The World First Genetically Modified Babies

Given that the technology has been existing then having the first genetically modified humans seems of no surprise to me.

From Daily Mail.com

The world's first genetically modified humans have been created, it was revealed last night.

The disclosure that 30 healthy babies were born after a series of experiments in the United States provoked another furious debate about ethics.

So far, two of the babies have been tested and have been found to contain genes from three 'parents'.

Fifteen of the children were born in the past three years as a result of one experimental programme at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St Barnabas in New Jersey.

The babies were born to women who had problems conceiving. Extra genes from a female donor were inserted into their eggs before they were fertilised in an attempt to enable them to conceive.

Genetic fingerprint tests on two one-year- old children confirm that they have inherited DNA from three adults --two women and one man.

The fact that the children have inherited the extra genes and incorporated them into their 'germline' means that they will, in turn, be able to pass them on to their own offspring.

Altering the human germline - in effect tinkering with the very make-up of our species - is a technique shunned by the vast majority of the world's scientists.

Geneticists fear that one day this method could be used to create new races of humans with extra, desired characteristics such as strength or high intelligence.

One way or another people’s curiosity will lead to more experimentation, which is why we should expect human cloning to be next, in spite political opposition.

This reminds me of two “cloning is bad'” movies: Scarlett Johansson’s The Island and Arnold Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s the 6th Day

Expect the rapid changes in technology to challenge people’s ingrained beliefs and lifestyles.

Has the Higgs Boson been Discovered?

This information age will usher in more science and technological breakthroughs.

Lately media scooped at the supposed “discovery” of the Higgs Boson or the ‘God Particle’.

I believe that such breakthroughs may just be a teaser.

From Bloomberg,

Scientists seeking to explain the origins of matter discovered a particle that may support a decades-old theory of physics, bringing people closer to understanding unseen parts of the universe.

The observed particle is the heaviest boson ever found, said Joe Incandela, spokesman for one of the experiments at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, at a seminar yesterday at its Geneva headquarters. Scientists stopped short of claiming they have found the elusive Higgs boson, a theoretical particle that could explain where mass comes from.

“As a layman, I think I would say ‘we have it,’” said Rolf-Dieter Heuer, director of CERN, at a press conference in Geneva. It will take at least three to four years of research to fully understand the properties of the observed particle, Heuer said.

The announcement brings humankind closer to answering a millennia-old question that the ancient Greeks wrestled with: what is matter made of? The particle is a key to the Standard Model, a theory explaining how the universe is built, and its existence would help scientists gain a better understanding of how galaxies hold together. It also could open a door to exploring other parts of physics such as superparticles or dark matter that telescopes can’t detect.

‘Sings and Dances’

The new boson “sings and dances like” the theoretical particle, said Pauline Gagnon, a researcher on the Atlas set of experiments in Geneva, in an interview in Melbourne, where she was attending the bi-annual International Conference on High Energy Physics. “There is no doubt it comes from a different signal, different channels, with different experiments. We just need in the next few months with more data to ascertain exactly what are the properties of this particle to see if it is exactly the Standard Model Higgs boson or some variation of it."”

Particle physics is the study of the elemental building blocks that make up matter. These particles, with names such as quark, fermion, lepton and boson, can’t be subdivided. They exist and interact within several unseen ‘‘fields’’ that permeate the universe.

The field that generates mass for objects is named for U.K. physicist Peter Higgs, who in the 1960s was one of the first scientists to outline a working theory on how elemental particles achieve mass. Higgs was one of four of the theorists attending yesterday’s meeting in Geneva. He wiped a tear from his eye as the findings were presented.

Champagne for Higgs

‘‘For me, it’s really an incredible thing that it’s happened in my lifetime,” Higgs said in Geneva. In a statement, he said he would be “asking my family to put some champagne in the fridge.”

Higgs wrote that some particles -- such as photons, the basic unit of light -- don’t interact with the Higgs field, and thus don’t achieve mass. Most others do.

To put it another way, if the Higgs field were a Hollywood party, a photon would be the unknown actor who hurries through without gaining a bit of interest from others in the room. Other particles would be more like Angelina Jolie, drawing crowds of hangers-on as they move through the party.

It gets increasingly harder to stop such a cluster from moving forward and more difficult to get it moving again once it’s stopped, meeting one definition of mass.

Scientists are trying to prove the existence of the Higgs field by displaying a physical effect for the Higgs boson, a particle that lives for less than a trillionth of a second and is an excitation, or force, within the Higgs field.

Digging Deeper

Providing indirect evidence that the Higgs field exists will allow scientists to dig even deeper into the secrets of our existence, said Mark Wise, a professor of physics at California Institute of Technology.

