a restorative mummy elixir, anyone?

Here’s the abstract:

Prior to the advent of modern medicine and the scientific method, many cultures prescribed strange and fascinating treatments for various ailments. Some of which were known to involve ingredients of human origin. While in many cases the patient may have been better off not relying on folk wisdom, hearsay, or their local apothecary, modern medicine and chemistry tells us that some of these treatments may have actually worked. During this presentation, we will venture to Renaissance Europe, black market bazaars of the Middle east, Sung Dynasty China, and Soviet Russia, examining several unorthodox treatments within their cultural backdrop. As for the modern era, have we become more squeamish when it comes to such forms of unorthodox medicine? Or are our “cannibalistic” treatments subtly disguised: we no longer prescribe blood baths, but blood transfusions.

• Queen’s School of Computing was visited by Eli Blevis in late October, an associate professor from the School of Informatics, Indiana University at Bloomington. Blevis is best known for his research in the field of sustainable interaction design, an area which draws from computing, cognitive science, and design criticism. I really enjoyed hearing about his research inspirations, as well as the multidisciplinary nature of his research. His talk raised some good questions as well: Are interaction designers to blame for the technological waste generated by our society? How can interaction design bridge technological divides in our world?
• The man behind the Copyright for Canadians campaign, Michael Geist, a law professor from the University of Ottawa, spoke last month of the ongoing copyright debacle in this country. He documents his own stance on this and other technology-related issues, as well as the may grassroots efforts in this country to ensure we don’t become a digital ghetto (a recent CBC Search Engine topic).
• Aging scientist Aubrey de Grey spoke at the first Changing the World conference in Toronto last month. He identifies several forms of cellular damage contributing to aging, and the prospect of repairing this damage as it occurs (as opposed to preventative or curative measures). With this approach, he hopes to be able to expend the human lifespan to an average of 150 years within 30 years time. Combining this estimate with the law of accelerating returns, he proposes an indefinite human lifespan will be attainable not much longer after that.
• Another Changing the World conference speaker which I enjoyed hearing from was Eric Chivian, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work on stopping nuclear war. Chivian’s current work involves environmental protection and the effect of biodiversity on human health. For instance, bears den for months but don’t develop osteoporosis or kidney problems. He also describes the medical applications of substances excreted by rare frogs. His talk was very enlightening, emphasizing the need to ensure the survival of such species are of great importance to our health.

But first – I’m embarking on a whirlwind tour of Germany and Scandinavia, with a couple days in Paris to top it all off. I’ll be heading out tomorrow, returning before the start of the fall semester, with stops in Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Talinn, Helsinki, and Paris. I’ll try to post on occasion, as I will be traveling lo-fi. I’ll definitely follow up with pictures, so stay tuned.

So why do I hate on cell phones? I’m not a recluse nor a non-person for having this position, which is often the response I get from people when I inform them that I don’t have a cell (and that they would feel naked should they not have their phone on their person at all hours). And no, I’m not worried about poisoning myself with radiation or giving myself a brain tumor either.

While perusing University of Ottawa Law professor Michael Geist‘s blog today, I came across some interesting factoids that make my position somewhat more justifiable. In his recent article entitled “iPhone Arrival Places Spotlight on Canada’s Wireless Crisis“, Geist points out just how comparatively weak Canada’s mobile infrastructure is. It is an illuminating piece, so I thought I’d share some take-away points:

• Mobile data pricing in Canada is among the highest in the world, creating a significant barrier to the introduction of new mobile services and causing many consumers to carefully ration their mobile use for fear of being hit with a hefty bill at the end of the month;
• Canada ranked 75th [worldwide] in the number of mobile subscribers, trailing countries such as El Salvador, Kazahkstan, and Libya.  It also lagged behind countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, Italy, Sweden, and Norway on mobile pricing.
• Canadian data prices are far above the U.S. offer of unlimited data for US$20 per month;
• Last month, the World Economic Forum pointed to problems in the wireless market as a key reason for Canada’s slipping global ranking for “network readiness”;
• The year-long delay of the iPhone – Apple first launched the device last June in the United States followed by France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, and Austria – provided tangible evidence that the Canadian market desperately needs an injection of competition (as the sole GSM provider, Rogers was the only carrier capable of supporting the iPhone)

Despite these grim stats, it seems that there may be some good news on the way: An upcoming spectrum auction in Canada may allow for more healthy competition in the Canadian market. Geist has some additional comments and recommendations in this regard for Industry Canada that are well worth reading.

So what am I waiting for? More choice among providers and cheaper data plans would certainly be a start. Until then I will happily rely on email, IM, and land-line phones as primary means of communication. It sure beats missing all that fine print and ending up with a surprise $1000 bill at the end of the month for not clearly understanding your data plan, especially when the cost of sending a simple SMS is about 4.4 times as expensive as sending the equivalent amount of data from the Hubble space telescope.

This is a video pertinent to the issue of Net Neutrality, which includes some well-explained words from World Wide Web inventors, as well as some archival footage relating to the history of mass media communications: a good introduction to the matter in case you are not following the stories.

Although the video pertains to the American telecom industry, the issue is nevertheless a hot topic in Canada as well. We need to ensure that Canadian members of parliament, notably Minister Jim Prentice of Industry Canada, are aware of the public’s opinion on the matter. The alternative, of course, is allowing Bell Canada, Rogers, and Cogeco to turn the Canadian Net into cable television, controlling all content and rendering the internet a one-way form of communication.