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZlQFrYOKl2uiMCiOLufgF4AeLqyGQJIBKq4_rZwlJL0Fzqy6Ka1yYeYcg4ufyNmHVybJ1RQn6haUMMtjGK70V01hYKlJ6nHEptisbZuDFbREFasFIAW_52lFzNxFCVp_DR2RJEEOb7ovO2XNgdKXGd0e-wmJiRKmClouSudtF2wgagO-CAPVpXbcFw/s2560/2016-07-23%20Near%20Kleinmond.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZlQFrYOKl2uiMCiOLufgF4AeLqyGQJIBKq4_rZwlJL0Fzqy6Ka1yYeYcg4ufyNmHVybJ1RQn6haUMMtjGK70V01hYKlJ6nHEptisbZuDFbREFasFIAW_52lFzNxFCVp_DR2RJEEOb7ovO2XNgdKXGd0e-wmJiRKmClouSudtF2wgagO-CAPVpXbcFw/s320/2016-07-23%20Near%20Kleinmond.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-58807616605667186022022-06-01T04:00:00.115-07:002022-06-02T04:53:08.503-07:00What is the "Right" Age to Have Kids? Some Thoughts<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNyHpyf1hqLUO8ssdZa3Nc_HG2xn5hCn_LpRYBynl_SZ-0vpq-Pqjgd_nqoj688L4mYrqZJcaLFL_F6-HWShz2rZdSghmej3YQFs4-D1FwkmRws-oGeNs1Y_XIBKUjrDaRC6ozYRZ1Hvv8CVtNCwcaluuNtg4XS3PVmCBguXgsmNcgdGYuF2vLsbIlA/s5182/pexels-becerra-govea-photo-5934925.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5182" data-original-width="3455" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNyHpyf1hqLUO8ssdZa3Nc_HG2xn5hCn_LpRYBynl_SZ-0vpq-Pqjgd_nqoj688L4mYrqZJcaLFL_F6-HWShz2rZdSghmej3YQFs4-D1FwkmRws-oGeNs1Y_XIBKUjrDaRC6ozYRZ1Hvv8CVtNCwcaluuNtg4XS3PVmCBguXgsmNcgdGYuF2vLsbIlA/w197-h297/pexels-becerra-govea-photo-5934925.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>It's true that the age of having kids is ultimately an individual preference and choice, and will vary depending on each individual's circumstances.<p></p><p>But it's also true that we can make various <i>general </i>claims about <i>general</i> pros and cons of having kids either earlier or later. And it's also true that the trend has been recently shifting toward having kids <i>later and later</i> as a general 'cultural norm', for various reasons (and it is something I do not agree with). I am in favor of having kids relatively early.</p><p>My parents had 4 kids starting somewhere around age 21 (or so); by the time they were 30 already had 4 kids & were already busy paying off a house. This used to be normal.</p><p>Nowadays, everyone seems to be: "Oh, but you shouldn't even start having kids until at least 25 but actually only in your 30s or 40s once you are already 'stable'", or whatever. I'm more in favor 'have kids younger'.</p><p>If you have kids at around 20, they'll be grown up by the time you're ~40 - this still gives you (if you keep your health, as most people don't anymore) plenty of quality years to enjoy your life after that (e.g. travelling, e.g. my parents travelled around Africa after us kids left the house).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvNp7nsEywYuMaFHCpUEu9NAoFudhupL4yfBYUHqRD-beS6Kg0GDZikg9mO2M2SyC7fF06bVh50clksJFu6r-ZRNYyEyYJHh87-prunEvMaQhRZYHFYfKB6-Uipql-UmlUtk-wlN7DYNvjOxVXSpuqgqmIlnP07dmvNIHJqfY9JpWE8fR9ShoFVY_GA/s6000/pexels-cleyder-duque-4518013.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvNp7nsEywYuMaFHCpUEu9NAoFudhupL4yfBYUHqRD-beS6Kg0GDZikg9mO2M2SyC7fF06bVh50clksJFu6r-ZRNYyEyYJHh87-prunEvMaQhRZYHFYfKB6-Uipql-UmlUtk-wlN7DYNvjOxVXSpuqgqmIlnP07dmvNIHJqfY9JpWE8fR9ShoFVY_GA/w160-h242/pexels-cleyder-duque-4518013.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>Also, importantly, if you have kids younger, their grandparents may still be young and strong enough (e.g. ~40-~65yo) to <b>help out</b> with looking after the kids, instead of being a burden. E.g. if each generation has kids at 20, you become a grandparent around the age of 40, and then the grandparents are still not only working and productive and earning money, but also young and strong enough to help with, say, babysitting, or watching the kids for a week here and there - helping with child-rearing tasks, which helps make parenting slightly less of a burden for the parents (e.g. we would sometimes stay with our grandparents for a week, giving our parents a break; in various African communities it's even more common and normal for aunts or grandparents to help.)<p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Double Burden</h3><p>What is happening more often now as we're having kids later and later, is that parents end up with a <b>double burden</b> --- at the very age they're feeling high pressure and demand to take care of their own kids, the kids' grandparents are hitting age 65+ or 70+ where the grandparents themselves become sick and in need of care themselves --- so now a parent today may typically have to take care of their own kids while also worrying about having to take care of their sick and elderly parents, or pay for special nursing care for sick and elderly parents.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Simultaneous Overlapping Generations</h3><p>I suspect that in our evolutionary history (e.g. in hunter-gatherer societies, or perhaps earlier as we lived in chimp-like communities), probably we would typically have had kids around age 16 or so, give or take. This would mean you become a parent at around ~16, and potentially a grandparent at around ~32, and potentially great-grandparents around ~48, and great-great-grandparents around ~64 .... what does this mean? It means that you have potentially many <b>simultaneous </b><b>overlapping </b><b>generations</b> of <i>still-healthy, still-strong </i>individuals that could all contribute to helping with child-rearing activities (e.g. hunting, building shelters, protecting the 'tribe' from neighboring groups or predators, and so on). This strikes me as beneficial. Plus, that would mean less loneliness (as loneliness is another epidemic in today's society).</p><p>Today, it's become such a bizarre distance between generations that you might well have situations with e.g. a parent in their 40s, raising young kids, but simultaneously having elderly (and possibly sick) parents in their 70s or 80s. Why are we doing this to ourselves? Increasingly often kids don't even get to know their own great-grandparents, or even their grandparents.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">"Brain Still Developing"</h3><p>One of the strangest arguments I have heard, that I think people have <i>overly</i> 'latched onto' is this idea that 'our brains are still developing until 25, therefore you shouldn't do anything important until after that age' - this is to me ridiculous. It's not about whether our brains are 'still developing', it's about whether we're capable of reason, and at 16 we (for the most part) certainly are. And to me it seems like <i>an advantage</i> if your brain is still "developing" when you start having kids, because it means your brain <i>co-develops</i> with your mating partner (e.g. child-rearing and parenting habits and tasks and disciplines become ingrained as your brain develops as you perform these tasks - e.g. the discipline of working, saving, doing child-rearing tasks, attending to your partner's needs and helping each other - by co-developing during your brain's earlier formative years, you make these 'habits', and discipline toward these habits, more ingrained, as well as your devotion to your partner as you co-develop neurologically together, working together as a team in those years e.g. ~18-25 as young parents.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB7haffN1A4fDyeM9yi1c1V4mZj8ojKDOxlSOMDa19OtSLdttpLS0FKQbgO5aaq05vdPHmZk8n18NLKIYR8JOHFZLuy73GA9MBomA2XyNArikzYF9GMT28oOkrRp3TS1wgjX-7qDsBl0CJwA2UyHAmSxuMX5A97zhI3zUFvyZ_OOZarKudgYZd3ZuQw/s3887/pexels-brianna-lisa-photography-11620471.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3887" data-original-width="2592" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB7haffN1A4fDyeM9yi1c1V4mZj8ojKDOxlSOMDa19OtSLdttpLS0FKQbgO5aaq05vdPHmZk8n18NLKIYR8JOHFZLuy73GA9MBomA2XyNArikzYF9GMT28oOkrRp3TS1wgjX-7qDsBl0CJwA2UyHAmSxuMX5A97zhI3zUFvyZ_OOZarKudgYZd3ZuQw/w236-h355/pexels-brianna-lisa-photography-11620471.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>To me that seems like an <i>advantage</i> if your brain is "still developing" (whatever that's supposed to mean neurologically). If you want kids, then <i>let </i>your brain lay down neural pathways for parenting habits in those relatively earlier years (e.g. ~18-25) - that seems like a <i>good </i>thing.<p></p><p></p>(I also disagree with the premise anyway that your brain stops 'developing' after 25 also, we don't know enough about the brain yet to speak about that in serious detail neurologically but it's immaterial.)<p></p><p></p>My/our parents, and thousands of generations before that, could quite happily and capably have kids at younger ages than we do now.<p></p><p>Is this the first generation in human history to suddenly think having kids at only e.g. 30 or 40 should be a <i>norm</i>? It may be. Should we reverse this trend?