Scientific MOOCs follower. Author of Airpocalypse, a techno-medical thriller (Out Summer 2017)


Welcome to the digital era of biology (and to this modest blog I started in early 2005).

To cure many diseases, like cancer or cystic fibrosis, we will need to target genes (mutations, for ex.), not organs! I am convinced that the future of replacement medicine (organ transplant) is genomics (the science of the human genome). In 10 years we will be replacing (modifying) genes; not organs!


Anticipating the $100 genome era and the P4™ medicine revolution. P4 Medicine (Predictive, Personalized, Preventive, & Participatory): Catalyzing a Revolution from Reactive to Proactive Medicine.


I am an early adopter of scientific MOOCs. I've earned myself four MIT digital diplomas: 7.00x, 7.28x1, 7.28.x2 and 7QBWx. Instructor of 7.00x: Eric Lander PhD.

Upcoming books: Airpocalypse, a medical thriller (action taking place in Beijing) 2017; Jesus CRISPR Superstar, a sci-fi -- French title: La Passion du CRISPR (2018).

I love Genomics. Would you rather donate your data, or... your vital organs? Imagine all the people sharing their data...

Audio files on this blog are Windows files ; if you have a Mac, you might want to use VLC (http://www.videolan.org) to read them.

Concernant les fichiers son ou audio (audio files) sur ce blog : ce sont des fichiers Windows ; pour les lire sur Mac, il faut les ouvrir avec VLC (http://www.videolan.org).


Xīn nián kuài lè!

Source.
Source.

"Paperman": Origami Love

Liste des médicaments à ne PAS prendre

Le Dr. Martin Winckler a communiqué cette liste de médicaments à ne PAS prendre, comme étant une source fiable ... et accessible au public :

http://www.prescrire.org/fr/3/31/48400/0/NewsDetails.aspx

==> Télécharger cette liste ici (format PDF, 5 pages, 152 Ko).

Enki Bilal : "Les Fantômes du Louvre", conférence (Paris, 30/01/2013)


Enki Bilal : "Les Fantômes du Louvre". Bilal, entre peintre et auteur de BD. Tandis que ses peintures se vendent de mieux en mieux dans le monde entier, Bilal quitte de temps à autre la BD ... devient peintre ... pour revenir ensuite à la BD ... Ce livre se situe à l'intersection de la peinture et de la BD ... ce qui le rend fascinant ...
Bilal a sélectionné, sur 400 photographies faites au Louvre par ses soins, 23 œuvres de ce prestigieux musée et a révélé dans son livre intitulé "Les Fantômes du Louvre" (Futuropolis, novembre 2012), la vie et la mort (violente) de 23 fantômes qui accompagnent ces chefs d'œuvres que des dizaines de milliers de touristes venus du monde entier contemplent chaque jour ... Sculptures, peintures ... toutes ont une histoire, cachée mais pas tant que cela, du moins pour E. Bilal ... Selon lui, la moindre oeuvre exposée au Louvre accueille jusqu'à 300 fantômes ... Sur les 23 fantômes qu'il a peint, il croit fermement à la présence et à l'existence historique (allant de l'ère de Jésus-Christ à la Seconde Guerre mondiale) de 22 ... Pour le 23ème, il a dit qu'il n'était pas sûr ... il s'agit d'une momie un peu monstrueuse ... Bilal s'est passionné pour "le fait divers, sa représentation clinique et violente, comme la vie, comme la mort (à moins de mourir dans son lit en s'endormant)" ...


 La Victoire de Samothrace et son fantôme : http://youtu.be/HVTriWvniTw
 Un Goya hanté, au Louvre ! http://youtu.be/YO3WG-wUkxU
Hécube à la sexualité violée et dévoilée : http://youtu.be/TfIX9KQzbbM


Même La Joconde a été témoin des amours de son créateur, Léonard de Vinci (d'où, peut-être, son sourire mystérieux) ... Léo aimait les jeunes assistants ...

Le fantôme que vous voyez, au beau visage émacié, est l'un de ceux-là. Léo l'a aimé, puis des années plus tard, l'a découvert dans une morgue où il s'était introduit afin de mieux étudier le corps humain.

En commençant la dissection clandestine, il a reconnu le torse de son amant ; à peine le bistouri avait-il commencé à entailler la peau, le sang épais à couler ...


Un chirurgien qui rate la césarienne de son épouse ; celle-ci en meurt ... Sa fille devient chirurgien, mais lorsqu'il aurait besoin de ses services (péritonite aiguë), elle n'est pas disponible pour l'opérer car elle se trouve en voyage d'études ... Le "chir" s'opère lui-même, se rate, et meurt ...

Depuis, il hante le lit de Louis XIV, exposé au Louvre (on précise que Louis XIV n'est pas mort dans ledit lit) ... Il hante, ou plutôt il lévite ... Visionner les explications d'Enki Bilal ici : http://youtu.be/3EQbfUvZdiw

Bilal a voulu que tous ses fantômes aient une coiffure et des vêtements absents, donc intemporels. Les lambeaux de cheveux et de vêtements attestent de l'état (intemporel) des fantômes. Leur visage garde l'empreinte, très temporelle, d'une vie faite de lutte, de guerres pour certains, et pour tous d'une mort violente. Car pour devenir fantôme es-Bilal, il faut avoir connu une mort violente ... De l'aveu même de leur créateur, lesdits fantômes ne seraient "en général pas très intelligents", et même "un peu bêtes" ...

Bilal engagé : L'écologie est un boulet, on devrait remplacer ce mot malencontreux par celui de "planétologie" ... L'Europe en général et la France en particulier ne sont pas passées aux XXIème siècle ... Tous nos dirigeants ont fait la même école (l'ENA - voir ce que cela donne quand on place les lettres à l'envers) ... et ils coulent le pays ... Faudra attendre peut-être 30 ans avant que les jeunes prennent la relève avec un modèle politique inédit ...

Special thanks to Enki Bilal!

Copyright: Futuropolis - Musée du Louvre, édition 2012.
==> DOWNLOAD AUDIO FILE (in French).

End-of-year sales for "made in China" organs: only a few days left, hurry!

Only a few days left before Chinese new year... This means that a lot of (political) prisoners are being shot for their organs... right now... because, you see, in China, all the "sentenced to death" prisoners must be executed (shot) before Chinese New Year...

Need a new vital organ? This may be your chance, hurry!10% discount when mentioning this ad!

Il reste quelques jours avant de fêter le Nouvel-An chinois ... Ce qui signifie qu'en Chine, en ce moment même, plein de prisonniers politiques sont abattus pour leurs organes (reins, cœur, foie...) Si le "cœur" vous en dit ... Gagnez une réduction de 10% sur simple mention de ce "Post"!

Coeur artificiel : les essais cliniques débutent dans 6 mois

Le coeur artificiel Carmat est prêt pour les essais cliniques ...

Paris, France - "Après des résultats encourageants sur l'animal, la première implantation sur l'homme du cœur artificiel complet développé par la société Carmat devrait être effectuée d'ici six mois, à condition d'avoir obtenu les autorisations nécessaires, notamment de l'Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé (ANSM), a annoncé le Pr Alain Carpentier (HEGP, Paris) directeur scientifique de la société, lors d'une intervention [1] aux XXIIIèmes Journées européenne de la Société française de cardiologie (SFC), qui se sont déroulées du 16 au 19 janvier, à Paris.

