Fasting reverses diabetes in mice

Credit: American Pregnancy Association

Diet has long been associated with a range of health benefits, including longevity, reduced heart disease, protection against Alzheimer's, weight control (obviously)^1,2,3 & even a reduced murder rate.⁴

A new study appears to demonstrate that intermittent fasting can reverse type 1 & type 2 diabetes.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation – “Fasting diet could regenerate pancreas & reverse diabetes, researchers say”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-26/fasting-diet-could-reverse-diabetes-and-regenerate-the-pancreas/8304426

BBC – “Fasting diet ‘regenerates diabetic pancreas’”
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-39070183
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¹ “Increasing lifespan & healthspan through diet”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/07/increasing-lifespan-healthspan-through.html

² “Alzheimer’s – can we prevent it?”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/08/alzheimers-can-we-prevent-it.html

³ “How too much fat & sugar + too little fibre is making us sick”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-too-much-fat-sugar-too-little-fibre_23.html

⁴ “Does eating salmon lower the murder rate?”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2014/08/does-eating-salmon-lower-murder-rate.html / fast fasting diet regenerate pancreas reverse diabetes researchers fasting diet regenerate pancreas potentially reverse diabetes researchers have found US study published scientific journal Cell tested modified version the fasting-mimicking diet FMD mice human cells findings showed cycles diet regenerate pancreatic cells restore insulin production type 1 diabetes patients reverse both type 1 and 2 diabetes mice Dr Valter Longo University of Southern California findings potentially very exciting cures cure type 1 and type 2 diabetes type 1 diabetes type 2 diabetes Dr Longo FMD regenerate other organs research shown similar effects for blood cells extreme diets with very specific compositions can trigger self repair and regeneration processes mouse possibly humans Dr Longo challenges side-effects fasting in humans team developed modified low-calorie low-protein low-carbohydrate high-fat four-day FMD diet caused changes levels specific growth factors glucose ketone bodies reduced blood glucose pre-diabetic patients mice FMD improved glucose tolerance insulin tolerance diet pancreas control blood sugar levels restoring organ reverse symptoms diabetes diet regenerate pancreas reprogramming cells into beta cells make insulin study cycles FMD promote generation insulin-producing cells pancreatic cells replicate extremely low rate adult pancreas tissue regeneration solution cell depletion loss of insulin secretion stem cell transplantation FMD cycles rescued mice late-stage type 2 diabetes restoring insulin secretion reducing insulin resistance major improvement in the mice's survival Do not try this at home potentially ground-breaking findings Dr Longo warned people not to take up a fasting diet without consulting a doctor should not be done at home self-made diets should be done under medical supervision next step carry out clinical trials on humans patients to speak to their doctor before trying this at home /

Do you really need this shit? – Amazon Contemplate forces you to think twice about your purchases

Does your credit card balance bear the scars of impulsive online purchases?

Amazon Contemplate is a Chrome extension that just may help.


Amazon Contemplate in action, saving another credit card from a fate worse than, exactly the same as, debt
Credit: maxdore123/Chrome web store

LifeHacker – “Amazon Contemplate Forces You To Think Twice About Your Amazon Purchases”
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/02/amazon-contemplate-forces-you-to-think-twice-about-your-amazon-purchases/

Get the extension at:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/amazon-contemplate/cepclempoeggcpgbmomhpalbcekpnccl

Is your credit card debt more than you are comfortable with? Psychological studies show that people are, in general, more likely to spend, & even pay more for the same item, when credit is available.

Psychology Today – “Why We Overspend With Credit”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/retail-therapy/201306/why-we-overspend-credit

Many financial advisers suggest cutting up your credit card(s).