</p><div>Of course nobody can force a choice on someone else and dictate that either is 'right' or 'wrong', and everyone's individual situation varies - but, we <i>can</i> talk about general pros and cons, and we <i>can</i> talk about effects on society in general (and effects on and within families), and each person <i>should </i>think carefully and take these pros and cons into consideration.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3QLn2dKlGjshdQEXVtG9OYZbBoktraigXo-lxcWIX4YUgq7K8AOsznZocXKO1rAk7npafkh9lyo1t1r3gbnRt7sObVTajcJ8NHPsD5uHIXntc_xqyGayXzbyyIL-DX_uPCt494c2H8xY4LwazKUAY2iMdGdrppJpA_2kLOU_GHrp7IBHl99RGn5D0Q/s4000/pexels-smadar-bergman-8569704.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3QLn2dKlGjshdQEXVtG9OYZbBoktraigXo-lxcWIX4YUgq7K8AOsznZocXKO1rAk7npafkh9lyo1t1r3gbnRt7sObVTajcJ8NHPsD5uHIXntc_xqyGayXzbyyIL-DX_uPCt494c2H8xY4LwazKUAY2iMdGdrppJpA_2kLOU_GHrp7IBHl99RGn5D0Q/s320/pexels-smadar-bergman-8569704.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlG8NUkMske1dD6RxfcZmuhPPhfobk-AGfV__BfFYDbemTNg0ADjUTWOIpU38BfJXGF61yW91taUQczgxoTp-YwZ69GjgytkeSa_4I96uVALmz5nsgFvTQA_6H1iEXFda00rEnXIMMOflglVRYMQhtfZNl1ai_Ho7d_vB4_AK7KIBMavoIqUprDcyGg/s4911/pexels-thom-gonzalez-6836462.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4911" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlG8NUkMske1dD6RxfcZmuhPPhfobk-AGfV__BfFYDbemTNg0ADjUTWOIpU38BfJXGF61yW91taUQczgxoTp-YwZ69GjgytkeSa_4I96uVALmz5nsgFvTQA_6H1iEXFda00rEnXIMMOflglVRYMQhtfZNl1ai_Ho7d_vB4_AK7KIBMavoIqUprDcyGg/s320/pexels-thom-gonzalez-6836462.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<i>"Does this structure meet 'housing<br />codes'!? Tear it down!"</i>) </td></tr></tbody></table>There also various ways society artificially makes parenting more of a burden than it <i>should</i> be in the first place, which is a separate, but related topic for another day. Having kids shouldn't be quite as "expensive" and burdensome as it has become (e.g. do 5-year-olds <i>really need</i> big birthday parties, or iPhones?)</div><div><br /></div><div>More important, regulatory burdens like compulsory car seats, or housing codes that burdensomely affect our ability to provide shelter for kids (e.g. it's illegal in many jurisdictions to erect simple structures to house a child)? Expecting financially struggling dads to <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/child-support-and-incarceration.aspx">provide child support or face prison</a>, which disproportionately affects the poor? etc.) ... housing codes mean that, e.g. indigenous Americans in many cases may be breaking the law if they simply tried to live the way their ancestors did several generations prior - this seems absurd. Similar situation with housing codes in South Africa, where e.g. traditional housing may not meet legal 'housing codes', a concept brought and enforced by colonialists - there's something absurd about this, and about the idea that an African should have to get "permission" from the colonial-derived government before even putting up any kind of structure at all, and it must meet various often arbitrary "rules", and the process of getting "permission" may take months, so if your wife gives birth in that time you may be out of luck while you wait for the government to give "permission" (or if you can't afford to pay architects to draw "plans" and so on), and government claims the right to demolish any structure you didn't get "permission" for or that didn't comply with every rule, never mind if your kids end up on the street. There are many entangled and related issues. (But I can hear the objections - people say "If you're poor don't have kids" - Really? Should only the wealthy have the "right" to have kids? No!) The majority of South Africans live in dwellings that technically violate building codes created by colonialists or descendants of colonialists attempting to impose "first-world" standards and strict regulatory codes - this makes no sense. "You need to inform government if you build a front wall, and if it's higher than 1.8 meters you need authority from the government and to file plans, and 40% of the wall must allow visibility to your property" (to help criminals case your place and see when you're home?). And the government does demolish houses. Laws should accommodate peoples' reality, and offer reasonable freedom except insofar as it violates the rights of others. I mean, obviously things like retaining walls need to meet structural standards for safety reasons, but most building codes go well beyond these basics.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other related topics are the (in my opinion) unrealistic cultural ideals of virtue-signaling supposed 'parenting perfection', as well as cultural expectations and views of parenting almost as a sort of 'self-sacrificial martyrdom' that has emerged in Western cultures. Also related are cultural expectations of monogamy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please add your thoughts in the comments.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo credits: [<a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/mother-breasfeeding-her-child-while-sitting-on-grass-5934925/">1</a>] [<a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-baby-breastfeeding-4518013/">2</a>] [<a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/mother-breast-feeding-11620471/">3</a>] [<a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/little-ethnic-children-sitting-in-doorway-near-young-mother-6836462/">4</a>] [<a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-photo-of-a-woman-breastfeeding-while-sitting-on-the-ground-8569704/">5</a>]</i></div><div><br /></div>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-25594016101973667712021-11-09T12:08:00.024-08:002021-11-09T12:45:35.211-08:00Art - Underrated music video by MduComics - Dj Underscore Fire Burn<p>I love this 2009 music video, one of my favorites - I think it deserves more credit and more views.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/WG7vXOTbeuQ">https://youtu.be/WG7vXOTbeuQ</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WG7vXOTbeuQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="WG7vXOTbeuQ"></iframe></div><br /><p>On the surface, if one doesn't pay close attention, it seems like just a vibey, chill song with a nice beat ... but at the same time portrays several fairly deep topics one doesn't normally see covered in a music video ... it's also sort of almost affectionately showing characters portraying the real people sort of bleakly and stoically and emotionlessly and uncomplainingly every day doing the dirty, underpaid and underappreciated work of coal mining and of electricity generation which is a crucial backbone of all other economic activity, and showing how some of these parts of the economy work and interconnect between each other and between people ... in a cool chill music video.</p><p>This is real art.</p><p>There's an almost dual nature to the music video: One can either just chill and superficially enjoy the music, or think more about the deeper issues. This is not something you see every day in a music video anywhere. It is also very 'new South African' and conveys a sort of snapshot of this interesting, unique place and time in history, but with the topics touched on being quite universal. A cool music video that also shows the whole process of mining coal then generating electricity from it then distributing that electricity to homes, emerging from the backdrop of then-relatively-newly-post-Apartheid South Africa .. briefly also touching on issues of inequity.</p><p>This was done by MduComics: <a href="https://www.mducomics.co.za/">https://www.mducomics.co.za/</a></p><p>It came out in 2009, so unfortunately by today's standards the resolution is a bit low; one must take that into consideration.</p><p>Part of what I like about this video is this sort of dual nature - you are welcome either to just enjoy the 'cool vibe' of the song superficially, or if you like, offers deeper things to think about - never being preachy or leading, doesn't demand anything of you, the video just shows things as they are, and sort of 'shrugs'.</p><p>The music also has an apparent levity (almost), but with an undercurrent or mood of tension drawing it back to the serious elements in the visuals, and the apparent levity creates an almost poignant contrast with the serious elements. The lyrics may also have multiple metaphoric meanings, and can apply to one's own life, or to the characters in the video, e.g. 'keep going'.</p><p>There' s also almost a sort of simultaneous contrast of a subtle sense of vague optimism/construction/development (e.g. electricity lighting up an African village), versus a grim sense of gritty reality running throughout. The visuals are also simultaneously light and serious at once.</p><p>(I spent some time on/at South African mines when I was doing mining simulator development; I would often chat with the workers while trying to learn a bit of the African languages - was very interesting.)