Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Mesothelioma


So I have been doing a research paper for one of my classes on a types of cancer and came across mesothelioma. This is what I have so far and I know I have got a long way to go before its professional. All the same outside critiques are welcome, and I hope this is informative to you because it was to me.
 Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that targets the cells surrounding the heart, lungs, and abdominal cavity. This is usually caused by the inhalation of asbestos for long periods of time. And since we as a country used asbestos until 1989 as we gradually stopped and banned entirely in Dec 2003. But what is asbestos? It is a set of six silicate minerals desired for the fact that it had good sound absorption, tensile strength; and a resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage. This stuff was used in almost every way imaginable such as drywall and joint compound, clutch plates, "transite" panels, siding, counter-tops, pipes, dental cast linings, gas mask filters pre 1960s, plaster, brake pads, shoes, roofing tars, felts, siding, shingles, vinyl floor tiles, sheeting, adhesives, mud and texture coats, acoustic ceilings, fireproofing, caulk, gaskets, systems for sealing rotating shafts, stage curtains, fire blankets, interior fire doors, fireproof clothing for firefighters, thermal pipe insulation, filters for removing fine particulates from chemicals, liquids and wine, HVAC flexible duct connectors, and drilling fluid additives. Now of course most of the uses were relatively safe if they were solid pieces in an unbroken state, but once broken or jagged it would release fibers into the air that could be inhaled. And after awhile the body’s cells in the linings would try to digest the fibers although they cannot. This would cause an immune response and cause the cells to divide which would give way to the cancer known as mesothelioma. Diagnosing this cancer is extremely hard because it takes decades to be recognized, and by this time the cancer was in very late stages. Mesothelioma's symptoms include shortness of breath, chest wall pain, and weight loss. A doctor must do a complete physical examination and microscopic examination; thoracoscopy, imaging tests, biopsies, lung function tests, fluid biopsies, computed tomography scans, X-rays, and blood tests, and magnetic resonance imaging scans. With these procedures the type of cancer cells and the extent can be identified. Because of mesothelioma latency from the initial asbestos fiber inhalation treating it is very difficult. Currently mesothelioma is treated by a mix of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. And outside of the hospital good diet and exercise is shown to give a better chance of surviving. When it comes to cancers like mesothelioma, early diagnosis is inexorably important. As doctors and scientist continue to increase the life expectancy of patients and one day find a cure.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

We all fall to the hype once in awhile.

In a wonderful turn of events, I say this in sadness. PlayStaion Magazine made a bit of an exaggeration saying Hideo Kojima would be making Metal Gear Solid 5, let alone it even being made at all. MGS5 was simply a thought of possibility with Kojima being involved as a supervisor. The full quote is thus, “I think we’ll probably have to make it [MGS5] at some point, but what that will be, we have no idea,” he reportedly said. “As far as my involvement in the project is concerned, [it] probably won’t be as much as it was with MGS1--maybe I can do just one stage! For MGS1 I made the maps myself, laid out the enemy routes myself, did everything hands-on--that level I can’t do again.” So no dice on Christmas coming early, but I am content that Hideo would still have some involvement instead of a standalone product like Acid, or God forbid Snakes Revenge, but that may be my personal preference. I do feel sorry for the guy though fans tend to put all expectations on him and forget that there's more than one guy making these games, sadly he can't live forever. And he doesn't even have a rapid aging genetic defect!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Still breaking the speed of light.

New results at the CERN facility testing on neutrino’s has been confirmed in a second more refined test. One of the initial thoughts of error was a miscalculation because the neutrino bunches were too long. In the new test they used smaller bunches created in at the Cern facility and sent them through 730km (454 miles) of rock to a giant detector at the INFN-Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy. The results were found that the neutrinos arrived 60 billionths of a second faster than light would have.