“In some sense, this is the beginning,” Wise said of finding the boson. “Because we want to know all its properties.”

The data presented yesterday are the latest from the $10.5 billion Large Hadron Collider, a 27-kilometer (17-mile) circumference particle accelerator buried on the border of France andSwitzerland. CERN has 10,000 scientists working on the project, in which billions of subatomic particles are hurled at each other at velocities approaching the speed of light.

The collider will provide more data later this year, giving scientists a more complete picture of the observed new particle. Researchers will try to determine whether it is a Higgs boson, the particle predicted by the Standard Model.

A few years back alarmists warned us that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) would bring about Armageddon. Yet like most of social alarmist (Malthusians, environmentalists and etc..) they have proven to be wrong.

Instead, the LHC brought us a step closer towards understanding more of nature.

While I have infinitesimal idea about particle physics, I am astounded by the accelerating rate of developments the field of sciences.

Below is a nice video explaining the Higgs Boson

Black Holes Show How Limited Man’s Actions Are

From Yahoo.com

Scientists have witnessed the rare spectacle of a supermassive black hole devouring a star that had ventured too close -- an event that occurs about once in 10,000 years, they reported on Wednesday.

Matter-sucking black holes normally lurk dormant and undetected at the centre of galaxies, but can occasionally be tracked by the scraps left over from their stellar fests.

"Black holes, like sharks, suffer from a popular misconception that they are perpetual killing machines," said researcher Ryan Chornock from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts.

"Actually, they're quiet for most of their lives. Occasionally a star wanders too close, and that's when a feeding frenzy begins."

If a star passes too close, the black hole's gravitational pull can rip it apart before sucking in its gases, which are heated by the friction and start to glow -- giving away the silent killer's hiding place.

A computer simulated photo from Nasa (Yahoo/AFP)

Scientists can only watch in awe.

While it is true that contemporary scientists have been experimenting with man made black hole machine via the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to study several theories which I earlier pointed out, such as the Higgs boson “elementary particles cause matter to have mass”, validity of the Grand Unification Theory (are electromagnetism, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force a single manifestation?), existence of the superstring theory (quantum gravity) and dark matter and dark energy, yet they cannot explain much of why black holes exists, the role it plays, or how a catastrophic disaster (Armageddon) can be avoided.

Yet the solar system where planet earth belongs to faces the same black swan risk from black holes as any planetary or star systems.

As I wrote in 2010 (emphasis original)

Yes, you may forget the farcical anthropogenic climate change, because the forces of nature would be exponentially be way far far far far more powerful and potent than the outcome from any of our collective destructive actions.

Besides, as remarked by the scientists interviewed in the TV documentary program, like any part of nature, our world operates on its own cycle. This means that the “ice age” could be just around the corner in some thousands of years to come, while the sun will expire on its own, by running out of fuel to burn, in about 5 billion years, and that today’s “aging” earth, even without the sun’s demise, will likely meet its end on its own.

And the sad part is that there is nothing mortal man can do to stop it. Every species or anything else that is part of nature will cyclically become extinct.

What’s my point in showing this?

Comedian George Carlin in this video has rightly been saying that too much self importance has been given in what man can do over the environment, such that we make a political spectacle/fuzz out of it.

In reality, humans represent only an iota in the overall spectrum of the universe.

Also our knowledge has been severely constrained to comprehend nature in its entirety, in as much as even understanding human action, the digital age notwithstanding.

In short, parlaying limited and presumptive of knowledge of the environment into public policies are fraught with the risks of unintended consequences. The existence of black holes only underscores this.

Environmental Black Swan: ‘Doomsday’ Asteroid Could Slam Into Earth on 2036!

Since many people like to scare themselves with fictitious tales of environmental doom, this should represent as the ultimate environmental horror story or a black swan (low probability, high impact) event: earth could be hit by a ‘doomsday’ asteroid!

Scientists have even pegged a date for Armageddon: April 13, 2036!

From the Daily Mail, (emphasis added)

Warning comes days after another asteroid shot over the Pacific just 3,400 miles above the Earth’s surface

An asteroid travelling at 23,000mph could crash into Earth on April 13, 2036 killing millions and causing global chaos, scientists claim.

In a plotline taken straight from a science-fiction film, astronomers in Russia are predicting that the 300-yard-wide Apophis could slam into the planet in 25 years' time.

But don't panic just yet, as it is extremely unlikely to happen.

So unlikely, in fact, that Nasa has given the catastrophic event odds of 250,000-to-1 that it actually takes place.

Read the rest here.

Goodbye anthropogenic global warming!

