Twan's List

Into the Sun

Just thought I’d share a couple of super-cool image of the Space Shuttle silhouetted against the sun on its way to service to the Hubble Space Telescope. The fist image shows a clear shot of the Shuttle silhouetted against the sun, and the second image shows the Shuttle (the larger black dot) as it approaches the Hubble Space Telescope (the smaller black dot). Pretty cool!

Can’t wait to see new images from deep(er) space from the upgrades performed on the space telescope by the Shuttle crew.

Images captured by award winning French astro-photographer Thierry Legault.

Nov. 2 Day of the Dead 3-D Teslathon

6:30 pm to 9 pm
UCLA Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

Tesla coils, UV lights, and fire.

50 science exhibits on Tesla, light, electricity, fire, 3-D and more.

Wearable light art, day glo, el wire, encouraged.

There will be a special Burning Man in 3-D show.

Contact me before Fri. at msimon@physics.ucla.edu to attend the 3-D Burning Man show and I’ll give you the details.

Up to date information at
http://www.physics.ucla.edu/demoweb/dod/

Karen O’Keefe, Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) assistant director of state policies:

There is good reason to believe that marijuana can boost the efficacy of opioid pain drugs, allowing pain patients to get better relief with smaller doses of narcotic medications. University of California, San Francisco researcher Dr. Donald Abrams is looking for participants to take part in an important pilot study that could lay the groundwork for critical research in this area.

Dr. Abrams is conducting a trial of vaporized medical marijuana in conjunction with opioid medications in chronic pain patients. This is an opportunity for patients to try controlled doses of medical marijuana completely legally — under both state and federal law — for five days and for researchers to collect important data about the safety of medical marijuana.

The study will assess the clinical safety of using marijuana with opioids by monitoring the short-term side effects associated with combined therapy.

Participants in the study must:

• Have ongoing chronic pain
• Be 18 or older
• Be on a stable twice-daily dose of sustained-release oxycodone or morphine medication for at least two weeks before enrollment
• Not use marijuana for a month prior to entering the study
• Not be a cigarette and/or cigar smoker, or be willing not to smoke for two weeks before starting the study
• Meet some additional criteria

Participating patients will:

• Spend five days and nights in a clinical research center at San Francisco General Hospital
• Attend a screening appointment before the study begins
• Have blood tests and other measurements done
• Inhale vaporized medicinal marijuana three times a day

You can receive $520 for participating. For more information, call (415) 476-9554, ext. 315, or e-mail pcouey@php.ucsf.edu . The Community Consortium Positive Health Program of the UCSF Medical Service at San Francisco General Hospital is conducting the study.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this on to any chronic pain patients who might be interested in participating in the study.

The Marijuana Policy Project hopes that each of the 100,000 subscribers on our national e-mail list will make at least one financial donation to MPP’s work in 2007. Please visit http://www.mpp.org/donate to donate now.

We are required by federal law to tell you that any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office.

You might find the following study fascinating. It explains a lot. I found it out of the blue on the Wikipedia.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning-Kruger effect is the phenomenon whereby people who have little knowledge systematically think that they know more than others who have much more knowledge.

The phenomenon was demonstrated in a series of experiments performed by Justin Kruger and David Dunning, then both of Cornell University. Their results were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in December 1999.

Kruger and Dunning noted a number of previous studies which tend to suggest that in skills as diverse as reading comprehension, operating a motor vehicle, and playing chess or tennis, that “ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge” (as Charles Darwin put it). They hypothesized that with a typical skill which humans may possess in greater or lesser degree:

1. incompetent individuals tend to overestimate their own level of skill,
2. incompetent individuals fail to recognize genuine skill in others,
3. incompetent individuals fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy,
4. if they can be trained to substantially improve their own skill level, these individuals can recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack of skill.

They set out to test these hypotheses on human subjects consisting of Cornell undergraduates who were registered in various psychology courses.

In a series of studies, Kruger and Dunning examined self-assessment of logical reasoning skills, grammatical skills and humor. After being shown their test score, the subjects were again asked to estimate their own rank whereupon the competent group accurately estimated their rank, while the incompetent group still overestimated their own rank. As Dunning and Kruger noted:

Across 4 studies, participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humor, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd.

Dunning and Kruger

Meanwhile, people with true knowledge tended to underestimate their competence.

A followup study suggests that grossly incompetent students improve both their skill level and their ability to estimate their class rank only after extensive tutoring in the skills they had previously lacked.

Mind States, Costa Rica

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 – Sunday, June 17, 2007

Featuring presentations by:

• Joe Coleman, apocalyptic artist
• Erik Davis, author of TechGnosis and The Visionary State
• Earth Erowid, co-founder of erowid.org
• Fire Erowid, co-founder of erowid.org
• Jon Hanna, author of The Psychedelic Resource List
• Jonathan Ott, author of Pharmacotheon
• Mark Pesce, futurist and author of The Playful World
• Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, chemist & pharmacologist
• Ann Shulgin, co-author of PIHKAL and TIHKAL
• Tommy Thomas, gentleman farmer
• With Sheelo Bohm, facilitating morning Holotropic Breathwork sessions.

