A.C. Flory's Blog, page 37
March 14, 2022
The Music of Ukraine [2]
Another exceptional video from Khrystyna Soloviy :
It’s a great song but the visual are truly inspired.
cheers,
Meeks
March 9, 2022
Tech Thrillers You Won’t Put Down
Jacqui Murray writes the kind of tech thrillers I love to read, and now she’s reviewed all three books of my Innerscape trilogy.
If you have a moment, please pop over to Jacqui’s blog and read what she has to say. I’ll give you a hint – I can’t stop smiling.
-hugs-
Meeks
I recently finished the tech thriller trilogy, Innerscape, by acflory. What a read this is–a future that could come to pass if the virtual world takes over. I’d compare it to Star Trek’s holodecks, but under Andrea’s creative pen, it’s more far-reaching, more believable, and more frightening. Though each of the three books does tell it’s own story, I think readers would benefit from reading them in order, starting with Book 1, Miira.
I’m a geek at heart and love well-drawn, intricate tech thrillers. Acflories delivered this so for all books in this trilogy, I award them 5/5:
–a…
View original post 1,197 more words
March 8, 2022
A potential leap forward in the treatment of tumours
As someone who has had a brush with cancer myself, I know at first hand how invasive and unpleasant the current treatments are. That’s why the fireworks went off in my head when I read about the ‘Drug factory” beads implanted in mice’ that eliminated tumours within a week. And without causing damage to the surrounding healthy tissues!
https://newatlas.com/medical/drug-factory-beads-tumors-cancer-week/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=3f49431b45-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_03_03_11_44&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-3f49431b45-92416841Interleukin-2, a drug already approved by the FDA in the US, is made on-site by the drug factories [beads]. And the results were nothing short of miraculous:
“Once we determined the correct dose – how many factories we needed – we were able to eradicate tumors in 100 percent of animals with ovarian cancer and in seven of eight animals with colorectal cancer.”
https://newatlas.com/medical/drug-factory-beads-tumors-cancer-week/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=3f49431b45-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_03_03_11_44&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-3f49431b45-92416841
Mice are not the same as humans so clinical trials will need to be carried out to see if this novel delivery system works as well in us as it does in lab animals, but we could be looking at a major revolution in the treatment of at least some cancers.
I strongly recommend reading the whole article on the New Atlas website.
cheers,
Meeks
March 6, 2022
Practical advice about how to survive a nuclear blast
I never, ever, thought I’d be writing a post like this, but the man in this video – Beau – makes sense. Forget the hat, the beard and the accent. He’s distilled real, practical information from a number of sources, and if you watch the video, you’ll realise how deceptive appearances can be:
Before deciding to share this video I scuttled around trying to find out who this Beau character is, and whether I should listen to him. Is he some mad survivalist who’s plucked a bunch of survival tips from thin air? Or is he someone who actually knows what he’s talking about?
For starters, Beau is a nickname and his real name is Justin King. So…is he putting it on?
”For the record, my accent is what you hear on most of the current videos. I do, at times, play it up still. Beau is a nickname, and the whole thing kind of started as a gag when other journalists found out I had an accent.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/BreadTube/comments/anlbgb/lets_talk_about_beau_aka_justin_king/
That sounds a bit like me and Meeka. I can live with that. But what is Beau, aka Justin King, about?
In his ‘About’ page he says ‘The discussions of a southern journalist who is tired of a lack of common sense’. Is he? A journalist?
According to the FCSR [Florida Citizens for Social Reform] ‘Justin currently serves as the Editor of The Fifth Column, The Pontiac Tribune, Sleeper Cells, and is an outside adviser to Greed Media.’ Okay, so he is a journalist, but what kind of news outlets does he work for?
According to the Media Bias/Fact Check website, The Fifth Column is ‘left biased’ and the reporting is factually ‘mixed’:
The Media Bias article goes on to say:
‘The Fifth Column is a news and opinion website that publishes from a mostly progressive perspective. According to their about page “The Fifth Column provides you with insights that aren’t available on other news outlets. With a focus on long-form journalism and exclusive reports, The Column strives for excellence in adversarial journalism. Our exclusive reports find their way into one of our unique sections.”
The website lacks transparency as they do not disclose ownership and article authors do not have detailed bios.’