Des biomatériaux de même nature que ceux utilisés pour les valves

Exposing American Corruption

"Le rêve de Steve Jobs était d'enfermer l'humanité dans son système, celui des successeurs de Bill Gates de contrôler votre ordinateur (Windows 8), celui des gouvernants semble être de vous interdire l'accès au hardware de votre computer. Bof, je serai mort avant qu'ils y arrivent ces cons ... Finalement le cryptage à la Dotcom, même s'il est imparfait, ce n'est pas anodin si cela montre aux gens que la cage est ouverte et que l'on a pas besoin d'être un spécialiste pour en sortir." ("Mandrin 45"). 
Federal prosecutor Carmen Ortiz, who threatened 
Aaron Swartz with decades in prison.
(Credit: U.S. Department of Justice)

Human Rights Lawyer Explains Why He's Working For Kim Dotcom: Exposing American Corruption

from the corruption-laundering dept

"We recently wrote about how Kim Dotcom has retained famed human rights lawyer Robert Amsterdam to explore whether or not there's a human rights angle to his case, specifically alleging 'contract prosecution' by the entertainment industry. I'm still somewhat skeptical that such an argument could go anywhere, but Amsterdam himself has put up a rather detailed blog post, explaining why he's taking the case, which may seem quite different than his usual fare: taking on corruption and human rights violations in far flung parts of the world, including Africa and Latin America. After highlighting the many problems with the case (and the continued failures in court to date), as well as the close ties prosecutor Neil MacBride has with big copyright holders, he points out that he sees some serious similarities to what's happening here with the kind of corruption he's witnessed in third world nations.
This case highlights not only the issue of 'state capture' by the Hollywood lobby, but at the same time should lead to a thoughtful discussion on how we define corruption. No one would venture to allege that there is any form of cash payment taking place when official bodies appear to act at the behest of special interests motives. Because that’s not how these groups work.

It is a demonstration of the growing ambiguity of the lines between regulators and the regulated, and the proper role of intellectual property in the digital age. As we’ve seen in the sad and tragic case of
Aaron Swartz, for whom Prosecutor Carmen Ortiz was seeking 13 criminal charges and more than 50 years in jail, the American justice system is increasingly flawed by this prosecutorial exuberance aimed at future political reward.

It is one thing when the victims of these abuses are American citizens, who live at the whim of an unaccountable prosecutorial machine driven by personal political ambitions and an appetite for headlines. It is something else entirely when these prosecutors visit their ambitions upon foreign citizens, charging them with heinous crimes with no basis under law, even if that person has never once set foot inside the United States (like Kim Dotcom).
That is, he appears to be aware of the nature of corruption laundering that's going on -- using the close connection between big businesses and governments to create laws where people can make the case that cracking down on some behavior is necessary to stop crime, but where the details show it's really about cracking down on competition and innovation.

And, he notes, this sort of activity is a huge stain on the US and the federal government:
With this attempt to 'colonize' the global internet under U.S. laws, Washington is quickly making a bad name for itself, and putting its considerable influence on the wrong side of digital rights, free markets, and competitive innovation. They do this in the name of protecting a broken business model, subsidizing monopolies, and seeking to destroy crucial online functions instead of adapting to the incredible opportunity afforded to them through mass connectivity. We deserve better, we can do better, and everyone can benefit from a more reasonable approach focused on the best interests of the public, not the best interests of lobbyists and the politicians in their pockets.

We see this as a grand ideological debate with far-reaching implications, and sadly, my lengthy experience in countries where special interests control the levers of power may have some utility here.
Even if there isn't a legal human rights angle, it should be interesting to see what Amsterdam turns up. This growing recognition of how laws are created to benefit legacy players, and then used against innovators, is a real problem. Shining more light on that would be tremendously helpful in actually promoting important innovations." (Source).

 

Please also read: "Swartz didn't face prison until feds took over case, report says."

2013: Year of the Water Snake

Here are some previsions for the Year of the Water Snake... I found them here...

OVERALL PROJECTION

"This is the tenth year of the Lower '8' Cycle of the world. Based on I-Jing, while the period between 1984 and 2043 (totaling 60 years) is 'Fire-Wind Urn', the year 2013 is 'Mountain-Thunder Rhythm'.

I-Jing Analysis'
'Mountain-Thunder Rhythm' contains 2 'Yang’s' to surround 4 'Yin’s'. While the outside seems to be solid, the inside is empty. Hence it is a year of conservation, a year of rebuilding and a year of changes.

Life Chart Analysis
This year is composed of 'water snake' year, 'wooden tiger' month, 'metal ox' day and 'earth rat' hour. While its year and month are in conflict, its day and hour connect. The year would begin with many uncertainties but end up on a high tune. There is an over-abundance of wood and fire, which become negative elements for the year. Elements of 'earth, metal and water' would serve the year better.
Flying-Star Analysis
The '5-yellow' star is the controlling force of this year. This sign is a very turbulent one. It would bring the world to extremities – good or bad. Its nature is 'earth'. Countries in both south and north would do better than those in the east or west. China would control to lead the world’s economy. Western countries would continue to suffer from economic instabilities.
The following would outline an analysis of orientations, businesses, politics, economies, climates and health, totaling 6 important factors affecting all of us.

Mylène Farmer : "Je te dis tout".

Fashion business: a niche eco label founded by rock'n roll stars to help lift Africa out of poverty!

The 53 Nations of Africa have way too small a share of the world's trade: just 3% for 2010. Producing in that vast continent went at least some way to levelling that inequity... The brand is EDUN Americas and its mantra is compelling: "We carry the story of the people who make our clothes around with us."

An eco brand, that is, a sustainable, ethical luxury brand very much captures the "Zeitgeist" (especially in NY). What's behind the lofty or grand purpose, exactly? Janice Sullivan, CEO of EDUN, explains...

A piece by Marion Hume, fashion and travel journalist.

"As if the fashion business is not tough enough, Janice Sullivan must also meet Bono and Ali Hewson’s lofty aims for a niche eco label they founded to help lift Africa out of poverty.

There are times when I’m sitting with a Chief executive, who is completely ‘on message’, brilliant at expressing the ‘pillars’ of the brand and at talking through an impressive bottom line, yet I’m thinking, 'Yes, but you could be selling paint.' There are other times – rarer these – when I meet a CEO who is perhaps more tentative at first, yet utterly equipped for the unique challenges of the fashion business. A latter case is Janice Sullivan. As she puts it herself, 'I come from the back room. I’m hands on. I am all about product.'
Sullivan, an immaculate New York honey blonde in her mid 40s, does not have an expensive MBA. Instead, she has a roll-up-your-sleeves understanding of the logistics of making clothes and accessories in any part of the world. She knows her fabrics; she can tell at a glance how many you can cut of this and how long it is going to take to add beading.
'I started out in production; [was] then in product development; then in merchandising, then took over sales,' says Sullivan, who grew up on the Jersey shore looking across to Manhattan and whose career in New York City, until 18 months ago, involved switching back and forth between Calvin Klein and Donna Karan as she climbed the ladder at two iconic America brands. She was president of Calvin Klein Jeans when Mark Weber, who helms the LVMH business in the US, (which these days includes Donna Karan), asked her to take on a considerable challenge. She is now the CEO of Edun."