Jupiter: Giant Of The Solar System

Last year I noted that despite man's great leap in technological advancement, we are still NO match to the awesome powers of nature-the ultimate black swan.

This documentary video of the planet Jupiter presents a good example. (HT: Bob Murphy)

Jupiter has greatly contributed to life on earth by playing the role of an enormous vacuum cleaner through its massive gravity field (which serves as a defensive shield) that has, so far, kept us free from the risks of catastrophic impact from comets, asteroids and other space objects.

From this point of view, the idea that man is primarily responsible for nature's changes is a speck, irrelevant and represents fatal conceit or intellectual arrogance.

Global Science and R&D: Asia Chips Away At US Edge

Even in the field of science and engineering, Asia appears to be rapidly chipping away at the edge of the Americans.

The press release from the US government's National Science Board (NSB) underscores such concerns, (bold highlights mine, interspersed charts from NSB)

``The state of the science and engineering (S&E) enterprise in America is strong, yet its lead is slipping, according to data released at the White House today by the National Science Board (NSB). Prepared biennially and delivered to the President and Congress on even numbered years by Jan. 15 as statutorily mandated, Science and Engineering Indicators (SEI) provides information on the scope, quality and vitality of America's science and engineering enterprise. SEI 2010 sheds light on America's position in the global economy.

``"The data begin to tell a worrisome story," said Kei Koizumi, assistant director for federal research and development (R&D)in the President's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Calling SEI 2010 a "State of the Union on science, technology, engineering and mathematics," he noted that quot;U.S. dominance has eroded significantly."

``Koizumi and OSTP hosted the public rollout at which NSB Chairman Steven Beering, National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Arden L. Bement, Jr., and NSB members presented SEI 2010 data and described a mixed picture. NSB's SEI Committee Chairman Lou Lanzerotti noted the good news for those in the S&E community about public attitudes, "Scientists are about the same as firefighters in terms of prestige," he said. His presentation focussed attention on NSB's Digest, also released today, higlighting important trends and data points from across SEI 2010.

``Over the past decade, R&D intensity--how much of a country's economic activity or gross domestic product is expended on R&D--has grown considerably in Asia, while remaining steady in the U.S. Annual growth of R&D expenditures in the U.S. averaged 5 to 6 percent while in Asia, it has skyrocketed. In some Asian countries, R&D growth rate is two, three, even four, times that of the U.S.

``In terms of R&D expenditures as a share of economic output, while Japan has surpassed the U.S. for quite some time, South Korea is now in the lead--ahead of the U.S. and Japan. And why does this matter? Investment in R&D is a major driver of innovation, which builds on new knowledge and technologies, contributes to national competitiveness and furthers social welfare. R&D expenditures indicate the priority given to advancing science and technology (S&T) relative to other national goals.