</p>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-29827489697870480112021-05-14T06:32:00.034-07:002021-05-14T07:01:31.418-07:00Antivirus Software that Cries Wolf<div>Whichever managers decided to start marking mining software as 'viruses' or 'malware' are doing a grave disservice to the integrity of the software industry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Labelling something that isn't a virus a virus because of some ideology is not only dishonest, it undermines trust of the user base. Whether or not one disagrees with mining, it's not the purview of antivirus software to "decide". Your job as antivirus software is to tell us if it's malware or not. That's it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't see it as a small thing. It's a fundamental violation of a sort of 'implied contract' that has been in place for decades that I should be able to trust that my anti-virus software is simply working to protect me from just that - viruses and other classes of malware. Now I no longer know what their agenda is, but it's clear they have other agendas. A sort of 'trust' is broken.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm supposed to be able to trust that the anti-virus vendor is trying to protect me from viruses. If I can't do that, an anti-virus becomes far less useful, and in fact dangerous - I now have to question and second-guess every single thing the anti-virus flags, because I can't trust it's telling me the truth.</div><div><br /></div><div>It also increases the likelihood that users end up with a very real virus, because the day they download something that <i>actually</i> has malware in, and the antivirus flags it, the user is more likely to ignore the antivirus and disable it because "Oh, it is probably the antivirus software crying wolf again"</div><div><br /></div><div>Chrome also blocks users from downloading some mining software, labelling it as 'dangerous' and not even giving the user an option to proceed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Are we supposed to believe they're just trying to protect technically naive users from heavy CPU/GPU usage? If that were the only agenda, why not just flag it with a message like "This software can cause heavy resource usage, and may damage your hardware if your system cooling is not set up correctly, are you sure you want to proceed? Yes/No"</div><div><br /></div><div>What next - labelling software as a "virus" because the AV vendor disagrees with the political beliefs of the company owner? Once the fundamental trust is violated, it feels to me as if all bets are off, and any agenda may be next. </div><div><br /></div><div>I feel like I need a new category of software called a "true anti-virus" that does what an antivirus is supposed to - tell me if the thing is malware or not - not block it just because it's mining software. I know and understand exactly the implications of running mining software on my hardware --- if something is "malware" because it maxes out resource usage, then benchmarking software, prime95, rendering software and many resource-intensive games should also be blocked as malware.</div><div><br /></div><div>Related, these days Microsoft's "SmartScreen" also incorrectly flags and blocks software that is perfectly safe --- even (I believe fraudulently) implying to users that the software is dangerous --- even if it's signed with a valid code signing certificate, purely on the basis that it isn't signed with an <i>Extended Validation</i> code signing certificate - I disagree with this. At <i>most</i>, it should put up a warning like "This vendor's credentials have not been rigorously certified by certification bodies, proceed anyway? Yes/No" or something along those lines. Do they own shares in the companies that sell Extended Validation certificates?</div>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-83347784254320457342017-08-23T12:24:00.005-07:002017-08-23T12:24:55.365-07:00New blog addressI will henceforth be posting new articles at the following address: <a href="http://djoffe.com/blog/">http://djoffe.com/blog/</a>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-27585079934601316202017-03-06T15:48:00.001-08:002017-03-06T15:50:46.259-08:00Painting / Underpainting Process Video<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cmDOe6SZqnA" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<br />David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-49041257661435875512016-04-24T21:05:00.000-07:002016-05-01T10:43:54.635-07:00Rethinking African Political Structures Along Ethically-grounded Lines - Draft Thoughts<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><i>[This article constitutes some rough 'draft thoughts' and is a work-in-progress, potentially subject to substantial re-editing - input and comments welcome - these ideas are not 'fully-formed', and it's a complex issue. The slightly ambitious question is really, what political changes 'should' we make in Africa if we were to broadly expand liberty and increase the protection of individual rights.]</i></span><br />
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The concept of "illegal immigrant" as it pertains to African countries is historically based primarily on colonially defined borders (e.g. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa" target="_blank">Berlin Conference 1884-85</a>, i.e. the "Scramble for Africa", and later 'tweaks' to the lines drawn on maps ... in some cases the colonists even effectively drew these lines <i>right through local communities</i>, splitting them - e.g. the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswana_people" target="_blank">Batswana</a> groups have been split across four countries: Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe). As compared to precolonial Africa, the borders (and the concept of "illegal immigrant" itself) were effectively an 'invention' of the colonists, imposed by force, that restricted people across Africa from exercising their right to freedom of travel across the African continent - e.g. they were (by and large) <i>more</i> free to travel before colonists came and declared that such traveling is "illegal". How can an African be "illegal" just for traveling in Africa? *</div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">On the other end though, I largely (at least, in the current context) </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">disagree with the concept of a 'unified African government' or even (roughly speaking) a 'United States of Africa' (I think if based on the current framework, that would be a disaster - it would only make it easier for corrupt politicians and 'Corporatocrats' to commit injustices, and current injustices within countries - e.g. crony-capitalist mineral 'ownership/rights' models, e.g. South African Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act which benefits mining cartels at the expense of the people, would probably be tragically 'writ large' <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marikana_killings" target="_blank">on a continental scale</a>). If a 'federated African government' were to arise, it would have to be with the express purpose of </span><i style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">protecting</i><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> individual rights, not </span><i style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">violating</i><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> them - it is unclear how in the current climate this could be prevented from happening and seems unlikely (there would need to be a widespread culture of respecting individual rights to begin with - this is absent) ... a Constitutional 'Bill of Rights' seems to have helped a little bit for the USA, but only to a limited degree, and hasn't prevented large-scale individual rights violations. I also would be in objection to any attempts to impose a single 'African fiat currency'.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">I think a more appropriate and ethical approach for Africa would be something between what we have now (e.g. we might consider** [debatable?]) retaining most borders themselves, but re-conceptualize their purpose - e.g. perhaps just do a criminal/terrorist background check at the border, but otherwise mostly just rubber-stamp the movement of most travelers), and a 'Wisslerian' city-state model ***. (I think the city-state model is in some (perhaps rather loose/limited) ways conceptually closer to Africa's civilizational structures prior to colonization than what we have now.)</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">I also think we should create something similar to the Schengen area for Southern Africa (or ideally ultimately most [all?] of Africa) - e.g. members of Southern African countries should (by and large) be allowed to travel, move, settle, start businesses etc., and work in the other member countries. However, this should never be at the expense of 'ceding local rights' to centralized authorities/governmental structures - the primary and express purpose should be to free individuals - i.e. allowing individuals to exercise their natural rights (e.g. freedom of movement, freedom to travel and settle and work in other African / Southern African countries, the right to own property, the right to freedom of trade, freedom from imposition of unjust customs duties and taxes, etc.). Apart from being more just, this would likely 'incidentally' foster greater economic prosperity and more economic opportunities for Africans. (E.g. in the USA or EU it's easy, say, for members to move to other states or member nations to work, start businesses, trade, etc. - in Africa, Africans cannot easily do any of these due to the restrictive borders and legal regimes between African countries - so e.g. much basic trade or travel cannot take place, workers can't easily move to where there are employment opportunities across borders, etc.)</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">* Migrants who actually commit real crimes (e.g. theft) should be arrested and subjected to due process (or deported [debatable?]). The majority of so-called "illegal" immigrants don't commit crimes - most attempt to interact with locals on a mutually voluntary basis, and try to earn a living from 'honest employment'.</span></div>