Of course we are still waiting for a confirmation from separate facilities but this looks promising, or demising depending on what physical interpretation of STR's mathematical core. Has this destroyed science and physics as we know it? Epistemologically yes, ontologically no, if these results after many billions of tests stay true it simply means we are going to the Lorentzian interpretation of STR and leaving the Minkowskian interpretation which is the standard at the moment, like Einstein did to his own interpretation back in 1908. Science always changes and that certainly is a good thing!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Metal Gear Solid 5

So in an interview with PlayStation Magazine that will be published in November 29's issue, Hideo Kojima the creator of the Metal Gear Solid franchise has confirmed that they are working on a fifth installment. Not just Kojima Productions but himself as well will be involved in the game. Unlike Raiden Rising which is the first game in the series he hasn't touched and is coming out who knows when. I am certainly glad he is still involved with the actual story of Metal Gear as I do not count Raiden Rising yet, I mean slicing watermelons is cool but I want more stealth action espionage with Snake. Of course with Snakes age and all who knows if he will be involved at all but I hope that it will carry on the spirit of its predecessors at the least. With the Metal Gear series being my all time favorite games as well as what got me to take a real serious interest in games as more than just toys, I am excited for whats going to happen next in the future with bipedal nuclear machines.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Revenge of the Dragons

So an update on Skyrim, its is awesome I'm playing as an Argonian ranger one-shoting everything from a distance in the shadows. Just joined the thieves guild in Riften playing as stealthy as I can. The music really reminds me of Lord of the Rings sometimes, and whenever I'm on a quest I always get sidetracked when I notice a cave or castle I can run through. There is a lot of things to do in this game it is insane seeing all the things you can do. But on the funny but creepy side I've only noticed a couple of glitches like a man carrying wood he just chopped with two pieces magically attached to either side of his legs as he walks; maybe the first orthotics of Skyrim. Another is I saw a man on a horse suddenly rise up and fly lazy circles off towards the horizon, he did this twice and in different directions. I was hoping a dragon would swoop down and fly off with him. Speaking of dragons since the first one I killed every couple of hours the first dragons skeleton literally plops down in front of me out of the sky. I am beginning to think this is a warning from the other dragons by saying "We know.". This game is defiantly going to suck up all of my time for quite a while.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Skrim Epic Rap

I found this on youtube thought it to be pretty awesome. Is it sad that this was the clincher to going and buying the game? I think not, personnel review in the future.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Review



Alright so I have been playing Uncharted 3 the last two days, could have beat it in one day if I hadn’t slept. I liked the game it ran the same way in plot, treachery, treasure and more treason, in the same vein as the first two games. The animation is amazing the way Drake stumbles or reaches out towards a wall for support is as “solid” pun intended as the first game. The setting and views are varied and wonderful; my favorite was the decrepit mansion in France covered over by a dense forest and destructive time. Watching the wooden beams and walls heat up as the wood begins to glow before bursting into flames was awesome. Though trying to escape not knowing what’s going to shatter from any side was extremely well done to make you forget how linear the game is and begin to think you are lost with no way out. To augment the levels the music stays in line with an adventurous spark keeping you on edge as any good action movie. The weapons were varied and ammunition really depended on what your enemy is trying to kill you with. And the voice actors with their quips and wit kept the slow going as entertaining as the actions scenes in their own sense. The story I feel wasn’t on par with the past two games explanation of just what was going on. It seemed kind of thrown at you without strong storytelling, and I really wish they had expounded on Drake and Sully working together when Drake was a kid and Sully in his prime. But it seemed they threw that in not really for Sully or Drakes sake but for how they got involved with the main villain. Another problem I had was how you controlled Nathan, when you had a climbing or running sequence its perfect, but making quick turns and navigating tight spaces seemed really slow and I was bumping around like a drunk instead of escaping goons in chase sequences. In all honesty I love the second game more with its levels and fun story, the third builds on with different settings and better graphics but the story seemed lacking and that’s what I love games for. I haven't tried the online mode yet but I hear its stronger than the seconds game online. I would recommend this game the same way I recommend the first two games, it’s a short fun summer blockbuster movie like experience in line of Indiana Jones, no aliens so far though thank goodness. I defiantly plan on taking a weekend to play all three in a row to keep the summer action going in November.