??What Happened to My Books??

This Christmas season millions of mom are rushing to the stores or getting online to purchase the Amazon Kindle, the nook, etc. My older sister already got one for her birthday, and my younger sister is begging for one for Christmas. Besides its impact on reading and the market in books, the impact of technology is readily visible through electronic reading devices. Families can afford to have multiple of a single technology rather than only desire a single product.
Besides its indications of the expanding market of technology that is personalized to individuals, the Kindle is also changing. The technology of these devices is rapidly changing as well. Originally, the devices simply were black and white, with only the ability to upload books. Recently the nook released a new version, the nookcolor.  (Dr. Bassett notice the William Gibson novel :)

These devices are redefining the industry as a whole. There is the talk of converting massive amounts of textbooks to electronic copies to reduce costs for students. One question I pose is: will the electronic book industry take off with the same fever as the music industry did with the release of the iPod. Apple has even made a division of iTunes called the iBookstore.

What does this mean for education? Are electronic books akin to a teacher over the Internet? We know these systems work, however learning is no longer the same. Without the tactile, the entire institution is called into question, in my opinion.  Online education is not nearly the same experience as attending an actual university where you live and thrive on campus. Readers don't get the same experience when they crack open a new book. The smell is missing, the feel of the pages as they are turned is entirely missing. When you finish an electronic book looks exactly the same as it did at the beginning, but with a paper book a reader can see the progress. With the advent of the electronic book, the electronic age is becoming even more visible.

I will, however, admit the convenience of these electronic books. They cater very well to the demands of society while still delivering the content. A reader no longer has to pack ten books in their bags as they go on vacation, they can simply pack their eReader, nook, or Kindle and read as many books as they like. They will never have to face the dread of finishing all of their books before the vacation is over.

The new electronic books bring new meanings for how we, as a population, read, purchase books and the development of new technologies by other companies. Not to mention, retailers won't mind one more product on their shelves.

??I Can Dance in a Game without a Controller??

I've never been big into video games. For the longest time my mother refused to allow a gaming system in my house because she believed it to be a waste of time...and brain cells for that matter. She preferred us to be outside enjoying the fresh air.When I begged and begged for a game; all I got was an Atari. In 2005. Not exactly what you want as a kid. I only played for about a month.
Then of course, the Wii came out (and my mom caved to my little sister- tooootally fair). The Wii is now the 'fit and active' video game. Motion is a part of the game, there are even Wiis in nursing home because they force residents to get up and move without forcing them to be too strained. Motion is the new revolution in the world of gaming.

The gaming world is based on a life of fantasy. As this picture shows, gamers are living almost in an alternate universe. They are living a life vicariously through the world of their idols. Other brands are picking up this idea. The world of gaming is moving away from remotes; the less buttons the better. Video games now allow people to move and dance with direction without actually having to learn the skills. It gives people the avenue to be anything they want, occupy any position in life without taking the effort of attaining the actual knowledge. This follows the trend of society today. Admissions are asking college applicants to be everything. In order to go 'anywhere' a student must have the grades, the extracurricular activities, the athletics and the religious activities. In a world where people are forced to be everything, video games allow society a world where they can be everything without trying.
Seth Schiesel compares button-less video games to an art form. This same expressiveness is the freedom discussed earlier. There is a wide barrage of motion sensitive video games today. Microsoft and Playstation are getting in on the action. These new games are redefining what it means to play a video game. Now they are no longer video games that create a world simply of the virtual, it could be considered a virtual reality with more emphasis on the reality. Now gamers won't be couch potatoes, they will be up and moving. This is probably a step in the right direction for one of the most obese nations in the world. If we can't beat those games, we'll join 'em.

??How Can a CHILD Be Obese??

In the past few decades, childhood obesity has become a major concern. There has been billions thrown into research and projects documenting childhood obesity, as well as adult obesity. Films like Supersize Me  have shown this increasing concern.

A large argument within this documentary was whether the problem occurred as a result of negligence on the part of the consumer or McDonald's. A judge found that if the prosecution could prove that the company intended its customers to eat McDonald's every day for every meal and the products were in fact harmful to health then McDonald's would be at fault. Throughout the course of the documentary Morgan showed that beyond a shadow of a doubt McDonald's was harmful to his health. His doctors would not even allow him to finish his 30 day Mickey D's diet because it was destroying his liver.

But this issue brings to light another portion of the question. What causes obesity? Some allege that it is entirely a product of the environment they grow up in, while others report that it is entirely a product of genetic inheritance. Often times, people who don't want to admit that they are responsible for obesity say that it is entirely genetic inheritance, while those seeing others around them as lazy blame it on the situation. The problem with these extremes is that neither is entirely correct. Recent research has shown that obesity, and several other genetically inherited traits are caused by a combination of the environment and genetic inheritance called the epigenetics.

