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Monday, April 30, 2007
Problems With Maine's Socialized Medical System
By Paul @ 4:55 PM PermaLink

The state of Maine has also attempted to provide "universal coverage" for its residents for many years, with predictably poor results. According to this recent NY Times article, instead of saving money, the program costs continue to explode, and the state officials are considering what sort of cutbacks to implement. Rationing is just one short step away.

Interestingly enough, one of the supporters of the plan is quite explicit about the central problem. She states, "This program needs healthy people who don't get subsidized so it can prosper." In other words, it needs a massive forced redistribution of wealth from one group of citizens to pay for the health care of another group of citizens who otherwise couldn't pay for it themselves.

Yet for some reason, supporters of "universal health care" refuse to call these systems by their real name -- "socialized medicine"! (Via Jason Spears.)

(Also crossposted to the FIRM weblog.)

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More from the Archimedes Palimpsest
By Diana Hsieh @ 6:39 AM PermaLink

WOW: Yet another ancient text has been found buried in the Archimedes Palimpsest. This time, it appears to be a commentary on Aristotle's Categories by Alexander of Aphrodisias!
Text reveals more ancient secrets
By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC News

Experts are "lost for words" to have found that a medieval prayer book has yielded yet another key ancient text buried within its parchment. Works by mathematician Archimedes and the politician Hyperides had already been found buried within the book, known as the Archimedes Palimpsest. But now advanced imaging technology has revealed a third text - a commentary on the philosopher Aristotle. Project director William Noel called it a "sensational find".

The prayer book was written in the 13th Century by a scribe called John Myronas. But instead of using fresh parchment for his work, he employed pages from five existing books. Dr Noel, curator of manuscripts at the US-based Walters Art Museum and a co-author of a forthcoming book on the Archimedes Palimpsest, said: "It's a rather brutal process, but it means you can reuse parchment if you are short of it. You take books off shelves, you scrub off the text, you cut them up and you make a new book."

In 1906 it came to light that one of the books recycled to form the medieval manuscript contained a unique work by Archimedes. And in 2002, modern imaging technology not only provided a clearer view of this famous mathematician's words, but it also revealed another text - the only known manuscript of Hyperides, an Athenian politician from the 4th Century BC.

"At this point you start thinking striking one palimpsest is gold, and striking two is utterly astonishing. But then something even more extraordinary happened," Dr Noel told the BBC News website. One of the recycled books was proving extremely difficult to read, explained Roger Easton, a professor of imaging science at Rochester Institute of Technology, US. "We were using a technique called multispectral imaging," he said. This digital imaging technique uses photographs taken at different wavelengths to enhance particular characteristics of the imaged area.

Subtle adjustments of this method, explained Professor Easton, suddenly enabled these hidden words to be revealed. "Even though I couldn't read Ancient Greek, just the fact that I could see the words gave me shivers," he said.

Foundations of logic

An international team of experts began to scrutinize the ancient words, explained Reviel Netz, professor of ancient science at Stanford University, US, and another co-author of the palimpsest book. A series of clues, such as spotting a key name in the margin, led the team to its conclusion. "The philosophical passage in the Archimedes Palimpsest is now definitely identified as a relatively early commentary to Aristotle's Categories," said Professor Netz. He said that Aristotle's Categories had served as the foundation for the study of logic throughout western history.

Further study has revealed the most likely author of this unique commentary is Alexander of Aphrodisias, Professor Robert Sharples from University College London, UK, told BBC News. If this is the case, he said, "it gives us part of a commentary previously supposed lost by the most important of those ancient commentators on Aristotle".

A provisional translation of the commentary is currently being undertaken. It reveals a debate on some aspects of Aristotle's theory of classification, such as: if the term "footed" is used for animals, can it be used to classify anything else, such as a bed?

The passage reads:
For as "foot" is ambiguous when applied to an animal and to a bed, so are "with feet" and "without feet". So by "in species" here [Aristotle] is saying "in formula". For if it ever happens that the same name indicates the differentiae of genera that are different and not subordinate one to the other, they are at any rate not the same in formula.
Dr Noel said: "There is no more important philosopher in the world than Aristotle. To have early views in the 2nd and 3rd Century AD of Aristotle's Categories is just fantastic. We have one book that contains three texts from the ancient world that are absolutely central to our understanding of mathematics, politics and now philosophy," he said. He added: "I am at a loss for words at what this book has turned out to be. To make these discoveries in the 21st Century is frankly nutty - it is just so exciting."
WOWEEEEE! This discovery is really exciting!
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Sunday, April 29, 2007
More Virtues of Capitalism
By Paul @ 11:14 PM PermaLink

One of the virtues of capitalism is that it provides a wide variety of services for all sectors of the market. From "You Might Be A Redneck If":

You might be a redneck if your wife is quoted in the local paper saying the following,

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Greek Civilization
By Paul @ 8:30 AM PermaLink

Ancient Greek civilization was one of the greatest in history. But I'm not so sure about some elements of modern Greek civilization.
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Saturday, April 28, 2007
Leiter on Churchill
By Diana Hsieh @ 6:58 AM PermaLink

Yesterday, a professor in Boulder's philosophy department forwarded this post by Brain Leiter minimizing and excusing Ward Churchill's dishonesty to the department's "disscuss" list. I was floored by Leiter's remarks. Here's what I wrote in reply:
Brian Leiter approvingly quoted someone who wrote: "Churchill is guilty of occasionally shoddy scholarship and the dubious practice of ghostwriting, and perhaps even more."