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** Or perhaps the members of countries themselves should decide on this - but only insofar as they aren't violating the natural rights of others (it seems to me that many/most Africans today seem to feel a sense of 'national identity' with their colonially-defined jurisdictions - it seems unlikely they would want to shed this - my impression is most Africans identify in a positive way with their 'national identities', in spite of the historical origins thereof - so I'm not sure the answer is 'do away with the colonial borders' [open question?]).</div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">*** <a href="http://forindividualrights.com/">http://forindividualrights.com/</a></span></div>
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David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-55963863806085741812016-02-26T08:49:00.001-08:002016-02-26T16:10:17.102-08:00New paintings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHvhJTfp6MNBvQyD9-y4xX7o4VqsT750IwvhjVHBKRhZyIcwmDR0qdEE8wq5Otb6ffVfypO3-2WrcQfklRJCZoLVzngX6NxZ2NPccGtSJcls8yfQffRCZF5lGWp1XgNMBciHuAniPeBKD/s1600/invite_members-2016-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHvhJTfp6MNBvQyD9-y4xX7o4VqsT750IwvhjVHBKRhZyIcwmDR0qdEE8wq5Otb6ffVfypO3-2WrcQfklRJCZoLVzngX6NxZ2NPccGtSJcls8yfQffRCZF5lGWp1XgNMBciHuAniPeBKD/s320/invite_members-2016-1.jpg" width="216" /></a>I'll be exhibiting four new paintings at the Members Exhibition of the Arts Association of Bellville, opening Wednesday 2 March 18:30 and running until 19 March (public library building, Carl Van Aswegen St, Bellville, Cape Town -33.9019889,18.6265181). Please stop by and have a look if you're around. (If any interested buyers, or if you want any more info etc., please contact me <a href="http://tshwanedje.com/contact/" target="_blank">via this form</a>.)
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<a href="http://djoffe.com/art/2013_and_newer/Learning%20Curves%20-%20Oil%20on%20Canvas%20-%2018x24cm%20-%202016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://djoffe.com/art/2013_and_newer/Learning%20Curves%20-%20Oil%20on%20Canvas%20-%2018x24cm%20-%202016.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a></div>
<br />David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-51970123073025375602015-07-01T20:30:00.001-07:002015-07-02T23:31:53.255-07:00New oil paintings<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I'll be submitting these two small oil paintings for the fundraising exhibition "<a href="http://www.artb.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/tiny-treasures-II-evite.jpg" target="_blank">Tiny Treasures II</a>" (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1578476465747081/" target="_blank">more info</a>) at <a href="http://www.artb.co.za/" target="_blank">Art.b community gallery</a> in Bellville (Cape Town) (8 - 29 July 2015) (stop by and have a look if you're in the area!)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6gI0nEShdJOMRtAhON9dJ08UeTsDFL7db69zBl-Hec4B16wKbuklk-u_S-rcXx0eKTGFiA7iBTuNWL0R6Kce5EBvme22mkYRwZfECbfBGCny0Isbood6he6iscqJ1CHCrKds2uEV6jHH/s1600/Nude+by+Window+-+David+Joffe+-+Oil+on+canvas+20x20cm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6gI0nEShdJOMRtAhON9dJ08UeTsDFL7db69zBl-Hec4B16wKbuklk-u_S-rcXx0eKTGFiA7iBTuNWL0R6Kce5EBvme22mkYRwZfECbfBGCny0Isbood6he6iscqJ1CHCrKds2uEV6jHH/s320/Nude+by+Window+-+David+Joffe+-+Oil+on+canvas+20x20cm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nude by Window - Oil on canvas 20x20cm</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_Tr82cgMnOhdBe2Ym0GH8xvNLDvS5a_WD0pFE9BzugotbFU7psa9iAvCUoeZCQ5D041d1SnKUIULjZGEwCI7IqeDh6BM81CLk6owTP-IiSHqrN9fOqLhKHP6d54HJfsV5uut0zSD67P2/s1600/Woman+on+Couch+Mini-Painting+6x6in+-+David+Joffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_Tr82cgMnOhdBe2Ym0GH8xvNLDvS5a_WD0pFE9BzugotbFU7psa9iAvCUoeZCQ5D041d1SnKUIULjZGEwCI7IqeDh6BM81CLk6owTP-IiSHqrN9fOqLhKHP6d54HJfsV5uut0zSD67P2/s320/Woman+on+Couch+Mini-Painting+6x6in+-+David+Joffe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman on Couch - Oil on canvas (<a href="https://youtu.be/uuzqaDC9Pyc">click here for painting process video</a>)</td></tr>
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<br />David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-9269247439116022322014-09-20T16:07:00.000-07:002016-08-14T07:18:52.377-07:00Some Science on Low-Carb Diets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://holisticallyengineered.com/2012/12/bacon-wrapped-butternut-squash-bites.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7RIlfjd8b26z1gzJKhaUZVLH8EdYLVdl5suhbp1fH7SsGNt8dAYIUeXJGyg4bQlkNDV7f4ICnm601YHq_Oe6V4PQ1982gxekJDQddPWShlMApxF4dbLXB_4U5miUJf5X2IFifAgYufbl/s1600/bacon_bites_small.jpg" /></a></div>
The 'tl;dr' summary here is that basically, with relatively minor caveats, scientific studies generally increasingly seem to show low-carb diets to be either as good or better than alternatives, for both weight loss, and other health markers:<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[Added 2016] </span></span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The effects of ketogenic dieting on skeletal muscle and fat mass</span></span></b><br /><b style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">2014</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4271639/" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4271639/</a><br /><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Lean body mass increased to a greater extent in the VLCKD [</span></i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Very low carbohydrate (<5 %), high fat (>70 %) ketogenic diets</i></span></span><i style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">] ... as compared to the traditional group. Ultrasound determined muscle mass increased to a greater extent in the VLCKD group ... as compared to the traditional western group. Finally fat mass decreased to a greater extent in the VLCKD group</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"</span></i><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 8pt;">[Rauch et al, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2014;11(Suppl 1):P40]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">[Added 2015] Dietary Intervention for Overweight and Obese Adults: Comparison of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets. A Meta-Analysis</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">October 2015</span></b><br /><a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0139817">http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0139817</a><br /><i>"The probability of greater weight loss associated with low carbohydrate was >99% while the reduction in predicted risk favoring low carbohydrate was >98% … LoCHO diet was associated with modest but significantly greater improvements in weight loss and predicted ASCVD risk"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Sackner-Bernstein J, Kanter D, Kaul S (2015) Dietary Intervention for Overweight and Obese Adults: Comparison of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets. A Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE 10(10): e0139817. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0139817]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">[Added 2015] Effect of low-fat diet interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">December 15</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(15)00367-8/abstract">http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(15)00367-8/abstract</a><br /><i>"In weight loss trials, low-carbohydrate interventions led to significantly greater weight loss than did low-fat interventions … Low-fat interventions did not lead to differences in weight change compared with other higher-fat weight loss interventions … and led to a greater weight decrease only when compared with a usual diet … In weight loss trials, higher-fat weight loss interventions led to significantly greater weight loss than low-fat interventions"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Tobias, Deirdre K et al., The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology , Volume 3 , Issue 12 , 968 - 979]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Both a Mediterranean diet and diets low in available carbohydrates protect against type 2 diabetes, study suggests</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">August 15, 2013</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130815203715.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130815203715.htm</a><br /><i>"New research shows that a Mediterranean-style diet and diets low in available carbohydrates can offer protection against type 2 diabetes"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Diabetologia]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Comparison of named diet programs finds little difference in weight loss outcomes</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">September 2, 2014</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140902171148.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140902171148.htm</a><br /><i>"In an analysis of data from nearly 50 trials including about 7,300 individuals, significant weight loss was observed with any low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet, with weight loss differences between diet programs small, findings that support the practice of recommending any diet that a patient will adhere to in order to lose weight"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Cut down on 'carbs' to reduce body fat, study authors say</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">June 24, 2011</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606092532.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606092532.htm</a><br /><i>"A modest reduction in consumption of carbohydrate foods may promote loss of deep belly fat, even with little or no change in weight, a new study finds"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[The Endocrine Society]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Cutting carbs is more effective than low-fat diet for insulin-resistant women, study finds</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">June 21, 2010</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100619173919.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100619173919.htm</a><br /><i>"Obese women with insulin resistance lose more weight after three months on a lower-carbohydrate diet than on a traditional low-fat diet with the same number of calories"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[The Endocrine Society]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Dieting? Study challenges notion that a calorie is just a calorie</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">June 26, 2012</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120626163801.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120626163801.htm</a><br /><i>"The study finds diets that reduce the surge in blood sugar after a meal -- either low-glycemic index or very-low carbohydrate -- may be preferable to a low-fat diet for those trying to achieve lasting weight loss"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Children's Hospital Boston / Journal of American Medical Association]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Intermittent, low-carbohydrate diets more successful than standard dieting, study finds</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">December 8, 2011</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208184651.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208184651.htm</a><br /><i>"An intermittent, low-carbohydrate diet was superior to a standard, daily calorie-restricted diet for reducing weight and lowering blood levels of insulin, a cancer-promoting hormone" … "Researchers at Genesis Prevention Center at University Hospital in South Manchester, England, found that restricting carbohydrates two days per week may be a better dietary approach than a standard, daily calorie-restricted diet for preventing breast cancer and other diseases"</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Limiting carbs, not calories, reduces liver fat faster, researchers find</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">April 19, 2011</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419003651.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110419003651.htm</a><br /><i>"Curbing carbohydrates is more effective than cutting calories for individuals who want to quickly reduce the amount of fat in their liver, researchers report"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[UT Southwestern Medical Center]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Limiting carbs could reduce breast cancer recurrence in women with positive IGF1 receptor</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">June 10, 2014</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140610122020.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140610122020.htm</a><br /><i>"Dartmouth researchers have found that reducing carbohydrate intake could reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence among women whose tumor tissue is positive for the IGF-1 receptor"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth / Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Losing belly fat, whether from a low-carb or a low-fat diet, helps improve blood vessel function</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">March 13, 2012</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120313230314.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120313230314.htm</a><br /><i>"Overweight people who shed pounds, especially belly fat, can improve the function of their blood vessels no matter whether they are on a low-carb or a low-fat diet, according to a new study" … "… participants on the low-carb diet lost more weight and at a faster pace, on average, which has also been seen in several other studies. He says eating higher amounts of carbohydrates can slow down the rate of body fat loss while on a weight reduction diet."</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Johns Hopkins Medicine]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Low-carb, higher-fat diets add no arterial health risks to obese people seeking to lose weight, studies suggest</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">June 2, 2011</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110601075124.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110601075124.htm</a><br /><i>"Overweight and obese people looking to drop some pounds and considering one of the popular low-carbohydrate diets, along with moderate exercise, need not worry that the higher proportion of fat in such a program compared to a low-fat, high-carb diet may harm their arteries, suggests a pair of new studies by heart and vascular researchers at Johns Hopkins"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may reduce both tumor growth rates and cancer risk</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">June 15, 2011</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110614115037.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110614115037.htm</a><br /><i>"Eating a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet may reduce the risk of cancer and slow the growth of tumors already present, according to a new study" [IN MICE] … "The study was conducted in mice, but the scientists involved agree that the strong biological findings are definitive enough that an effect in humans can be considered"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[American Association for Cancer Research]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Low-carbohydrate diet reduced inflammation in study</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">May 8, 2014</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140508095415.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140508095415.htm</a><br /><i>"A low-carbohydrate diet, but not a low-fat diet, reduces inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to research. It is known that patients with type 2 diabetes have higher levels of inflammation than those who do not have the disease, and it is believed that this may contribute to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and other complications"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Linköping Universitet / Annals of Medicine]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Low-Carbohydrate Diets</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/low-carbohydrate-diets/">http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/low-carbohydrate-diets/</a><br /><i>"There is some evidence that a low-carbohydrate diet may help people lose weight more quickly than a low-fat diet and may help them maintain that weight loss ...