"iPS Cells Will Make Organ Transplants From Brain Dead Patients Redundant iPS Cells Will Make Organ Transplants From Brain Dead Patients Redundant"

Professor Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012, has for the first time in the world generated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells which can grow into any tissue of the body from the skin. Researchers are currently carrying out projects all over the world in order to, investigate the practical use of iPS cells in medicine.
At the press conference after winning the prize, Professor Yamanaka thanked people for cooperating with his research and expressed his aspirations for the future, saying 'I’d like my research to be of use to patients after it overcomes some safety concerns'."

Genomics VS immunosuppressive drugs: who wins?

Had a talk this morning with some consultant from BCG (Boston Consulting Group). It was about this European genome sequencing business, DNA Vision, based in Brussels, Belgium.

DNA's website mentions:
"The first next-generation sequencing system has been launched in 2005 by 454 and Roche. It has been continuously improved so far with the FLX system in 2007 and the Titanium chemistry in 2008. DNAVision provides from deveral years high quality sequencing services using the Genome Sequencer FLX system (Roche). This breakthrough technology, producing more than 1 Million reads of 450 nt per run, is particularly well-suited for several applications: Metagenomics Other applications For more details about the Next Gen sequencing services at DNAVision, click here. DNAvision provides flexible solutions on 1/2, 1/4 or 1/8 plate combined with sample multiplexing through MID adapters. This flexibility is particularly interesting for de novo bacteria sequencing, metagenomic studies. DNAVision's service with Roche Genome Sequencer FLX system Up to 450Mb per run obtained for one to 192 samples Flexibility in experimental design - partial plate sequencing is provided Fast data turnaround - 10 hours per run State-of-the-art bioinformatics support." (Source)
Roche is a pharmaceutical lab selling immunosuppressive drugs. The company even got a "reward" for that... In 2010, for testing Cellcept, a transplant anti-rejection drug, in China... "The Public Eye Award in the category Swiss and People was given to the Swiss health care-company Roche for the selling of the medicament 'Cell Cept' in China, where over 90% of the organs for transplantation comes from executed prisoners - against their own will." (Source).It is against Roche's own interests to help develop regenerative medicine and genomics, as these will make organ transplants from brain-dead patients redundant...( read here).... Or maybe Roche will orient its business towards some more innovative stuff, like using DNA to store digital information ?

Jean-Michel Billaut, French @nthropologist and Net Economy specialist:
"Technically, it's possible to store1 million CD's in one gram of DNA, for 10.000 years ! Will digital stuff find a new format? From silicium and binary system (0 and 1) to DNA and four-letter-language? (A,T,C,G: the four letters of our Homo Sapiens' Operating System). A change of civilisation?"
The BCG consultant says "Big Pharma" is having serious difficulties reorienting itself, from the molecule to the digitalized preventive medicine (genomics is 1% biology, 99% data: probability and statistics)... He gave me an example (case in point): Kodak, one of the worldwide leaders in argentic photography, used to have a "digital photo lab". Not exactly because they wanted to help develop digital photography. On the contrary: they wanted to make sure they'd be able to delay its progress...

19th of Jan., 2012: Kodak is officially bankrupt...

This pen translates while you read!

A major and upcoming Internet disruption: Kim Dot Com disrupting Google, Apple, etc.



Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload, has launched a new file-sharing website a year after he was accused by US prosecutors of facilitating massive online piracy said to have cost the entertainment industry $500m (£315m).

Kim Dotcom (Megaupload, Mega) wants to encrypt half of Internet: "Total government spying must stop!" He says Hollywood media are colluding with American government. This give and take relationship between politics (laws) and media results in a hidden assault on our civil rights. Except that in Kim's experience, the assault had nothing to do with "hidden". Megaupload shutdown had been spectacular. Staged like some Hollywood drama... Well, Kim is back... alive and kicking (some serious ass)... since, a few days ago, he has re-opened "Mega", but this time neither the government (or Hollywood) nor him can access the data on Mega. Everything's encrypted. On hence, Kim denies, more than ever, responsibility for major (Hollywood) copyright breach. Kim Dotcom's Mega service offers 50GB of data storage – and it is all perfectly legal.

What happened one year ago? Hollywood and the US government found Kim very dangerous and they wanted to "destroy" him once and for all. Kim got through by the skin of his teeth and is back stronger than ever, with... the biggest Internet disruption ever. Apple, Google have proven to be less dispruptive than Mega... Google provide various governments with the info they request. They are not exactly zealous about it, but they do as requested. If half of the Internet becomes encrypted, governments might find it much harder to spy on would be terrorists... Google artificial intelligence is building (and thriving) on the open Internet - not on the encrypted one... On the other hand, patients might be happy to put their medical data on Mega... no confidentiality breach... Mega could become a major competitor to Google +...

This is the biggest disruption ever, nobody can tell about the consequences of an Internet (massive) encryption... Well I guess Kim didn't want to end up like Aaron Swartz, a MIT student and Internet (public-access) activist, who thought information should be free... The question is: should violating a site's Terms of Service land you in jail ? (read here).

(U.S.) government(s) (and Hollywood) appear to have proven greedy... too greedy... Let's just hope that Kim's counter-attack will proceed otherwise (not just based on the same abuse of power)...

"Made By China": a restaurant almost fully operated by robots

You may want to think about a new profession if you’re considering working in the food and service industry in China.... and I'm not talking about "Noodle Bot" here (a robot to make sliced-noodles)...

 

"The Robot Restaurant opened in Harbin [a Chinese city] in June and has taken the F&B industry in China further into the mechanized world. Robot Restaurant staffs a total of 20 robots as waiters, cooks and busboys. Turns out 'Noodle Bot' might need to expand its repertoire if it hopes to compete with Robot Restaurant’s 18 different kinds of service robots.

Upon arrival, Usher Robot welcomes customers to the restaurant and directs them to the seating area. Patrons can then place their order, which is relayed by humans to one of the four robot chefs who are able to cook various styles of dumplings and noodles. The robot chefs even determine the temperature and ingredients for each dish and usually take about 3 minutes to prepare the average order. These robot chefs are no slouches either. The kitchen staff is able to prepare a menu of over 30 dishes–perfect for a family dinner. Waitress robots carry the food to customers by following a track that uses sensors placed under the floor for spatial awareness. Additionally, each robot comes equipped with its own sensors, helping it to avoid obstructions such as a kid that’s in its way.

The robots were designed and built by a local firm, the Harbin Haohai Robot Company. Each robot costs between 200,000 to 300,000 Chinese yuan (US$31,500 – US$47,000) with an additional 5 million yuan (US$790,000) invested into the restaurant itself. With the average Robot Restaurant meal costing less than 62 yuan (US$10), the restaurant is not meant to earn Harbin Haohai money. Instead, it turns out the restaurant is just a brilliant piece of marketing." (Source).

Le DMP, nouvelle année zéro

Déploiement atone, critiques généralisées, gouvernance menacée


"Gouvernance sur la sellette, redéfinition encore floue du périmètre du dossier médical personnel, critiques des médecins et des politiques... : la reprise en main du DMP est en route. Mais pour quels objectifs ? Marisol Touraine ne s’exprime plus sur ce dossier sensible, réduisant aux conjectures les observateurs.
Où ira le DMP en 2013 ? Les critiques fusent sur ce fameux dossier qui a déjà coûté au contribuable français près de 250 millions d’euros. Une somme à rapporter aux 274 141 DMP officiellement créés en France au 20 janvier, 'ce qui fait un peu plus de 900 euros par dossier', ricanent ses nombreux détracteurs."(Le Quotidien du Médecin, 28/01/2013).