Held at an eco-resort on a 2000 acre sanctuary of virgin rain forest set at the juncture of two rivers near the town of Horquetas de Sarapiqui. Swim by natural waterfalls or in the pool, relax in a hot tub, enjoy refreshing beverages at the bar, challenge one of the presenters to a paddle boat race, marvel at the botanical gardens, or arrange a zip-line canopy tour, horseback ride, white water rafting trip, or massage through the resort.

Price includes admission to lectures and workshops, one spot in an incredibly spacious double-occupancy room, and all meals (vegetarian and vegan available).Not included in the price are airfare and transportation to the resort (about 1.5 hours outside of San Jose).

• Space is limited–purchase your ticket soon.
• Cost is $1,400 per person afterwards.

Payment can be made with a credit card through the Mind States site

Or you may send a check or money order to:

Mind States
P.O. Box 19820
Sacramento, CA 95819

For more information, please visit the Mind States Web site

VENUS & THE PLEIADES

Cosmic Dance Wednesday April 11, 2007

Venus and the Pleiades are converging for a
close encounter on Wednesday, April 11th.

At closest approach, the planet and the star cluster will be about 2 degrees apart, tight enough to fit behind your upturned thumb held at arm’s length. They’re an odd couple. Venus is extravagantly bright while the Pleiades are faint and delicate, yet together they make a pretty ensemble suitable for photography, binoculars or simple naked-eye viewing.

Watch the western sky after sunset in the nights ahead to see them drawing together.

NASA’s Cassini Space Probe
Gathers Amazing Photographic Data

The Cassini Spacecraft has managed to get a better glimpse of an interesting phenomenon occurring over the entire north pole of the planet Saturn.

A Hex on Saturn?

A hexigonal shape circles Saturn’s north pole and has deeply piqued scientists’ interest.

NASA Excerpt:

The hexagon appears to have remained fixed with Saturn’s rotation rate and axis since first glimpsed by Voyager 26 years ago. The actual rotation rate of Saturn is still uncertain.

SpaceWeather.com

Treating Stimulant Addiction in Canada

When will the good old USA finally begin to adopt proven, sensible, and compassionate policies regarding drug use and abuse? When is enough enough? I’m all for the ideas such as the one in Rio regarding the legalization of drugs as a means to fight crime. Also, I’m absolutely in favor of programs such as the new pilot program in Vancouver, BC, Canada, which seeks to treat those unfortunate souls who have become addicted to stimulants.

Read more here:

Treating Stimulant Addiction With Prescription Drugs

Legalized Drugs in Rio?

Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, calls for Legalizing Drugs to Fight Crime from Drug Trade

Rio’s Governor Joins Latin American Leaders in Call for International Dialog on the Harms of Drugs and Drug Prohibition

Contact: Tony Papa (646) 420-7290

Rio de Janeiro Governor Sergio Cabral on Friday called for legalizing drugs as a strategy to fight the ongoing drug-related gang violence that is devastating his state. He expressed hopes that this would reduce the violent crime caused primarily by drug prohibition. Rio de Janeiro has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, due primarily to outbreaks of violence among different gangs, and between gangs and the police in the slums of Brazil’s favelas, where urban drug lords rule.

“The governor is merely saying out loud what so many more think but fear to say.. Rio today is like Chicago under Al Capone – times ten. Reforming drug prohibition won’t be as quick and easy as repealing alcohol Prohibition was, but there’s no hope for breaking the drug-crime nexus unless many more elected officials heed Governor Cabral’s call.”

Ethan Nadelmann:
executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance

Governor Cabral’s comments add to a growing list of Latin American leaders who are questioning drug prohibition and calling for new strategies, including legalization, to address the violence created by the illegality of drugs. Former Central and South American presidents, including Mexico’s Vicente Fox and Uruguay’s Jorge Batlle, among others, have called for an international dialog on how best to deal with the disastrous prohibitionist policies that are costly, futile and counter-productive.

Governor Sergio Cabral, who took office two months ago, promised that a priority of his administration would be to combat the crime stemming from these drug gangs. Several months ago, one of the governor’s first acts was to ask the federal government to send a special security force to Rio following the eruption of gang violence that caused civilian and police deaths.

Cabral questions current U.S. drug policy. When he asked, “Is the United States correct in its conservative policy on drugs?” he responded, “In my view—absolutely incorrect.”

Interesting article about how the press, who are often pressured to come up with the most sensationalized stories, will sometimes resort to fabrication. Drugs and drug use has always been a popular target, which has helped keep the public confused and unreasonably emotional when it comes to the truth about drug use within the US population.