The Virtue of Lightness

You've probably heard me quote Colin Chapman when he said, "Simplify, then add lightness".

We are greatly in need of this idea right now for fuel efficiency, but it's always fun to see the concept applied to performance as well. At only 1543 lbs the Aspid has over 400 HP.

Know of anything else that will get you to sixty miles per hour in 2.8 seconds?

Yum!


For best of blog... Sudden.net

Good Calories Bad Calories - Bad Science

If you thought I only blogged books I like, here's the exception. Good Calories Bad Calories is NOT a well written book. Its selectively researched, poorly organized, badly written and not much fun to read. So why bother? Some of the ideas are too important to ignore. Others too important to NOT be challenged.

If weight gain isn't America's number one health problem, it's headed there in a hurry. And it looks like there is no way to stop it. But we might slow it down if we get the right information.

So, ARE some calories better than others? Is this the magic answer? I doubt it. Gary Taubes raises some good questions, but answers few.

Section one starts with an interesting history, but is quickly followed by a mishmash of claims, studies and counter-claims - all without a clear focus. It's almost as if Taubes knew what he wanted to say, but got so carried away with Google sludge, he forgot to tell US what it was.

Other than building an unwieldy foundation of references, the most powerful ideas in this first section are his descriptions of how "science" is driven by preconception, fashion, funding and politics. This IS an important lesson, but in no way validates his premise. Or even its converse. He just explains how distorted things can get. And Why. Which is a very good point. Then he proceeds to become his own best example.

His description of the specialist, and how they have trouble thinking outside their cubical, is useful. This is common in the engineering world and certainly a factor in medicine, biology and
nutrition.

Taubes describes selection bias nicely; then shows us how to use it. He talks about how bad science can be driven by fashion then does the very same thing in writing this book. Here's an
example...

He presents lipophilia as if it's still a valid hypothesis using the "fat-skin" graft to support the idea. Either he's being disingenuous, or he actually doesn't realize we don't increase the
NUMBER of fat cells as we gain weight - each existing cell simple scales up proportionally. This has been well extablished from observing the effects of liposuction and through other methods as well. Patients take on strange shapes if they lose or gain significant weight after the surgery.

Another recent study has verified, "The number of fat cells in a human's body, whether lean or obese, is established during the teenage years. Changes in fat mass in adulthood can be attributed mainly to changes in fat cell volume, not an increase in the actual number of fat cells."

Other research on the topic shows the body keeps the same number of fat cells for any individual, but obese people have about twice the number of fat cells as fit examples. This would indicate there IS a reason some people gain weight more easily than others, but Taubes doesn't dig into this important data. It doesn't fit with his metabolic disease theory. Instead he goes all the way back to lipophilia to make his point. This does not serve the millions honestly trying to deal with obesity.

Speaking of bad science, way too often Taubes quotes various researcher's stated conclusions from the distant past, when those people had far less information than would be available today. Would they have the same opinion? Were they valid opinions even at the time? Who knows. It doesn't matter. Opinions are only useful to guide speculative science and help define a hypothesis.

Fortunately, the book does get a little better. Once he starts explaining how all of this background matters in his quest for a cure of the disease of civilization, the pieces begin to fit together. In section two he raises (and explains) some very good points in the science of metabolism. His presentations on cholesterol, sugar and all of his "western" diseases is more readable but still a challenge. Still, it's hard to find conviction - almost as if he's trying too hard and presenting TOO MUCH data. Plus, once you find a few holes, he's hard to trust.

To make it worse, this is not a fun read. It's work. Taubes often slams ideas together in no meaningful order, then fails to present any conclusion. But IF you can drag yourself through it, there ARE some important ideas presented.

Taubes challening the idea that weight gain or loss is proportional to calories consumed and exercise performed is useful to think about. But he goes for a total disconnect which is naive. There IS a relationship. It's just not linear.

He also challenges many other ideas without disproving any of them. In "Paradoxes" he mostly muddies the water by challenging the definition of "overeating" as unscientific, but doesn't offer a better definition.