The "dubious practice of ghostwriting"?!? That has got to be joke. (Yeah, I know it's not.)

By his own admission, Churchill published his papers under the names of others. As if that's not bad enough, he then cited those papers as independent sources to corroborate false legal and historical claims. That's not some kind of mistake or oversight. It's not merely dubious: it's twice-baked academic fraud. Contra Leiter, it's very serious.

A graduate student would surely be kicked out of the program for ghostwriting papers for other students. Fabricating sources would be a serious offense. So why is that behavior excusable in a professor?

If academic freedom is understood as granting professors freedom to engage in the same kinds of dishonesty for which students are flunked and/or expelled, then academic freedom won't be around much longer.

As for the rest of the blog post, it's not consistent with what I've read in the various CU reports on Churchill. See:

http://www.colorado.edu/.../report.html

http://www.colorado.edu/.../WardChurchillReport.pdf

http://www.colorado.edu/.../ChurchillStandingCmteReport.pdf
Augh. I don't understand how academics can punish plagiarism and cheating in their students while excusing Ward Churchill. Yet they do.
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Friday, April 27, 2007
Infuriated Socialists
By Diana Hsieh @ 10:13 AM PermaLink

A few days ago, Paul published this letter to the editor in the Denver Post:
Health care is not a right, and it is not the proper role of government to provide health care for all citizens. Instead, this should be left to the free market. It is precisely the attempts of the governments of countries like Canada (or states like Tennessee) to attempt to mandate universal coverage which have led to the rationing and waiting lists for vital medical services. Similar problems are already starting to develop in the Massachusetts plan as well. Any plan of government-mandated "universal coverage" is nothing more than socialized medicine, and would be a disaster for Colorado.

Paul S. Hsieh, M.D., Sedalia
In response, Denver Post staff columnist Jim Spencer attacked Paul (without identifying him by name) in his column "Reforming the health of our care":
The craziest letter to the editor that I've read in some time came from a physician who claimed that Coloradans have no right to health care.

Seems the guy not only forgot his Hippocratic oath but also the law.

If you're sick enough or badly injured, they have to treat you at the emergency room regardless of your ability to pay.

The doctor aimed his editorial rant against socialized medicine. But he wrote it because a state blue-ribbon commission is now cobbling together a plan for medical treatment and prescription drugs for Coloradans.
The column then discusses the supposedly noble work of the 208 Commission in determining the proper "private/public mix in the provision of health care."

I'm tickled pink to see Paul causing such a stir. It shows the power that physicians have when they speak out against socialized medicine.

For more information about the fight against socialized medicine in Colorado, visit FIRM: Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine. For Paul's more detailed case against socialized medicine in Colorado, read Socialized Medicine in Colorado - An Open Letter to Colorado Physicians.

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Thursday, April 26, 2007
Stand Up for Reason
By Diana Hsieh @ 1:36 PM PermaLink

Richard Wills, whom I know from the "1FROG" discussion group of Front Range Objectivism posted the following as a comment on my post on Jesus Camp and Friends of God a while back. I thought it was way too fantastic for just a comment, so with Richard's permission, I'm posting it as its own blog post.
When I see blank-eyed God-squaders destroying children's minds by preaching blind obedience, and destroying their self-esteem by teaching them to cower, I'm reminded of the old hymn, "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus." The opening lines go:

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.

(See http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh514.sht for complete original lyrics and music.)

As an adolescent forced to go to church, I'd listen to the congregation singing this hymn and imagine they were singing "Suck Up to Jesus" instead. A religious service, after all, is nothing more than an exercise in sucking up to God.

Years later, I came up with my own lyrics for this hymn, imagining them sung by the faithful flock of the little Congregational church I attended near Boston. These are the words they would sing, that is, if they were honest about the meaning of their worship (see first three verses, below). Of course, if they were fully honest about their religion, they'd repudiate it entirely (see remaining six verses).

STAND UP FOR REASON

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
This is our battle cry.
All ye who don't believe us
In Hell will surely fry.
To dogma we bow gladly;
To reason we don't bend.
The truth does not concern us;
We'd rather just pretend.

Kiss up, kiss up to Jesus,
Imaginary boss.
Oh, Great Hallucination,
Without you we are lost.
Our self-respect goes down with us
When we get on our knees.
But if we really grovel,
Salvation is a breeze.

Suck up, suck up to Jesus,
Imaginary friend.
It's party-time at your place
After our lives end.
To reach your cosmic Disneyland,
We'll genuflect and cower;
We'll kiss your ass forever,
Pretending you'll save ours.

But now I've done some thinking
About this savior-dude,
And after due reflection,
Here is what I conclude:
This mindless little carpenter
Was mentally unglued,
And thanks to his religion
Humanity got screwed.

I live my life for me now;
This is my sacred right.
I scorn all gods and masters;
On mankind they're a blight.
I'll raise the torch of reason,
Our one and only hope,
Until the cross of Jesus
Goes up in holy smoke.

Beware of true believers
Who try to suck us in --
Snake-oil hawkers selling
Imaginary sin.
They're dying to convert us
By sword or by the pen,
But if we fall for their lies,
We're suckers born again.

