Is there an autism epidemic?

Los Angeles skyline
Credit: Stephen Wiltshire — an artist recognised as being on the autistic spectrum. More images at http://izismile.com/2011/03/07/autistic_artist_draws_complex_images_from_memory_19_pics.html

Is there an autism epidemic?

Short answer: “No.”

Slightly longer answer: In recent times, “autism”, has been recognised as the extreme end of a spectrum of conditions, including Asperger’s & “Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.” Any perceived epidemic is a result of broadening the definition. Adults at the extreme mild end of the spectrum may be simply seen as, “focused”. The stereotypical, “absent minded professor”, has been suggested as on the autistic spectrum^1,2.

Longer answer: http://www.wired.com/2015/08/neurotribes-with-steve-silberman/?mbid=nl_82015
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¹ “Asperger’s Syndrome”, http://www.brainhe.com/staff/types/Aspergerssyndrometext.html

² "Did Einstein & Newton Have Asperger’s Syndrome?", http://www.autism-help.org/points-%20aspergers-einstein-newton.htm / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one in 68 children in the US on the autism spectrum autism epidemic the human experience NeuroTribes The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity recognize autistic people helped shape the modern world Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger early work on autism Asperger’s conception of autism subset of humanity accelerated the evolution of science and technology hidden thread in the weave of culture not just a childhood disorder discovering autism Leo Kanner autism childhood psychosis caused by bad parenting refrigerator mothers /

Australian innovator cracks tyre recycling conundrum

Tyre fire
Credit: http://www.express.co.uk/

World tyre production is expected to reach 3.3 billion units this year¹. A few years down the track, this becomes a major environmental problem:

● when dumped, including burial, leaching will release zinc, chromium, lead, copper, cadmium & sulphur²
● fire hazard — a tyre fire is difficult to extinguish & may burn for years³
● burning tyres release, “dark, thick smoke that contains carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, & products of butadiene & styrene”⁴

Green Distillation Technologies, an unlisted public company in Australia, has developed a process which converts tyres back into the carbon, oil & steel used in their manufacture. No mention of the other chemicals used in manufacture in the article linked below, although the article specifically claims, “without producing emissions”.

http://www.brw.com.au/p/entrepreneurs/aussie_innovator_cracks_tyre_recycling_COyG96PgOrPR0gyVsNCzQL?eid=cpc:nnn-14omn2225-optim-nnn:outbrain-outbrain_paid-dom-displayad-nnn-brw-nnn&campaign_code=15caf011&promote_channel=sem&utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=paid%20outbrain
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¹ “Global Demand For Tires To Reach 3.3 Billion Units In 2015”, http://www.rubberworld.com/RWmarket_report.asp?id=750

² “Dumped on”, http://www.theguardian.com/society/2002/may/15/environment.waste

³ “The Hugest Tire Fires in History”, http://thmirror.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/the-hugest-tire-fires-in-history.html

⁴ “Tire fire”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_fire / Australian company world-first method recycling tyres raise capital overseas local investors green technology current political climate Green Distillation Technologies open its first plant central NSW committed building second plant regional Tasmania GDT unlisted public company commercialise innovation converts tyres carbon oil steel Australia produces 24 million end-of-life tyres every year burnt buried dumped GDT chief executive Craig Dunn recycle tyres small percentage crumbled synthetic grass dealing with tyres landfill exported brick or cement kilns burnt raw tyres emit toxic fumes burned huge stockpiles environmental disaster caught fire land planning permissions build recycling plant Stawell funding constructing recycling plant Longford, Tasmania stockpile tyres provide employment plant Warren NSW capacity recycle pilot projects commercially capable plant testing secure investment test facility recycling process converts tyres 40 per cent carbon 35 per cent oil 15 per cent steel by weight sell final products steel sell oil carbon Denis Randall Carbon Black Investments raised $14 million private equity sources recycling plants build tyre recycling plants USA sovereign risk green sector renewable energy funds carbon footprint renewable energy trade penalty Clean Energy Finance Commission Australian Renewable Energy Agency tyre recycling CEFC investment mandate financing projects environmental benefit /