He then goes on to mix up and present physical, psychological and biological factors as a paradox. It's just muddled thinking, nothing more. He picks the most aberrant studies to discredit entire concepts. He does a "thought experiment" where a fat and a thin man each normally eating 3000 calories a day cut their intake in half to 1500 calories. When their weight doesn't fall proportional to their size or calorie deficit, he uses it to challenge the law of conservation of energy as invalid for humans. Again, bad science.

This classic over-simplification of a model is used to confuse the issue. What if 3000 calories were far MORE than either needed to maintain their weight? What if 1500 wasn't much less? I think it's clear that people vary widely as to the effects of cutting back. But that DOESN'T mean we can ignore how much we eat as long as it isn't carbs.

Taubes too easily dismisses exercise as a significant factor in weight loss by selecting his presentation. There are SO many poorly done "studies", you can select for almost anything. Which is another valuable point he didn't intend to make. But he does. He argues that the increase in carb consumption closely tracks our increase in weight, so it must be the cause. But our weight increase as a society also correlates with calories consumed, lack of exercise, number of fast food locations, miles driven and about a hundred other obvious factors. Here's just one recent example...

The Link Between Local Food Environments and Obesity and Diabetes.

His main point is, carbs are toxic because of the way they are metabolized - metabolic syndrome. But I'm not convinced.

I do agree that it's unlikely that all calories are created equal. They clearly have a different metabolic path to human storage or use as energy. But that in itself doesn't make some calories good, and some bad. The final answer will probably be more complex and in shades of gray.

The fattening of America IS a major problem, but mis-information won't help us solve it. And this book taken seriously would just make things worse.

Don't bother buying it.


Is Sugar Really Toxic? Sifting through the Evidence


For best of blog and other useful links...

Sudden.net

2008 Redneck Awards

Like most of you, I get lots of this kind of joke email, some funnier than others. I almost never pass it on, but this group of photos struck a cord not only for it's consistent quality, but for its apparent authenticity, which amplifies it's humor. Look closely at each picture. They are each from different venues, different characters at different times.

If staged photos, these would simply be old jokes. But check each one - these are carefully collected photos of candid shots or sometimes meticulously created art. Sometimes not. I Googled, but couldn't find a source. If you know the collector, send me a link. I'd like to give him credit and a link for such impressive album.

Finally, I'd like to note, these pictures DO represent part of our culture. It's a very creative, irreverent, and yes, sometimes clueless slice of America.

But they ARE funny in their innocence and honesty.

Click the picture for close-up...

The new 2008 redneck award winners.

Redneck Harley







Redneck Bass Boat





Redneck Grill





Redneck Horseshoes





Redneck Lawn mower





Redneck Weather Station





Redneck Pet Carrier





Redneck Gingerbread House





Redneck Guest Bedrooms

Redneck Dreamcatcher














Redneck Palm Pilot





Redneck Powerball Winner





The above Powerball Winner on Vacation





You Might be a redneck if...

A little rain doesn't spoil the fishing...





You need fashion tips from your husband





You wear a shirt like this for your engagement picture...





And your wedding cake looked like this





Your doghouse looks like this...





Your pickup looks like this...





You have a deer's butt for a door bell...





You don't need a lake to do a little skiing...





Or if your wife is quoted in the local paper saying...

You're An EXTREME Redneck When...

1 You let your 14-year-old daughter smoke at the dinner table in front of her kids.

2 The Blue Book value of your truck goes up and down depending on how much gas is in it.

3 You've been married three times and still have the same in-laws.

4 You think a woman who is out of your league bowls on a different night.

5 You wonder how service stations keep their rest-rooms so clean.

6 Someone in your family died right after saying, 'Hey, guys, watch this.'

7 You think Dom Perignon is a Mafia leader.

8 Your wife's hairdo was once ruined by a ceiling fan.

9 Your junior prom offered day care.

10. You think the last words of the Star-Spangled Banner are 'Gentlemen, start your engines. '

11. You lit a match in the bathroom and your house exploded right off its wheels.

12. The Halloween pumpkin on your porch has more teeth than your spouse.

13. You have to go outside to get something from the fridge.

14. One of your kids was born on a pool table.

15. You need one more hole punched in your card to get a freebie at the House of Tattoos.

16. You can't get married to your sweetheart because there's a law against it.

17. You think loading the dishwasher means getting your wife drunk.

Two good ol' boys in a Tennessee trailer park were sitting around talking one afternoon over a cold beer after getting off work at the Local Nissan plant.
After a while the 1st guy says to the 2nd, "If'n I was to sneak over to your trailer Saturday & make love to your wife while you was off huntin' and she got pregnant and had a baby, would that make us kin?”

