Flint for Dreams

A new format for Scientific Papers

Paul — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:14:47 +0000

Bret Victor, the original UI designer for the Ipad, has come up with a great way to visualize scientific papers and bring them to life with code.

Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc (BRLI) - A Case Study for Penny Stocks

Paul — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:26:30 +0000

Bio Reference Labs was started in December of 1981 and remained a penny stock for 20+ years, when in 2001-2002 it started to break into the $5 range, after being in the 50cent range for years. The stock is now worth $20 today. Part of the stocks' success is no doubt due the hard work, burning vision, and effort of its founder and still President/CEO Dr. Marc D. Grodman, M.D., who was and still is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and Assistant Attending Physician at Presbyterian Hospital, New York City.

What is the lesson for penny stock success?
Bio Reference Labs teaches two lessons. The first is that success with penny stock investing tends to involve years of patience, and the other is that it often needs a dedicated founder who can see it through. I would likely invest in BRLI, except that I often take issue with these lab diagnostic companies, who are either regulated into not being transparent, or choose not to be. You go to the doctor to get your blood tested, later they bill you. The process is not obvious how much you will be billed. Things need to change. I hope BRLI is working towards that change.

Edit: BRLI owns Care Evolve, which seeks to modernize medical offices and make the whole process more transparent. May they succeed.

Conferences on the Biology of Aging

Paul — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 02:30:07 +0000

Thanks to John Furber at Legendary Pharma for this list.

Gordon Research Conference on Aging, Biology of
"The Genetic, Epigenetic, Inflammatory, and Metabolic Origins of Aging"
February 12-17, 2012, Ventura Beach Marriott, Ventura, California

http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2012&program=aging

Chairs: Nir Barzilai, James L. Kirkland & Heidi Scrable
( Note: An affiliated Gordon Research Seminar for graduate students and postdocs will take place on the preceding two days. Separate registration is required.
http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2012&program=grs_aging )

Stem Cell Research and Aging
March 1-2, 2012, Buck Institute, Novato, California

http://symposium.buckinstitute.org/

Organizers: Brian Kennedy, Lisa Ellerby, Victoria Lunyak, Thomas A. Rando, Alan O. Trounson
Early bird registration discount before 31 January 2012.

Gordon Research Conference on Autophagy in Stress, Development & Disease
"Autophagy - A Universal Biomedical Paradigm"
March 11-16, 2012, Four Points Sheraton / Holiday Inn Express, Ventura, California

http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2012&program=autophagy

Chairs: Vojo Deretic & Sharon A. Tooze
( Note: An affiliated Gordon Research Seminar for graduate students and postdocs will take place on the preceding two days. Separate registration is required.
http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2012&program=grs_auto )

Third International Fascia Research Congress
March 28-30, 2012, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

http://www.fasciacongress.org/2012/conference-program-new/

Experimental Biology 2012 (FASEB)
April 21-25, 2012, San Diego Convention Center, California
www.experimentalbiology.org/

Genetics of Aging and Longevity
April 22-25, 2012, Moscow, Russia
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Gerontological Society of Russian Academy of Science
International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (European Region)
Early registration by 1 Dec 2011. Abstracts by 1 Feb 2012.

http://aging-genes.ru/

American Aging Association 41st Annual Meeting
"Interventions Now: Targets, Tactics and Timing"
June 1-4, 2012, Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel, 200 Main Street, Fort Worth , Texas
Meeting Chair: Michael Forster, PhD
Abstracts deadline: 14 March 2012.

http://www.americanaging.org/

Gordon Research Conference on Lysosomes & Endocytosis
June 17-22, 2012, Proctor Academy, Andover, NH
Chair: Michael Marks Vice Chair: Beverly Wendland

http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2012&program=lysosomes

Harvard/Paul F. Glenn Symposium on Aging
June 18, 2012, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

http://medapps.med.harvard.edu/agingresearch/

(Free Registration)

OCC World Congress - Oxygen Club of California and University of Turin Joint meeting
"Oxidants and Antioxidants in Biology and Medicine: Cell Signaling and Nutrient-Gene Interactions"
June 20-23, 2012, Alba, Italy,
Organizer: Giuseppe Poli giuseppe.poli@unito.it

http://www.oxyclubcalifornia.org/OCC/upcoming_meetings.php

http://dott-mts.campusnet.unito.it/do/home.pl

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory meeting on Aging
"The Molecular Genetics of Aging"
October 9-13, 2012, New York
Organizers: Steven Austad, Judith Campisi, David Sinclair,
Abstract Deadline: July 27, 2012

http://meetings.cshl.edu/meetings/aging12.shtml

Gerontological Society of America
65th Annual Scientific Meeting
November 14-18, 2012, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California

http://www.geron.org/

Abstracts deadline: 15 March 2012.
"Late Breaker" Poster Abstracts are due 15 September 2012.

Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President by Ron Suskind

Paul — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:22:38 +0000

Well, what can be said about Confidence Men by Ron Suskind? It feels like a documentary with an overt biased angle, but still does provide some insight in the financial crisis, the subsequent bailout, and Obama's presidency. It is an issue which is easy to pick at. However, Suskind seems to draw more on emotions and vague situations that clarity and hard facts, statistics, and so on. Suskind's writing style is also very unique, he gives you the impression of being the fly on the wall, to tell it like it is. Well, just to show you, I will now write the rest of this review in Suskindian style.

[ start suskind ]
Rom Suskind had to do something, he knew he had to write, he had to write a book. But a book about what? That was the question. What hot button issue could Ron write about? Critics had wondered for ages what Ron would write about and now, Ron was deciding. He decided to write about the financial crises and the bailout. Yes, no one understood that issue well, and Ron could write about it. That is what Ron did, he wrote about the crises, and politics, and Obama. He used a keyboard and typed it. That is what he did. After that, he went on a promotional tour to sell the book, The Daily Show, and other shows like that. He wanted to sell copies of his book. So he did a promotional tour, and copies sold. Ron Suskind made money from his book. That is what happened. Obama just stood by while Ron Suskind made money from his book. Obama didn't even try to stop him. Is it even legal to make money from a book like that? At least, that is what Ron Suskind did. And that is the story of Ron Suskind's book: Confidence Men.
[ / end suskind ]

California: A History by Kevin Star

Paul — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:22:38 +0000

California: A History by Kevin Star is a book which covers the history of California including the discovery and settlement by the Spanish up to the recent governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The book covers the boom of California, how it grew to be one of the largest economies in the world, and several of the problems it may face in dealing with its growth and diversity. My own experience living in San Francisco California contradicts a lot of what this book asserts and I can not completely agree with the general tone or feel of the work.

The book does, however, give a report of how California came to be, and while it may not be very compelling or inspiring, is still worth a read if you care about California.

I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards

Paul — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:51:37 +0000

I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards presents an insight into how google was run as a startup that differs from the monumental "Greatest Hits" Books that represent most of the other google books I have read. The book is still very inspiring and intimate. Facing a mid-life crises, it is great to watch how Doug turns from being a big company guy to a start-up guy, then leaving Google when it became a big company, though he had millions of dollars from stock options to help with a new journey.

Douglas is an English major and his writing is excellent. This is a great book. To get a feel for the content read this interview with him on Amazon.com.

Purple Cow by Seth Godin

Paul — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:21:16 +0000

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin states that the best marketing is built into the product, stimulating word of mouth. While it is a good book, it makes many assertions about effective advertising without the data to back it. In a way, Seth is selling you on his theory. That said, there are many good insights and ideas in this book that might stimulate you to think outside the box when creating or marketing a new product.

The key points from the book are:

Don't be boring
Safe is risky
Design rules now
"Very good" is "bad": ie, The opposite of remarkable is "very good" since "very good" is the expectation.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Paul — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:11:21 +0000

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller is a well written book, and Helen Keller is no doubt a literary genius. The book also reveals what the world must be like for the deaf and blind and Helen shows readers a new world of deep sensuality.

I had now the key to all language, and I was eager to learn to use it. Children who hear acquire language without any particular effort; the words that fall from others' lips they catch on the wing, as it were, delightedly, while the little deaf child must trap them by a slow and often painful process. But whatever the process, the result is wonderful. Gradually from naming an object we advance step by step until we have traversed the vast distance between our first stammered syllable and the sweep of thought in a line of Shakespeare.

The book also discusses Helen's disillusionment with University and higher education, as well as the importance of her teacher and friends in her life. The book is a good read, though it does tend to run long at times.

New Miss India by Bharati Mukherjee

Paul — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:34:42 +0000

New Miss India by Bharati Mukherjee is an inside look at what it must be like to be a village girl in India fleeing arranged marriage in a small Indian town for a call center job in booming Bangalore (the Silicon Valley of India). The story taught me about the struggles on Indian people, and particularly Indian women. It brought to light the lack of social justice, the prevalence of corruption, organized crime, and the abandonment of traditional values in India which have good and bad consequences. I recommend this book for these insights despite the sometimes annoying or predictable scenes Mukherjee uses that are more like scenes from a movie as opposed to creative fiction.

Built to Sell as a Career Path Should be Taught in Schools

Paul — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:29:14 +0000

You look at a huge corporation and you see a way they could do something better. You spend 1 month to 2 years working to create that solution and then sell it to them, or the corporation that pays the most, for a pretty large sum of money.

This is the build to sell model of business, but why isn't it taught in schools as a career path? Instead, it often feels like everyone is just conditioned to get a job and join the work force. I think the world would be more productive with the build to sell model that can create efficiencies in the corporate world, and more wealth for employees/business people.