Titanic — what really happened

Credit: Kevin Gómez Rodríguez/YouTube / RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage, early in the morning of 15 April 1912. collide collision colliding iceberg maiden voyage Southampton UK New York City USA sinking loss of more than 1,500 passengers crew maritime disaster Titanic largest ship afloat Olympic class ocean liners White Star Line built Harland and Wolff shipyard Belfast Thomas Andrews naval architect maiden voyage carried 2,224 passengers and crew command Edward Smith ship's passengers emigrants Great Britain Ireland Scandinavia Europe North America high-power radiotelegraph transmitter passenger marconigram advanced safety features watertight compartments remotely activated watertight doors not enough lifeboats outdated maritime safety regulations leave Southampton 10 April 1912 Newfoundland hit an iceberg collision ship's hull plates buckle inwards starboard side opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea ship gradually filled with water passengers and crew members evacuated in lifeboats women and children first officers loading lifeboats 2:20 a.m. broke apart foundered Titanic foundered Cunard liner RMS Carpathia arrived /

Can domestic cats make you crazy?

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan which is capable of infecting all mammals, although its primary host (i.e. the host in which it can reproduce sexually) is the cat family. Any cat: lion, cheetah, etc., & unfortunately, domestic cats. In humans, it has been associated with schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, suicide attempts, risk taking, & increased rates of traffic accidents.



http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/05/08/3754543.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3515034/ / free will choose to do our own decision infected parasite pregnant immunocompromised infection infection change normal behavior increase chance chances schizophrenia suicide parasite is Toxoplasma gondii toxo T. gondii infects warm-blooded mammals survive in any creature complete its cycle of life reproduce sexually gut of a cat tabby infect any cat lion infected cat poo 100 million toxo eggs eggs can survive for more than a year eggs kitty litter box rat gut invades various target cells around the body muscle brain cells cells immune system dendritic cells travel around the body attack by the rat's immune system cross blood-brain barrier invade brain cells blood-brain barrier inside protective cysts specifically infects brain cells related to fear sexual pleasure dopamine hormone of pleasure reward run away smell of cat urine aversion to cat urine sexually reproduce remarkably specific behaviour toxo humans mild flu-like illness indulge in risky behaviour transplant surgeons motorbike riders infected with toxo cysts Army of Czech Republic vehicle drivers infected have six times as many accidents contributing factor several hundred thousand road deaths each year US Army blood samples soldiers for decades double chance diagnosed with schizophrenia significant increase in suicide rates infectious diseases brain nervous system /

Samsung’s 16TB SSD — world’s largest hard drive

Credit: Samsung/PCWorld

Using its new 48-layer, 3-bit V-NAND technology, Samsung has doubled the density of its current flash chips to 256GB. As a result, it has been able to fit 16TB of storage into a standard 2.5-inch enclosure. Expect something similar from other manufacturers soon.

http://liliputing.com/2015/08/samsung-unveils-a-16tb-solid-state-drive.html

http://www.slashgear.com/samsungs-16tb-ssd-is-the-worlds-largest-hard-drive-13396891/

With the inherent speed advantage of solid state being supplemented by progress in capacity & cost, is it too early to start questioning the future of spinning-disk hard drives? / 2.5 inch PM1633a drive designed for enterprise users super-pricey technology storage trickle down smaller cheaper drives future Samsung’s drive hold twice as much data largest 2.5 inch hard drives on the market SSDs Samsungs 256 gigabit 48-layer 3D V-NAND flash die twice the density Samsung high-capacity solid state storage Toshiba SanDisk plans 256 gigabit 48-layer NAND flash storage chips Intel Micron new 3D Xpoint technology NAND new storage technology 1,000 times faster than NAND Samsung supersize solid state storage 16TB SSD world’s largest storage drive SSD hard disk storage Seagate Western Digital Fixstars Samsung’s new drive fits within a 2.5-inch enclosure insanely large storage drives targeting the server market first flash memory server fast rated at two million input/output operations per second 3D NAND flash chips 48-layer 3-bit V-NAND technology doubled the density multi-terabyte SSDs SanDisk Toshiba release date technology trickle down consumer market storage needs /

