Delicious LiveJournal Links for 11-6-2008

• 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)

Fantastic news

News that I've been hoping for for some years has finally come through - Cannabis has been cleared of having any link to schizophrenia:

A study has been done of 2.25 million Danes, with the result that:

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.

and

Rather, the degree of hereditary predisposition in individuals who receive treatment of cannabis-induced psychosis closely mirrors that in those who develop schizophrenia with no history of cannabis induced psychosis. The results agree with those of other studies that show that cannabis predominantly causes psychotic symptoms in those persons who are predisposed to develop psychosis or show signs of psychosis in the absence of cannabis use.

Can we now call off the ridiculous criminalisation of large numbers of people?

Link here.