by Christopher Paul on July 9, 2012 Again, I won’t be linking to the NY Times because of the barriers they put up to keep people from reading their content. But I will link to the Boing Boing article that talked about how scientists are using the latest in genome sequencing and supercomputer technology to learn more about cancers and target treatment that could prove more effective than what patients go through/suffer from today.
From the source article:
The researchers on the project put other work aside for weeks, running one of the university’s 26 sequencing machines and supercomputer around the clock. And they found a culprit — a normal gene that was in overdrive, churning out huge amounts of a protein that appeared to be spurring the cancer’s growth.
Personal treatments are just a small breakthrough in the batter for patients’ lives. It could lead to a new understanding of how normal and cancerous cells and cancels impact one another in our complex cellular ecosystem. It could lead to a complete rewrite of how we view molecular and cellular biology.
Exciting and hopeful stuff for people at risk of getting cancer. New treatments might not be available to current patients just yet but it still gives me hope that more information and understanding will lead to better targeted treatments.
by Christopher Paul on July 8, 2012 
The only reason I’m posting a link to this is because Mrs. So It’s Come To This and I went to Top Hops as part of our “stay-cation”. If you’re a craft beer enthusiast like me, you’ll love going there where you can sample a huge selection and take some of your favorites home in a growler. They even show you when the keg was tapped and the lines cleaned to help prove they really care about the quality of the brew you’re tasting.
I’m tempted to get two 32oz growlers one day and this crate just might be what I’d use to take them home.
via Uncrate
by Christopher Paul on July 7, 2012 Fred Wilson on failing the friendly way:
“The first time I got this fail message on Instagram and saw that reload icon, I thought “brilliant.” That is friendly failing right there.”
I can’t stand it when developers don’t account for poor network performance (cellular or even public wifi) in their apps. Failing friendly, as Fred puts it, shouldn’t seem so “brilliant”. It should be a shock when you don’t see that option. It’s sad he got so excited about something that should seem so obvious to everyone.
I’d even go a step further than Fred and say all apps should be able to queue up failed posts so the users can resubmit when they can. In NYC, where I’m in the Subway (and underground) a lot and where AT&T’s network is rubbish, this is a must.
by Christopher Paul on June 25, 2012 Gizmodo:
Remember long, long ago, when Facebook launched a Facebook email system and then nobody used it? That’s fine—it was always just an option you were more than welcome to completely ignore. And we did, because we already had Gmail and work inboxes, and didn’t need yet another. If our friends wanted to email us, they could just head to our profiles and have options.
Not today! If you go to your profile (or anyone else’s), you’ll see the @facebook.com email account listed—which just forwards to your Facebook messages inbox—and none of your others. They’ve all been hidden in a ham-handed attempt to make the Facebook inbox relevant.
So remember folks: if, at first, you don’t succeed, force everyone to change without telling them or their consent and hope they don’t notice.
via
by Christopher Paul on June 19, 2012 Dadlia Lithwick on the two types of Muppets, Chaos and Order, and how it relates to philosophy and us, as hunams:
Chaos Muppets are out-of-control, emotional, volatile. They tend toward the blue and fuzzy. They make their way through life in a swirling maelstrom of food crumbs, small flaming objects, and the letter C. Cookie Monster, Ernie, Grover, Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and—paradigmatically—Animal, are all Chaos Muppets…
…
Order Muppets—and I’m thinking about Bert, Scooter, Sam the Eagle, Kermit the Frog, and the blue guy who is perennially harassed by Grover at restaurants (the Order Muppet Everyman)—tend to be neurotic, highly regimented, averse to surprises and may sport monstrously large eyebrows. They sometimes resent the responsibility of the world weighing on their felt shoulders, but they secretly revel in the knowledge that they keep the show running.
But I think the best part of the whole thing, besides the “brought to you” credits, is this:
Perhaps the best determinant of your Muppet Classification however, is your partner: Order Muppets tend to pick Chaos Muppets for their life partners, cookies notwithstanding. Thus, if you’re in a long-term relationship with a Chaos Muppet, there’s a pretty good chance you’re Bert. If you’re married to an Order Muppet, you may well be the Swedish Chef. And by all that is holy, don’t marry your same type if you can help it. That’s where Baby Elmos come from.
via Aaron Cohen