French Doctor

"En France, pays féodal, on continue à penser en terme de titres et de statut. Celui qui a un titre a un statut. Et seuls ceux qui ont un statut ont le droit d'avoir une opinion et des désirs. 

Le respect du patient n'est pas quelque chose qui 'va de soi' dans l'idéologie médicale française. 

Et ça commence dès la première année de fac de médecine, où on dit aux étudiants qu'ils sont nuls et que les plus mauvais feront de la médecine générale... pour s'occuper du 'peuple'..."
  
Dr. Martin Winckler, propos recueillis sur Facebook, le 27/01/2013.

Looking for an Iranien Princess...


Real or fake, I am always floored by her beauty. Shaghayegh... sigh...
Source: google.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

"Ce n'est pas le moment d'innover en Europe" ...

... et c'est bien pour cela que les "Labos pharmaceutiques" américains (et suisses ?) ferment leur département d'innovation en Europe ... On ne parle que de Donwsizing sur la vieille Europe ... Certains licencient en ce moment même 20% de leurs effectifs. Y compris dans le service informatique (qu'ils feront faire en sous-traitance). Ce qu'on garde dans les labos français, c'est l'admin ... car ça de la paperasse en France il y en a ... En pays anglo-saxon, quand quelque chose ne marche pas, on ferme. Sans états d'âme, sans considérer cela comme un échec ... Tout le contraire en France : on préserve des CDI, même si la chose n'est plus rentable (comme en ex-RDA) ... "Ce n'est pas le moment d'innover en Europe" ... m'explique un cadre américain travaillant au sein d'un de ces laboratoires pharmaceutiques.

Why am I not surprised? ...

Pendant ce temps, sur l'émission "Check-up santé" sur BFM, entendue ce dimanche 27/01/2012, tous les 1.0 du médicament et de la "santé" viennent vendre leur soupe ... Cette émission relève du publi-rédactionnel (à fort contenu publicitaire), pourquoi pas ? Le problème, c'est qu'elle ne s'annonce pas comme telle ... Big Pharma y fait sa pub, en toute impunité : non aux génériques, on devrait pouvoir gagner de l'argent sans innover, c'est scandaleux que cela ne soit pas le cas, l'e-santé (le numérique dans la santé) mais uniquement lorsque cela rapporte aux institutionnels et grands groupes pharmaceutiques ... La pilule de 3e génération n'est pas dangereuse, on veut continuer à la vendre. etc. Et les PME dans tout cela ? Et le patient ? Nous déjeunions avec deux chirurgiens (à la retraite) de ma famille en écoutant cette émission ; l'un d'eux les a tous trouvés "pathétiques" - l'émission est présentée comme "la seule émission faite par des professionnels de santé pour les professionnels de santé" ! - ; l'autre en riait aux larmes ...

A lire : "L'industrie pharmaceutique fait sa révolution ... numérique."

Hong-Kong, worldwide leader in AI Robotics R&D in 2013?

A little bird told me that Hong-Kong would be the worldwide leader in AI Robotics research and development in 2013 (year of the water snake)...

BioNews Flash

"After years fighting stigmatization, society needs more of it, according to one of America's leading bioethicists - otherwise we will never beat the obesity epidemic.

Ceteris paribus, a Harvard professor wants to clone a Neanderthal.

Japan's finance minister wants elderly useless eaters to hurry up and kick the bucket.

And American ob/gyns are thinking of routinely screening women for reproductive coercion".   

Michael Cook, BioEdge.

Pic.

DIY Bioprinter: get a (e-)hands-on demo here and now!

Advances in biotechnology are radically changing the scientific landscape... People have even started hacking an old inkjet printer to print biomaterials...

   

 

==> Read here

London: The Hottest Tech Scene Since Silicon Valley?

Old Street Roundabout (East End): the New "Silicon Valley" in London?

"London’s so-called 'Silicon Roundabout' east of downtown can appear underwhelming. The attached Tube station is decrepit, the shops below ground are tatty, and at night its psychogeography seems deliberately designed to attract muggers and thieves.
It doesn’t get much better above the surface. Traffic swirls around the unwieldy Old Street roundabout , which is dominated by a huge billboard. Nearby City Road stretches north for a mile from the Thames and the City of London, home to London’s banks and finance.
The cityscape is depressing. Nothing seems to have been built since the area’s halcyon days of printing in the 1970s and 1980s, when it served the newspaper industry on nearby Fleet Street. Here, it feels as if it rains every day. 

SEE ALSO: Documentary Details How Silicon Valley Got Its Start

But just because it's ugly doesn’t mean it's unimportant. The Silicon Roundabout is the center of London’s emerging tech cluster; behind the disappointing facade, interesting things are brewing.

Civic and Angel Investment

First Rock'n Roll Musical in Chinese History: "Monkey King"

Writer, Producer and Director (and ex-surgeon): Dennis K. Law. A musical based on the fiction: "Journey to the West" (one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature).

 
Monkey King: The Musical on Global Morning News from Curve Communications on Vimeo.

The History of 'Keep Calm and Carry On'

 ==> Audio version

"Over recent years, in gift shops and online retailers, there has been an explosion in one theme: ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’. Originally a poster from Britain during the Second World War, you can now buy the simple but reassuring message on almost anything, ready for display in your house or office. There’s just one small problem: the poster wasn’t used during the war, and hardly anyone ever saw it. Thanks to doctoral research from Dr. Rebecca Lewis, we now know the story.

 

The Unused Poster


In 1939, it became apparent to many people in Britain that a war on the continent was inevitable. Hitler had broken promise after promise, and there seemed little chance he wouldn’t take a decision which provoked war. To this end, Britain’s Ministry of Information decided that one thing which might suffer during the war, especially during the aerial bombardment many had calculated would cause massive losses, was the civilian morale. To this end it was decided – although not without objections – to create five million morale boosting posters which could be quickly pasted up. Designs were created, and three soon went into action. The first pair bore the following messages: ‘Freedom is in Peril: Defend it with all Your Might’, and ‘Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will bring us Victory’. These were handed out while a third, the now iconic ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ was held back to be used when the German bombing campaign really bit. Other, more specific, posters were also created, such as one explaining ‘Our Fighting Men Depend on You’, aimed at docks and factories.
But the first period of the war passed without this bombing, and so Keep Calm, all two and a half million copies, remained in storage. By the time the Germans did start bombing Britain in the Blitz, feedback had passed back to the Ministry that people didn’t like the posters, that they found them patronising, so they were never used. The Ministry had to defend itself against accusations of waste and stupidity, and most Calm Calms were pulped, with only a rare few passed into the hands of collectors and museums.

 

21st Century Icon


So why is this poster so well known in Britain, and growing popularity elsewhere? In 2000, the owner of Barter Books purchased a box of potential stock at an auction, and found an original Keep Calm and Carry On poster at the bottom. He put it up behind the desk, and after being inundated with requests, printed a few more, and then – after gaining government permission – released a modern version. No trademark was sought, and others jumped on the bandwagon. Thanks to Britain’s nostalgia for the idea of plucky wartime Brits keeping calm, a twenty first century icon was born out of a failed wartime idea barely anyone actually saw. But thanks to the poster, and now the mugs etc. etc., people believe this was a key wartime edict. And, of course, people did just what the poster said… just without the poster. Dr. Lewis’ full Doctoral Thesis – ‘The Planning, Design and Reception of British Home Front Propaganda Posters of the Second World War’ - is available online under a Creative Commons licence here. She maintains a blog tracking the murky legal battles which have sprung up as people have chased the money." (Source).