LearnVest – “I Cut Up My Credit Cards – & Paid Off $30,000”
https://www.learnvest.com/2013/03/i-cut-up-my-credit-cards-and-paid-off-30000/

Your first thought may be, “But what about online purchases?” Well that's the point of the extension – online purchases can lead to buying shit you don't really need. Way round this is, rather than literally cutting up your credit card, go to your financial institution, close your credit card account, & replace it with a debit card. This is equally acceptable to online stores & you’re spending your own money, rather than getting (further) into debt. / Chrome extension Amazon Contemplate impulse buy credit card debt bankrupt bankruptcy convenient buy just budget site too tempting Amazon Contemplate Chrome extension forces you to wait 30 seconds before you make an Amazon purchase pops up click add something to your cart asks if you really want to buy you're thinking about buying close tab save your cash wait for it to timeout proceed with your purchase annoying that's the point if you have a hard time resisting Amazon this tool helps habit thinking about your spending link below think before you spend impulse control self control what about online purchases responsible adult credit cards financial instrument more convenient carry and use than cash smooth consumption over time borrow from the future credit cards can be dangerous psychological reasons urge to pursue goals closest to completion drives people focus repaying small debts first interest rates leaving money on the table experimental research credit cards stimulate overspending willing to pay more same product using credit using cash trait-based explanations credit card premium people spend more with credit credit card premium consistently observed psychological forces that underlie less psychologically painful swipe credit card physically hand over cash Manoj Thomas colleagues spending differences tightwads chronically find spending painful spendthrifts don’t find spending painful enough smaller people were required to use credit to make purchases people were required to use cash credit anesthetize pain of paying catch up to the spending levels spendthrifts credit reduce the sting of payment also stimulates desire experiments Richard Feinberg manipulated credit card logos visible participants how much they would be willing to pay cash products Feinberg hypothetical willingness pay actual cash donations charity significantly greater credit card logos visible replicated Priya Raghubir and Joydeep Srivastava results suggest consumers have been conditioned associate credit card logos consumption exposure credit card logos stimulate craving smelling fresh cookies stimulates hunger emotional factors cognitive factors contribute credit card premium credit limits credit users benchmarks compare prices research Dilip Soman and Amar Cheema high credit limits signal future earnings potential consumers with limited credit experience expected earnings make prices seem relatively small stimulates spending Work by Carey Morewedge colleagues credit limits themselves make purchases appear small seem less expensive available credit wallet /

CSIRO: “There's no reason Australia can’t switch to 100% renewable energy”

Credit: Viagg Israele/Blogger/Google

Over the last few years, many reputable sources have claimed that a 100% renewable electricity supply is possible for Australia.^1,2,3 Now, no less an authority than Australia's premier scientific organisation, the CSIRO, has added its voice in a submission to the Senate select committee into, “Resilience of electricity infrastructure in a warming world.”

http://reneweconomy.com.au/csiro-says-australia-can-get-100-per-cent-renewable-energy-86624/
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¹ HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “A 100% renewable electricity grid is not just possible, but essential”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-100-renewable-electricity-grid-is-not.html

² HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “Short-term off-river pumped hydro energy storage to smooth sustainable energy – update”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2016/11/short-term-off-river-pumped-hydro.html

³ HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “Renewable energy is ready to supply all of Australia's electricity”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2014/07/renewable-energy-is-ready-to-supply-all.html / CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation no reason Australia can’t switch to 100% renewable energy Australian government’s chief scientific body no apparent technical impediment to reaching 100 per cent renewables national electricity grid levels of up to 30 per cent renewable energy should be considered as trivial current energy systems /

Taking your phone across international borders – update

Credit: ZDNet/Flickr

You may have read a recent post on these pages about taking your phone across international borders. Check it at:

HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech – “Why you should never take your phone out of the country”
https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2017/02/why-you-should-never-take-your-phone.html

Below, Ars Technica staff interview Ahmed Ghappour,¹ UC Hastings law professor, expert in national security & cybersecurity, on taking your phone across international borders.