<br /><br />POUNDS LOST ... a two-year head-to-head trial comparing different weight loss strategies, found that healthy diets that varied in the proportions of different macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fats) worked equally well in the long run, and that there was no speed advantage for one diet over another ...<br /><br />The DIRECT study compared low-carb, low-fat, and Mediterranean-style diets and found that after 2 years, weight loss and maintenance were better for low-carb and Mediterranean-style diets as compared to low-fat diets. ...<br /><br />... The low-carb diet was most beneficial for lowering triglycerides, the main fat-carrying particle in the bloodstream, and also delivered the biggest boost in protective HDL cholesterol ...<br /><br />... a moderately low-carbohydrate diet can help the heart, as long as protein and fat selections come from healthy sources ... <br /><br />A 20-year prospective study of 82,802 women looked at the relationship between lower carbohydrate diets and heart disease; a subsequent study looked at lower carbohydrate diets and risk of diabetes. Women who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in vegetable sources of fat or protein had a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease and about a 20 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared to women who ate high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets ... women who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in animal fats or proteins did not see any such benefits <br /><br />More evidence of the heart benefits from a lower-carbohydrate approach comes from a randomized trial known as the Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial for Heart Health (OmniHeart). A healthy diet that replaced some carbohydrate with protein or fat did a better job of lowering blood pressure and “bad” LDL cholesterol than a healthy, higher-carbohydrate diet.<br /><br />Similarly, the small “EcoAtkins” weight loss trial compared a low-fat, high-carbohydrate vegetarian diet to a low-carbohydrate vegan diet that was high in vegetable protein and fat. While weight loss was similar on the two diets, study subjects who followed the low-carbohydrate “EcoAtkins” diet saw improvements in blood lipids and blood pressure."</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Harvard School of Public Health]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Low-carb vegan diet may reduce heart disease risk, weight</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">May 22, 2014</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140522105136.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140522105136.htm</a><br /><i>"In addition to weight loss, a vegan low-carbohydrate diet may also reduce the risk of heart disease by 10 percent over 10 years"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[St. Michael's Hospital / British Medical Journal Open]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Low-carb vs. low-fat diets: Clinicians weigh in</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">September 1, 2014</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140901211411.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140901211411.htm</a><br /><i>Two articles recently published review and compare the low-carb and low-fat diets. A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective for weight loss and reducing cardiovascular risk factors than a low-fat diet, they conclude</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[American College of Physicians]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Starch intake may influence risk for breast cancer recurrence, study suggests</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">December 23, 2011</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208184648.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208184648.htm</a><br /><i>"Researchers have linked increased starch intake to a greater risk for breast cancer recurrence, according to results presented at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium ... "The results show that it's not just overall carbohydrates, but particularly starch" ... "Women who increased their starch intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring.""</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[American Association for Cancer Research]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of the effects of low carbohydrate diets on cardiovascular risk factors</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">2012</span></b><br /><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22905670">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22905670</a><br /><i>"A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out to study the effects of low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors … A total of 23 reports, corresponding to 17 clinical investigations, were identified as meeting the pre-specified criteria. Meta-analysis carried out on data … showed the LCD to be associated with significant decreases in body weight, body mass index, abdominal circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, plasma triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin, plasma insulin, and plasma C-reactive protein, as well as an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol … Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and creatinine did not change significantly, whereas limited data exist concerning plasma uric acid. LCD was shown to have favourable effects on body weight and major cardiovascular risk factors; however the effects on long-term health are unknown"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Schwingshackl L, Hoffmann G., Obes Rev. 2013 Feb; 14(2):183-4.]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: navy;">Systematic review and meta-analysis of different dietary approaches to the management of type 2 diabetes</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;">March 2013</span></b><br /><a href="http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/97/3/505.abstract">http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/97/3/505.abstract</a><br /><i>"A total of 20 RCTs were included ... The low-carbohydrate, low-GI, Mediterranean, and high-protein diets all led to a greater improvement in glycemic control ... with the largest effect size seen in the Mediterranean diet. Low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diets led to greater weight loss ... with an increase in HDL seen in all diets except the high-protein diet"</i><br /><span style="color: grey; font-size: 8pt;">[Am J Clin Nutr March 2013 vol. 97 no. 3 505-516]</span></span><br />
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<i>List generated with <a href="http://tshwanedje.com/database/" target="_blank">tlDatabase</a></i>David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-66554404678863049852014-07-12T10:11:00.000-07:002014-07-12T12:23:32.413-07:00Naked Truths on Women's Rights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsYGO4azTfrRzprJu3RlrxOtmNUyQe8sUHiFNQJSCUo8S12YPxnZyU27I7KxxRYMZ-9pOk2PQRLtSb3s66mk-hPWrX40VUcBay0omSBBQM8jpF_oMQbyVNaDsWUvQ4OfT4ajpiGRxMSA9/s1600/strip_for_the_farmville_cash_by_exeypan-d3k1h1u+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsYGO4azTfrRzprJu3RlrxOtmNUyQe8sUHiFNQJSCUo8S12YPxnZyU27I7KxxRYMZ-9pOk2PQRLtSb3s66mk-hPWrX40VUcBay0omSBBQM8jpF_oMQbyVNaDsWUvQ4OfT4ajpiGRxMSA9/s1600/strip_for_the_farmville_cash_by_exeypan-d3k1h1u+(1).jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[<a href="http://exeypan.deviantart.com/art/Strip-for-the-Farmville-Cash-215059602" target="_blank">Image credit</a>]</i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.wits.ac.za/staff/marlise.richter.htm" target="_blank">Marlise Richter</a>, a self-described “Sex Positive Feminist”, writes on the apparently vexing question of whether women should be 'allowed' free agency:<br />
<br />
"<a href="http://groundup.org.za/article/stripping-tears-bleeding-heart-feminists-and-other-sex-abolitionists_1987" target="_blank">Stripping the tears of bleeding-heart feminists and other sex abolitionists</a>":<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Liberal feminist Emma Powell visited <a href="http://www.mavericks.co.za/">Mavericks Revue Bar</a> to investigate two pressing questions. One was how “places like this” could exist under the South African Constitution. The second was whether the stripper “girls” looked happy. Her impressions were captured in a </i>Daily Maverick<i> article dramatically titled “House of the Rising sun, built on misery” ...