The 2nd guy crooked his head sideways for a minute, scratched his head, and squinted his eyes thinking real hard about the question. Finally, he says, "Well, I don't know about kin, but it would make us even!"

NOW Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY

Click for best of blog...

Superatoms - A Whole New Chemistry

If you thought chemistry was difficult the first time around, get ready for a whole new layer, in more ways than one. Like epigenetics, this new chemistry is above and beyond the standard stuff, all in strange new ways.

It really started with the Bucky Ball but has potential to change all the rules once again. Not only will gold will take on a whole new hue, we may see perfect biological sissors, new batteries, and transparent aluminum. Think about riding in THAT airplane!

Superatoms in Science News

Superatoms on Wiki




Best of Sudden Disruption

Crystal Island

OK. I'm a bit late getting this one posted, but it's worth a look if you like mega projects.

Crystal Island in Moscow will be the largest building ever constructed with 900 apartments and 3000 hotel rooms, school for 500 students, cinemas, a theater, sports complex much more.

And don't forget the 16,500 parking spaces.

Russia - what a country!

Crystal Island

Foster and Partners

Best of Blog

Permaburn Review - First Ashes 2008

As noted below, I've just spent the weekend at Permaburn. My first priority was to try out some art and enjoy a regional camp-out. My second priority was to evaluate the Permaburn site and concept.




Portable Zen


If you've seen my prior art, you'll recognize some elements in my latest creation. It's meant to be a simple back-pack portable interactive Zen meditation piece. It's called Portable Zen.

I put it together just in time for the weekend. Dave Orel thought it needed a head. I think he did a nice job. We had to re-do the batteries to distribute the weight but got it working Thursday night.

When folded up, it fits nicely INSIDE the car. Unpacking and setup went well. The light winds mostly cooperated. I'll definitely have it out on the playa this year.

The rest of the trip went well too. We arrived Friday morning and helped tape the road for those to follow. The drive up was fast on open desert highway. The directions in to the site were clear.

The dirt road in from 395 is reasonably good. You might have trouble with entry and exit angles of long RVs on a few of the drainage dips, but any standard two-wheel drive with at least 7 inches of clearance will not have a problem. Greg pulled in a 24' trailer. Tom brought in one a bit shorter. A loaded down Geo Metro even showed up. The steepest part of the road is on a north face, so early spring access might be a bit of a problem depending on snow. But no problems this weekend.




First Arrivals


The site has excellent curb appeal as you top the final ridge over-looking Permaburn. You'll find a gently-slopping valley about a half mile long and a couple of hundred yards wide. This is where the sound camp was located. Music was already in the wind. So was a big white kite. Here we met one of the DJs and a few other early arrivals. But the road went on, so did we.

Toping the next ridge presented the caldera with a pond in the center. This is where most of the campers set up using the trees for shade, as did we.




This camp was about three tenths of a mile and a hundred feet above the sound camp with a nice over-looking view. There are also several small volcanic peaks around both valleys ranging from a couple, to several hundred feet higher. All of these peaks were on the property except for the highest.




As soon as we met the host and set up camp, we climb the closest one and found a fantastic view of Shasta, Lassen and other unidentified peaks of the Cascades. We were also overlooking a panoramic presentation of the Madeline valley to the south.



A Square Mile of Permaburn


The ground itself is mostly sage and rock with a few Juniper and other trees here and there. Virtually all of the ground is build-able with gentle slopes up to small peaks.

Currently the property is open range will cows making a muck of the ponds and leaving droppings. Be careful where you step! I speak from personal experience. One other negative were a few mosquitoes and flies from the pond and cows droppings. Greg promises the cows will eventually be fenced out by a large berm defining the property boundary.




