Non-Prophet

Steampunk Tales #1 Has Arrived

A project that I have been working on, with the help of a whole slew of wonderful people, has finally seen the light of day. Steampunk Tales strives to be the modern version of the classic pulp fiction magazine, brought to you with all kinds of retro-futuristic goodness on the iPhone. The concept from the beginning was to sell short-form exciting pulp fiction at an incredible value. Issue #1 features 10 stories, each of which run between 4,000 - 11,000 words for  $1.99(USD). I wanted to make something you could carry in your pocket and read while on line at the grocery store, during a commute or during a break at work.

We hit a bit of a rough patch during application approval. Pulp fiction inherently contains some amount of intense situations. The content typically isn't kittens wresting with balls of string. It took 5 rounds of submissions before we were approved. Asking award winning authors to change the content of their stories because they're not "rated G" enough for Apple is not a fun thing to do. Ultimately, the changes were minor and seemingly random. The application approval guidelines need to be made less ambiguous. All of us at Steampunk Tales eagerly await the release of iPhone OS 3.0 which will include parental controls. These controls should make approval of future editions of our e-zine a breeze. Future editions of Steampunk Tales will be released monthly.

Steampunk Tales:

Steampulp Publishing LLC has released the world's first electronic pulp fiction magazine created exclusively for iPhone and iPod Touch! Emulating the style of the pulp adventure magazines of the 1920s and '30s, Steampunk Tales contains first-run, original fiction written by an A+ list of award-winning authors. Issue #1 contains 10 stories, each running between 4,300 to 11,000 words, for the unbelievable price of only $1.99. Authors contributing to issue #1 include Jay Lake, Catherynne M. Valente, SatyrPhil Brucato and G.D. Falksen. The cover art was painted by popular artist Melita "missmonster" Curphy.

www.steampunktales.com
Here is some info of what is in the first issue: link
Buy it here on the iPhone App Store.

Musk Deer

This guy is about the coolest animal in the world. Looking like something that God created with Photoshop, the musk deer looks to be part rabbit, part kangaroo and part deer. Throw in -- just for fun -- a pair of gigantic fangs and call it good. ;)

Wikipedia:

Musk deer are artiodactyls of the genus Moschus, the only genus of family Moschidae. They are more primitive than the cervids, or true deer, in not having antlers or facial glands, in having only a single pair of teats, and in possessing a gall bladder, a caudal gland, a pair of tusk-like teeth and—of particular economic importance to humans—a musk gland. Moschids live mainly in forested and alpine scrub habitats in the mountains of southern Asia.

Causes of Aging

I'm lead to wonder why it is that I'm getting older. What is going on here exactly, and what can I do about it? As it turns out, nobody knows for sure.

Wikipedia:

At present, the biological basis of aging is unknown. Most scientists agree that substantial variability exists in the rates of aging across different species, and that this to a large extent is genetically based. In model organisms and laboratory settings, researchers have been able to demonstrate that selected alterations in specific genes can extend lifespan (quite substantially in nematodes, less so in fruit flies, and even less in mice). Nevertheless, even in the relatively simple organisms, the mechanism of aging remain to be elucidated. Because the lifespan of even the simple lab mouse is around 3 years, very few experiments directly test specific aging theories (most of the evidence for the ones listed below is correlative).

The National Institute on Aging currently funds an intervention testing program, whereby investigators nominate compounds (based on specific molecular aging theories) to have evaluated with respect to their effects on lifespan and age-related biomarkers in outbred mice [30]. Previous age-related testing in mammals has proved largely irreproducible, because of small numbers of animals, and lax mouse husbandry conditions. The intervention testing program aims to address this by conducting parallel experiments at three internationally recognized mouse aging-centers, the Barshop Institute at UTHSCSA, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the Jackson Lab. While the hypotheses below reflect some of the current direction in biological aging research, none of them is accepted as a "theory" in the sense of the "theory of gravity" or "theory of relativity".

Telomere Theory
Telomeres (structures at the ends of chromosomes) have experimentally been shown to shorten with each successive cell division. Shortened telomeres activate a mechanism that prevents further cell multiplication. This may be an important mechanism of aging in tissues like bone marrow and the arterial lining where active cell division is necessary. Importantly though, mice lacking telomerase do not show a dramatically reduced lifespan, as the simplest version of this theory would predict.