Pic: http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-carry-on-writing-4/

Gunfire Homicide: The American (Donor) Dream

The American (Donor) Dream (or nightmare)... Sooo... Plenty of organ donors in the US... should be a good news... "Many American cities have rates of gun homicides comparable to some of the most violent nations in the world." (Source).

Pic: Gad Berry, Photographer.

"The pattern is staggering. A number of U.S. cities have gun homicide rates in line with the most deadly nations in the world.
  • If it were a country, New Orleans (with a rate 62.1 gun murders per 100,000 people) would rank second in the world.
  • Detroit's gun homicide rate (35.9) is just a bit less than El Salvador (39.9).
  • Baltimore's rate (29.7) is not too far off that of Guatemala (34.8).
  • Gun murder in Newark (25.4) and Miami (23.7) is comparable to Colombia (27.1).
  • Washington D.C. (19) has a higher rate of gun homicide than Brazil (18.1).
  • Atlanta's rate (17.2) is about the same as South Africa (17).
  • Cleveland (17.4) has a higher rate than the Dominican Republic (16.3).
  • Gun murder in Buffalo (16.5) is similar to Panama (16.2).
  • Houston's rate (12.9) is slightly higher than Ecuador's (12.7).
  • Gun homicide in Chicago (11.6) is similar to Guyana (11.5).
  • Phoenix's rate (10.6) is slightly higher than Mexico (10).
  • Los Angeles (9.2) is comparable to the Philippines (8.9).
  • Boston rate (6.2) is higher than Nicaragua (5.9).
  • New York, where gun murders have declined to just four per 100,000, is still higher than Argentina (3).
  • Even the cities with the lowest homicide rates by American standards, like San Jose and Austin, compare to Albania and Cambodia respectively.
Yes, it's true we are comparing American cities to nations. But most of these countries here have relatively small populations, in many cases comparable to large U.S. metros.
The sad reality is that many American cities have rates of gun homicides comparable to the some of the most violent nations in the world." (Source).

"Er ist wieder da": Hitler in Berlin... 2011

==> Audio File - Hörversion

"What would happen to Hitler if he were alive today? What would he make of contemporary multicultural society? How would people react to him? Vermes dares to imagine the answers to these questions in his humorous and intelligent satire, which envisions Hitler at large in twenty-first century Berlin.

It is the spring of 2011. Hitler wakes up on an empty plot of land in Berlin. He has a bit of a headache. He can’t remember anything after being with Eva Braun in the bunker, so is somewhat confused to find Berlin suddenly intact and not overrun with Russian soldiers. He wanders the streets until a newsagent takes pity on him and lets him sleep in his kiosk. People obviously recognise Hitler but they assume that he is a comedian playing a role. His unintentionally hilarious monologues and the way he never slips out of character cause a great deal of amusement.

Hitler is given a guest slot on the show of a Turkish-born comedy star, Ali Wizgür, and instantly ups the ratings with his bitingly ironic ethnic humour. He turns into a YouTube phenomenon, loved by today’s youth. An influential tabloid newspaper proclaims its suspicion of Hitler, until he manages to trick the journalists into giving him the paper’s full, ingratiating support. From then on, the only way is up. Hitler takes to the streets and interviews innocent passers-by on topical subjects, whipping them into a fury over dog muck on the pavements or speeding drivers. All of which makes for great TV. Hitler makes a televised visit to the headquarters of Germany’s far-right political party, the NPD. He is horrified by the lack of conviction among the neo-Nazis he encounters there and showers the party leader with insults. This interview wins Hitler a prestigious journalism prize – for his satirical exposure of prejudice! The neo-Nazis are furious and beat Hitler up. He winds up in hospital where he receives messages of support and condolence from all sides. He is contacted by a publishing house wanting to know whether he would like to write a book. Hitler decides that, while he’s at it, he may as well start a political party of his own...

The amusing scenarios generated by imagining Hitler in today’s Berlin are given added depth by Vermes’ clever psychological observations of people’s ridiculous behaviour when confronted with a supposedly fake Adolf Hitler. He’s Back would be a bold and rewarding acquisition." (Source). 

Kurzbeschreibung: "Frühjahr 2011. Adolf Hitler erwacht auf einem leeren Grundstück in Berlin-Mitte. Ohne Krieg, ohne Partei, ohne Eva, im tiefsten Frieden, unter Tausenden von Ausländern. 66 Jahre nach seinem vermeintlichen Ende strandet er in der Gegenwart und startet gegen jegliche Wahrscheinlichkeit eine neue Karriere – im Fernsehen. Dieser Hitler ist keine Witzfigur und gerade deshalb erschreckend real. Und das Land, auf das er trifft, ist es auch: zynisch, hemmungslos erfolgsgeil und auch trotz Jahrzehnten deutscher Demokratie vollkommen chancenlos gegenüber dem Demagogen und der Sucht nach Quoten, Klicks und „Gefällt mir“-Buttons. Eine Persiflage? Eine Satire? Polit-Comedy?"

Rezension: "Hitler erwacht nach einem Dämmerschlaf 2011 in Berlin und beginnt ein zweites Leben. Nun ist der ewige Hitler selbst im komischen Fach ausreichend durchgenommen. Und doch ist das Hörbuch ein Coup, weil die Komik durch Kontrastwirkung brillant funktioniert. Während Ich-Erzähler Hitler nur er selbst ist, sehen ihn die Menschen bloß als schrulligen Hitler-Darsteller. Was ihn nicht davon abhält, den Nachfolgestaat seines Großreichs nach seiner Weltanschauung zu inspizieren. So lobt er FAZ und Berliner Zeitung für den 'tadellosen Schriftzug' ihres Titels, ist von den Grünen wegen des Naturschutz-Eifers angetan, empört sich über den jämmerlichen Zustand der NPD. Aber ohne Gefolge verliert auch der böseste Mann der Weltgeschichte seinen Schrecken. Schließlich wird er zu dem, was extreme Figuren in der Demokratie halt werden: TV-Star. Vermes‘ Roman ist bissig, böse, witzig und schlau, weit mehr als Comedy. Und muss gehört werden. Auch wenn das verknautschte Hitler-Sprech heute zum Allgemeingut jedes Schauspielers gehört, so besticht Christoph Maria Herbsts Intonation durch blitzartige Temperamentswechsel. Nur die Anstrengung, über sechs Stunden lang den Führer zu geben, ist ihm stellenweise anzumerken." (Link).

Meet with Enki Bilal at Le Louvre Museum Paris on Jan. 30/2013!

Meet with Enki Bilal at Le Louvre Museum Paris on Jan. 30/2013, 8PM (see details here).
I'm a big fan... Hope "The Master" will sign my copy of this book...

Global gender gap index (man-woman parity)



Aie... Encore un classement où la France n'est pas très bonne : 57ème en matière d'égalité des sexes, loin derrière le Nicaragua, l'Afrique du sud, le Mozambique, le Kazakhstan, l'Equateur, le Malawi, la Namibie, la Mongolie, entre autres pays où l'on vit probablement moins bien qu'ici, mais moins discriminée ...

Source.

