A Resolution I Forgot To Add

Eating healthily and exercising regularly are resolutions on many a New Year's list. One that I forgot to add is getting at least six hours of sleep. Being serious about this goal means stopping work and/or turning off the tube, computers, and smartphones before midnight.

British scientists have shown that the lack of sleep effects many changes at the cellular level, probably for the worse, although more research is needed.

researchers at the University of Surrey analysed the blood of 26 people after they had had plenty of sleep, up to 10 hours each night for a week, and compared the results with samples after a week of fewer than six hours a night.

More than 700 genes were altered by the shift. Each contains the instructions for building a protein, so those that became more active produced more proteins - changing the chemistry of the body. [snip]

Prof [Colin] Smith added: "Clearly sleep is critical to rebuilding the body and maintaining a functional state, all kinds of damage appear to occur - hinting at what may lead to ill health.

"If we can't actually replenish and replace new cells, then that's going to lead to degenerative diseases."

With all the time-shifting capability of modern technology---devices that record TV shows, websites that store news articles--it's rarely important to stay up late for personal reasons (work and child care are exceptions, just make sure it's really necessary). Two months after the New Year, the sleep resolution starts now. (H/T Glenn Reynolds) © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Apple Shareholders Meeting

We arrived for the 9 AM Apple shareholders' meeting at 8:45, but already we were too late to get into the main auditorium. The young guides with Apple badges herded us over to Building 4, where two large videofeeds had been set up. Before entering, we had to check in all iPhones, iPads, Macs, and any other electronic equipment. (It took 20 minutes to retrieve our items after the meeting, so for future reference it's recommended that attendees leave their gear in the car.)

Now that Steve Jobs is gone, there's little point in attending Apple shareholders' meetings. Today there were no product, dividend, strategy, or personnel announcements. The business session went smoothly--the controversy over Proposal 2, regarding shareholder approval of new preferred stock issues--had dissipated because Apple withdrew the proposal. The rest of the Board's recommendations passed overwhelmingly (for more detail see Barron's live blog). CEO Tim Cook fielded questions for half an hour and several times repeated that Apple wants to make the best products, not necessarily the most or the biggest.

Other comments:

1) the breakfast spread was generous and well laid out; shareholders could bring food and drink into the meeting area, unlike in previous years.

2) at the beginning it was announced that the meeting would be over by 10 AM, so it was obvious that there weren't going to be any big revelations today. At least with Steve Jobs there wasn't the feeling that he couldn't wait for the meeting to end; he would field questions until the audience was reasonably satisfied.

3) Concerning Apple's glorious new "spaceship" campus that will be ready in 2016, we are reminded of the words of C. Northcote Parkinson:

"During a period of exciting discovery or progress there is no time to plan the perfect headquarters," he wrote. "The time for that comes later, when all the important work has been done. Perfection, we know, is finality; and finality is death."

© 2013 Stephen Yuen

A World to Which Few Aspire

Megan McArdle on two categories of people:

Let’s be honest: [parents] are your emergency fund. If you get sick, they’ll take you in and care for you. But Calvin Trillin once noted that by the age of 35, almost everyone falls into one of two categories: people who are still being taken care of by their parents, and people who are in some way starting to care for their parents.

What Calvin Trillin said may be true, but it is a world to which few aspire. No one I know wants to be dependent on others (clarification: being able to pay their own way for needed services is being independent), and few people, deep down, want others to be dependent on them. Dependency constrains both parties.

If most people are not being "taken care of" by other family members, society has a large margin for error. When an emergency does hit, there are more people willing and able to step in and help. How we spread the wealth---and independence for the greatest number of people--is one of the central questions of our time. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Salvaging That Which Was Lost

John Eaton fixes a toaster oven in Palo Alto (SJMN)

The Bay Area, a center of technological innovation, is also one of the leaders in the nonprofit fix-it-don't-trash-it movement:

a cadre of fix-it fanatics, disgusted with planned obsolescence and our throwaway culture, has embraced "creative caring." Valuing function and respecting the age of household objects, they strive to save them from death row.