[It is competition that serves as a major pillar of innovation. R&D is only utilized only in response to needs of the market.-Benson]


```NSB SEI 2010 Committee Member Jose-Marie Griffiths discussed another key indicator: intellectual research outputs. "While the U.S. continues to lead the world in research publications, China has become the second most prolific contributor." China's rapidly developing science base now produces 8 percent of the world's research publications, up from its just 2 percent of the world's share in 1995, when it ranked 14th.'"

The above signifies as empirical evidence, which supports our earlier post, exhibiting how Asian high tech companies have rose to the occasion, using the recent recession, to mount a serious challenge on the leadership of Western companies. [see Asian Companies Go For Value Added Risk Ventures]

The other areas of concern as cited by the NSB.

-Cross Border R&D or the globalization of the Research and Development function [yes, R&D isn't a national standalone thing as misperceived by protectionists, it's being collaborated by different institutions worldwide.]

According to the NSB, ``Overseas R&D expenditures by foreign affiliates of U.S. multinational companies (MNCs) rose from $12.6 billion in 1995 to $28.5 billion in 2006. Europe’s share of these overseas expenditures fell from 73% to 65%, and Asia’s share increased from 15% to 20%. Foreign MNCs spent $34 billion in the United States in 2006, up from $15 billion in 1995. European-owned companies’ share of these expenditures was little changed at 75%."

-Patents

Graphic on Cell Size and Scale

Here is a dandy graphic on the size and scale of a cell from University of Utah-Genetic Science Learning Center. (HT: Paul Kedrosky)

Press on the image to redirect link.

Amazing Pictures: Undersea Volcano Eruptions

Magnificent photographs, which captures the explosion of undersea volcano off the coast of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean, from "The Big Picture" at the Boston.com.

A sample of below...

Check out the rest here.

The Future According To The Futurists

Since we are in the practice of spotting trends but not limited to financial markets, an interesting article from practicing Futurists (the the study or forecasting of trends or developments in science, technology, political or social structure, etc.-dictionary.com or futurologists) outlines 10 predictions for 2009 and beyond.

The 10 forecasts has been excerpted from the World Future Society (Hat Tip Ray Kurzweil) All highlights mine.

1. Everything you say and do will be recorded by 2030. By the late 2010s, ubiquitous, unseen nanodevices will provide seamless communication and surveillance among all people everywhere. Humans will have nanoimplants, facilitating interaction in an omnipresent network. Everyone will have a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. Since nano storage capacity is almost limitless, all conversation and activity will be recorded and recoverable. -Gene Stephens, "Cybercrime in the Year 2025," July-Aug 2008, p. 34

2. Bioviolence will become a greater threat as the technology becomes more accessible. Emerging scientific disciplines (notably genomics, nanotechnology, and other microsciences) could pave the way for a bioattack. Bacteria and viruses could be altered to increase their lethality or to evade antibiotic treatment. Another long-term risk comes from nanopollution fallout from warfare. Nanoparticles could potentially cause new diseases with unusual and difficult-to-treat symptoms, and they will inflict damage far beyond the traditional battlefield, even affecting future generations. -Barry Kellman, "Bioviolence: A Growing Threat," May-June 2008, p. 25 et seq.; Antonietta M. Gatti and Stefano Montanari, "Nanopollution: The Invisible Fog of Future Wars," May-June 2008, p. 32

3. The car’s days as king of the road may soon be over. More powerful wireless communication that reduces demand for travel, flying delivery drones to replace trucks, and policies to restrict the number of vehicles owned in each household are among the developments that could thwart the automobile’s historic dominance on the environment and culture. If current trends were to continue, the world would have to make way for a total of 3 billion vehicles on the road by 2025. -Thomas J. Frey, "Disrupting the Automobile’s Future," Sep-Oct 2008, p. 39 et seq.

4. Careers, and the college majors for preparing for them, are becoming more specialized. An increase in unusual college majors may foretell the growth of unique new career specialties. Instead of simply majoring in business, more students are beginning to explore niche majors such as sustainable business, strategic intelligence, and entrepreneurship. Other unusual majors that are capturing students’ imaginations: neuroscience and nanotechnology, computer and digital forensics, and comic book art. Scoff not: The market for comic books and graphic novels in the United States has grown 12% since 2006. -World Trends & Forecasts, Sep-Oct 2008, p. 8

5. There may not be world law in the foreseeable future, but the world’s legal systems will be networked. The Global Legal Information Network (GLIN), a database of local and national laws for more than 50 participating countries, will grow to include more than 100 counties by 2010. The database will lay the groundwork for a more universal understanding of the diversity of laws between nations and will create new opportunities for peace and international partnership. -Joseph N. Pelton, "Toward a Global Rule of Law: A Practical Step Toward World Peace," Nov-Dec 2007, p. 25

6. Professional knowledge will become obsolete almost as quickly as it’s acquired. An individual’s professional knowledge is becoming outdated at a much faster rate than ever before. Most professions will require continuous instruction and retraining. Rapid changes in the job market and work-related technologies will necessitate job education for almost every worker. At any given moment, a substantial portion of the labor force will be in job retraining programs. -Marvin J. Cetron and Owen Davies, "Trends Shaping Tomorrow’s World, Part Two," May-June 2008, p 41

