It’s Friday, it’s past noon UK time, it’s the new episode of FREAKANGELS, free to air.

• Yes, at some point I’ll get around to mentioning the GI JOE animation I scripted earlier in the year.But today I have plane-flu or summat. #
• Listening to “Albert Camus” by Titus Andronicus: two minutes in, this is a soundtrack to invading a country as an act of romance. #

• 16:13 Optical allusion: an obvious imitation of a famous artwork inserted as a symbol. Example: Any Escher impossibility used to represent magic. #

Caloric Restriction Comes in a Pill

Scientists have provided the strongest evidence yet that the anti-aging benefits of calorically restricted diets can be duplicated -- minus the near-starvation -- by a pill.

In a study published today in Cell Metabolism, mice given resveratrol -- the first of an eagerly-anticipated class of longevity drugs -- enjoyed dramatically improved health, even when they started taking the drug late in life.

Resveratrol didn't extend the lives of normal mice, but it did protect them from the ravages of time. The rodents had stronger hearts, clearer eyes, more limber muscles and firmer bones. Closer analysis revealed the same cell-level changes produced by caloric restriction, an extreme form of dieting that consistently lengthens the lives of lab animals but is impractical, if not dangerous, for people.

"For the first time, we can mimic caloric restriction in an otherwise healthy animal," said study co-author David Sinclair, a Harvard University biologist and co-founder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. "That's been the goal of the field for decades. We didn't know it was possible to let an animal eat whatever it wants, but still get the benefits. We now have evidence."

Regardless of mouse weight and diet, resveratrol worked wonders. At two years of age, or the mouse equivalent of senescence, the mice were more coordinated than their non-dosed counterparts. Their bones were thicker and stronger, their eyes free of cataracts, their hearts beating strong. At the cellular level, tissues displayed gene-level changes almost identical to those produced by caloric restriction.

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals has already started clinical trials of resveratrol and a more-refined sirtuin activator. In June they were purchased for $720 million by Glaxo Smith Kline, signaling the seriousness with which academics and the pharmaceutical industry views the field.

"You've got to take aging research seriously if a company is willing to put down three-quarters of a billion dollars on it," said Sinclair.

Do you know your powers of two (1, 2, 4, 8 ...) up to 65536 off by heart?

The function of Spore appears to be the generation of ridiculous Youtube clips like this. After having watched the demo videos of the game itself, though, I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would play it. But then, The Sims baffled me too, with all of its SimKafka tedium.
Current Music: d.A. Sebasstian -- Monster Monster

Metal Layering Technique Leads to Fine Tuned Implants

A laser heats the powdered metal in the exact places that need to be firm. "It's like baking a cake," says Andreas Burblies, spokesman for the Fraunhofer Numerical Simulation of Products, Processes Alliance. Any remaining loose powder is subsequently removed. "The end product is an open-pored element," explains Burblies. "Each point possesses exactly the right density and thus also a certain stability." The method allows the engineers to produce particularly lightweight components that are also extremely robust.

Junk currently cluttering the vestry at my internet church:

How to brand yourself with a laser printer.

A job that I haven’t announced here yet.

Kicking off the month’s self-portrait thread.

And something like a dozen threads about me at Chicago that I can’t bring myself to look at yet.

You always You never You should You must You shouldn't You mustn't. Why can't you Why don’t you Why aren't you Why didn’t you How could you? You suck You blow You lie You have no idea. You ignoramus You jerk You Ass You partisan hack. You're lying You're cheating You're distorting You're asking for it. You're out of your mind You’re out of your league You’re out of your tree You're out of your gourd. You’re off your rocker You're off your meds You're off the reservation. You're wrong You're stupid You're ignorant You're mental You're full of shit. You're an automaton You're a bomb-thrower You’re a water carrier You're a Kool Aid drinker You're a hack You're a loser You're a prick. You've got blinders on You've got no sense You've got spittle on your chin You've got your head up your ass. You disgust me You repulse me You disappoint me You make me want to puke. You’re talking in circles You're talking in riddles You’re talking in gibberish You're talking trash You're talking like a two year old. You can go to hell You can kiss my ass You can leave You can take your shit to another blog. I'm warning you I'm telling you I'm advising you I'm this close to troll-rating you. I'm sick of your crap I'm sick of your attitude I'm sick of your comments I'm sick of your emails I'm sick of your purity. Mine's better, smarter, faster, more organized, more effective and more experienced than yours, whatever it is. I say so I know so I was there I heard it from the horse's mouth I saw it on the internet I found it on Wikipedia I have a friend who took a class I got it from Fox News I read a press release from my congressman. Knock it off Cut it out Get a clue Do your homework. Clearly you don’t understand Clearly you don’t listen Clearly you don’t get it Clearly you haven’t tried it Clearly you weren't old enough at the time Clearly you're out of touch Clearly you're running around with the wrong crowd Clearly you want us to lose. One more word One more peep One more comment One more outburst One more syllable and you'll regret it. Don’t give me that attitude Don’t play that card Don’t change the subject Don't act so surprised Don’t be so stupid. Go to hell Go pound sand Go back to your mommy Go screw yourself Go to Little Green Footballs. I'm sick of you I loathe you I hope you get what's coming to you, crybaby.

dianafox

Am I a Comparable? A List of Comparable Traits, from most relevant to least:
a. Has had similar rapid weakening, going from healthy to paralyzed very quickly
b. Teenage girl, with recent onset of menses (periods)
c. Have had similar treatments: IVIG, plasmapheresis, multiple forms of steroids and Cytoxin (an immunosuppressant), a “mitochondrial cocktail” of antioxidants, and lithium and riluzole
d. Recent HPV vaccine
e. Possibly family history of neural diseases, such as seizures and/or palsies
f. Possibly had an auto‐immune condition in the past, such as a rare skin condition like pityriasis licheng. Possible heavy‐metal exposure, for example aluminum or environmental mercury exposure.