They have the nerve to tell us
We're sinful from our birth.
Their God is cruel and jealous,
Disdainful of our worth.
A pompous little potentate,
He's peevish, he's perverse.
Down with cosmic tyrants;
We have enough on Earth.

Now, pride and self-reliance
Are virtues to admire.
Be noble and defiant;
Live life as you desire.
The heaven that you seek is here;
It's well within your reach.
You hold it in your own hands
And need not God beseech.

May humans thrive forever --
Man, woman, girl and boy.
Our noblest endeavor
Is living life with joy.
And so with reason's counsel,
Stand up and go forth --
Claim your glorious birthright:
This life, this time, this Earth!

Ahhhh...man!
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Police Interrogations
By Paul @ 6:23 PM PermaLink

A good police interrogation is a skillful use of applied psychology:
There are "Law & Order" addicts everywhere who think they could get a perp to confess. A little glaring, some getting in the guy's face, a revelation that his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon and voila! He's recounting his crime. In real life, police interrogation requires more than confidence and creativity (although those qualities do help) -- interrogators are highly trained in the psychological tactics of social influence.
Here's how it's done.
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Tuesday, April 24, 2007
How (Not) to Use PowerPoint
By Paul @ 10:25 AM PermaLink

This is both a PowerPoint presentation and a self-referential comedy routine at the same time.
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Monday, April 23, 2007
Drive
By Diana Hsieh @ 9:17 PM PermaLink

I wrote this note more quickly than I would have liked, but I thought it better to post this than nothing at all.

For all FireFly fans, Nathan Fillion is starring in a new drama: Drive. Tim Minnear -- long time associate of Joss Whedon's -- is writing, directing, whatevering.

I've watched the first two episodes. It's really good so far. The writing is excellent. The characters are interesting. Most of all, the story is gripping, dramatic, and ingenious. (It's also a real pleasure to see Fillion in action again. Particularly with Minnear writing, he's definitely got something of that fabulous "Mal" feel.)

Three hour-long episodes have aired already. I strongly recommend against skipping those, as the two I've seen so far include tons of important backstory. However, you can buy those first three episodes on iTunes for just $2 each.

It's on Mondays at 8 pm. (That might be eastern time. Paul and I tivo, so we pay no attention to air date/time.)
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A Geography Puzzle
By Paul @ 11:08 AM PermaLink

This was from the April Fool's Day edition of "NPR Sunday Puzzle".
Take the names of two U.S. States, mix them all together, then rearrange the letters to form the names of two other U.S. States. What states are these?
Click here for the answer. (Please don't post the answer in the comments.)
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Sunday, April 22, 2007
God Versus Satan
By Diana Hsieh @ 11:54 PM PermaLink

How many people is God recorded to have killed in the Scriptures? Definite numbers aren't always given, e.g. for the Flood or for the killing of the firstborn sons in Egypt. However, some thoughtful blogger counted up the available numbers of dead. The result? God killed 2,270,365 people. By way of comparison, Satan apparently only killed 10 people.

Here's my favorite comment in reply:
You will rightfully burn in the realm of nothingess forever when you die you silly fool; unless you get out of that shallow paradox you think you're so smart in and start believing in the One and Only God that created you and gave you a choice to acceot It or deny It in the fist place. And if you deny It, you will be destroyed by your own making. All Satan did was feed you many lies and prove you are an obvious sucker that has bought into this shallow thinking. Lies and people kill people, not God, not guns. Suckers like you do deserve death. But you can also save yourself by believing in Who Jesus said He was. I feel sorry for your shallow, tainted brain.
Notice the total absent of argument, coupled with the threats of damnation. That's the fallacy of ad baculum. That fallacy is fundamental to Christian faith: Believe in Jesus... or you will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternal torment.

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Saturday, April 21, 2007
Two Recommendations
By Diana Hsieh @ 7:01 AM PermaLink

Two very strong recommendations from Paul and me:

  • The first season of The Unit. This show (with Dennis Haysbert and Scott Foley) focuses on top-secret Special Forces group and their wives. Dramatic stories. Real heroes. Fabulous acting. Amazing writing. Highly recommended. You must start with the first season: NetFlix or Amazon.

  • The HBO movie Something the Lord Made. The gripping story of the two men who broke the taboo against heart surgery to repair the defective hearts of "blue babies." I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. (The title is not any kind of endorsement of religion. In fact, the movie is openly anti-religious.) NetFlix or Amazon.
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    • Fluid Christmas Tree
    By Diana Hsieh @ 6:57 AM PermaLink

    Funny, Paul didn't take me seriously when I told him that I wanted a ferrofluid Christmas tree this year. (Check out the video.)
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    Crazies on College
    By Diana Hsieh @ 6:54 AM PermaLink

    Under the subheading "The Killer," Victor Davis Hanson tells of his completely crazy-scary roommate in college in 1971. The UC Santa Cruz administration failed to do anything about him -- until "he shot flaming arrows off the dorm roof at students" (!!). Tolerance for that kind of obvious danger is just mind-boggling. (Professors, even if deeply concerned about a student, have little power to do anything.)
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    Friday, April 20, 2007
    Piano Kitty
    By Diana Hsieh @ 11:24 AM PermaLink

    Unlike modern composers, this piano-playing cat has a darn good excuse for his atonal playing. He's not supposed to be a rational creature!