“If you’re a citizen, kinda stand your ground a bit, because I’d like to see what the record is for detention.” – Professor Ahmed Ghappour

Some other ideas discussed:

Mail the phone to yourself in the country you are entering to avoid crossing the border with it.

Can you be provided with a computer & required to log into your Facebook (or other) account?



Ars Technica Live: “What to do when border officials ask for your passwords”
https://arstechnica.com/video/2017/02/ars-technica-live-what-to-do-when-border-officials-ask-for-your-passwords/

If your are a citizen of the country your are entering, your can’t be denied entry, if your can prove you are a citizen. Hower, non-citizens may find it best to give up passwords to accounts such as email & Facebook. A set of accounts created for the purpose, can give you a persona which can be handed over without compromising your privacy.

Wired – “A Guide to Getting Past Customs With Your Digital Privacy Intact”, https://www.wired.com/2017/02/guide-getting-past-customs-digital-privacy-intact/
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¹ Wikipedia: “Ahmed Ghappour”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Ghappour

/ how to encrypt your entire life in less than an hour Android password-level security without having to type the damn thing it in all the time review SanDisk new Lightning USB 3.0 iXpand Flash Drive easy transfers backups in I’ll never bring my phone on an international flight again neither should you US Customs Border Patrol agent airport how you can encrypt your entire life in less than an hour security save you physical possession your phone laptop intimidate giving up your password what happened to a US citizen returning home from abroad Sidd Bikkannavar US-born scientist NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory flew back to Houston Texas airport Customs and Border Patrol agents searched him detained release him password unlock his phone Bikkannavar phone belonged to NASA sensitive information he eventually yielded unlocked his phone legality 30 minutes phone unlocked outside of his possession apps you have on your phone email Facebook Dropbox browser Signal history of everything you’ve ever done searched everything you’ve ever said to anyone right there in those apps we should treat personal electronic data with the same care and respect as weapons-grade plutonium  dangerous long-lasting leaked no getting it back  Cory Doctorow how many potentially incriminating things police go before a judge establish probable cause warrant to search your home anyone can be grabbed on their way through customs forced hand over the full contents of their digital life Elcomsoft forensic software suck down all your photos contacts passwords email social media accounts  customers include police forces various countries militaries private security forces tools permanently archive everything there your unlocked phone If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man I would find something in them to have him hanged Cardinal Richelieu in 1641 Customs and Border Patrol succeed in getting ahold of your unlocked phone all of the people you’ve ever called emailed all the people you’re connected with on Facebook LinkedIn chances committed a serious crime have you ever taken a photo at a protest bought a controversial book Amazon vented about an encounter with a police officer information now part of your permanent record dragged out as evidence against you in court movement within government make all data from all departments available all staff at a local state federal level more places your data ends up larger hacker attack surface more vulnerable your data security breach police station result in your data ending up in the hands of hackers used against you from the shadows for the rest of your life fourth and fifth amendment rights illegal fourth amendment protects you against unreasonable search and seizure fifth amendment protects you against self-incrimination police officer stop you on the street America ask you to unlock your phone amendments strong legal ground refusing to do so US border isn’t technically the US next time you plan to cross a border leave your phone at home /

Dark side of coding

Credit: CommitStrip

More insights at: http://www.commitstrip.com/en/ / coding coder progam programme programmer programming display advertisement app apps install uninstall real quite common too much temptation in advertising advertisers don't care annoying a million people defrauding their own customers get paid profession that's only beneficial in theory in practice costs to our economy far outweigh the benefit many adblock options for mobile blocked advert servers network escape them chromecast /

Coders just rescued NASA’s Earth science data

Credit: Jamie Lyons/Wired

The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012

This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2014

It's really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2015

Signs are that Donald Trump hasn’t revised his attitude on climate change,¹ & he’s stacked his cabinet with deniers & those hostile to the environment.²

With this in mind, a group of coders took action to make NASA’s climate data safe, & track future deletions