</i><br />
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<a href="http://gogogodzirra.deviantart.com/art/Stripper-Pole-Squirrel-143925169" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwS3qW4S0duyzbMVWrIQnlasGgHmJmoCh-DcEC1cJGaaDAB29PbzBTUjsAKU1ISIgGNuebyC8mOzBxbWclyPzago2ledhvNykfcx1lC3KSC-Twvz9wfOm9eE4_496OeCqvC2No0Sj0Zdb/s1600/Stripper_Pole_Squirrel_by_GoGoGodzirra.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a><i>I ask to meet some of the dancers.
<br /><br />
Early one evening, before their work starts, I sit with four well-groomed women. They are from the UK, Romania, Brazil and South Africa. I give them copies of Ms Powell’s article. (Yes, they can read! Yes, they have opinions!)
<br /><br />
Indignation and annoyance reign. With voices high in irritation, they describe the advantages of the job. These include making lots of money, meeting a range of interesting and well-connected men, having fun, growing their confidence, and being appreciated.
<br /><br />
Samantha has a degree in commerce and worked in retail. She tells me she is financially independent for the first time in her life. She wished she started dancing 15 years ago. She provides me with a well-argued feminist critique of stripping, and how she is empowered by her work. There are good days and bad days, but so it is with everything in life, they say philosophically.
<br /><br />
With some trepidation, I ask if they have been trafficked. Elizabeth shakes her head. Vehemently, she explains how no one could be forced to dance here, since they would speak up. “You could just open the window and scream across the road to the police,” she says.
<br /><br />
One refrains is: “Why did the writer not speak to us and ask?”
"</i>
</blockquote>
<br />David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-32751379802618213102014-07-09T04:00:00.000-07:002014-07-09T04:00:01.355-07:00The Myth of the "Cycle of Abuse"It's a commonly held belief that victims of child abuse are somehow 'pre-destined' to become abusers themselves. Research shows, however, that only a <i>minority</i> of abuse victims go on to become abusers, and that this is thus (in short) a myth: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11731348">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11731348</a>. A related comic:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tencentticker.com/somethingterrible/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuF_sJnHyFDXtllDugv2SBUuynnYJlOUPawEWEqx30SB0Tt9ona5QR0-ozNkL8dvjuE5UmwsvLZwvR3hju4nJw9yJKfI43hO6eWWYNKOaEmpwNlLxQwiXPfNf8VmPXaU3UzB3VcKFXJ1E/s1600/abuse_comic.jpg" height="264" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.tencentticker.com/somethingterrible/">http://www.tencentticker.com/somethingterrible/</a></span></td></tr>
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David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-14367711083102644702014-07-03T11:11:00.000-07:002014-07-03T11:12:02.759-07:00On "Generating Discussion""Generating Discussion" is not <i>per se</i> virtuous - after all, Hitler also "generated discussion" - a <i>lot</i> of discussion. It's only a virtue if you generate <i>useful</i> discussion.David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-71978814260429365692014-06-29T14:30:00.000-07:002014-09-21T05:53:08.641-07:00Legal Protections for Robots?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgybog7AW-ccSilQpFFyBQOXSRUEuSEQ0BaBLXzUW4lJn_lU-nn03RiqnbmD377DyFYlIw6LSN3jzENHgJmjRrCqb4xWeI_3keyodzdQ7Gnj7xiMXOjd1QdqiDv9sh02XJWrlJPDbBVL7/s1600/AIBO-ERS-311-Latte_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgybog7AW-ccSilQpFFyBQOXSRUEuSEQ0BaBLXzUW4lJn_lU-nn03RiqnbmD377DyFYlIw6LSN3jzENHgJmjRrCqb4xWeI_3keyodzdQ7Gnj7xiMXOjd1QdqiDv9sh02XJWrlJPDbBVL7/s1600/AIBO-ERS-311-Latte_001.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Please don't kick me!"</i></td></tr>
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This article contemplates <a href="http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/darling20140627" target="_blank">Extending Legal Protection to Social Robots</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Even for fully informed adults, the difference between alive and lifelike may be muddled enough in our subconscious to warrant adopting the same attitudes toward robotic companions that we carry towards our pets. A study of Sony AIBO online message boards reveals that people were dismayed to witness the story of an AIBO being tossed into a garbage can. Not long after the Pleo robot dinosaur became commercially available in 2007, videos of Pleo “torture” began to circulate online. The comments left by viewers are strikingly polarized – while some derive amusement from the videos, others appear considerably upset, going so far as to verbally attack the originators and accuse them of horrible cruelty.
</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Kantian philosophical argument for animal rights is that our actions towards non-humans reflect our morality — if we treat animals in inhumane ways, we become inhumane persons. This logically extends to the treatment of robotic companions. Given that many people already feel strongly about state-of-the-art social robot “abuse”, it may soon become more widely perceived as out of line with our social values to treat robotic companions in a way that we would not treat our pets."</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38GZ83-M0wPudrOx52qpD6FW0MHVcLLnIm_J3xnMJ11Qs_IHvXY8XuoU2ucOQqpbksWDWS_7-pG8o0FAdMzz47rPZYi3lfrqJ5cmfYgsoj6imtkSTbuDCS4yxAmuRANFJF49YUQXvj4Qn/s1600/robot-image-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38GZ83-M0wPudrOx52qpD6FW0MHVcLLnIm_J3xnMJ11Qs_IHvXY8XuoU2ucOQqpbksWDWS_7-pG8o0FAdMzz47rPZYi3lfrqJ5cmfYgsoj6imtkSTbuDCS4yxAmuRANFJF49YUQXvj4Qn/s1600/robot-image-300x300.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
This thinking appears to undermine individual rights to private property. Whether something is "property", or an independent being capable of suffering is an objective facet of reality that is independent of the subjective 'social sentiments' of those around it - e.g. if a robot is sentient and intelligent then no amount of convention can make it "my property" and legal protections should apply; conversely, if my Tamagotchi or Roomba are not sentient, then no amount of social convention or social notion of "inhumane treatment" can rightly make it illegal for me to vandalize them: Making it illegal for me to vandalize (my own) Tamagotchi would be tantamount to initiation of force against me for a victimless crime. These realities exist as objective facts - e.g. whether a Tamagotchi or R2D2 are sentient and/or can perceive pain - what really remains is for us to figure out how to determine the nature of the reality - e.g. the question is how could we know if a machine is 'sentient' enough (or capable of suffering) in some meaningful sense that it should have either full or limited 'rights' (e.g. protection from abuse, as we'd grant an animal, even if not intelligent). Not whether enough people around us are so incapable of overriding their base human instinct of anthropomorphization that they believe we should give in to popular demands to use force against innocent people for victimless crimes that irrationally upset them. This kind of thinking has led to many other unethical interventions in society, e.g. 'vice crimes'.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>printf("Ouch! Stop! Please stop!");</i></td></tr>