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    Useless Cat Sale
    By Diana Hsieh @ 11:23 AM PermaLink

    Heh: one useless cat indeed. (I also like that site's collection of Weird and Bad Art.)

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    Thursday, April 19, 2007
    How To Lose Your California Medical License
    By Paul @ 4:18 PM PermaLink

    In the most recent issue of the California Medical Board quarterly newsletter, they list a number of ways you can lose your medical license due to "unprofessional conduct". Some of the choicer examples include:
  • A physician became angry with his accountant and hired a hit man to murder him. At the time the undercover police officer consummated the deal, the physician had a change of heart and decided he merely wanted the officer to break the accountant's legs.

  • A physician under peer review investigation by a hospital surreptitiously (or so he thought) wandered around the hospital parking lot keying the cars of hospital administrators.

  • Another surgeon graciously offered his services as an assistant during his wife's operation. He sutured his wife's vagina completely closed.
    • (Page 3 of the newsletter.)
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    Wednesday, April 18, 2007
    Theocracy in America
    By Diana Hsieh @ 7:32 AM PermaLink

    I could not agree more with this post on theocracy in America from Mike of Primacy of Awesome. According to the Slate article on Monica Goodling (a DOJ attorney) to which he links, 150 graduates of Pat Robertson's evangelical Regent University currently work in the Bush Administration. Not one, not five, but one hundred and fifty -- from that one young college alone. Mike writes:
    If you are an Objectivist and you don't think religion is a serious and rising threat to the country, consider this. What if one hundred and fifty graduates of the OAC worked in the President's administration? Objectivists would be dancing in the street. Victory would be at hand!
    Indeed, yet some Objectivists dismiss the threat of theocracy out-of-hand, claiming that America's sense of life is a impenetrable barrier against possibility. That's sheer fantasy, as Ayn Rand would have known:
    A nation's political trends are the equivalent of a man's course of action and are determined by its culture. A nation's culture is the equivalent of a man's conscious convictions. Just as an individual's sense of life can clash with his conscious convictions, hampering or defeating his actions, so a nation's sense of life can clash with its culture, hampering or defeating its political course. Just as an individual's sense of life can be better or worse than his conscious convictions, so can a nation's. And just as an individual who has never translated his sense of life into conscious convictions is in terrible danger--no matter how good his subconscious values--so is a nation.

    This is the position of America today.

    ... If America drags on in her present state for a few more generations (which is unlikely), dictatorship will become possible. A sense of life is not a permanent endowment. The characteristically American one is being eroded daily all around us. Large numbers of Americans have lost it (or have never developed it) and are collapsing to the psychological level of Europe's worst rabble. (Ayn Rand, "Don't Let It Go")
    And yes, although the rise of the Religious Right was little more than a gleam in Ronald Regan's eye at the time of her death, Ayn Rand clearly expressed concern about the trend in her final lectures at the Ford Hall Forum.

    Also, via the article mentioned by Mike, I found this 2001 Time article about John Ashcroft. The man brought his fundamentalist Christianity to work, literally:
    Ashcroft's devout Pentecostal faith, as expressed at the office, has disturbed some employees as well. New guidelines for documents bearing Ashcroft's signature bar the use of the word pride and the phrase "no higher calling than public service," both of which contradict the former Senator's religious views. Each morning at 8 he plays host to what he calls RAMP sessions--for Read, Argue, Memorize and Pray--in his office or conference room. From three to 30 participants chew over Bible passages, commit some to memory and finish with a prayer. Non-Christians are welcome, but many staff members consider the sessions inappropriate, given Ashcroft's position as guardian of the Constitution--including separation of church and state.

    Ashcroft bristles at the suggestion that he's doing anything improper. "I don't think the fact that I might want to invite the wisdom of the Almighty into my decision making is a threat to anybody," he told TIME, leading his questioners into his conference room to point out a wall relief that long predates him, depicting King Solomon's deciding the parentage of an infant. "Wisdom in making good decisions can be inspired as well as acquired," he said. If others choose to practice different faiths in their offices, "that's not my business. I'm not part of any sort of prayer police."
    Just remember folks, theocratic government is nothing to worry about... so long as you've got your blinders on.

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    Tuesday, April 17, 2007
    Martial Arts Stunt Man Competition
    By Diana Hsieh @ 3:30 PM PermaLink

    I cannot even begin to fathom the dedicated physical training required for this competition:



    Why doesn't America have its own martial arts stunt man competitions on television? What, not enough martial arts stunt men in Hollywood?!?
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    Virginia Tech Shootings
    By Diana Hsieh @ 8:07 AM PermaLink

    When I heard of the horrible shooting at Virginia Tech yesterday morning, I was seriously worried for Shoshana Milgram. For those who might not recall, she's a professor of English at Virginia Tech. So, for anyone else who might have worried about her, I'm happy to report that I've heard from her and that she's unharmed.

    However, anyone who works on a college campus ought to be extra alert for the next few months, as one such event often "inspires" others to do the same. From what I've read, studies have shown that high-profile suicides often result in a spike in the suicide rate. I've noticed the same kind of pattern in mass shootings in middle and high schools. Apparently, people contemplating such horrific action are often emboldened by the sight of others doing the same.

