The Barbershop and Health Care

On By A.P.In Communication, Health, Human Behavior, Hypertension, MedicineLeave a comment

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas have found that neighborhood barbers can influence African-American men to seek blood pressure treatement. 

The study participants were patrons of 17 black-owned barbershops throughout Dallas County between March 2006 and December 2008.

Eight shops gave customers traditional pamphlets about hypertension.  In this group, the number of men who pursued medical care to control their hypertension increased from 40 percent at the start of the study to 51 percent at follow-up.

Nine shops put up posters with messages from other male clients about hypertension, checked patrons’ blood pressure and encouraged the men to see a physician if their numbers were elevated.  In this group, the number of men who controlled their hypertension increased from 33.8 percent at the start of the study to 53.7 percent at follow-up. .

Read more here:  http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept353744/files/629749.html

This fascinating one hour HBO documentary illustrates a typical day in the life of a successful community barbershop on Harlem’s 125th street, showing the vital role community barbershops play in facilitating dicussion on a wide variety of important issues, including health care:  http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/cutting-edge/index.html

The creators of this documentary are interviewed here:  http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/cutting-edge/index.html#/documentaries/cutting-edge/interview/june-amani-martin-and-reggie-williams.html

Hacking Into Times Square With an iPhone

On By A.P.In TechnologyLeave a comment

The title says it all – the video displays of Time Square can be easily commandeered with an iPhone.

Thanks to kebmodee for bringing this to the It’s Interesting community.

Read about it and watch the video here:  http://theoriginalwinger.com/2011-03-15-guy-hacks-times-square-video-screens-using-iphone

The Lost City of Atlantis

On By A.P.In Atlantis, The SeaLeave a comment

 

Dr. Richard Freund of the University of Hartford claims to have located the lost city of Atlantis, deep within a swamp in southern Spain.

The site was first noted in 2003 as the possible location by a German scientist looking at satellite photos.

Read more about it here:http://westhartford.patch.com/articles/has-a-university-of-hartford-professor-found-the-lost-city-of-atlantis

You can watch a documentary on it tonight on the National Geographic Channel at 9 p.m.

Are we living in a computer simulation?

On By A.P.In Science, Technology, The Brain, The Future, The InternetLeave a comment

Read in this New York Times article how Nick Bostrom, an Oxford University philosopher, reasons that it’s mathematically likely that our universe is simply someone else’s computer simulation.  But according to Bostrom,  the situation isn’t even as hopeful as that portrayed in The Matrix.  He argues that our existence is simply a network of computer circuits.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/science/14tier.html 

DNA Evidence

On By A.P.In DNA, ScienceLeave a comment

One of the most active legal proponents of DNA testing to exonerate convicts is in Dallas, Texas. 

Read about it here:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/13/AR2011021303415.html?hpid=topnews

Thanks to ‘Da Brayn’ for bringing Texas justice to the attention of the It’s Interesting community.

DNA testing works.  Read here how DNA from a cigarette butt recently helped catch the ‘East Coast Rapist.’  http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/05/connecticut.east.coast.rapist/index.html?hpt=T1

Shark Vision

On By A.P.In Sharks, The Brain, The Sea1 Comment

 

Scientists from Australia have used spectrophotometry to examine the light-sensitive cells in shark eyes.  In contrast to the 3 types of photoreceptors we humans have for red, green and blue, sharks only have one type of photoreceptor, suggesting that they can’t distinguish colors.   Sharks probably visualize their world in terms of assessing contrast against background.  Thus, it may be possible to design swimming gear, boats, and fishing gear that are less likely to catch a shark’s eye.

Read about it here in the news: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2011/01/sharks-are-color-blind-shark-attacks.html

and here is the original scientific article recently published:  http://www.springerlink.com/content/05427357r3uw8q35/

Here are a couple video clips showing shark attacks.  The 1st is of some idiots standing in shark infested water, and the 2nd is a scuba diver attacked by a Great White shark.