Wired – “Diehard coders just rescued NASA’s Earth science data”
https://www.wired.com/2017/02/diehard-coders-just-saved-nasas-earth-science-data/?mbid=nl_21917_p7&CNDID=
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¹ Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “Badlands National Park deletes tweets on climate change statistics, following Donald Trump gag order”, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-25/badlands-national-park-deletes-climate-change-tweets/8211012

² The Atlantic: “The Donald Trump Cabinet Tracker”, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/trump-cabinet-tracker/510527/ / coders rescued NASA’s Earth science data coders took action to make NASA’s climate data safe UC Berkeley’s campus 200 adults Doe Library rescue federal climate data groups more than 20 cities believe Trump administration might want to disappear this data down a memory hole hackers scientists students collecting save outside government servers groups like DataRefuge Environmental Data and Governance Initiative organized Berkeley hackathon collect data from NASA’s earth sciences programs Department of Energy doing more than archiving diehard coders building robust systems monitor ongoing changes to government websites keeping track of what’s been removed learn exactly when the pruning began Tag It Bag It data collection is methodical group immediately sets web crawlers easily-copied government pages sending text Internet Archive digital library hundreds billions snapshots webpages tag more data-intensive projects pages lots links databases interactive graphics for the other group called baggers coders write custom scripts scrape complicated data sets sprawling patched together federal websites systems written piecemeal over 30 years no coherent philosophy providing data websites Daniel Roesler chief technology officer UtilityAPI volunteer guides Berkeley bagger group coder who goes by Tek download multi-satellite precipitation data NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center starting August access Goddard Earth Science Data required login totally legal digging around site DataRefuge prohibits hacking Tek found buried link old FTP server clicked started downloading data all of 2016 some 2015 non-coders hit dead-ends too 404 Page not found errors NASA’s Earth Observing System website empty databases Global Change Data Center reports archive NASA’s atmospheric CO2 datasets real problem when or why data disappeared backed it up scientists understand it better DataRefuge EDGI monitoring changes and deletions building software that can do it automatically Future Farming most advanced software builders tools they’ll need filters separate mundane updates major shake-ups explored blockchain-like systems build auditable ledgers of alterations engineers call version control how do you know if something has changed How do you know if you have the latest How do you keep track of the old stuff writing code volunteers signed build tools DataRefuge EDGI organizers movement vast decentralized network from all 50 states and Canada volunteers code tracking software archive a little bit every day group had collectively loaded 8,404 NASA DOE webpages Internet Archive covering the entirety of NASA’s earth science efforts built backdoors download 25 gigabytes from 101 public datasets scripts larger datasets finished running mood was somber still so much work to do climate change data just the tip of the iceberg Eric Kansa anthropologist manages archaeological data archiving non-profit group Open Context huge number of other datasets being threatened with cultural historical sociological information National Parks Service huge data portal contains park visitation stats GIS boundaries inventories of species computer ran scripts pull out a list everything in the portal working his way through each quirky dataset /

Why you should never take your phone out of the country

Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Update 14 November 2019: Bloomberg: “U.S. Border Agents Can’t Randomly Search Phones, Judge Rules", https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-12/u-s-judge-blocks-suspicionless-searches-of-phones-at-borders?cmpid=BBD111319_BIZ&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=191113&utm_campaign=bloombergdaily

Linked below is an article about your undefined status at international borders. Included is a story about a US born scientist, returning to the United States, effectively imprisoned by US Customs, until he agreed to unlock his phone & allow customs agents to take it away for inspection. This despite the fact that he informed them that the phone belonged to NASA & contained sensitive information.

Welcome home!

Given the circumstances above, how secure are the contents of your phone at international boundaries?

Actually, there is a way around this, but it is far from convenient – the data on your phone is probably backed up in the cloud – do a factory reset before customs, & then reload everything on the other side.

I did warn you it wouldn’t be convenient :(

Both Android & iPhones back up data to the cloud by default. If yours isn’t doing this, set it up now!

