Ira and Philip Glass

This weekend I listened to an episode of Fresh Air that featured Ira Glass (host of the PRI radio show, This American Life, interviewing his second cousin - composer Philip Glass.

This American Life happens to be one of my favorite radio shows, and Philip Glass happens to be one of my favorite composers. The interview is fascinating, focusing on the process Philip Glass goes through when writing music, and how he learned to do it.

Quit Smoking via Brain Injury

According to the New York Times, a paper will be published soon in the Journal of Science that shows a link between a certain area of the brain and addiction. Stroke patients who had injured this specific area had lost their desire to smoke.

Before you go hitting smokers in the heads with a baseball bat, at least read the NYT article so you know where to aim.

How to: Harvest Stem Cells from Home

Finally there is a guide which shows you, step by step, how to harvest stem cells from a human placenta - in the comfort of your own home! I know people who have eaten their children's placenta - but this seems like a better option which will produce something that may come in handy someday. Imagine you do this with your newborn's placenta. Sixty years later, they develop cancer. Having their stem cells in your freezer could potentially be a lifesaver.

Now I need to go on eBay and look for centrifuges.

The Smart Elevator

NPR had a piece about the smart elevator. Instead of pressing the up arrow or the down arrow, and then pressing your floor when you get into the elevator, you enter the floor you wish to go to on a keypad outside the elevator and it directs you to the elevator that will get you there in the fewest number of stops.

This is one of those ideas that is both brilliant and simple - I can't wait to use one!

Step Away from the Computer

I guess I'm just enough of a dork to appreciate this - but Engadget has a bit about AirSoft Project 2.0 - a guard turret for your computer. This thing has optional radio control and four cannons.

How You Say . . . "Politesse"?

The New York Times has an interesting article about the French and their search for politeness.

As part of the consciousness-raising, private sessions on proper table settings and dining habits are offered to Parisian ladies of leisure. The Paris transit authority is in the midst of a campaign of respect to improve the quality of travel for its passengers. Humorous posters hung last fall prodded travelers to muzzle their pets; use trash cans for their garbage; speak softly on their cell phones; avoid whacking their neighbors with their backpacks; and, of course, say hello and goodbye to conductors and ticket vendors.

In 2005, in response to complaints about interaction between patients and staff, the hospital Federation of France began its first national advertising drive for politeness in public hospitals and nursing homes, with a list of rules for how to behave and the motto “Stay polite!”

The Ministry of Education has made good citizenship part of the national curriculum in high schools. The Ministry of Transportation designates an annual “day of steering wheel courtesy” to encourage polite behavior on the road.

Perhaps Americans need to take a lesson from the French - politeness is a quality that is slipping from the American character - and there are so many instances when the difference between a pleasant experience and a disaster is just a little politeness.

Folding@Home with the PS3

Now that the PS3 has launched, the Folding@Home for the PS3 is getting underway. Folding@home is a project that utilizes the unused processing power of computers (and now the PS3) to run simulations and calculations related to protein folding and protein folding disease. If you have a PS3, why not check out their website.