Guy Kawasaki: "How to publish a book"

Outline of the presentation:

 

"La Mort de la Mort" ?

Jusqu'à présent, on râlait parce que les médecins n'étaient que peu (ou pas) informatisés, car ils n'avaient pas intérêt à l'être ... Mais ils pouvaient nous soigner tout aussi bien, ou presque ... Or voici venir un "génotsunami", ou "tsunami technologique" dans la santé, avec cette tempête encore inconnue de nous, mais qui est bien là et nous arrive droit dessus : la génomique, qui va tout bouleverser sur son passage ... Pour nous soigner, les médecins vont avoir besoin du numérique ... Le voilà, le grand changement ... Le Dr. Laurent Alexandre, chirurgien urologue, a fondé son entreprise de génomique, DNA Vision, ... pour le moment en Belgique ... en attendant la Californie, l'Australie, ou l'Asie ? La vidéo ci-dessous a été prise (par moi) lors des 4èmes assises du numérique dans la santé à Paris le 17/01/2013.

"L'organisation de notre système de santé telle que nous la connaissons ressemble à ces magasins Virgin Megastore qui ferment ... pour laisser la place à Amazon ... Avant, l'informatique était un problème pour les professionnels de santé ... A présent, elle est une solution ... Nous entrons dans l'ère de l'informatisation obligée du système de santé. Le pouvoir médical, les flux monétaires vont être redistribués ... en Californie" (et en Chine ? et à Hong-Kong ? et en Australie ? ...) "L'Amazonification de notre système de santé est déjà en route ... avec les flux monétaires qui vont de pair ... On peut faire tous les moulinets que l'on veut, c'est Google qui a gagné, et la valeur ajoutée des médias part en Californie" (Dr. Laurent Alexandre). 

"Si nous ignorons ce tsunami technologique, demain, nos patients seront moins bien soignés qu'ils ne pourraient l'être ..." (Dr. Laurent Alexandre)   



Heart transplant's being challenged now! La greffe cardiaque challengée !

 ==> Audio version

 Public information campaigns on heart transplant are biaised. Mechanical circulatory support is a better option (even for elderly patients) than a transplant. Yet the info the broad public gets is all about heart transplant; nothing about mechanical circulatory support. How comes? Those campaigns are financed for up to 60% by "Big Pharma" (immunosuppressive drugs). When you get a transplant, you need the drug. When you get treated with mechanical circulatory support instead, you don't. Big Pharma has no interest in patient education on mechanical circulatory support... Heart surgeons should start thinking again: it's time they get involved in "patient education"...Somebody has to do the job "Big Pharma" is obviously not doing. Unless you call this "taking advantage" practice of theirs "patient education"... Medical liability includes the loss of chance doctrine. This legal rule applies to surgeons (not to Big Pharma)... Pascal Leprince MD, PhD, head of Cardiac Surgery Dpt, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, is asking his peers: are we ready for a major paradigma shift? Are we ready to see mechanical circulatory support as "destination therapy" (no more transplant), instead of seeing it as bridge to heart transplant?...



Disruptive treatments are making an appearance: 3D-printed organs (bladder, skin, trachea, and soon... transplantable kidneys). Daily progress in genomics, bioengineering (3D-printed biological material, regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy) shows that software and computer are in the process to become essential to give sick patients better options... Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information technology and Cognitive science: nbic converging technologies. Big and small data (data censors), preventive medicine: does all of this means the death of "brain death" and replacement medicine as we know it today (with "fully biological" donors)?

Mechanical circulatory support in replacement of heart transplant for old people? It works. Better than transplant. Surgeons know it as a fact. And yet, they failed to inform the patients. This has been going on for nearly a decade... As a consequence, mechanical circulatory support remains underused (and transplant overrated, as a transplant is not a cure), used only as "bridge to transplant", instead of replacing the heart transplant (mechanical circulatory support as "destination therapy")... Heart surgeons keep asking the transplant medicine community: "Are we ready for this new paradigm, are we ready to implement mechanical circulatory support instead of heart transplant?"
In France, Pascal Leprince MD, PhD, head of Cardiac Surgery Dpt, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, suggests we aren't... He isn't the only one. Heart transplant has always been the gondola head in organ donation public campaigns - quite a paradox, since wordlwide's most sought after transplant organ is (are)... kidneys.

Did you know that "Big Pharma" (worldwide leader on the immunosuppressive drug market) has been financing for decades - and for up to 60 percent of the total cost of these campaigns! - numerous organ donation public campaigns in many many countries (including the US and Europe, of course)... Heart surgeons have never been involved in fundraising for public information campaigns about mechanical circulatory support that can be more effective than a heart transplant... It's time they start thinking again... Medical liability includes the loss of chance doctrine...

Les campagnes grand public pour inciter au don d'organes sont biaisées : l'assistance circulatoire mécanique est une meilleure option de traitement que la greffe cardiaque, même pour les patients âgés. Or nous n'entendons parler que des greffes, jamais de la micro-turbine à débit continu, comme réponse à l'insuffisance cardiaque sévère. Cela est dû au fait que les "Labos" leader sur le marché mondial du médicament immunosuppresseur financent (jusqu'à 60% de leur montant total !) les campagnes sur le don d'organes. Quand vous êtes greffé, vous prenez des médicaments. Quand vous avez une micro-turbine, vous n'avez pas besoin de médicaments immunosuppresseurs ... On peut parler de "perte de chance" pour les patients.  Aux USA, un médecin peut-être poursuivi sur le plan légal pour ce motif ... Bientôt en France ? Messieurs les chirurgiens, il est temps pour vous d'éduquer le public. "Big Pharma" (les "Labos") ne va pas le faire à votre place ...


La greffe cardiaque challengée from Cath Coste on Vimeo.

Les traitements disruptifs (qui dérangent le système en place) font leur apparence : imprimantes 3D permettant d'imprimer des organes et des tissus (vessie, peau, trachée, bientôt des reins transplantables) ... les progrès quotidiens en matière de génomique, de bioengineering  (matériel biologique imprimé avec une imprimante 3D, médecine régénérative avec les cellules souches) montrent que logiciels (small data et big data) et ordinateurs sont devenus incontournables pour offrir aux patients de meilleurs traitements ... La convergence NBIC (désigne un champ scientifique multidisciplinaire qui se situe au carrefour des nanotechnologies, des biotechnologies, de l'intelligence artificielle et des sciences cognitives), les capteurs de données, la médecine préventive : tout cela va-t-il signifier la mort de la "mort encéphalique" et de la médecine de remplacement telle que nous la connaissons aujourd'hui (avec des donneurs "full" biologique) ?

