Honey could save diabetics from amputation

For diabetic ulcers since it "kills bacteria because it is acidic and avoids the complication of bacterial resistance found with standard antibiotics."
I had heard a while ago that honey was too dense or something to allow microbial growth inside it.

Your child's art made into a pin

Handmade in sterling silver. Don't know if other types of drawings are accepted.

iCall and Yak4Ever free long distance

iCall is for free US/Canada, and Yak4Ever is free from access numbers in the US to some international. Low rates otherwise.

Impressions of Tanzania

Some short notes from Tyler Cowen's visit to Dar es Salaam. A long time ago, a native warned me of tribal gang activity, but I think I was inquiring more about residency.

10 totally stupid online business ideas that made someone rich

The SantaMail one doesn't sound that stupid.

Maybe Bush could've asked for a smaller war budget

Excerpts from Robert Greenwald's Iraq for Sale covering rather obscene waste of taxpayers' money by contractor KBR, subsidiary of Halliburton:

Adoption and turning points

How moments can perhaps change lives. The emotionally wrenching story mentioned at the bottom leads to a gated NYT page, but can also be found here.

Hear clear speech in a noisy environment

The device applies some frequency algorithm on multiple microphone feeds and filters out ambient.

Oral sex can cause cancer

HPV vaccination for men too, then.

Imagining the Tenth Dimension

Part 1


Part 2 -- Explains how only 10 are possible, rather than 84 or an infinity. This 10th seems to correlate with the Buddhist storehouse consciousness, or alayavijnana:

Why are most storytelling artists liberal?

Liberals are empathetic and that's a prerequisite for the fully drawn characters of good lit.

AI and singularity intro (longer Q&A)

Q&A with a retired prof re coming singularity. Best line:

Events beyond such an event are as unimaginable to us as opera is to a flatworm.

Produce hydrogen on demand from water, while driving

No hydrogen fuel stations necessary.

Update here -- slower cooling of the alloy results in 80% aluminum. The alloy is more stable in dry air and reacts more quickly with water. The reaction was first observed back in 1967.

Hello Kitty Hell

One man's photo record of his wife's obsession with Hello Kitty. At this point, the blog also receives snaps of products from others. For example,

Cheap, fast DNA replication

A $10, 20-minute polymerase chain reaction kit off two AA cells. Good news for the developing world re virus tests.

YouMail - personalize greetings on voicemail

Including no greeting and the option to deny the ability to leave a message if it's a number you don't like.

Promotions that worked too well

In turkeys, swimwear (posters of Heidi Klum, actually), sunscreen, credit cards.

World's subway maps at the same scale

e.g. Tokyo vs. LA.

Somebody's best Douglas Adams quotes

You know, the guy who wrote Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Reverse position in stock upon a magazine cover story

From The Economist: "The most negatively portrayed companies managed to beat the market by an average of 12.4%..."