Interesting Links for 14-7-2011

[andrewducker]

• Talking about faith increases hospital patients' overall satisfaction (even if they didn't want to!)
  (tags: faith support health healthcare)
• Okay. So now I want to see Manhattanhenge.
  (tags: usa newyork astronomy solarsystem)
• Everything you wanted to know about Israel’s anti-boycott law
  (tags: israel freespeech EpicFail)
• If you're making a joke about someone else's IP you can't complain if someone else steals it.
  (tags: intellectual_property business)
• Computer reads manual, wins Civ.
  (tags: ai computers games)
• The awesome Tasha Robinson interviews the Awesome Neil Gaiman about what he's up to.
  (tags: neilgaiman interview)
• Winter Is Coming....to the Republican Primaries
  (tags: politics funny GameOfThrones republicans usa)
• Austria recongises pastafarianism
  (tags: austria religion funny pastafarianism atheism)
• Is something wrong? This may help!
  (tags: funny)
• Inverness trials solar-powered rubbish compactors on the streets
  (tags: refuse scotland solarpower)

Comments

solar-powered rubbish compactor

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

There's one of those just outside my office. (Associated with the flats opposite, I'm not sure if it's council or not.) I was just about to post incredulously about it :)

Re: solar-powered rubbish compactor

[andrewducker]

Oh, cool. Does it seem to work well?

[steer.livejournal.com]

Talking about faith increases hospital patients' overall satisfaction (even if they didn't want to!)

Heh... reminds me of a result from a few years ago showing that piped muzak decreases the blood pressure even for a subset of people who said they were irritated by piped muzak.

[andrewducker]

Yeah. People like to think they're exceptional, but usually they just aren't :->

Re: solar-powered rubbish compactor

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I didn't dare touch it I don't know yet. It's only a month or so old and there was never much evidence of litter on the land before, but builders added some landscaping, a few picnic tables, and some bins, so it probably wouldn't have filled an ordinary bin yet. But I'll wait and see -- it gives off a vibe of being fairly well built, so as long as the council don't immediately slash collections by 7/8, I'm reasonably hopeful.

Re: solar-powered rubbish compactor

[andrewducker]

I'm thinking that it will need to have some way to deal with organics.

Because leaving moist food in there for weeks between pickups is a recipe for awfulness.

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

Re: Talking about faith increases hospital patients' overall satisfaction (even if they didn't want to!)

The article doesn't make clear if those that didn't want to talk were religious people or not. I can see how those who are religious but didn't want to talk about it might still appreciate it in the end.

For the atheists, not so much.

If it was me, they'd get roundly told to sod off if they even tried :)

[andrewducker]

I'm always happy to talk about faith, so long as the other person is happy to have their faith questioned :->

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

Under some circumstances, yes, but if I'm seriously ill or on my deathbed, they'd be the last thing I'd want bothering me.

[andrewducker]

I dunno. I can see it cheering you right up:

Priest: How do you feel about God?
Simon: FUCK! OFF!
Simon: Aaaaah, I feel much better now.

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

Good point, well made :)

[heyokish.livejournal.com]

absolutely. I've had a couple of instances of absolutely maddening "faith" conversations when in hospital--which have left me furious. If it was a case of

them: hello, would you like any spiritual or religious support?
me: no
them: ok, bye

that would be fine. Nice manners, bit of respect, all good.

What actually happens is more like...

them: I am going to pray for you
me: if that makes you happy
them: let me tell you all about my love of jesus, while you can't run away, blah blah blah

or

me: hello, I need painkillers now
them: you need hot, toasty, freshly-squeezed jesus
me: no I need drugs
them: but without jesus, there is no hope. You will suffer and burn without jesus, and there is no hope and you will burn burn burn ans suffer blah blah blah
me: DRUGS NOW PLS

[andrewducker]

If that was in the UK I'd be filing a very loud complaint.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Philadelphia has had solar powered trash compactors since 2009. I haven't heard about any problems with them, but I don't know whether they've been worth the money, either.

[tysolna]

If you're making a joke about someone else's IP you can't complain if someone else steals it.

... before I read the link, I thought this would refer to IP as in Internet Protocol...

Re: solar-powered rubbish compactor

[mair_in_grenderich]

moooooiiiiiist

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

The article also doesn't indicate at all whether it is talking specifically about faith that helped, or the act of attention/talking. Control groups talking about [hobbies/sport] and the patient's emotional/philosophical situation in a non-religious way seem indicated.