Reproductive-Cell Cycle Theory
The idea that aging is regulated by reproductive hormones that act in an antagonistic pleiotropic manner via cell cycle signaling, promoting growth and development early in life in order to achieve reproduction, but later in life, in a futile attempt to maintain reproduction, become dysregulated and drive senescence (dyosis). At the same time, castrated animals, although living somewhat longer, still experience senescence, even in the absence of reproductive hormones.

Wear-and-Tear Theory
The very general idea that changes associated with aging are the result of chance damage that accumulates over time.

Somatic Mutation Theory
The biological theory that aging results from damage to the genetic integrity of the body’s cells.

Error Accumulation Theory
The idea that aging results from chance events that escape proof reading mechanisms, which gradually damages the genetic code.

Evolutionary Theories
See Theories of aging in Senescence. These are by far the most theoretical; however, their usefulness is somewhat limited as they do not provide readily testable biochemically based interventions.

Accumulative-Waste Theory
The biological theory of aging that points to a buildup of cells of waste products that presumably interferes with metabolism.

Autoimmune Theory
The idea that aging results from an increase in autoantibodies that attack the body's tissues. A number of diseases associated with aging, such as atrophic gastritis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, are probably autoimmune in this way. While inflammation is very much evident in old mammals, even SCID mice in SPF colonies still senescence.

Aging-Clock Theory
The theory that aging results from a preprogrammed sequence, as in a clock, built into the operation of the nervous or endocrine system of the body. In rapidly dividing cells the shortening of the telomeres would provide just such a clock. This idea is indirect contradiction with the Evolutionary Based Theory of Aging.

Cross-Linkage Theory
The idea that aging results from accumulation of cross-linked compounds that interfere with normal cell function.

Free-Radical Theory
The idea that free radicals (unstable and highly reactive organic molecules, also named reactive oxygen species or oxidative stress) create damage that gives rise to symptoms we recognize as aging.

Mitohormesis
It has been known since the 1930s that restricting calories while maintaining adequate amounts of other nutrients prevents aging across a broad range of organism. Recently, Michael Ristow has shown that this delay of aging is due to increased formation of free radicals within the mitochondria causing a secondary induction of increased antioxidant defence capacity.

Sixth Sense

This is really pretty amazing when you think about it. The simplicity and potential applications are astounding. Watch to the end, it is worth it.

Quena Flute

I bought a really nice professional quena flute last year while I was visiting the Peruvian amazon. The quena flute is a beautiful sounding instrument that is very popular in the Andes. After initially becoming frustrated with being able to play it I gave it a rest for about a year. I've picked it up again and I've managed to get farther down the road toward quena deliciousness. It's a difficult instrument to play well. The low "G" is very difficult to sound, the sound holes are large and difficult to cover appropriately. The second octave is played by hitting the flute with a short burst that makes it resonate an octave up, but doing this on some notes is not all that easy. I'm making progress. The quena is cool in that it is convenient to play while hiking or sitting on the porch.

Here is an example of what it sounds like.

Worm Therapy

I've been telling people for years that the next diet craze should be tapeworms. These folks have beaten me to the punch with a whole range of therapies based on intentionally becoming a host for parasitic worms. Check it out. (thanks Drew!)

link

Welcome to Worm Therapy People with diseases of immune dysregulation face a host of challenges which are inadequately represented in the established medical climate. Our company understands the constant fear of flare-up or exacerbation, the uncertainty of disease progression, and the life-disrupting efforts to avoid triggers. Extensive research and clinical trials have demonstrated that the introduction of small doses of intestinal worms may be effective in the treatment of asthma, allergies, and some autoimmune conditions. Our company is dedicated to providing these therapies. Note: The use of hookworm or tapeworm to modulate the immune system is an experimental therapy that has not been approved by any governmental body for the treatment, diagnosis, cure or prevention of disease. The information provided by Wormtherapy.com is intended as a starting point for you and your physician. The burden is on you to understand the medical and legal risks you are taking when considering these therapies.