They're awaiting your stuff at a Repair Cafe in Palo Alto on Sunday, a Fix It Clinic in Albany in March, a Santa Cruz-based gathering in May and across the nation, from Seattle to Brooklyn, N.Y

The economic incentives are overwhelmingly on the side of the throwaway culture.

We had been enduring a partially working $30 toaster oven and finally were compelled to spring for a $50 replacement. Nevertheless, if the personal effort would have been modest, say one or two hours, and the parts cost $25 or less, we would have gone through the trouble of trying to fix it. Not adding a scrapped toaster to the environment's burden is worth something, as is the psychic pleasure of salvaging something that was lost.

Here's hoping that more people at least think about fixing the devices that have served them so well before throwing them away.

A Venerable Tradition

February 17, 2013

Infant baptism has been performed for over a thousand years. Not all Christian denominations subscribe to the tradition---there are theological arguments pro and con---but it has been a practice of Anglicanism since the church's founding. Maybe it will wane as the danger of infant mortality recedes. (But the U.S. has a long way to go before that risk is eliminated; we rank 50th in the world, "nine spots below Cuba.")

Whether the newly initiated are children or adults, baptisms are cause to rejoice. Families join together, the baptized are welcomed into the community of believers, and often there is a party afterwards. More importantly--and it does sound quaint to say it out loud in the 21st century--the baptized person has begun the journey to salvation.

[Elsewhere in San Mateo County, someone showed how it's not supposed to be done. Headline: "Man to trial for stabbing at baptism party"] © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Missed Her Calling

Mercury News photo

This story seems ordinary: the mother of a convicted felon lies to the police about a gun in her son's possession....that is, until one realizes that Ann Ayala is none other than the woman who planted a severed finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili in 2006 and heavily damaged the chain's reputation because of her lawsuit and attendant publicity.

Police say her son admitted to accidentally shooting himself in the ankle at their Alviso home, and because a felony burglary conviction barred him from having a firearm, the mother-and-son duo made up a story about him being attacked by two men.

In my humble opinion, what distinguishes this tawdry tale is this (bold added):

police say she gave such compelling detail, this time in describing the alleged shooter, that they identified and interrogated a potential suspect.

Ann Ayala doesn't belong in jail, she should be working in political campaigns spinning compelling stories about how abject failures under one's watch are really the fault of the other guy. She's missed her calling.

The Numbers to Avoid

We reflected briefly on Obamacare's costly disincentive for small employers to expand beyond 49 "full-time equivalent" workers. Another threshold is 30, the number of working hours per week that distinguishes the full-time from the part-time worker. These are the numbers to avoid, per the WSJ:

Because other federal employment regulations also kick in when a firm crosses the 50 worker threshold, employers are starting to cap payrolls at 49 full-time workers. These firms have come to be known as "49ers." Businesses that hire young and lower-skilled workers are also starting to put a ceiling on the work week of below 30 hours. These firms are the new "29ers." Part-time workers don't have to be offered insurance under ObamaCare.

The additional cost of that 30th hour or that 50th worker can be several thousands of dollars, a very high incremental payroll cost to an employer at the lower end of the wage spectrum (e.g., restaurants, not law firms). Avoiding crossing these boundaries, legally, will be a principal aim of every CPA for his client. We hope that the dismal unemployment rate falls soon, but the improvement is very unlikely to come from small business. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Albino Alligator

We visit the California Academy of Sciences a couple of times each year and always spend a few minutes watching Claude. The albino alligator can sit motionless for hours. We first thought he was a marble representation of a live animal, as artificial as the examples of the taxidermist's art in the Natural History section. Then he moved, and our interest was piqued.

17-year-old Claude can live till 80. Captivity suits albinos, most of whom don't make it to adulthood in the wild.

Initially, Claude had a green tank mate named Bonnie.

That relationship ended badly on a Saturday night in early 2009 when Bonnie bit Claude on his right front foot.

"Because he is albino, he has reduced vision. Claude would go into the water and bump into things, and Bonnie would snap at him," said his handler [Brian] Freiermuth, standing next to the swamp where Claude was in the 78-degree water with his head against the glass.

