Delicious LiveJournal Links for 11-6-2008

[andrewducker]

• Theres Free Labor in Video Games
  Interesting article on games that produce useful outputs
  (tags: games business research)
• Study clears cannabis of schizophrenia rap
  In terms of estimated rate ratios, persons who develop cannabis-induced psychosis are as predisposed to schizophrenia spectrum disorder and other psychiatric disorders as those who develop schizophrenia spectrum disorder without a history of cannabis-induced psychosis.
  (tags: schizophrenia cannabis science)
• Bank cuts interest rate by 1.5% to 54-year low
  Damn my fixed rate mortgage! Damn it to hell! Not quite worth paying the redemption penalty to switch over though...
  (tags: mortgages economics)
• Burning joss sticks 'as deadly as traffic fumes or cigarette smoke'
  Dr Manoon, who has just completed a two-year study of temple workers tasked with clearing the smouldering sticks, found the cocktail of chemicals in the smoke put them at risk of leukaemia, lung, blood and bladder cancers.
  
  The level of benzene in the temple workers was four times higher than normal, butadiene was 260 times higher, and benzo[a]pyrene - the most dangerous carcinogen - 63 times greater.
  
  "One joss stick creates the same amount of cancer-causing chemicals at one cigarette," said Dr Manoon, who led the research. "I knew there would be some carcinogens, but I was surprised by the levels."
  (tags: cancer hippies)
• Scented Oils Tied to Boys' Breast Growth
  Lavender and tea tree oils found in some shampoos, soaps and lotions can temporarily leave boys with enlarged breasts in rare cases, apparently by disrupting their hormonal balance, a preliminary study suggests.
  (tags: hormones)
• Virgin drops competition lawsuit against Sky, agrees to carry channels
  Yay! I get Sky1 back!
  (tags: tv sky virgin)
• Children's Letters to Dracula
  And, of course, his replies
  (tags: dracula funny)
• Who Are We?
  And more to the point, what are we made up of, and how is it affecting our actions?
  (tags: science psychology biology philosophy evolution death)

Comments

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

ObPaperLink for the lavender/tea tree oil story: here- a remarkably accurate writeup there.

Joss sticks

And the Reg links to the paper they're talking about themselves.

(please let me know if you obect to my doing this)

[andrewducker]

No objections - rather appreciate it actually.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Oh good. I find it easier to put these things in earlier than to wait until there's a big argument under way and then feel like a party pooper for saying "actually..." - though in this case all the stories seem to have summarized the papers pretty well.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Anal retentive? Me?

[anef.livejournal.com]

Yes, but you took out the fixed rate mortgage for Peace of Mind, didn't you? Which you still have. So...

[andrewducker]

Oh, absolutely. I'd never _not_ have got a fixed mortgage - I loathe uncertainty.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

I had no idea that my 20 a day joss stick habit was so lethal.