    So please, be careful.
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    Monday, April 16, 2007
    Lin Zinser to Speak on Healthcare
    By Diana Hsieh @ 4:16 PM PermaLink

    Tomorrow evening, April 17th, Lin Zinser will speak to the Colorado Springs Republican Women about the pernicious influence of government in healthcare and the current proposals for reform. The event is free and open to the public. For more details, see the announcement.
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    Web Based Messenger
    By Diana Hsieh @ 9:39 AM PermaLink

    I'm looking for a web-based messenger for Paul and me. It doesn't need to be fancy at all, just easy to use. (Since Paul works different slots at different locations every day, he works on different computers on which he can't install software.) Any suggestions?

    Update #1: Paul and I already set up GoogleTalk on our laptops a few months ago -- and it looks like he can use it via GMail on the web. So we'll try that out tonight.

    Update #2: Oh, it's working! And it's fabulous!
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    The State of North Korea
    By Diana Hsieh @ 8:54 AM PermaLink

    Paul recently pointed me to this fascinating report from StrategyPage on the current state of North Korea:
    North Korean Mass Diplomat Defections Nightmare

    April 8, 2007: The North Korean regime has issued a strong "reminder" to its diplomats, and other personnel stationed abroad, that they are not to have more than one child with them on a foreign posting. This suggests North Korea is worried about possible defections by diplomats, consular officials, business agents, etc., who've got their wives and kids with them in some foreign country. If they can only take one child with them, those that remain home essentially become hostages to their good behavior. The North Korean government has become increasingly alarmed at the number of diplomats defecting and, even worse, those who stick around, but in the pay for American, South Korean and Chinese intelligence agencies.

    The response to this order was startling; many of these parents have refused to send children back to North Korea. To old North Korea hands, such defiance to authority is startling. But these North Korea government officials know their country is a basket case, and are willing to risk losing their jobs, rather than send any of their children back to a home country that is, day-by-day, becoming a hellish parody of the communist "workers paradise."

    Historians of communism consider North Korea the pinnacle of police state perfection. Josef Stalin would be envious, or maybe proud, because Stalin was one of the founding fathers of North Korea. The degree of state control in North Korea is far in excess of anything ever achieved in the Soviet Union. But this was achieved using a population already disciplined by centuries of efficient feudalism, and several decades of Japanese colonialism. The Japanese were very disciplined, very strict and very brutal. By comparison, the North Korean communist government was something of a relief. Moreover, the North Korean communists worked the nationalist and cultural angle successfully. Because of the total control of the media, the North Korean communists created an alternate universe for their subjects to live in.

    As small numbers of North Koreans managed to escape over the years, and make their way to South Korea, usually via China, it was amazing to see the culture shock. The North Korean refugees were numbed by the degree of difference between the fantasy view of the outside world created by the North Korea communists, and the reality.

    But in the last decade, reality has seeped into the Perfect Police State, changing the attitudes of the guards, as well as the inmates. True Believers have been gradually replaced by Practical Pretenders. What's happening now, with North Korean government officials openly defying their government, while pretending not to, is the best example of how North Korea culture is evolving. It's weird, it's wretched and, in a perverse way, wonderful.
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    Sunday, April 15, 2007
    The Panel
    By Diana Hsieh @ 11:50 PM PermaLink

    I haven't had a chance to watch the free video of the recent UCLA panel discussion with Daniel Pipes, Yaron Brook and Wafa Sultan yet, but that's no reason for others to wait!
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    Back to Mac?
    By Diana Hsieh @ 9:17 AM PermaLink

    Paul and I are seriously considering switching back to Macs for our next computers. We both used Macs for most of the 1990s, i.e. as our first computers, then switched to Windows machines as Apple floundered. Both of us use laptops as our primary machines, so that's what we'd want to buy.

    Here's what we're thinking:

  • The intel chip -- with its capacity to run Windows programs -- is beyond huge. It's a necessity for us, actually. Before that, switching to Mac would have been impossible.

  • The form of the Macs is so much more thoughtful and elegant than found in PCs. For example, the light magnetic power connector prevents pulling the computer down from some high place as some person or dog trips over the cord. Those kinds of design touches are a real bonus.

  • The BSD foundation to Macs is hugely appealing to me, given my Unix and Linux programming background. I can do fun stuff with that.

  • I'm interested in doing some digital video, but I'd hate hate hate to do that on a PC.

  • We have an Apple store just up the road (i.e. 25 minutes away), so tech support would be easy. I'm pretty adept as a home sysadmin, so we don't need tech support that often. Still, it's nice to have available, particularly since I'm so dependent on my laptop that shipping it away for service is never a viable option.

  • We've heard nothing but high praise for Macs from friends who've switched back. (In fact, when I mentioned the possibility in the 1FROG meeting last night, I was met with a spontaneous chorus of "Hooray!"

  • I'm beyond disgusted with Microsoft's penchant for shipping beta-level software, with all kinds of horrid problems that are only fixed with the first service pack, if ever. I've not upgraded to Vista -- although I hear that it's pretty much impossible to buy a new PC without that bag of bugs. I did upgrade to Office 2007. Although I like many of the new features, my computer has slowed down quite a bit since then: Outlook is apparently sucking up vast amounts of memory for no good reason. I need to trust my OS and software suppliers not to screw me over with upgrades, but I can't do that with Microsoft.