The Jan. 3 chomping of Claude's foot was apparently the final straw. On March 24, Bonnie was returned to a farm in Florida.

"Claude has been more active since Bonnie left," Freiermuth said. "He is better by himself, as he was stressed out with her there. He has interactions with his turtles. He is eating well. He knows his name and responds to whistle commands."

Having a tank mate has its benefits, but not if she snaps and bites. There are more unpleasant ways to live than lying on a rock by oneself, eating, and interacting with turtles. Good for Claude, may he live long and prosper. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

And How Do YOU Look 25 Years Later?

1987: Slim and Sleek (Sfgate photos)

2012: the spandex would be even more uncomfortable

Initially hesitant, I became a faithful viewer of Star Trek: the Next Generation through its seven seasons from 1987 to 1994.

To fans of the original "Star Trek Classic", it was disconcerting to encounter a universe where the Klingons were (surly) allies, and phasers were unholstered only as a last resort.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, was an educated Frenchman whose English accent suited Star Fleet's preference for diplomatic solutions. Unlike the previous century's James T. Kirk, Captain Picard largely left the romancing and fighting to an athletic cast of underlings.

25 years later, the actors have aged gracefully for the most part, but noticeably. High-resolution close-ups won't make for a boffo box office, so the Enterprise-D has given way to a re-imagining of the Classic series on film with a young, attractive crew. The Next Generation has become passé and old, the fate of everything that was once bright and shiny.

The Results Were Foreseeable

Economists Alex Tabarrok and Eric Helland looked at whether generous liability laws encouraged dangerous behavior by general aviation (small airplane) operators. This classic test of moral hazard examined the effect of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 which "said that small airplane manufacturers could not be held liable for accidents involving aircraft more than 18 years old." Prior to GARA's enactment, small airplane manufacturers "found that they could be sued for any aircraft that they had ever produced" (production had begun in the 1920's and 1930's) and the spate of lawsuits halted production in the entire industry.

The study's findings:

Our estimates show that the end of manufacturers’ liability for aircraft was associated with a significant (on the order of 13.6 percent) reduction in the probability of an accident....After GARA, for example, aircraft owners and pilots retired older aircraft, took fewer night flights, and invested more in a variety of safety procedures and precautions, such as wearing seat belts and filing flight plans. Minor and major accidents not involving mechanical failure—those more likely to be under the control of the pilot—declined notably.

GARA thus appears to be a win-win because it revitalized the industry and increased safety.

There's a broad societal consensus that manufacturers bear primary responsibility for product safety. However, if that responsibility extends much longer than the original parties had a reasonable right to expect, then the result may be unsafe behavior and even the demise of an industry.

Successful businesses control their costs. When they're prevented from doing so by force of law, the results are predictable. When the laws are relaxed in business' favor, the results, as Tabarrok and Helland showed, are also foreseeable.

A Small Price to Pay

The allergies that have afflicted your humble observer all his life may have had a beneficial side effect:

A new study......found that people with asthma, nasal allergies and other common allergic conditions had a significantly reduced risk of developing head and neck cancers. [snip]

Allergies usually result from an overactive immune function that may detect and eradicate malignant cells from the body, researchers said. Allergy proteins known as IgE could also have anti-tumor properties, they said.

Those youthful sneezing jags in retrospect were a small price to pay for reduced cancer risk. The allergy gene, otherwise the source of much physical misery and an apparent detriment to its host, might have been passed on for a good reason.

Sunday Reminiscence

After the morning service we were in the office counting the offering when the conversation turned to Andy's nephew. It wasn't that long ago, said Andy, that he was picking up Jameson from day care.

Jameson Lindskog was a quiet child, and his social awkwardness concerned his parents. He was enrolled in a school for children with learning disabilities, and his grades improved markedly. After high school Jameson studied to become a massage therapist, obtained his license, but couldn't find work. He joined the Army and was sent to Afghanistan as a medic. In 2011 Jameson's squad was ambushed. The U.S. Army Medical Department describes what happened next.