7. The race for biomedical and genetic enhancement will-in the twenty-first century-be what the space race was in the previous century. Humanity is ready to pursue biomedical and genetic enhancement, says UCLA professor Gregory Stock, the money is already being invested, but, he says, "We’ll also fret about these things-because we’re human, and it’s what we do." -Gregory Stock quoted in "Thinking Globally, Acting Locally, Living Personally," Nov-Dec 2007, p. 57

8. Urbanization will hit 60% by 2030. As more of the world’s population lives in cities, rapid development to accommodate them will make existing environmental and socioeconomic problems worse. Epidemics will be more common due to crowded dwelling units and poor sanitation. Global warming may accelerate due to higher carbon dioxide output and loss of carbon-absorbing plants. -Marvin J. Cetron and Owen Davies, "Trends Shaping Tomorrow’s World, Part One," Mar-Apr 2008, p. 52

9. The Middle East will become more secular while religious influence in China will grow. Popular support for religious government is declining in places like Iraq, according to a University of Michigan study. The researchers report that in 2004 only one-fourth of respondents polled believed that Iraq would be a better place if religion and politics were separated. By 2007, that proportion was one-third. Separate reports indicate that religion in China will likely increase as an indirect result of economic activity and globalization. -World Trends & Forecasts, Nov-Dec 2007, p. 10

10. Access to electricity will reach 83% of the world by 2030. Electrification has expanded around the world, from 40% connected in 1970 to 73% in 2000, and may reach 83% of the world’s people by 2030. Electricity is fundamental to raising living standards and access to the world’s products and services. Impoverished areas such as sub-Saharan Africa still have low rates of electrification; for instance, Uganda is just 3.7% electrified. -Andy Hines, "Global Trends in Culture, Infrastructure, and Values," Sep-Oct 2008, p. 20

My comment:

Some of the scenarios mentioned above seems like stuff from the movies, e.g. Sandra Bullock’s "The Net" (Sorry I forgot the titles, if you recall pls suggest).

Although the massive progression, integration and convergence of technology could have both good and bad side effects.

The bad side includes the risks of losing civil liberties, more government intrusion (think national ID), potential conflicts arising from demographic shifts especially in terms of religion and advances in weaponry system which can be exceptionally sophisticated and or even more lethal.

The good side includes longer lifespan due to massive improvement in science, a more advanced and sophisticated lifestyle, alternative means of transports, diversified energy sources and more progressive economies (due to greater division of labor).

Finally, for any of the above scenario to take shape, profitability and investments will be an important underlying concern. This means prospective investment themes.

OFW Domestic Helpers Beware: The Home Robots Are Coming

If Filipinos worried about a slowdown of remittances from a potential worldwide economic recession seems valid enough, household chores based OFWs should worry about this.

Toyota has developed home robots that can do household work, and is about to hit the market in seven years time.

courtesy of Japan Times

This from the Japanese Times,

``Toyota Motor Corp. and a research body of the University of Tokyo have jointly developed a prototype for what many busy career people have been dreaming of for a long time: A hardworking robot that handles household chores.

``In a demonstration for reporters last week, the robot cleaned up rooms, smoothly put away dishes from a dining table and picked up shirts and put them in a washing machine.

``The 155-cm, 130-kg humanoid robot excels in the capacity to distinguish and perceive objects such as furniture and cleaning equipment, its developers said.

``The robot also analyzes past failures and corrects its behavior patterns, they said.

``Toyota and Tokyo University's Information and Robot Technology Research Initiative said the robot has been designed to help cope with the predicted labor shortage stemming from Japan's aging society and low birthrate.

``The developers said they will keep improving the robot and hope to start marketing it in around seven years.

``The robot is equipped with two arms, five recognition cameras and laser sensors. It gets around on wheels."

Some observations:

One, the present technology of robots are limited yet. They can’t drop or fetch school children, nor can they clothe, bath or apply first aid to them. Nor can they cook for the family or do marketing chores. But constant innovation will probably add more of these features in the future.

Two, if the cost of buying and maintaining a robot would prove to be more affordable or beneficial than one dispensed by the present household maids then our OFWs are likely in jeopardy of losing work. Yes, seven years is still seven years but preparation should prepare us from any shocks.

Three, Japan still has an inherently closed culture such that it would prefer to invent robots to do household work than to allow other nationalities to assume such a role.

With a rapidly declining population its a curiosity that they're afraid or averse to "intermarriages" or opening their society to other nationalities.

Why Doomsday Forecasting And Bad News Sells: Learning From the Black Hole Machine Experience

``You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." -- Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) former First Lady of the US

Bad news does sell! It had been a fortuitous event to have seen it happen first hand. And it was not just bad news, but a sci-fi version horror story as well.

It was not to my expectation that such an article would command tremendous response when I posted at my blog in the late afternoon of September 9<sup>th</sup>, about the next day launching of the world’s largest ever scientific experiment called the Large Hardon Collider (LHC).