  • I'm also disgusted with the still-piss-poor networking between home computers in Windows. I've got the latest version of XP, as does Paul. Yet our computers still can't manage to communicate on a regular basis. Similarly, I can see our Windows 2000 machine, but it can't see my laptop. In this day and age, that's utterly and completely inexcusable. The only reliable way for Paul and I to exchange files -- other than e-mail -- is via Samba on my ever-trusty Linux development machine. That always works.

  • And just as a final complaint about Microsoft, its new desktop search still sucks. That's just pathetic. Although I have no idea whether the Mac is better, it surely couldn't be worse!

    I'd probably like to spend another six months to year on my current machine (a Dell Inspiron 2007), but Paul is thinking of upgrading sooner. However, I also need to do some work with recorded voice audio files. Is that easier to do on the Mac than on a PC? If so, I might upgrade sooner.

    So.... thoughts on the switch?
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    • Damn Funny
    By Diana Hsieh @ 12:56 AM PermaLink

    I won't bother explaining my reasons for finding this analysis of my psycho-epistemology by Phil Coates hysterically funny. (Some of my reasons are obvious; others are private.) Still, I can't resist pointing and laughing at poor Phil making a total ass of himself yet again.
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    Saturday, April 14, 2007
    Big OCON
    By Diana Hsieh @ 7:20 AM PermaLink

    This is delightful news:
    Past attendees at our Objectivist Summer Conference events know them to be an excellent way of immersing oneself in a benevolent and thriving community of rational minds. With that in mind, OCON is happy to report that Objectivist Summer Conference 2007 is shattering all of our previous registration records, having already attracted twice as many registrants as we had all of last year! The conference takes place from July 6 to 15, 2007, in Telluride, Colorado, with a broad array of lectures and events, highlighted by a six-lecture presentation by Leonard Peikoff from his forthcoming book, "The DIM Hypothesis." The conference will include ten general session lectures, sixteen optional courses, a panel discussion and a series of special events.

    This will be an unforgettable conference, both for its content and for its beautiful setting. We hope to see you there!
    I saw Dr. Peikoff give some of his lectures for Induction in Physics and Philosophy at my first OCON in 2003, when I was still unhappily involved with IOS/TOC/TAS. I've grown to appreciate his work so much more since that time, so I'm really looking forward to these "DIM" lectures.

    Also in conference news:
    Lodging Note:
    Because of high attendance levels, OCON has arranged conference discounts at additional lodging facilities; see our Air Travel and Lodging page for details. Attendees should book lodging directly with the accommodation of their choice in the Telluride area. We strongly recommend making your hotel reservations as early as possible, as some facilities are already completely booked. If you choose any of the facilities listed on our Air Travel and Lodging page, be sure to give them the registration code "OCON 2007" to take advantage of their conference discount rates.

    Schedule Update:
    Jason Rheins' optional course, "The Philosophy of Immanuel Kant (part 1 of 3): Kant's Theoretical Philosophy," is now available in both Session 1 and Session 2. (This course was previously available only in Session 2.)
    To find out more about and register for the conference, click here.
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    Friday, April 13, 2007
    Daily Health Check
    By Diana Hsieh @ 7:48 AM PermaLink

    This NY Times article "Lessons of Heart Disease, Learned and Ignored" has some really valuable information on the common confusions about heart attacks that lull people into complacency, such that they don't avail themselves of the proper treatment options. It's well-worth reading, particularly if you have family history of heart disease, as I do.

    A few days ago, Paul told me of a woman who failed to check out chronic belly pain for months until it became unbearable. At that point, the CT and MRI scans showed colon cancer, already spread to the liver. That's not good: a friend of ours died about 18 months after a similar diagnosis. (She suffered no symptoms until she fainted on the subway.)

    On hearing the story, I suddenly struck by an indirect health benefit of my daily course of vigorous exercise: I would never endure such pain for more than a few days (if that) -- not just due to general worry about the cause of the pain but also due to very specific annoyance with my inability to exercise as usual. The same is true of the fatigue that often comes with heart attack mentioned in article above: the problem surely wouldn't be quite so clear or so pressing to me if I were a couch potato.

    In other words, exercise doesn't promote health merely by making the body more fit; it's also an important daily test of one's health. That's kinda cool, I think.

    P.S. Happy Friday the 13th! It's my lucky day... I was born on Friday, December 13th, 1974.

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    Thursday, April 12, 2007
    Teaching Next Semester
    By Diana Hsieh @ 8:08 PM PermaLink

    Much to my delight, on Tuesday I found out that I'll be teaching just one section of "Introduction to Philosophy" in the fall. It'll be from 12:30 to 1:45 pm with 25 or so students.

    I've not taught that course before, so I'm definitely looking forward to constructing it. As with the three sections of Ethics that I've taught over the past year, it's wholly my own class. So once again, I'll probably create my own course packet. (I'm a GTPI -- a Graduate Part-Time Instructor -- no longer in the special limbo of teaching purgatory reserved for TAs.)

