Nobrainer’s Think Tank

I just learned about a new “surprisingly simple” way to fight cancer:

When we diagnose cancer, the treatment is still primarily surgical, commonly combined with radiation therapy and anticancer drugs. The aim of these treatments is to suppress, or arrest, the unrestrained growth of cells in the body organs or tissues. In the case of many man-made systems we are similarly faced with situations where processes deviate from the normal operation of the system. But the remedy for such deviations is surprisingly simple: negative feedback.

Hmm, feedback. I do hate cancer and I do love modern control theory! Tell me more!

Negative feedback means that the system’s output is fed back into the same system in order to enable the system to determine the difference between the actual and the desired output, and to make the necessary corrections in its own operation. For example a vehicle’s speed control uses the difference between the actual and the desired speed to adjust the fuel flow rate. Those systems which feed back their own output for self-regulation are said to be closed-loop control systems.

Yup, I get that. I use the cruise control all the time. (more…)

I’ve said it. You’ve said it. Our mothers have said it. Our fathers have said it. Our fathers’ brothers’ cousins’ nephews’ former roommates have said. And it’s stupid. There shouldn’t be a law.

Why? Because people who make laws say that. They believe it. Then they make a law. It’s usually a stupid law.

For example, mandating child car seats. They’re expensive, bulky, and not necessarily a major safety improvement. And they’re often misused. From an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

The Minnesota Safety Council estimates more than 80 percent of child car seats used in Minnesota are not properly installed.

I was just about mention that Freakonomics talked about car seats and their worthlessness a bit. So I just went to their blog to search for any content they had about car seats. Well “search” turned into the 2nd visible post on their blog today. Consumer Reports recently found:

When we crash-tested infant car seats at the higher speeds vehicles routinely withstand, most failed disastrously. The car seats twisted violently or flew off their bases, in one case hurling a test dummy 30 feet across the lab.

CONGRATULATIONS! You just spent your money on a government mandated piece of shit! But remember, car seats are for “the greater good” and “for the children” and “for the future.”

But there was another article that caught my attention today. In part it was because a drunk crashed his truck and collapsed a whole bridge. But as I read it commented on his BAC.

A preliminary breath test at the crash site showed Campbell’s blood-alcohol content at .21, nearly three times the legal limit of .08. He blew .13 after completing field sobriety tests and a Datamaster test showed .147.

Hows that for accuracy and precision! Do the police use the average? The min? The max? The median? The mode? The average was .162 with a standard deviation of .042… or about 25% of the average. Hey, it’s close enough for government work!

And I almost forgot to rant about other stupid legislation, such as nutrition labels and movie, tv, and video game ratings. What has this information done? Made us fatter and focus on adult, R-rated, and most extreme video games. FUCK YEAH!

But I never lit myself on fire…

nor other people.

Me.

I went to make a right on red and next thing I knew someone in a dark green explorer (or something) was pretty upset with me. Sorry ’bout that.

Best I can figure the Explorer was set up for a right turn then decided against it at the last minute. Otherwise I’m just blind, or the severe lack of sleep is making drive worse than a drunk (funny, behing tired behind the wheel isn’t illegal).

So thanks for not hitting my dumb ass.

I should sell this to AA…

…as in Alcoholics Anonymous. Nobrainer has allowed me posting privileges, and since I have no intentions of actually writing my own blog (too much work. You try active involvement in law school, a part time job, and a extremely active social life), I’m taking him up on it. At the very least, the Nobrainer workout must make it into the blogosphere (or whatever). I witnessed the Nobrainer workout first hand when Nobrainer performed it in my very own living room after a mere 4 hours of sleep following a night of partying before the USuCk/Clemson football game this year. It has been written on Nobrainer’s facebook wall for a while, but who actually looks at that??? Oh yeah, losers like me.

Without further adeiu………….

Introducing the Nobrainer workout….

It’s easy and for alcoholics too!

1. Must start this workout at night. Specfically, go to bar with hot girl friends. Drink beers.

2. Wake up no later than 8 am.

3. Push ups push ups push ups!!!!!!!

4. Immediately follow push ups with light beer.

5. Immediately follow light beer with Jack and random diet soda.

***IMPORTANT: You cannot eat on the Nobrainer diet. Liquid, alcohol only.****

***WARNING: The Nobrainer diet will cause you to be hot, extremely drunk, and surrounded by hot bitches for long periods of time. You will also lose the ability to speak coherently. No matter. There are hot bitches involved.****

___________________________

Have a good start to 2006. I’ll be enjoying the start of my LAST semester of law school, bitches.

Tennis players coerced to crack (Kirk Amos, November 03, 2005 – Charleston, SC)

According to police reports, the two C of C students were held up at knife-point, abducted, taken to an undisclosed location on Mary Street and forced to smoke crack cocaine. [ . . . ]

Like many college stories, the Saturday night of the abduction began with the students consuming large amounts of alcohol, with an estimated 30 alcoholic beverages for Moldehnke, and 20 for Roberts.

Were they drinking alcohol or water? Is this the downside of overturning the minibottle law? Weak, weak, oh-so-weak beverages?

Drunken and tired, the couple found themselves locked out of Roberts’ Lexus in a parking lot off of Meeting Street.

So they were either going to drive somewhere… or practice their serves and strokes in the backseat.

At around 2 a.m., Roberts and Moldehnke attempted to unlock the car with a clothes hanger. They were approached by a seemingly friendly man who at first offered to open the door for $10. Instead, he pulled out a knife.

The aggressor, a lonely criminal, demanded only their company. The students stayed with him from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., spending most of the time in front of a white house on Mary Street. It was there that the man allegedly forced them to smoke crack.

When daylight rolled around, Roberts remembered that she stored an extra key for her Lexus at her apartment, so the students left their abductor, retrieved the key and drove to Moldehnke’s apartment on Burns Lane.

The next morning, Oct. 23, the students began worrying about being submitted to a random drug test, and decided to call the women’s tennis coach, Angelo Anastopoulo, which initiated a chain of phone calls.

Anastopoulo called C of C athletics director, Jerry Baker, who contacted Public Safety, which led to notification of the Charleston Police Department. [ . . . ]

While waiting for the coach the morning after the alleged event, Roberts took a walk down King Street and allegedly bumped into the perpetrator and was forced to smoke crack cocaine again.

According to the Post and Courier, Roberts “became apprehensive” about filing a police report, but Moldehnke “insisted on going through with the process.”

The cops described them as “smelling strongly of alcohol,” and as giving “few details about the suspect despite allegedly spending several hours with him. They were also “nervous and evasive in their answers.” The police are still investigating; results won’t be made public until a later time.

Roberts has left the College and returned to her hometown of Peachtree, Ga. She is reportedly enrolled in a 30-day rehabilitative clinic for undisclosed reasons. Her family refused to comment.

WOW

(via fark, of course)