“Doomsday” was the battlecry of some the critics, see Will Tomorrow Be Doomsday? “Black Hole” Machine Switches On., who vehemently argued that any glitch encountered from such experiment could lead to an insurmountable growth of man made “black hole” that would eventually “consume” the world; our real time Armageddon.

And I thought of sarcastically relating such theme to the financial world: Financial pundits promoting for a global meltdown/depression could have perhaps wrongly premised their theme-instead of selling for financial or economic reasons, selling should have been recommended as the best approach to monetize on everything we own to enjoy the last moments of our lives (that is if there would be any buyers at all).

Figure 1: sitemeter.com: BAD News/Horror Story Causes Readership Spike!

When I checked on my blog counter (sitemeter.com) on September 10<sup>th</sup>, I was stunned by the number of hits (which had spiked by fourfold) registered mostly from the said article as shown in Figure 1.

It was enough proof that many people can be easily swayed by horror stories!

Why People Love Horror Stories or Bad News

Some scientific research shows that the attachment/addiction to horror movies are partially due biological reasons such as “anxiety disorders” which carries either a genetic component or influenced by the environment where the trauma from horror movies results to the “release of opiate enorphins” or the revving up “the body's sympathetic nervous system” (Swedish.org).

Others say that scary movies could represent our legacy of “tribal rite of passage.” Dr. Glenn Sparks of Perdue University quoted by medicine.net ``There's a motivation males have in our culture to master threatening situations," Sparks says. "It goes back to the initiation rites of our tribal ancestors, where the entrance to manhood was associated with hardship. We've lost that in modern society, and we may have found ways to replace it in our entertainment preferences". In other words, enduring hardships (from horror movies) implicitly signifies as kind of psychological “ego” booster.

For others, it’s all about our alternative emotional safety valve outlet or other means to ease our aggressive impulses. From MSN’s celebrated financial pundit Jim Jubak,

``Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Bruno Bettelheim all theorized that we read fairy tales about evil stepmothers, parental abandonment in dark woods and child-eating witches to help us express and then cope with our darkest fears.

``The psychological value of these tales, in this theory, lies in the formulaic, repeated return to archetypical fears in what the reader knows -- even a reader as young as my 6-year-old daughter -- is a fiction. It also helps that, unlike real-life horrors, these tales usually have happy endings.”

Or similarly, why does bad news sells?

It can be little bit of Schandefreude (finding delight on other’s misery) or the release or ease of one’s stress by knowing of the suffering of others or social sympathy (misery loves company?) or occasionally “bad news is better than no news” (sciencedirect.com).

Overall, bad news or horror stories easily connect to the base human emotions of fear or anxiety or insecurity. These psychological aspects represents as an easy way to sell information (or even TV programs -e.g. reality TV as Fear factor!).

What lessons can be learned?

Incidentally, my blog (inspired from kiddy blogs then) had been originally setup for archiving purposes (where I can retrieve or search back issues faster) and secondarily, for public consumption. Although I’ve got a relatively small readership base, I hardly thought of it as a business model until the ad sponsorships came (yes, now I am also open to write for company blogs who are in need of outsource writers). Furthermore, I am delighted to see a small but increasing trend of readerships.

Nonetheless, since we knew that bad news sells all along, and if I were to simply aim for more readership in order to expand on my business model, then I would have concentrated on drilling on the bad news theme. But again, since my primary goal is to be profitable in financial market space, I would commit to assiduously to work on to be as objective as possible.

Famed self improvement author Dale Carnegie once said, ``When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion." (highlight mine)

Emotions such as fear, insecurity and anxiety can be used as Core Buying Emotions (CBE) or from a marketing perspective, a purchase trigger mechanism that could move people into action.

For some, doomsday forecasting can be an attractive CBE platform to promote one’s business. Whether or not such theme could be real world applicable isn’t perhaps the main concern by such promoters, but the business or popularity that could be generated from adhering philosophically to such dire scenarios.

The Black Hole Machine Encounter and Possible Investment Themes

As for the LHC or the “black hole machine”, we are not science experts to agree to disagree with the argument of the risks of its operation. One thing we know is that if the dissenters are right there won’t be anyone left to argue against it since we’d all be gone.

However from the benefit side, the Large Hadron Collider is suppose to uncover the underlying structure of the universe; the Higgs boson “elementary particles cause matter to have mass”, validity of the Grand Unification Theory (are electromagnetism, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force a single manifestation?), existence of the superstring theory (quantum gravity) and dark matter and dark energy [Yes I am glad to learn that if scientific observation is accurate, the latter two forces dominate the Universe, from the BBC, ``The latest astronomical observations suggest ordinary matter - such as the galaxies, gas, stars and planets - makes up just 4% of the Universe. The rest is dark matter (23%) and dark energy (73%)].

Not only that, the LHC project will allow us to “accelerate computing cycles” (sciam.com) for “safely storing and then processing huge amounts of data” (guardian) which should revolutionize the way we utilize the internet and vastly enhance the research capabilities in the world of science.