As for First Ashes, the turn-out Friday night was light but picked up quite a bit on Saturday. A few came and went, with a total of between 40 and 50 over the weekend, mostly from Reno, Tahoe and Susanville. Yes, this was a small turn-out for a rave, but fair sized for a camp-out and provided a nice mix. The vibe was mellow with lots of interesting people. There was an excellent pot of chilli at the sound camp on Friday night and various food offered from camp to camp.

Besides music most of the time, there were quads and dirt bikes, someone shooting targets and several people with dogs. There was also a massage camp, trampoline and large swing. Camp Lazy Fucks from Klamath Falls had a nice chill shade up.




Most campers went hiking at one point or another. The ground invites it. I climbed four peaks with the highest providing a 360 degree view of northeastern California with the agricultural andranching valleys to the north and south.



Reservoir


On Sunday An and I hiked down to the reservoir and back. It's at least a mile long. Others swam there but we came down through the trees at a muddy cow dominated part of the shore so didn't go in. We followed cow trails back to camp. In total, I hiked 27 miles in three days.


Conclusion

The idea of Permaburn is visionary, the site is excellent and the commitment impressive. Greg plans to split the square mile up into eight, 80 acre parcels then sell quarter-acre lots for $200 each with an annual fee of $500. This is about what you'd pay for a storage spot anywhere else. It's certainly a LOT less expensive than driving an art car all the way back to the bay area. And it doesn't count the freedom to development and experiment in any way you like.

This annual fee will initially be used to improve the road as well as bring in water and other improvements. I imagine some form of on-site security will also be needed.



Greg and Friend Building Fire Ring

Permaburn Link

Greg hopes these lots will self organized into "theme" camps, creating central kitchens, bathrooms and hot tubs. These common facilities will anchor permanent "camps" of all types to explore different architectures, energy and art.

He sees Permaburn as a big "toy" to be created and explored by hundreds or eventually thousands of people over a period of years. He says he's in it for the long haul and not looking to make a profit, only recover costs.

It's an ambitious plan, but not unreasonable. The site is only five miles from highway 395 and 65 miles from Susanville. Permaburn is an inexpensive place to try out new building ideas and experiment with different materials as well as stage Burning Man projects which are too big for your driveway. It's also a nice place to get away for the weekend.

No, I haven't bought in yet, but it's on my list as soon as I come up with a purpose and a plan. And I will. The concept and ground invites the imagination to run wild.

And so will the Burners who come here.

Thanks to Greg for this excellent opportunity.

And a fun weekend.

For best of blog, link to...

Sudden.net

First Ashes at Permaburn - June 13th and 14th

In late March I got an email from a guy who called himself BadAss, a leader of 16,000 Jedi. He's also the west coast representaitive for Permaburn.

And he wants to throw a party in the desert.

If you're not aware, his friend Greg Glover bought a square mile of northern California in a caldera of a dormant volcano. It's mostly surronded by BLM land.




Greg's intent is to have Permaburn as a location to store and develop art for Burning Man, as well as create a year-round community for those interested in similar ideals...

Permaburn Link

For lots of people, Burning Man is about freedom - freedom to turn the music up too loud, freedom to get naked, freedom to express ourselves in any way we want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.

Ever since my first Burn, I've heard it's just not like it used to be. People talk about the good old days when there were fewer restrictions. You could bring your dogs, drive your quad or shoot your guns, as well as the more "normal" forms of artistic expression still found on the playa.

BadAss is giving us the chance to return to the good old days. This is a perfect venue to pre-compress and test your art. Think of it as a proto-camp for the playa. Greg and BadAss will provide 640 acres of sage canvas. We apply the paint.



Of course Federal, State and local laws for a private event will still apply, but since this will NOT be an official Burning Man event, BadAss has promised - No other rules!

You will be free to attend, as in NO CHARGE!

You will be free to make noise!

You will be free to burn things! (burn permits applications are being made)

You will be free to enjoy the sun on your skin!

You will be free to dance!

You will be free to bring dogs and pets!

You will be free to create new forms of social interaction!

You will be free to bring motorcycles and quads!

And free to DRIVE them when you get there!

You will be free to quote poetry at the top of your lungs!

You will be free to make things go boom!

You will be free to light things up!

And free to seek the darkness!

You will be free to a howl at the waxing three quarters moon!

You will be free to find solitude in the sage!