"La pompe d'assistance cardiaque comme traitement définitif chez le sujet âgé ?"
"Paris, France - Les pompes d'assistance circulatoire doivent-elles devenir un traitement définitif (destination therapy) chez les sujets âgés ? Telle est la question induite par les énormes progrès réalisés ces dernières années dans le domaine des assistances cardiaques mécaniques. Explications du Pr Pascal Leprince (Chirurgien cardiaque, CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris) lors des XXIIIèmes Journées Européennes de la Société Française de Cardiologie [1].
Les assistances cardiaques à débit continu ont révolutionné l'assistance cardiaque. De taille de plus en plus réduite, elles sont plus faciles à implanter, font bien moins de bruit. Et avec la suppression des valves, le risque thrombotique a été réduit. Dans le même temps, la survie sous assistance a largement progressé. Cette survie s'approche désormais de celle des greffes cardiaques, allant jusqu'à 80-90% à 1 an. Résultat : le nombre de patients implantés, comme la durée moyenne d'implantation, va grandissant, rappelle Pr Leprince.
Exemple, pour le seul système HeartMate® II LVAS, on est déjà à 9000 patients implantés dans le monde. Avec des durées d'implantation supérieures à 7 ans pour 1 patient, à 6 ans pour 13 patients, à 5 ans pour 40 patients, à 4 ans pour 51 patients, à 3 ans pour 436 patients, à 2 ans pour 1220 patients et à 1 an pour 3263 patients.
Pour autant, est-on prêt aujourd'hui à implanter des sujets âgés ? Et si oui, à envisager de faire de la destination therapy ou implantation définitive à la place d'une utilisation en attendant la transplantation ? Pr Pascal Leprince (Paris)
« Pour autant, est-on prêt aujourd'hui à implanter des sujets âgés ? Et si oui, à envisager de faire de la destination therapy ou implantation définitive à la place d'une utilisation en attendant la transplantation ? » demande le Pr Leprince ?" (Source).

No comment...

"I Fucking Love Science" on Facebook

The Journal of Genome Medicine

 
Genome Medicine leads the way as another 15 BioMed Central journals are tracked for Impact Factors.

Editor of Genome Medicine, Rebecca Furlong, said "We are delighted that Genome Medicine's success will be recognized with an Impact Factor, and would like to thank our Section Editors, Editorial Board, and all our authors, reviewers and readers for their support."

"Genome Medicine publishes peer-reviewed research articles, new methods and software tools in all areas of medicine studied from a post-genomic perspective. The journal also provides review and comment on the latest advances in translational genomics and personalized medicine, and their implications for the clinical and ethical management of human health and disease."

Genome Medicine leads the way in a long list of BioMed Central journals that have recently been accepted for Impact Factor tracking by Thomson Reuters. The newly tracked journals will soon appear on Web of Science, and should receive their first Impact Factors in June this year.

http://genomemedicine.com

http://genomemedicine.com/mostviewed

This is a whole new world to me, and a fascinating one...






Japan researchers grow kidney tissue from stem cells

TOKYO: "Researchers in Japan said (...) they have succeeded in growing human kidney tissue from stem cells for the first time in a potential breakthrough for millions with damaged organs who are dependent on dialysis. Kidneys have a complex structure that is not easily repaired once damaged, but the latest findings put scientists on the road to helping a diseased or distressed organ fix itself. Kenji Osafune of Kyoto University said his team had managed to take stem cells -- the 'blank slates' capable of being programmed to become any kind of cell in the body -- and nudge them specifically in the direction of kidney tissue. 'It was a very significant step,' he told AFP (French Press Agency).  

Osafune said they had succeeded in generating intermediate mesoderm tissue from the stem cells, a middle point between the blank slate and the finished kidney tissue. 'There are about 200 types of cells in the human body, but this tissue grows into only three types of cells,' namely adrenal cells, reproductive gland cells and kidney cells, he said, adding that as much as 90 percent of cultures in their research developed into viable mesoderm tissue. This embryonic intermediary can be grown either in test tubes or in a living host into specific kidney cells.  

Osafune and his team created part of a urinary tubule, a small tube in the kidney that is used in the production of urine. While the research is not aimed at growing an entire working kidney, he said the method his team had developed would help scientists learn more about intermediate mesoderm development and may provide a source of cells for regenerative therapy. 'I would say that we have arrived at the preliminary step on the road to the clinical level,' he said. Osafune's research is published in online science journal Nature Communications." (Source).

Contact info: osafune-g@cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Because of Japanese rejection of brain-death criteria, alternatives to organ (kidney) transplant, such as regenerative medicine, are well sought after... Now wonder Japan has become a leeding country in stem cell therapy...

Japon: du tissu rénal obtenu à partir de cellules iPS

"Selon le site Internet de la revue Nature communications, 'des chercheurs japonais ont annoncé avoir développé avec succès du tissu rénal à partir de cellules souches pluripotentes induites (iPS)'. Le rapport portant sur ces travaux de recherche a été publié ce mercredi. Tout en précisant que ces travaux sont 'une étape importante', le professeur Osafune a cependant précisé qu'il ne 'sait pas encore si le simple fait de greffer des cellules régénérées permettra vraiment de guérir des maladies rénales'. Contrairement aux cellules souches prélevées sur des embryons humain, 'l'usage des cellules iPS ne pose pas de problème éthique'. Au Japon, 'les travaux sur les cellules iPS sont devenus une priorité de recherche' et 'l'Etat a décidé de leur allouer des financements importants considérant qu'il s'agit d'un domaine extrêmement prometteur dans lequel les Nippons devraient prendre une longueur d'avance'." Source : AFP 23/01/13

Le Japon ayant rejeté les critères de la "mort encéphalique", ce pays s'est engagé de très bonne heure dans la recherche d'alternatives à la transplantation d'organes (rénale), comme, en l’occurrence, la médecine régénérative avec les cellules souches adultes (dites iPS) ... Il n'est donc pas étonnant que le Japon soit un pays leader en la matière ...

User-friendly, tailored to patients' needs 3D-printed prosthesis

This is soooo moving...



"The Wedding Song"

A friend of mine is getting married soon... I'm striving to help her prepare the perfect day...



 I looove singing along that one (download audio file)...

Group Chorus:
Wedding, a wedding, we're going to have a wedding, a wedding! (repeats)

Spider Chorus:
The spiders think you're very cute, but goodness knows you need a suit.
But have no fears, we're quite adept, we'll have you looking lovely(7Xs)yet.
A little stitch, a little tuck, some tender loving care.
A little thread will fix you up and we've got plenty as you see,
And personally guarantee our quality repairs.
A little here, a fix of this, We're going to do our very best.
When everybody sees you, they'll all be quite impressed.
They will all be quite impressed.
(Read the lyrics)

"Big Bang Theory" starring role... Aaron Swartz?


 AUDIO VERSION 

(This audio file is intended for Windows users. If you have a Mac, use http://www.videolan.org/ to open it.) 

Information means power... 

Yeah, and let's keep that to ourselves (power and information), says World 1.0...

Yeah, and let's share ... says World 2.0...

Are leakers of information criminals? 

Swartz, a MIT student and Internet (public-access) activist, thought information should be free...

Until she was accused of driving the 26-year-old cyber wunderkind and public-access activist Aaron Swartz to suicide, the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts was a liberal’s dream.  You know what? This woman (U.S Attorney Carmen Ortiz ) is just too much. Bigoted. The Inquisition is not dead, it has morphed...

At other times, this young man would have been a hero, or a pirate (probably pretty much exactly amounts to the same thing) ... never would he have been forced to take... his own life... Aaron Swartz wanted to create some sort of Academic Wikipedia, enabling people to access the MIT academic database by just accessing the Internet... To cut it short, Swartz did what I would have done had I been gutsy and brainy... American legals have gone crazy over this "copyright" thing... Which role exactly did the MIT play in this sorry story? I'm eager to hear aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (graduated from MIT) discuss this, and so are... 12.83 million viewers...

