Cosmic Ray Mitigation

I do enjoy a good pun.

I have mentioned previously that I am opposed to manned space exploration as it now exists, but am absolutely in favor of continued research (of a reasonable magnitude relative to that in other areas, as robotic exploration is advancing quickly) since my objections are of a practical nature. This is especially true because often there are unintended applications of such study. It occurred to me this morning that perhaps one of the most significant crossover discoveries might come from one possible technique to mitigate the effects of long term cosmic ray exposure: cure cancer. Even this manned space travel skeptic would have a tough time arguing against that.

The Power of Negative Thought

Originally posted on my private blog May 20th, 2008.

This photo reeks of objectivity. Not.

People often talk about the beneficial power of having a positive attitude on ones immune system. The idea is that being upbeat supposedly makes your body more able than normal to fight off disease. I think this is exactly backwards and that it's really that negative thought impedes the immune system, causing it to work worse than normal. Just as cold is the absence of heat, it's that the lack of thinking negatively that helps. Behold, the power of negative thought!

UPDATE:

Since writing this, I've learned that the evidence for the direct effect of a positive attitude on one's physiological health is all basically negative. Indirect effects owing to stricter adherence to treatment regimens and the like would fit in well with my negative thought hypothesis, however, despite its main purpose being satire.

Financial "Prescriptions"

The recently enacted consumer protections for financial products seek to outlaw deceptive or difficult to understand investment vehicles, but they have drawn criticism for limiting the choices available to more sophisticated investors. One common analogy used in reporting the restrictions is to liken them to prescription drug controls. If we extend that analogy, I think that there should be three classes of investment products: simple, transparent ones (over the counter), controlled ones requiring a certified financial advisor's written approval (prescription), and those that are simply outlawed (snake oil). Having an inbetween classification would help ease the difficult decisions as to what is and isn't acceptable and still gives companies an incentive to simplify products as the need to seek financial advice constitutes a barrier to entry. I see it as an attempt at demand side financial reform, rather than supply side, which usually gets the most scrutiny. Had such a system existed prior to the housing boom, not many sub prime mortgages would have been sold.