Make sure you encrypt your phone, & that you have a strong password, for everyday use, but, as described above, wipe it before crossing international borders.

freeCodeCamp – “I’ll never bring my phone on an international flight again. Neither should you.”
https://medium.freecodecamp.com/ill-never-bring-my-phone-on-an-international-flight-again-neither-should-you-e9289cde0e5f#.c0dj1gxh7

freeCodeCamp – “How to encrypt your entire life in less than an hour”
https://medium.freecodecamp.com/tor-signal-and-beyond-a-law-abiding-citizens-guide-to-privacy-1a593f2104c3#.h73ukac1k

Many people don't want to use a password on their phone because it is inconvenient to type it in, every time they want to check an SMS. On Android phones it is quite easy to have it unlocked under a range of circumstances, including while connected to your home WiFi network, Bluetooth in your car, fitness tracker, or other device, but lock when the connection is lost. Read how to do it at:

HitchHiker's Guide 2 Tech – “Android password-level security without having to type the damn thing it in all the time!”
https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2015/11/android-password-level-security-without.html

And your music? You may regard your music as a must on a long international flight. But it is probably many megabytes of data. Reloading this after customs may be even less practical than your other data. If your phone accepts a microSD card, store your media there, & remove it before erasing you phone. If your phone doesn't accept a microSD, there are other external storage options for Android & iOS, such as SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone & iPad. Alternatively, you could store your media on an mp3 player.


SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone & iPad
Credit: SanDisk

MacRumors – “Review: SanDisk's New Lightning/USB 3.0 iXpand Flash Drive Offers Easy Transfers & Backups in a Slim Package”
https://www.macrumors.com/review/sandisk-ixpand-usb-3/

Thanks to John for some of the links above. / how to encrypt your entire life in less than an hour Android password-level security without having to type the damn thing it in all the time review SanDisk new Lightning USB 3.0 iXpand Flash Drive easy transfers backups in I’ll never bring my phone on an international flight again neither should you US Customs Border Patrol agent airport how you can encrypt your entire life in less than an hour security save you physical possession your phone laptop intimidate giving up your password what happened to a US citizen returning home from abroad Sidd Bikkannavar US-born scientist NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory flew back to Houston Texas airport Customs and Border Patrol agents searched him detained release him password unlock his phone Bikkannavar phone belonged to NASA sensitive information he eventually yielded unlocked his phone legality 30 minutes phone unlocked outside of his possession apps you have on your phone email Facebook Dropbox browser Signal history of everything you’ve ever done searched everything you’ve ever said to anyone right there in those apps we should treat personal electronic data with the same care and respect as weapons-grade plutonium  dangerous long-lasting leaked no getting it back  Cory Doctorow how many potentially incriminating things police go before a judge establish probable cause warrant to search your home anyone can be grabbed on their way through customs forced hand over the full contents of their digital life Elcomsoft forensic software suck down all your photos contacts passwords email social media accounts  customers include police forces various countries militaries private security forces tools permanently archive everything there your unlocked phone If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man I would find something in them to have him hanged Cardinal Richelieu in 1641 Customs and Border Patrol succeed in getting ahold of your unlocked phone all of the people you’ve ever called emailed all the people you’re connected with on Facebook LinkedIn chances committed a serious crime have you ever taken a photo at a protest bought a controversial book Amazon vented about an encounter with a police officer information now part of your permanent record dragged out as evidence against you in court movement within government make all data from all departments available all staff at a local state federal level more places your data ends up larger hacker attack surface more vulnerable your data security breach police station result in your data ending up in the hands of hackers used against you from the shadows for the rest of your life fourth and fifth amendment rights illegal fourth amendment protects you against unreasonable search and seizure fifth amendment protects you against self-incrimination police officer stop you on the street America ask you to unlock your phone amendments strong legal ground refusing to do so US border isn’t technically the US next time you plan to cross a border leave your phone at home /