    Happily, it's precisely the course that I wanted to teach. (My other alternative was to teach applied ethics (i.e. "Philosophy and Society"), but I'm pretty sick of teaching ethics. Even better, the class in the middle of the day, not at 8:00 am! I've taught at that abominably early hour both semesters this past year, meaning that I must drag myself out of bed to commute the hour to Boulder at 5 am. That's damn unnatural behavior for me. I swore that I'd teach German Phenomenology, a subject about which I know absolutely nothing, before teaching at 8 am again.

    And best of all, until just recently, I thought GTPIs taught a four course load each year of 25 - 35 students each class. So I thought I only taught a single section last semester because it was my first semester teaching. However, as it turns out, we only have a three course load each year, so I'll always have one semester of teaching just one course. That's delightful news!

    As an aside, we're supposed to get about a foot of snow over the next 24 hours. Seriously.

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    Wednesday, April 11, 2007
    Socialized Medicine in Colorado -- An Open Letter to Colorado Physicians
    By Paul @ 12:01 AM PermaLink

    Socialized Medicine in Colorado -- An Open Letter to Colorado Physicians
    by Paul S. Hsieh, MD; paulhsiehmd@gmail.com

    Dear Colleagues:

    My name is Dr. Paul Hsieh, and I am a physician practicing in the south Denver metro area.

    I am deeply concerned that socialized medicine may be imposed on Colorado by our state legislature within the next year or so under the guise of "comprehensive health care reform". I'm morally opposed to this because I believe it would be destructive to our medical practices and harmful to our patients. I'd like your help now in speaking out against this ominous prospect.

    The political process which could lead to socialized medicine is already underway, but most working physicians I've spoken with have been unaware of it. Hence, I want to sound the alarm before it's too late.

    As some of you may know, in June 2006 the Colorado state legislature authorized a special 24-person Commission (called the "208 Commission" after Senate bill SB208) to generate proposals to restructure the health care system in Colorado, and submit them for legislative approval. The Commissioners were chosen by politicians from both political parties. Currently, there are only two doctors on the 208 Commission; the other 22 are representatives of various special interest groups.

    The basic premise of the 208 Commission is that the government must guarantee health care for all Coloradoans. During their public meetings, a significant number of the Commissioners have expressed support for some form of socialized medicine. Although they frequently use euphemisms such as "single payer" or "universal mandatory coverage", similar language has been used in other US states and in other countries to justify massive government control of medicine.

    Simultaneously, the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) has developed an official position in which they urged that health care in Colorado should be "universal, continuous, portable, and mandatory".

    On January 25, 2007, the CMS submitted those "Guiding Principles" to the 208 Commission, portraying them as the consensus of the doctors of Colorado. They have also stated that the "CMS believes, after extensive vetting and a unanimous vote at the 2006 House of Delegates, that the Guiding Principles represent a compelling consensus of Colorado physicians".

    When I first learned of this, I was angered and appalled, because that position does not reflect my views or the views of many other physicians that I've spoken with. The CMS does not speak for me on this issue, and I am not part of this "compelling consensus".

    I completely oppose any form of socialized medicine, regardless of whether it is called "single payer", "mandatory universal coverage", or anything else, because I believe it would be bad for both patients and doctors. Years of experience in the US and other countries have shown that these programs will hurt patients and even cause their deaths. As costs inevitably spiral upward, bureaucrats will ration medical services. Eventually, physicians will be forced to practice against their best medical judgment. This is a violation of the fundamental rights of both doctors and patients.

    As a result, in states like Tennessee (which in 1994 implemented its own version of mandatory universal coverage called TennCare), many doctors find the practice climate intolerable and are either leaving the state or quitting medicine entirely. I do not want that to happen in Colorado. States like Massachusetts and California, which are also attempting to guarantee universal health care for their residents, will soon face similar problems.

    Although I agree that there are genuine problems with the current system, more government interference in medicine can only make things worse. One basic principle we all learned in medical school was, "First, do no harm". This applies as well to politics as it does to clinical practice. Most of the problems of the current system have been the result of bad government policies. Adding more government bureaucrats to the mix will only make things worse.

    In my opinion, it is not the government's role to guarantee health care for all Coloradoans, any more than it is the government's job to guarantee all citizens a car or a job. It is morally wrong and economically unsustainable. Doctors and patients ought to be able to freely contract for medical services to their mutual benefit without interference from the government. It is precisely the attempts by the governments in Canada and Great Britain (or states like Tennessee) to guarantee universal "cradle-to-grave" coverage that has led to the runaway costs and rapidly deteriorating health care in those places.

    I recognize that not everyone will agree with me here, and this is part of my point. This is a very contentious issue amongst doctors. Based on my discussions with numerous physicians, I don't think one can accurately say that there is a "compelling consensus" of the doctors of Colorado.

    So if you oppose socialized medicine on the grounds of medical conscience (as I do), then please contact the Colorado Medical Society and the 208 Commission, and let them know where you stand.

    Even a one line e-mail like, "I oppose universal, mandatory coverage or any other form of socialized medicine, because it will be bad for me and my patients", could have a tremendous impact.

    To contact the relevant members of the CMS and the 208 Commission go to: http://tinyurl.com/2y9t4f or send mail to 208Commission@coloradofoundation.org.

    The CMS is speaking in your name on this issue, so if you disagree with their position (or if you believe that their position should not be portrayed as the physician "consensus"), then they need to know. The CMS has requested feedback from doctors including those who disagree with their current position, so I urge you to take them up on this.