"We can rightly judge a society by how it treats its eccentrics and deviant geniuses—and by that measure, we have utterly failed.
I knew Swartz, although not well. And while he was special on account of his programming abilities, in another way he was not special at all: he was just another young man compelled to act rashly when he felt strongly, regardless of the rules. In another time, a man with Swartz’s dark drive would have headed to the frontier. Perhaps he would have ventured out into the wilderness, like T. E. Lawrence or John Muir, or to the top of something death-defying, like Reinhold Messner or Philippe Petit. Swartz possessed a self-destructive drive toward actions that felt right to him, but that were also defiant and, potentially, law-breaking. Like Henry David Thoreau, he chased his own dreams, and he was willing to disobey laws he considered unjust.
Swartz’s frontier was not geographic like Thoreau’s, but defined by other barriers unique to our times. His form of civil disobedience consisted of heading into an M.I.T. closet with a laptop, hooking it up to the Internet, and downloading millions of articles from JSTOR, an academic database. Swartz thought information should be free. It wasn’t a major coup, but it counts as a defiant act—and one that made its point, for it was, and remains, absurdly hard for the public to gain access to what academics supposedly write for it.
 The act was harmless—not in the sense of hypothetical damages or the circular logic of deterrence theory (that’s lawyerly logic), but in John Stuart Mill’s sense, meaning that there was no actual physical harm, nor actual economic harm. The leak was found and plugged; JSTOR suffered no actual economic loss. It did not press charges. Like a pie in the face, Swartz’s act was annoying to its victim, but of no lasting consequence.
In this sense, Swartz must be compared to two other eccentric geniuses, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who, in the nineteen-seventies, committed crimes similar to, but more economically damaging than, Swartz’s. Those two men hacked A.T. & T.’s telephone system to make free long-distance calls, and actually sold the illegal devices (blue boxes) to make cash. Their mentor, John Draper, did go to jail for a few months (where he wrote one of the world’s first word processors), but Jobs and Wozniak were never prosecuted. Instead, they got bored of phreaking and built a computer. The great ones almost always operate at the edge.
That was then. In our age, armed with laws passed in the nineteen-eighties and meant for serious criminals, the federal prosecutor Carmen Ortiz approved a felony indictment that originally demanded up to thirty-five years in prison. Worse still, her legal authority to take down Swartz was shaky. Just last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a similar prosecution. Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, a prominent conservative, refused to read the law in a way that would make a criminal of “everyone who uses a computer in violation of computer use restrictions—which may well include everyone who uses a computer.” Ortiz and her lawyers relied on that reading to target one of our best and brightest.
It’s one thing to stretch the law to stop a criminal syndicate or terrorist organization. It’s quite another when prosecuting a reckless young man. The prosecutors forgot that, as public officials, their job isn’t to try and win at all costs but to use the awesome power of criminal law to protect the public from actual harm. Ortiz has not commented on the case. But, had she been in charge when Jobs and Wozniak were breaking the laws, we might never have had Apple computers. It was at this moment that our legal system and our society utterly failed.
Defenders of the prosecution seem to think that anyone charged with a felony must somehow deserve punishment. That idea can only be sustained without actual exposure to the legal system. Yes, most of the time prosecutors do chase actual wrongdoers, but today our criminal laws are so expansive that most people of any vigor and spirit can be found to violate them in some way. Basically, under American law, anyone interesting is a felon. The prosecutors, not the law, decide who deserves punishment.
Today, prosecutors feel they have license to treat leakers of information like crime lords or terrorists. In an age when our frontiers are digital, the criminal system threatens something intangible but incredibly valuable. It threatens youthful vigor, difference in outlook, the freedom to break some rules and not be condemned or ruined for the rest of your life. Swartz was a passionate eccentric who could have been one of the great innovators and creators of our future. Now we will never know."

Tim Wu is a professor at Columbia Law School and the author of “The Master Switch.”

Aaron Swartz Faced A More Severe Prison Term Than Killers, Slave Dealers And Bank Robbers



"On Friday, Internet pioneer and open information activist Aaron Swartz took his own life at the age of 26. At the time of his death, Swartz was under indictment for logging into JSTOR, a database of scholarly articles, and rapidly downloading those articles with the intent to make them public. If Swartz had lived to be convicted of the charges against him, he faced 50 years or more in a federal prison.
To put these charges in perspective, here are ten examples of federal crimes that carry lesser prison sentences than Swartz’ alleged crime of downloading academic articles in an effort to make knowledge widely available to the public:
  • Manslaughter: Federal law provides that someone who kills another human being “[u]pon a sudden quarrel or heat of passion” faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if subject to federal jurisdiction. The lesser crime of involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of only six years.
  • Bank Robbery: A person who “by force and violence, or by intimidation” robs a bank faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. If the criminal “assaults any person, or puts in jeopardy the life of any person by the use of a dangerous weapon or device,” this sentence is upped to a maximum of 25 years.
  • Selling Child Pornography: The maximum prison sentence for a first-time offender who “knowingly sells or possesses with intent to sell” child pornography in interstate commerce is 20 years. Significantly, the only way to produce child porn is to sexually molest a child, which means that such a criminal is literally profiting off of child rape or sexual abuse.
  • Knowingly Spreading AIDS: A person who “after testing positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and receiving actual notice of that fact, knowingly donates or sells, or knowingly attempts to donate or sell, blood, semen, tissues, organs, or other bodily fluids for use by another, except as determined necessary for medical research or testing” faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
  • Selling Slaves: Under federal law, a person who willfully sells another person “into any condition of involuntary servitude” faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, although the penalty can be much higher if the slaver’s actions involve kidnapping, sexual abuse or an attempt to kill.
  • Genocidal Eugenics: A person who “imposes measures intended to prevent births” within a particular racial, ethnic or religious group or who “subjects the group to conditions of life that are intended to cause the physical destruction of the group in whole or in part” faces a maximum prison term of 20 years, provided their actions did not result in a death.
  • Helping al-Qaeda Develop A Nuclear Weapon: A person who “willfully participates in or knowingly provides material support or resources . . . to a nuclear weapons program or other weapons of mass destruction program of a foreign terrorist power, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be imprisoned for not more than 20 years.”
  • Violence At International Airports: Someone who uses a weapon to “perform[] an act of violence against a person at an airport serving international civil aviation that causes or is likely to cause serious bodily injury” faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years if their actions do not result in a death.
  • Threatening The President: A person who threatens to kill the President, the President-elect, the Vice President or the Vice President-elect faces a maximum prison term of 5 years.
  • Assaulting A Supreme Court Justice: Assaults against very senior government officials, including Members of Congress, cabinet secretaries or Supreme Court justices are punished by a maximum prison sentence of just one year. If the assault “involved the use of a dangerous weapon, or personal injury results,” the maximum prison term is 10 years.

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
CARMEN M. ORTIZ
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

It should be noted that Swartz faced such a stiff sentence because prosecutors charged him with multiple federal crimes arising out of his efforts to download and distribute academic papers. Similarly, a person who robbed a bank, sold a slave, and then rounded out their day by breaking Justice Scalia’s nose would also risk spending the next 50 years in prison, just like Aaron Swartz did.
Indeed, if Swartz’s story reveals anything, it is the power of prosecutors to pressure defendants into plea bargains by stringing multiple criminal charges together and threatening outlandish prison sentences. Whatever one thinks of Swartz’s actions, which were likely illegal and probably should be illegal, it is difficult to justify treating him as if he were a more dangerous criminal than someone who flies into a rage and kills their own brother." (Source).