Biggest great white shark ever filmed

Dubbed “Deep Blue”, this is reputedly the biggest great white shark ever filmed. Not necessarily the biggest great white. On the subject of size, Wikepedia says: “... mature individuals growing up to 6.4 m (21 ft) in length ...”¹



Not the biggest shark — the whale shark can be around twice the length of the great white. “The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 m (41.50 ft) & a weight of approximately 21.5 metric tons (47,000 lb) …”²


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¹ “Great white shark”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark

² “Whale shark”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark / Carcharodon carcharias Rhincodon typus filter feeder carnivore carnivorous /

Apple car — much speculation — now some documentation

An Apple car has been the subject of speculation for some time. Recently, rumors have become more frequent. Electric propulsion & autonomous driving are common suggestions. Now, there seems to be some documentary evidence.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/14/apple-self-driving-car-project-titan-sooner-than-expected

It is likely to look different than other vehilces — partly because that is generally the Apple way — & because Apple designers Jony Ive & Marc Newson hate how modern cars look.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/14/9154871/apple-marc-newson-hates-modern-car-design

http://thenextweb.com/opinion/2015/02/16/jony-ives-car-snob-shouldnt-want-design-next-ride/

Perhaps a car based on the BMW i3 will look different enough.


Credit: AutoNet

http://9to5mac.com/2015/07/24/apple-bmw-negotiations/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2015/07/29/apple-eyed-bmw-i3-as-a-design-for-electric-car-report/ / Apple building self-driving car Silicon Valley secure locations San Francisco Bay area test documents show rumoured Apple car project further along suspected engineers Apple’s secretive Special Project group met with officials GoMentum Station 2,100-acre former naval base near San Francisco high-security testing ground autonomous vehicles correspondence the Guardian public records act request Apple engineer Frank Fearon Apple declined to comment GoMentum Station old Concord naval weapons station disused second world war-era facility 20 miles of paved highways city streets closed to the public guarded by the military largest secure test facility in the world testing validation commercialization connected vehicle CV autonomous vehicles AV technologies define the next generation transportation network infrastructure Mercedes-Benz Honda experiments self-driving cars barbed-wire fences security Apple hundreds of engineers working on automotive technologies anonymous office building Sunnyvale main campus in Cupertino project Apple self-driving car almost ready for the road Jack Hall program manager autonomous vehicles GoMentum Station Fearon Apple rumoured working on a self-driving electric car codenamed Project Titan first time its existence has been documented Apple senior vice-president Jeff Williams the ultimate mobile device Apple markets Google Uber tech companies robot cars Apple chief executive Tim Cook meetings car executives poached automotive experts head of Mercedes Benz’s Silicon Valley research arm Cook Fiat-Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne BMW’s i3 electric car assembly line recruiting automotive experts Silicon Valley hiring engineers from Tesla Motors Mercedes-Benz power experts electric car battery maker A123 Systems electric motorbike Silicon Valley start-up Lit Motors build autonomous robotic paraglider Georgia Institute of Technology testing grounds layout photos Apple test vehicles realistic everyday situations Google Tesla Volkswagen Mercedes-Benz other carmakers issued permits California department of motor vehicles test self-driving cars state’s public roads disclosing technical and commercial details notoriously secretive Apple non-disclosure agreement with Apple Randy Iwasaki executive director Contra Costa Transportation Authority owner of GoMentum Station Apple’s obsession with secrecy engineers Apple’s Special Projects group documents Apple’s automotive team lab workshop spaces beefed-up security access card readers testing secure location trialling driverless cars Honda memorandum of understanding begin testing Japanese automaker self-driving version RLX saloon development engineers Tesla Motors armed soldiers refused high security /