    The 208 Commission is a public body, and has also asked for input from all citizens of Colorado. So if you want to protect your right to practice good medicine and protect your patients' best interests, they need to hear from you before they submit their proposals to the state legislature for a vote.

    For further information about this issue, one excellent resource is the website www.WeStandFIRM.org, a non-profit group of Coloradoans devoted to freedom and individual rights in medicine. I especially recommend their article, "Health Care is Not a Right" by Dr. Leonard Peikoff. If you wish to stay informed on this topic, I also encourage you to sign up for their mailing list or read their blog.

    Also, please feel free to forward this open letter to any other Colorado physicians that may be interested. A copy of this letter is also available online at: http://www.WeStandFIRM.org/docs/Hsieh-01.html.

    Sincerely,
    Paul S. Hsieh, MD
    E-mail: paulhsiehmd@gmail.com

    Disclaimer: I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat, but an independent voter. My objections to socialized medicine are unrelated to party politics.

    --------------------

    References:

    I've listed some references for those who want more information. These are optional resources for those who want to learn more about these topics, but not required reading. (I do not necessarily endorse every item in full):

    "Health Care is Not a Right" (HTML format or PDF format):
    [Online essay] This brilliant essay was written by Dr. Leonard Peikoff, a philosophy PhD living in Colorado Springs. The original version was written in the 1990's after Hillary Clinton proposed her infamous national health care plan, and has been updated by Lin Zinser and Dr. Peikoff for 2007. He argues that a "right" to health care does not exist and that any attempt to create one necessarily leads to disaster, because it runs antithetical to the genuine rights that were recognized and codified in the Constitution by the American Founding Fathers.

    "A Short Course in Brain Surgery":
    [Video] This astounding 5-minute video tells the story of an Ontario man with a brain tumor who couldn't get the care he needed under the Canadian system because the waiting lists for an MRI scan and for a neurosurgeon were too long. Fortunately, he was able to get appropriate treatment in Buffalo, NY.

    "Health Insurance in the United States"
    [Online article] This informative article covers the development of the U.S. health insurance system and its growth in the twentieth century, including the development of Medicare and Medicaid. It also examines the role of government policy in setting the stage for nationalized health care.

    "The History of Health Care Costs and Health Insurance":
    [Online article] This report was written by Linda Gorman, who is a health-care economist at the Independence Institute in Golden, CO. In this article, she covers the history of spiraling health care costs and government control of medical care, and shows how bad laws and other government interference in medicine have led to the current problems. She also offers some positive market-based alternatives to socialized medicine which have been proven to simultaneously increase patient outcomes and decrease costs, including Health Savings Accounts (HSA's), insurance deregulations, etc.

    "Your Doctor Is Not In: Healthy Skepticism About National Health Care":
    [Book] This book by Jane Orient, MD, is an illuminating and provocative analysis of the immorality and impracticality of government interference in medicine in general, and single-payer systems in particular. Dr. Orient is the Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

    "The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care":
    [Book] This book was written by Dr. David Gratzer, a physician who has practiced in both the US and Canada, and has first-hand experience with the pros and cons of both countries' medical systems. His documentation of the long waiting lists in Canada and the higher mortality rates for treatable conditions is chilling. He also provides excellent historical background on how health insurance became linked to employee benefits as a result of bad IRS policies, with all the resultant problems. His basic conclusion is that capitalism, not socialism, is the way to address the problems. He offers a number of practical, concrete proposals to fix our current problems, all of which are based on decreasing government interference in medicine.

    Podcast interview of Dr. David Gratzer at Instapundit.com:
    [Podcast] A 30 minute interview by Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit.com with Dr. Gratzer on the problems and solutions to America's health care problems.

    "Universal Health Care -- Call It Socialized Medicine":
    [Online essay] Lawrence Huntoon, MD, PhD, discusses why "universal health care" is synonymous with "socialized medicine". He also observes:
    Indeed, "universal coverage," nationalized health care, or socialized medicine, regardless of what you choose to call it, is not the same as medical care. All of the citizens of Canada, for instance, have "universal coverage." What they often don't have, however, is the medical care that they need when they need it. That is why we see Canadians crossing the border into the United States in droves to obtain the health care that they can't get when they need it in their own country. Their government rations access to health care and thus attempts to control costs by making MRI scans, radiation oncology, bypass surgeries and many other health services largely unavailable to their own people.
    Dr. Huntoon is a former president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and is a practicing neurologist in New York state.

    "Universal Health Care's Dirty Little Secret":
    [Online article] Trying to provide universal coverage doesn't actually result in better care, just rationing.

    "No 'Crisis' of Uninsured":
    [Online article] Rocky Mountain News columnist Mike Rosen debunks the myth that there is a "vast army of people... who are permanently unable to obtain health insurance".

    "Why Are Health Costs Rising?":
    [Online article] A nice short analysis on why health care costs have risen so much. Again, the basic problem is government interference in normal market mechanisms. As anyone who has bought a cell phone or a DVD player recently knows, the natural course of the marketplace is higher quality goods for lower prices over time. Even in the medical field, this has been the pattern in LASIK and cosmetic surgery, i.e., in the types of medical care where patients pay for themselves and are therefore incentivized to be prudent shoppers.

    "