So the Fifth Column and Justin King are Left Biased. Tick. Can definitely live with that, but the real question is still ‘how factual is the advice’?
I found the answer to that question on the www.ready.gov website. Almost every thing Beau/Justin King talked about in his video is in the official, US government info sheet on what to do in case of a nuclear attack. The only thing I didn’t see was the info. about conditioner. Everything else was there, but as a way to communicate vital information, Beau’s video does it better. Much better.
So…having done my due diligence, I feel justified in sharing Beau’s advice with you. Chances are none of us will ever need to put any of this advice into practice, but knowing the facts never hurt anyone. By contrast, ignorance kills.
hugs,
Meeks
March 4, 2022
Authors versus Our Demons
I’m a reader first and foremost, and I really, really loved ‘This Plague of Days’, the post apocalyptic story that first introduced me to Robert Chazz Chute.
This man writes well with a capital ‘W’, and his 70 tips for Indie writers is a must read.
And yes, there really are 70 tips. You’re welcome.
cheers,
Meeks
If you overcome your demons and publish, more demons await. Keep these 70 pithy tips in mind when the unholy fanged ones come for you:
Write for a particular person or write for yourself. Just choose the right audience.Some go to the drugstore for coconuts. Ignore them. Write for people who read your genre. When you give away free books, some readers who would never read your genre will snap it up. Lower ratings often ensue.Write for people who actually like to read.(Yes, there are posers.)Feedback from chosen supporters is helpful.Not all supporters can help in a measurable way, but boosting your morale counts, too.A slim minority of reviewers think snark is sport and heckling is intelligence. They’re mistaken, but who’s going to convince them otherwise? They’ll only know if they ever dare to write their own book.Listen to your editor and yourself…View original post 1,816 more words
March 2, 2022
Music from Ukraine – Khrystyna Soloviy
I don’t think I’m alone when I say that until 2014, I’d hardly heard of Ukraine at all. Even now, I know very little so I decided to learn. But where to begin?
Then today, I read a BBC article about young Ukrainian musicians becoming the voices of their country: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60586817
Music has always been one of the things that make human beings worthwhile, so what better way to get to know Ukraine than through its music?
May I introduce, Khrystyna Soloviy.
If you liked this song, please go onto Youtube and share the song with those you love. And if you learn something wonderful about Ukraine, please, share it with us.
Meeks
Viva Energy hides true emissions
The following is an email I received from Environment Victoria about the Viva Energy gas terminal proposed for Geelong. In it, Environment Victoria details how Viva Energy ‘neglected’ to include the cost of transport in its emissions proposal:
Hi Andrea, This week Viva Energy released the Environment Effects Statement (EES) for their proposed gas terminal in Geelong, and straight away we noticed something dodgy.Viva’s gas terminal would use the same technology as the one AGL proposed in Westernport Bay, and import the same amount of gas, so you’d expect the figures for greenhouse gas pollution to be pretty similar too.
But they weren’t. Viva Energy estimated their gas terminal would have emissions about NINE TIMES LESS than AGL’s proposal.
Why? When we combed through the details, we found the answer. Viva Energy has tried to exclude the largest single source of pollution – from transporting the LNG in tankers to Geelong.
Buried in the appendix of a 13,000 page document, we found the data that gave the real numbers.
When transport emissions are included, the total climate impact of Viva Energy’s gas terminal could be up to 12 TIMES higher – even greater than AGL’s proposal would have been.
If the gas is shipped from the Middle East, the total emissions would be almost 600,000 tonnes per year. And that’s not even including the pollution when the gas is burned in homes and businesses across Victoria.
Right in the middle of a climate crisis, as a warmer atmosphere drives more extreme flooding and fires, Viva Energy has tried to bury the true emissions impact of their gas project.
We can’t let them get away with it – please help by sharing this on social media. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn [image error] Viva’s Environment Effects Statement is part of a planning process that’s supposed to assess all the environmental impacts of the terminal. They should have been totally transparent about ALL the emissions so that the public can weigh up the pros and cons.
At least AGL was honest enough to include these ‘Scope 3’ transport emissions, but Viva has tried to get off on a technicality, and that’s not good enough.
Help spread the word about the true climate impact of Viva Energy’s gas terminal by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
We’re also looking for people with expertise in greenhouse gas accounting, marine ecology, toxic sediments and dredging, safety, and a range of other issues to help scrutinise Viva Energy’s Environment Effects Statement. If this sounds like you, please register your interest here >>
This is crunch time for Viva Energy’s gas terminal project.