This theory purports that a person inherits their traits from both their father and mother, however, the expression of the genes inherited is determined partially by the surrounding environment. DNA is tightly wound around histone proteins which inhibit genetic expression. Pressures from the environment can cause more histone proteins to become tangled in the DNA or some of the histones to be released. This is where the theories of genetics v. how you grew up clash. There are also other factors like diet and exercise that influence obesity that can also be significant. A person may have a genetic predisposition for obesity from their family, however this is no way means that they are obese. If they eat healthily and exercise frequently they have a better chance of remaining at a healthy weight. Their DNA may be pressured into wrapping around histones suppressing the proteins that may cause obesity. By the same token, if a person whose is not genetically predisposed to obesity eats food with high fat contents frequently and does not exercise, proteins that prevent obesity may be suppressed, and it is highly likely that they will become obese.

Although obesity is not simply a factor of eating and exercise habits or the epigenome, people are not entirely blameless for obesity. They can still be incredibly healthy even if they are predisposed for obesity, they must practice extra self control. The diseases caused by obesity should only encourage everyone to exercise and eat healthily.

So what are you doing sitting on your computer?? Get outside and EXERCISE!!! 

??Can You Actually Grow an ORGAN??

"Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function – at least in a laboratory setting – like human livers."


Several weeks ago, I heard Dr. Anthony Atala speak to a group about tissue growth, regeneration and implantation. He has actually been able to successfully implant a bladder grown outside the body using a patient's own cells into the patient. Years later she is happy, healthy and much better off. Besides that, another patient with more pressing need in an emergency situation was able to get a bladder. The future of this technology is almost exactly the concept of the movie The Island. The concept of having your organs at the ready in case of emergency has very nearly been realized. This research is monumental, definitely life changing. There is now the legitimate possibility of organ transplant without recipient rejection. The new organ is made entirely of the patient's own cells, every small marker on the cell is now duplicated without the threat of the wrong tags. All signs point to these developments becoming a major part of hospitals' medical know-how. The technology has even been duplicated on a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy; it has even "made it" in Hollywood.


The only issue in front of researchers now is stem cell legislation; and lobbyists for immuno-suppressor drug companies that are utilized after transplants will not exactly be thrilled. For the majority of the time, physicians will simply use stem cells in the marrow to make the organs grow, however, in order to do research doctors at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine will need stem cells to do their tests. It would be highly advantageous for them to have the ability to utilize cells harvested from the umbilical cord at birth. This would not harm the mothers or the child. It is also a lost opportunity (no matter your opinion on abortion, and I do not wish to show support or opposition to the issue) to allow stem cells of aborted fetuses to be destroyed. There are many opportunities for advancements in healthcare into the future, and only time will tell what legislation will allow. That which legislation grants will determine what these cutting edge researchers will be able to create. We have the proof, they can create functioning organs and place them into patients, they can create functioning liver cells (at least in the laboratory setting) and develop much more. What do you think? Would you like the possibility in the future of being ensured you will get that organ transplant you need?

??Trillions of Reasons to be excited??

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/science/space/02cern.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=trillions%20of%20reasons%20to%20be%20excited&st=cse

This article, recently published in the NY Times details the recent work of several physicists. They have been struggling to get their machine up and running over the past several years, as an electrical connection mishap caused the billion dollar machine to explode. Today, scientists are being cautious. They do not want to waste another couple of billion dollars in the search for new particles by pushing the machine too much. The concept is absolutely fascinating; physicists actually believe they may be able to create new particles and discover forces of nature. The machine has tremendous power, it can shoot particles around a track within 1% of the speed of light. This machine is truly on the cutting edge of technology, it is this type of invention that will lead us to the future. It may have many implications for future generations. That is, if the scientists are allowed to run it. Because of the past tragedies with the superconductor, and its costs, as tremendous in size as the machine is itself the scientists will constantly have to check on the magnets, and likely need to replace them in 20 years.
I find what these scientists are doing to be absolutely amazing. They are taking steps toward our future within the scientific community. It is incredible in such a time of dire hopes in the economic sense, we are able to see advancements in the scientific arena. I do, however, find some fault with the superconductor still being financed. I, by no means am in favor of a technology sitting dormant until it rusts over and the momentum is completely lost on the project, so I am torn regarding whether the financing for this project should have gone elsewhere considered more pressing. Many countries have fallen on hard economic times, in fact they came to light in the same year that the superconductor explosion occurred. That raises the question, should the government have rebuilt the superconductor, as they did? Or should the money have been funneled into rebuilding the economy? I am fully aware that had the government left the project for several years, the remains would have been tantamount to the military bunkers found around the United States, grown over with brush, rusty and neglected. However, one could make the argument that the funding should have been redistributed to promote and support economic growth.  You may point out that this machine employs a large number of people to keep it up and running, but they are for the majority a more educated crowd, that already have positions as professors at varying universities. I find it tremendously difficult to decide between economic or scientific future. The issue is widely discussed in situations similar to this around the world, so I propose you decide what you think should have happened, although with the knowledge that nothing can be done to change where the funding actually ended up.