October 31, 2002
It Wasn't Me

googlism will tell you what google.com thinks of you, or any other person, place, or thing.
what does it know about me?

ashley is a xxx cum loving
ashley is seen in this undated family
ashley is such a card
ashley is brave
ashley is 6
ashley is an atheist
ashley is tfi's 'person of the month'
ashley is first expelled miles midsommer
ashley is reinventing the law practice
ashley is such a bitch
ashley is racing to the altar
ashley is married
ashley is improving rapidly
ashley is second wku football player to win gateway award this week freshman is second hilltopper to be named offensive lineman of the week
ashley is filling in for us until we contact our model for this shirt
ashley is in a very strange mood right now
ashley is a very strong little girl
ashley is wearing a pretty blue summer dress that is just short enough to reveal her innocent white panties
ashley is on top of a mountain
ashley is our angel
ashley is the daughter of naomi and sister of wynonna judd
ashley is healed of her cancer
ashley is definitely going to go far in life and gymnastics
ashley is also an active member of the community through her involvement with the dare drug
ashley is a human
ashley is the essence of what our program stands for
ashley is not speaking
ashley is the kind of friend that i can tell secrets to and have secret codes with
ashley is a pygmy with short light brown hair
ashley is a c1 quadreplegic paralized during birth
ashley is quiter

via the me pages

Posted by ash at 12:40 PM

October 27, 2002
Before I Forget...

a study in the latest issue of Neurology reports that scientists have had some success with the COGNIShunt implant, which drains cerebrospinal fluid continuously from around the brain into the abdominal area. this fluid is recirculated much less frequently in alzheimer's patients than in a healthy person, and researchers have theorized that this limited CSF turnover may contribute to the buildup of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.

alzheimer's is the cause of half of all dementia in older people. 20% of those over 80 will suffer from alzheimer's, 30% of those who live to the age of 90 will. as the aged population in the u.s. becomes larger than ever, it is likely that we will see more victims of this disease than ever before. as the research focus falls more toward treating the diseases of old age, it is exciting to imagine that not too far into the future we will find ways to prevent, treat, and even cure dementia.

i first read about the Neurology article in the USA Today on Wednesday, 23 Oct.
Read the article: Assessment of low-flow CSF drainage as a treatment for AD. Neurology 2002;59:1139-1145 ©2002 American Academy of Neurology

Posted by ash at 01:24 AM

October 20, 2002
Mind Bullets

on neuroprosthesis - a review of the mind and the brain: neuroplasticity and the power of mental force by jeffrey m. schwartz and sharon begley. the book explores the connection between the mind and the brain, and whether it is possible for the mind to actually alter the brain's neural network.

...as wondrous as these implications are, perhaps even more important is the philosophical dimension of Schwartz's work. For the existence of mental force offers convincing scientific evidence of human free will, and thus of man's inherent capacity for moral choice. Challenging the scientific mainstream, Schwartz and Begley suggest boldly that we human beings are more than mere automatons -- that with the ability to shape our brains comes the power to shape our destiny. The conclusions they draw, and the questions they raise, should provoke debate among not only scientists but philosophers, legal scholars, and anyone who cares about the role of man in the universe. (- from neuroprosthesis)

Posted by ash at 11:02 PM

October 15, 2002
My Toothbrush Tastes Weird, Honey

yesterday robyn blogged about people who talk on the phone while they are on the toilet. which i can't bring myself to do. but it got me to thinking about all the hotel rooms i stay in that have those convenient phones mounted on the wall right next to the toilet.

in my family there's a wise old phrase that, while humorous, serves an important educational purpose: "shit flies up!" you see, one of my family members, i can't even remember who it was, saw a documentary special which demonstrated (with a special radioactive dye and super-scientific lighting and cameras) that when a toilet is flushed, a fine mist of pissy and shitty water sprays high into the air over the toilet and settles over the entire area surrounding the bathroom. which is the area where most people store their TOOTHBRUSH, towel, face flannel, hairbrush, and so on. telephone, in this case. as this family member described it to us, how the shit flies up, we all become so horrified, that i know none of us can flush a toilet to this very day with the seat standing up. personally, it's all i can do not to flush it with a stick from outside the room. some of that mist has to come out that crack in the side.

Posted by ash at 07:23 AM

October 14, 2002
When The Coast is Clear

i am leaving for miami in the morning for a training. it will be nice to be in the warm weather for a few days, but i am a little disappointed that i am missing ben folds on friday night. it seems to happen to me every time he is in philly, so this time i bought the tickets weeks ago and drew a big circle around the date on the calendar. alas, my company doesn't check my concert schedule before they book trips. feeling the waves of sadness permeating the entire house, mike came home with tickets to the coolest event ever: dave eggers is reading and TMBG are playing at the 215 festival on the day i get back - the day *after* ben folds. what a good boy.

Posted by ash at 11:24 PM

October 09, 2002
No Lose Scenario

Moose and me.i have an amazing little dog, moose. he can sit, he can stay. he can do down, most of the time when i don't even ask - he just knows that is the most good boy thing he can do. moose can heel pretty good when i actually bother, although i am a pretty lazy dog walker most of the time and just leave him wandering around on the end of the magic extendo-leash. the one thing moose-man really hasn't gotten the hang of, despite four sets of obedience classes and lots of patience, is the "come" command. he doesn't come when i call him.

a couple of times he has gotten out of the house and run away and i am a little freaked out that i will lose him. people have laughed at me for the way i panic about it. i know the avid chip is the most foolproof of all but i worry that no one will bother to take a little lost dog and have him scanned for one.

so when i saw this dog-e-tag i was blown away. "the world's first digital dogtag." i am amazed! i ordered one for moose this morning, and i think that it is going on the christmas list for all the good dogs know.

"Dog-e-Tag™" is a digital dog tag. It is 1 3/8 inches (36mm) around, weighs 3/4 of an ounce (21g) and is worn in a similar fashion to a common metal tag. With up to 40 lines of information, one can store large quantities of data, such as cell phone numbers, pager numbers, e-mail addresses, county
license numbers, rabies vaccine numbers, veterinary and neighbor contacts,etc.

Posted by ash at 09:59 AM

October 08, 2002
Wanna Play?

"Thank you so much Dr. Bostrom. You have proven that my psychiatrist was wrong all along."
(Paraphrase from anonymous email comment sent to the author.)

in the future will humans become post-human and spend their days running computer simulations of what the world used to be like, and is our world actually that computer simulation? or, uh, something like that? this guy thinks so.

not only that, but there are follow-up investigations! no kidding.

ABSTRACT. If you might be living in a simulation then all else equal you should care less about others, live more for today, make your world look more likely to become rich, expect to and try more to participate in pivotal events, be more entertaining and praiseworthy, and keep the famous people around you happier and more interested in you.
from how to live in a simulation, by robin hanson

now, you may not be surprised to hear that there are some people who think that all this is *crazy talk* - oh yes. care to discuss?

Posted by ash at 06:05 PM

October 06, 2002
Leaping Wizards

sarah has reminded me about one of my favorite new zealand things - the wizard of christchurch! mainly a tourist attraction, he casts the odd spell on the local rugby team and performs a rain dance when there is need. i spent a good hour listening to him rant and rave in cathedral square one afternoon. a favorite wizardly topic is the relationship of new zealand to the rest of the world. he prints a reversed map, where nz is on top. why the hell not? looks like the wizard is getting ready to retire, though. are there other wizards in training?

Posted by ash at 10:55 PM