You will be free to express yourself in any way you wish!

So come and help us initiate this square mile of freedom!


As for the site, the heavy equipment was out there two weeks ago, and I'm told even the last two miles of road can be traveled using two-wheel drive with reasonable clearance. There will be a radio at the cattle guard for those in need of assistance just in case.



Here is we they have organized so far...

The sky is there.

The land is there.

The road is in.

The weather looks great!

BadAss promises porta-potties (donation accepted, AND donations accepted). Update - 4 Porta potties will be there Friday through Sunday (formula called for 3, so we should be good. Bring all your shit!

There will be a shower and a 250 gal water tank up there but not set up yet.

We have a trampoline - not set up yet.



The swing is already set up.

Cresta is bringing a Burning Barrel.

Rod will have a fabric meditation art piece under test.

Tom is bringing his quads.

Rick & Sue will bring dogs.

Clothes are optional.

Anything legal on private property is allowed.

The music art car "Dragon Wagon" via Fixxxation Station will be on hand.

Fixxxationstation

DJ Helios, Psy Lotus, Gato Mato and Speci are out - maybe or late shows. Kauze 'N F'X (GyPsy and Sedousa) are in. There WILL be music!



DJ Helios

DJ Helios MySpace


RSVP

So what might YOU add to this stone soup? To help us prepare, please email your RSVP with ideas and approximate head count to...

sudden.net at gmail.com

I will update this blog post with your feedback as the event approaches. Or just leave comments here.





BadAss

If you wish to coordinate performance art of any kind, or just have questions, contact BadAss at...

Phone : 408-316-2578

BadAss's site

BassAss quote - "Once Permaburn Starts, it never ends".



(click to expand)

How to get there...

Take 395 60 miles north of Susanville to Madeline, California
(395 junction starts just east of Susanville).

Go 6 miles north of Madeline on 395 to the 134.92 mile marker at 41 7'43" 120 30'0".

Watch for the orange tape from this point on. If you go to Google map you won't find any names on any of these roads, but the mile marker is past Sage Hen and before S. Fork Mountain Road. On the ground, the key is the mile marker and orange tape at each junction.

You have five miles to go.

Take a left onto the shortcut to a gravel road.

Take another left to go south on this gravel road.

Go 0.1 miles till you reach the green gate. Open the gate if you have to.

Go 0.4 miles until you see a second green Gate on the right.

Open the green gate and take a right.

Take the yellow cattle guard about 30 feet beyond the gate for 2.4 miles.

You will see another yellow cattle guard.

To the right, will be a sign for the reservoir.

You are at 41 6'45" 120 32' 6".




Go just BEYOND the cattle guard, and then take an immediate LEFT turn on the dirt road on the other side of the fence. Turn left just AFTER the cattle guard, not before!

There will be a radio at this cattle guard to call for assistance if needed on these
last couple of miles. Again, watch for the orange tape.

Go 2.2 miles south on the dirt road.

At some points the road tilts pretty bad, and there are a few rocks protruding.


You will reach a small hill and then come down into the site.

There are two ponds that identify the spot at 41 05' 00" 120 32' 36".

Welcome to Permaburn!







What : First Ashes for Permaburn

Where : Madeline, California - 60 miles north of Susanville

When : June 13th and 14th



See you in the sage!

My other Burning Man Links

Governor's Cup and Other Business Awards

Perseverance



A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to help judge the Governor's Cup Business Plan competition. I spent a couple of days last week getting it done. It was an interesting exercise, with widely divergent results. Some plans are better than others.

In my daily work I see plans being carried out, and more significantly, LOTS of action without benefit of much planning at all. Often business happens organically. The plan follows.

A good example is the guy who writes some code, needing it for a business process. Someone else sees it and wants a copy. And another. And another, leading to it becoming a successful software suite.

Or someone who lashes up a unique computer solution for a customer, which then goes on to become not only a new hardware product, but a whole new profitable company. It happens. So, do the best companies come from plans? Or are they simply people responding to need?

It's a bit of both. I've written about starting Sage Computer, which had little planning. It's genesis was about the product and the people.

Plan or not, here are my six "P"s on what makes a good business...