In short, from an investment perspective, the LHC could be the nexus or the springboard for the next generation technology BOOM and a great enhancer of the lives of our children and hopefully including us, if scientific discoveries arrive on time and at affordable costs.

LHC Particle Collider/Black Hole Machine: Doomsday Deferred or Fears Unwarranted?

Mission Accomplished. Large Hadron Collider (LHC) successfully launched.

From BBC,

``Three decades after it was conceived, the world's most powerful physics experiment has sent the first beam around its 27km-long tunnel.

 

``Engineers cheered as the proton particles completed their first circuit of the underground ring which houses the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)...

``On Wednesday, they sent a proton beam around the full circumference of the LHC tunnel.

 

``Technicians had to be on the lookout for potential problems: "There are on the order of 2,000 magnetic circuits in the machine. This means there are 2,000 power supplies which generate the current which flows in the coils of the magnets," Steve Myers, head of the accelerator and beam department, told BBC News.

 

``If there was a fault with any of these, he said, it would have stopped the beam. They were also wary of obstacles in the beam pipe which could prevent the protons from completing their first circuit."

Has the fears been exaggerated? Or has doomsday simply been deferred?

The LHC controversy seems to me like a page taken out of the debate over "Global Warming".

Will Tomorrow Be Doomsday? “Black Hole” Machine Switches On

For our apocalyptist pundits, here is another good fodder; we should probably SELL because…

it is the END of the world!

 

But I guess it would be too late for that because the supposed date for the “end of the world” is said to happen tomorrow, Wednesday September 10<sup>th</sup>!

 

How?

 

Because of this…

From Popsci.com: Large Hadron Collider: A machine that would “give birth to microscopic black holes”

 

A brief description from Newsky.com

 

``The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is 12 stories high and cost £5b. It is buried more than 300ft under the Alpine foothills in a 17mile tunnel along the Swiss-French border.

 

``When the giant machine gets going, the LHC will blast protons - one of the building blocks of atoms - at a velocity just shy of the speed of light, generating temperatures of more than a trillion degrees centigrade.

 

``Each proton beam will pack as much energy as a Eurostar train travelling at 150 kilometres per hour.

 

``In layman's terms, the LHC will take protons and smash them together at high speeds.

 

``The resulting collisions will hopefully replicate conditions found in the moments following the Big Bang - or the beginning of the universe - and scientists will study the fallout.”

 

The Hadron Collider is scheduled to be switched on tomorrow.

 

Critics say that such experiment runs the risks of creating unwieldy “black hole” that might devour earth!

 

This from the BBC, ``But there are a small but significant group of naysayers who worry that the LHC is not 100% safe. Opponents say it is possible the collider could produce micro black holes and dangerous "strangelets", and that catastrophic effects from these cannot be ruled out.”

 

Some people think the risks are serious enough to bring it to court.

 

This from the Guardian

 

``If you think it's unlikely that we will all be sucked into a giant black hole that will swallow the world, as German chemistry professor Otto Rössler of the University of Tübingen posits, and so carry on with your life as normal, only to find out that it's true, you'll be a bit miffed, won't you?

 

``If, on the other hand, you disagree with theoretical physicist Prof Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith of the UK Atomic Energy Agency, who argues that fears of possible global self-ingestion have been exaggerated, and decide to live the next two days as if they were your last, and then nothing whatsoever happens, you'd feel a bit of a fool too.

 

``Rössler apparently thinks it "quite plausible" that the "mini black holes" the Cern atom-smasher creates "will survive and grow exponentially and eat the planet from the inside". So convinced is he that he has lodged an EU court lawsuit alleging that the project violates the right to life guaranteed under the European Convention of Human Rights.”

 

However most experts say that we shouldn’t be alarmed and that the experiment will run smoothly and that many information about universe could be uncovered to benefit us. Again from the BBC, `` However, the consensus of physicists is that the collider is perfectly harmless. Micro black holes would vanish almost instantaneously.”

 

We just pray that things will turn out fine as the consensus expects. Otherwise, doomsayers would be proven right for the wrong reasons-we should have sold early to enjoy our last days as running for the hills won’t do any good.

Olympics: Trend of Breaking Records Accelerates! What drives them?

From the Economist,

``TUMBLING world records are part of the Olympic experience, but just how much have swimmers or runners improved over the past 100 years? In Beijing, new records have been set in the most glamorous events in athletics and swimming—the men's 100m sprint and freestyle. Jamaica's Usain Bolt cruised to victory, taking his own 100m sprint world record down by three-hundredths of a second to 9.69 seconds. In the century or so since official records began, the quickest time has fallen by just under a second—a 9% improvement. But in the pool, Australia's Eamon Sullivan covered 100m in the heats (although he lost in the final) in a world-fastest time of 47.05 seconds, 19 seconds (and 28%) quicker than the record-holder of 1905."

Courtesy of the Economist

With these trends here are some questions we’d like to know…

-Has demographics or world population growth been a significant contributor to these developments?