There’s little over a month to have your say – submissions close 11 April. We’ll be in touch about the best way to make a submission later, but in the meantime please share the social media post or volunteer as an expert.
Thanks for helping spread the word, and we hope you can get more involved in the campaign. [image error] Greg Foyster
and the team at Environment Victoria
PS: Our media release exposing Viva Energy’s climate accounting trick is here, and it was covered by Australian Financial Review, ABC 774 Melbourne, Geelong AdvertiserBay FM and K Rock. Facebook Twitter Instagram News wrap Environment Victoria is located on Wurundjeri land and works across many Aboriginal nations. We pay our respects to Aboriginal elders past and present, recognise their continuing contribution to caring for country, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.
Environment Victoria, Level 2, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia. Call us on 03 9341 8100 update your preferences | unsubscribe | privacy policy | contact
Authorised by Jono La Nauze
I don’t have Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn so if you do, please help spread the word about this corporate scam.
cheers,
Meeks
February 28, 2022
Ukraine
The people of Ukraine are teaching us all a lesson about the true meaning of courage, and every day they hold out against Pooh Bear, the lesson becomes stronger. Bravo Ukraine!
February 23, 2022
A tech article with a difference – Update Feb. 25, 2022
After this post went live, Matthew Wright from New Zealand sent me the link to a radio interview with the researcher who made this discovery. Fascinating stuff:
cheers,
Meeks
Death is not something any of us like to think about. Perhaps that’s why we try to hide the signs of ageing so much, but now the New Atlas has published research about the last moments of a person’s life – and the research seems to show that those moments involved parts of the brain associated with dreaming and memories.
Entitled “First-ever recording of dying human brain reveals dream-like activity“, the article goes on to describe how researchers were monitoring the brain of an 87 year old epilepsy patient when he/she suddenly had a heart attack and died. Not from the monitoring I should add!
The researchers recorded about 15 minutes of brain activity:
‘They focused in on the 30 seconds either side of when the heart stopped beating, and detected increased activity in types of brain waves known as gamma oscillations. These are involved in processes such as dreaming, meditation and memory retrieval, giving a glimpse into what a person may be experiencing during their final moments.’
https://newatlas.com/medical/first-recording-dying-human-brain-activity/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=8e1bc84bfc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_22_11_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-8e1bc84bfc-92416841
One, single recording doesn’t prove a thing, especially as the patient suffered from epilepsy so their brain was hardly ‘normal’, but the mere thought that the research might be true gives me a strange sense of comfort. I’m in no danger of dying, but I sat with my father for the last two days of his life, and I hope that he passed gently and in peace. I hope that’s how I go too…in about 30 odd years time. 
I hope none of you have found this post to be morbid. It wasn’t meant to be.
Huge hugs,
Meeks
A tech article with a difference
Death is not something any of us like to think about. Perhaps that’s why we try to hide the signs of ageing so much, but now the New Atlas has published research about the last moments of a person’s life – and the research seems to show that those moments involved parts of the brain associated with dreaming and memories.
Entitled “First-ever recording of dying human brain reveals dream-like activity“, the article goes on to describe how researchers were monitoring the brain of an 87 year old epilepsy patient when he/she suddenly had a heart attack and died. Not from the monitoring I should add!
The researchers recorded about 15 minutes of brain activity:
‘They focused in on the 30 seconds either side of when the heart stopped beating, and detected increased activity in types of brain waves known as gamma oscillations. These are involved in processes such as dreaming, meditation and memory retrieval, giving a glimpse into what a person may be experiencing during their final moments.’
https://newatlas.com/medical/first-recording-dying-human-brain-activity/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=8e1bc84bfc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_22_11_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-8e1bc84bfc-92416841
One, single recording doesn’t prove a thing, especially as the patient suffered from epilepsy so their brain was hardly ‘normal’, but the mere thought that the research might be true gives me a strange sense of comfort. I’m in no danger of dying, but I sat with my father for the last two days of his life, and I hope that he passed gently and in peace. I hope that’s how I go too…in about 30 odd years time.
I hope none of you have found this post to be morbid. It wasn’t meant to be.
Huge hugs,
Meeks