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The concept of abuse of animals doesn't inherently "logically extend" to robots because the <i>reason</i> animal abuse is illegal is <i>because animals can suffer</i> - if some particular robotic device <i>cannot</i> suffer then it would be an illogical "extension" - by definition, there is nothing "inhumane" about vandalizing non-sentient property*, because the definition of "inhumane" has to do with whether or not suffering occurs. Worse, laws against vandalizing your own Tamagotchi or Roomba or Aibo <i>would actually harm someone</i> - i.e. the person punished for a victimless crime. Thus if we are to claim "humanity", we cannot deliberately harm someone for a victimless crime - by definition <i>that</i> would be inhumane. So this very argument is self-contradictory. Does it seem ethical or "humane" to arrest someone and put them in prison for vandalizing (their own) piece of property that is incapable of suffering? No.<br />
<br />
Of course if some <i>particular</i> robotic device is capable of suffering, then yes, protections must apply. Based on our current knowledge of physics, it's very unlikely that any existing robot matches this criterion.<br />
<br />
(*Irrationally believing it to be inhumane doesn't make it inhumane, and much of how the modern legal system was conceptualized was precisely to <i>protect against</i> such emotionally-driven justifications for harming innocent people.)<br />
<br />
(<b>Edit:</b> The article author, <a href="https://twitter.com/grok_" target="_blank">Kate Darling</a>, gave the following brief response via Twitter: <i>"Thanks! I discuss property in the paper this article is based on. The "crime" should only ever be one if harm to society outweighs."</i> ... I think the notion of "outweighs" is misguided.)David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-49768055129766534042014-06-28T17:59:00.001-07:002014-06-28T17:59:19.078-07:00Receding Intelligence?An interesting article by Natalie Wolchover on the blue-skinned people of Kentucky, and recessive traits: <a href="http://www.livescience.com/23277-will-humans-eventually-all-look-like-brazilians.html" target="_blank">Will Humans Eventually All Look Like Brazilians?</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Stearns says globalization, immigration, cultural diffus</i><i>sion and the ease of modern travel will gradually homogenize the human population, averaging out more and more people's traits. Because recessive traits depend on two copies of the same gene pairing up in order to get expressed, these traits will express themselves more rarely, and dominant traits will become the norm. In short, blue skin is out. Brown skin is in.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.kleo.ru/img/items/BlueEyes_228x303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.kleo.ru/img/items/BlueEyes_228x303.jpg" height="200" width="176" /></a><i>Already in the United States, another recessive trait, blue eyes, has grown far less common. A 2002 study by the epidemiologists Mark Grant and Diane Lauderdale found that only 1 in 6 non-Hispanic white Americans has blue eyes, down from more than half of the U.S. white population being blue-eyed just 100 years ago."</i></blockquote>
<br />
I wonder, perhaps related mechanisms could explain why humans may be getting dumber (if it is true that we are), and if so, how we could have gotten dumber so (relatively) quickly - e.g.:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/research-suggests-humans-are-becoming-more-stupid-243475">http://www.medicaldaily.com/research-suggests-humans-are-becoming-more-stupid-243475</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Dr. Gerald Crabtree from Stanford University writes in the journal Trends in Genetics that humans have been steadily losing intelligence for thousands of years"</i>
</blockquote>
David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-20573011485512857422014-06-21T06:14:00.000-07:002014-09-21T05:46:18.907-07:00"I Don't Follow Fads!" (Even When They're Right)<div style="text-align: right;">
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It's possible for something to be a <a href="http://hippocratesinst.org/nutrition/the-faddest-of-them-all-the-atkins-diet" target="_blank">fad</a> <i>and</i> <a href="http://davidjoffe.blogspot.com/2014/09/some-science-on-low-carb-diets.html">also happen to be correct</a>. People who pride themselves on not 'following fads' sometimes blindly follow the wrong path instead. Or to put it another way, sometimes the 'sheeple' are right. If your ego is tied up in your ability to 'not follow the crowd', you may fail to follow the crowd when they happen to be going in the right direction.<br />
<br />
Forget about whether something is a fad or not - the <i>only</i> thing that matters is whether something is <i>correct</i> or not. What you need is a set of 'mental tools' to distinguish good ideas from bad ideas.<br />
<br />
This mentality seems to be a kind of 'inverse <i>argumentum ad populum</i>' - effectively believing something is false <i>because</i> it is popular.<br />
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Sometimes the sheep are going in some particular direction simply because there's food, water or sanctuary from danger that way.David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-76141524820845819162014-06-17T11:26:00.003-07:002014-07-12T09:01:22.105-07:00On GMOsBriefly: I think GMO is just a technique/technology - it can be used for good or bad. Blanket bans on GMOs are akin to banning "phones" or "the Internet" - it is wrong and ultimately damaging. If someone is misusing a technology for evil, then the evil practice should be banned, not the technology. It's true that particular companies involved in the development of GMOs are doing bad things - but the positive potential for GMOs in the right hands is enormous - these are ultimately separate issues. This is by no means apologism for the aforementioned.David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1262446687742158587.post-18662646643319452752014-06-04T21:02:00.000-07:002014-06-04T21:05:54.350-07:00Olympic Hosting City - Problem Solved*<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bidding-2022-olympics-disaster-because-192953806.html">http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bidding-2022-olympics-disaster-because-192953806.html</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"The Bidding For The 2022 Olympics Is A Disaster Because Everyone Figured Out That Hosting Is A Total Waste"</i></blockquote>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBCMvCDFg9Sw7DPFMvpbMT_34njf2doPdi6U83q164k_uS3fLvcU7jknqndORQYth4Q9OYX81y4UJWwKZs5sXJrUm6qKD_oHNFxNjAsBSaolJXQTB7qAbs3DAlvXETw1IdDhbp0fEVJc/s1600/bnqt-com-photo-gallery-best-olympic-tattoos-of-london-games-olympic-tattoos-gallery-1-94dfefa1-sz500x320-animate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBCMvCDFg9Sw7DPFMvpbMT_34njf2doPdi6U83q164k_uS3fLvcU7jknqndORQYth4Q9OYX81y4UJWwKZs5sXJrUm6qKD_oHNFxNjAsBSaolJXQTB7qAbs3DAlvXETw1IdDhbp0fEVJc/s1600/bnqt-com-photo-gallery-best-olympic-tattoos-of-london-games-olympic-tattoos-gallery-1-94dfefa1-sz500x320-animate.jpg" height="126" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Token pic that's closely-enough<br />
related to the Olympics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I don't know if this is true, but it seems like there may be a simple solution: Host it in a city that's already hosted it in recent history. Pick a few cities (e.g. one per continent) that have the infrastructure for it, and cycle through them. If the infrastructure has already been built in a city, then there would be only marginal additional investment costs required (as e.g. stadiums and airports would exist already), and it allows more meaningful amortization of prior investments (i.e. existing stadiums wouldn't be 'white elephants' if they were used regularly for subsequent games). Would make more sense than building new white elephants in some new city every four years (assuming these really do become white elephants). Is there really any rational reason to pick new cities so often?<br />
<br />
* You're welcome.<br /><br />
Admittedly, I don't really know much about budget planning for massive global sporting events.David Joffehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10072265725728503078noreply@blogger.com0