Courtesy of Franklin Institute Science Museum

Or more people equals better odds for outperformance?

-or has rapid and sweeping advances in technology or “sports science” (sports gears, equipments, arenas-e.g. pool design, scientific training etc…) been the major driver?

Example, this from the New York Times (underscore mine), ``As swimming becomes more popular, it attracts better athletes, who often stay in the sport for more than one Olympics and have access to increasingly sophisticated sports science. Swimmers who once concentrated mostly on endurance now spend up to 50 percent of their training on refining the technical aspects of kicking, pulling, breathing and body position, said Genadijus Sokolovas, director of sports science for USA Swimming….

``American swimmers here are accompanied by four sports-science experts. Each race is videotaped. Immediately after a race, each swimmer has an ear pricked to test for lactic-acid levels. After a warm-down swim, video analysis is made immediately available to monitor stroke counts, distance per stroke, split times, and the biomechanics of takeoffs and turns.

Another example (HT: Forbes’ Josh Wolfe) Phil Mickelson’s Congressional testimony on the importance of Math and Science (emphasis mine)``I use math and science every day, and it's not just adding yardages to the pin. I actually practice based on statistics. I use course management based on numbers. For instance, I know that my margin of error is plus or minus 5 or 6 percent. So if I have a 200 yard shot, 6 percent of that is going to be 32 yards off line - that's going to be my margin of error. And there's even more science involved in equipment I use. Launch angles, spin rate, loft, deflection, initial velocity, the transfer of energy. I continually work with companies like Callaway and some of the most technical design processes to optimize the performance of my clubs.”

“I use statistics to maximize my practice. I do a drill with 3-foot putts. And I can make 100% of them. But at 4 feet, it's 88%, at 5 feet 78%, and at 6 feet, it's only 65%. So while I may not be wasting my time trying to add 20 yards to my drives, what I really need to do is hit my chip shots within 3 feet of the hole. That's the best way to lower my score."

-or has the global political economic dimensions of Olympics (globalization’s role-e.g. training abroad or migration trends; investment or financing of participants a function of markets or of government?; type of government and or social acceptability etc..) played a major role?

From New Scientist: The Ten Commandments of Race and Genes

Some interesting science trivia on race and genetics. The message is that cognitive biases also apply to this field.

From New Scientist, the 10 guiding principles or the “ten commandments” for geneticists in dealing with issues of race, genetics and medicine.

1. All races are created equal

No genetic data has ever shown that one group of people is inherently superior to another. Equality is a moral value central to the idea of human rights; discrimination against any group should never be tolerated.

2. An Argentinian and an Australian are more likely to have differences in their DNA than two Argentinians

Groups of human beings have moved around throughout history. Those that share the same culture, language or location tend to have different genetic variations than other groups. This is becoming less true, though, as populations mix.

3. A person's history isn't written only in his or her genes

Everyone's genetic material carries a useful, though incomplete, map of his or her ancestors' travels. Studies looking for health disparities between individuals shouldn't rely solely on this identity. They should also consider a person's cultural background.

4: Members of the same race may have different underlying genetics

Social definitions of what it means to be "Hispanic" or "black" have changed over time. People who claim the same race may actually have very different genetic histories.

5. Both nature and nurture play important parts in our behaviors and abilities

Trying to use genetic differences between groups to show differences in intelligence, violent behaviors or the ability to throw a ball is an oversimplification of much more complicated interactions between genetics and environment.

6. Researchers should be careful about using racial groups when designing experiments

When scientists decide to divide their subjects into groups based on ethnicity, they need to be clear about why and how these divisions are made to avoid contributing to stereotypes.

7. Medicine should focus on the individual, not the race

Although some diseases are connected to genetic markers, these markers tend to be found in many different racial groups. Overemphasising genetics may promote racist views or focus attention on a group when it should be on the individual.

8. The study of genetics requires cooperation between experts in many different fields

Human disease is the product of a mishmash of factors: genetic, cultural, economic and behavioral. Interdisciplinary efforts that involve the social sciences are more likely to be successful.

9. Oversimplified science feeds popular misconceptions

Policy makers should be careful about simplifying and politicising scientific data. When presenting science to the public, the media should address the limitations of race-related research.

10. Genetics 101 should include a history of racism

Any high school or college student learning about genetics should also learn about misguided attempts in the past to use science to justify racism. New textbooks should be developed for this purpose.

The Stanford group didn't always agree when coming up with these ideas. Predictably enough, the biomedical scientists tended to think of race in neutral, clinical terms; the social scientists and scholars of the humanities argued that concepts of race cannot be washed clean of their cultural and historical legacies.

But both groups, according to the letter, recognise the power of the gene in the public imagination and the historical dangers of its misrepresentation as deterministic and immutable.