Passion
Product
People
Plan
Principle
Production

Passion - This can be stated in lots of ways - conviction, drive or perseverance. But it seems to be critical for action to occur. There are literally thousands of good ideas. And every good idea has a thousand people thinking it, all at about the same time. To paraphrase Heinlein, "When it's time to railroad, there will be railroads". The real question is, who drives the first spike? The person with the passion. That's who.

Product - This is almost as important as a bias to action. The product (or service) has to be more than a "little" better. It has to be TWO to TEN times better! That's not always easy. Benchmark your prototype. Is it REALLY worth doing?

People - None of the above happens without the right people. That obviously starts with a leader - and his vision. The rest are almost as critical. Do what you need to get the right team.

Plan - Even if a good idea sneaks up on you, an actual plan at some point WILL help. It can be the key to getting your point across. Even a great vision needs a map.

Principle - The plan will tell you how much capital you'll need. But have a care. I believe more businesses fail from TOO MUCH capital, than not enough. Stay lean. It keeps everyone on the right side of the power curve and motivated.

Production - Don't wait. Get to production as quickly as possible, even as just a test. You'll learn in the process. Take a page from military doctrine - TAKE THE HILL! If you took the wrong one, but took it fast, you'll have time to take the right one. Just like that first spike - do it NOW!

Speaking of great business plans and awards, this is a good time to congratulate a couple of my friends for honorable mention at Reno Gazette-Journal's 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year awards...

Darren McBride - Highly Reliable Systems

Bruce Robertson - Great Basin Internet Services

Nice work guys!

Women in Film

In case you were wondering...

Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Gloria Swanson, Marlene Dietrich, Norma Shearer, Ruth Chatterton, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn, Carole Lombard, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, Vivien Leigh, Greer Garson, Hedy Lamarr, Rita Hayworth, Gene Tierney, Olivia de Havilland, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Loretta Young, Deborah Kerr, Judy Garland, Anne Baxter, Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Lana Turner, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Dandridge, Shirley MacLaine, Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, Janet Leigh, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Ann Margret, Julie Andrews, Raquel Welch, Tuesday Weld, Jane Fonda, Julie Christie, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve, Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sigourney Weaver, Kathleen Turner, Holly Hunter, Jodie Foster, Angela Bassett, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Salma Hayek, Sandra Bullock, Julianne Moore, Diane Lane, Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon, Halle Berry

Survival of the Sickest

02-17-12 Important update on host manipulation - How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy






If you've ever HAD to read a science book, you might not believe someone could write one more compelling than a Clive Cussler novel, but it's happened. This is a short, fast read about some VERY important topics involving, biology, medicine and human evolution. Believe it or not, it's a real page-turner.

Over-all, Dr. Sharon Moalem nicely presents what I think is a new concept in biology - that life rides an edge between ALMOST, but NOT QUITE enough. He posits that this edge is expressed in the form of disease, plus and minus by degrees. As environmental conditions change this edge moves back and forth adapting to these new conditions.

He starts out talking about iron, and when too much can be worse than not enough. And vice versa. And that's the point.

When he applies the same concept to sugar and ambiant temperature, all of a sudden diabetes makes a lot more sense.

And when he gets into how worms can control a rat's behavior to hitch a ride in a cat's gut, the concept of host manipulation becomes so vivid that the idea of those very same worms turning women into sluts becomes quite plausable.

OK, some of this is speculative, but the science is all referenced so you can dig as deep as you need. You get to reach your own conclusions.

His presentation on epigenetics convinced me that genetics is just the first layer in an amazingly complex and dynamic interaction between genes and the environment - maybe your grandfather's. So much for nature versus nurture. It's now nature AND nuture. This is facinating stuff.

And finally his presentation on the Aquatic Ape was my first exposure to this fairly novel idea. It makes far more sense than what we've been taught since grade school about primate evolution.

Dr. Moalem not only has brough together some diverse ideas into a presentation more meaningful than any single study could accomplish, he does it in a way that makes you want to ask even MORE questions.

Even though he sets up the premise, he doesn't quite take things to the level of extropy. I'll do that for him in another blog post - stay tuned. In any case, his are very fun thoughts.

And it's REAL science.

I sincerely hope there's a sequal.