Specialist Lindskog at great personal risk to his life showed no hesitation and bounded to the wounded Soldiers through withering enemy fire while brush, trees, and debris were destroyed around him. Once the reinforcements reached the ambushed men, Specialist Lindskog immediately assessed the situation, evaluated casualties, and issued priorities for first aid. The team leader was ambulatory so Specialist Lindskog began treating the squad leader, checking buddy aide that had already been rendered while checking for other injures. Again disregarding his own personal safety, Specialist Lindskog packed the squad leader's wounds with Kerlix and adjusted existing pressure dressings, even as enemy fire impacted all around him. Once the secondary aide on the squad leader had been completed, Specialist Lindskog instructed others on how to care for the wounded squad leader and moved to the wounded ANA Soldier, even after another Soldier was shot twice in the front ESAPI plate just moments before at the same location.

As Specialist Lindskog passed out medical equipment to help treat the wounded and began treatment on a wounded ANA Soldier, he was struck just under the left arm by an enemy round that lodged in his chest. Specialist Lindskog slumped to his side, and even though he was mortally wounded he continued to instruct his fellow Soldiers on how to treat his wounds and give care to other wounded Soldiers. Specialist Lindskog remained lucid for another thirty minutes, continuing to give instructions on how to care for others and himself until he succumbed to his wounds. At no time did Specialist Lindskog hesitate nor ask to be evacuated once severely wounded and in fact asked to stay and assist with the casualties, knowing both the severity of the situation and the wounds he received. He continued to give instructions to others to continue on site care for the wounded until he succumbed to his injuries. Specialist Lindskog's medical care and instructions stabilized one U.S. casualty and one ANA casualty until the MEDEVAC could finally arrive. Specialist Lindskog's valorous actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect great credit upon himself, the 2-327th Infantry Regiment (No Slack), the 1st Brigade Combat Team (Bastogne), Combined Joint Task Force 101, and the United States Army.

----------From Jameson Lindskog's Silver Star citation, 2012

Positively Blissful

In Valentine's Day news you might have missed, "the happier your marriage, the more likely it is that you will gain weight".

[SMU researcher Andrea] Meltzer followed 169 newlywed couples for four years, collecting information on their marital satisfaction and weight. The results showed that marital happiness is positively associated with weight gain. Spouses -- both male and female -- who were more satisfied with their relationships tended to gain more weight, while spouses who were less satisfied tended to weigh less.

Based on readings from our bathroom scale, our marriage is positively blissful.

The Universe Reminds Us

Meteor over Chelyabinsk (LA Times photo)

...of our place in it.

A 10-metric-ton (11 U.S. standard tons) meteorite exploded 18-30 miles above Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring 1,000 people and damaging 3,000 buildings. The meteor fragments struck unpopulated areas and left craters 20 to 30 feet in diameter. The Chelyabinsk rock was smaller than the meteor (the "Tunguska incident") that struck 1,500 miles to the East in 1908 and flattened a 2,000 sq-km forest. The Tunguska meteor in turn was less than 1% the diameter of the Yucatan object that is thought to have ended the age of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

WSJ Graphic

Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking

says the colonization of outer space is key to the survival of humankind, predicting it will be difficult for the world's inhabitants "to avoid disaster in the next hundred years."

Professor Hawking, as well as others, think that human extinction will more likely be caused by humanity itself (war, bioengineered viruses, environmental catastrophe) than by an external event like an asteroid strike. Whatever the source of mankind's ultimate calamity, it behooves us all to follow Stephen Hawking's advice and lift our eyes to the skies, which may be both the origin of our doom and hope for our salvation. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Hearts a Flutter

Valentine's Day has been co-opted by the female of the species. Candy, flowers, white tablecloth dinners, meaningful conversation---if guys are honest, none of these activities would make the list of top five things to do on a Thursday night.  On Valentine's Day there are duties to be performed and monies to be spent. It's an investment in the future, like the Prisoner's Dilemma with multiple iterations.

On the other hand, what really sets male hearts a flutter is speed, power, and destruction (as long as no one gets hurt--this is a family blog) such as the supersonic ping-pong bazooka put together by the Purdue engineering department. Note the unsurprising absence of gender diversity in the video.