Your Smart Device is Making You Weird: Voice Text Replaces Voice Talking

Posted on April 29, 2012 by joebowman

Your Smart Device is Making You Weird – A series where ScienceBlog.com blogger joebowman takes a look at new technologies and the ways they affect individuals and society.

I was with a group of friends the other day and someone in the group was the proud bearer of a new mobile phone, an Android-powered device by HTC. One of the more interesting features about the Google-built mobile OS is the voice recognition engine. Available on your desktop as well as your mobile device Voice Search as it’s branded provides a way to speak text instead of typing.

Immediately the new owner of the phone remarked that voice input for text messaging was just like have a conversation with someone without talking to them. Bemused with the irony that a device dedicated primarily to communication once again has served to digitally distance people from one another. In this case people can have the convenience of speaking their thoughts but without the hassle of real-time Human interaction.

Those of us in the group who hadn’t discovered this feature on their own phones quickly joined in the excitement as the voice input accurately transcribed each word. While I rarely use the voice input feature feeling decidedly cheeky uttering emotionally charged phrases into my phone with the consistent monotone precision that ensured accurate translation, but others didn’t seem to have the same issue.

As the Art of Conversation in the Digital Age evolves and changes, what do we gain but a little time saved?

Perhaps this is technology catching up with the way people communicate best in today’s world. Maybe this is just the dawn of the voice powered world ahead of us where merely speaking a command or phrase elicits all manner of actions from devices eager to do our bidding.

Whatever it is don’t be alarmed with you see people mindlessly droning into their devices uttering fragments of conversations far removed from the real world we actually live in.

Bee-Dependent Growers Encouraged to Halt Use of Neonicotinoids

Posted on March 28, 2012 by joebowman

Since the 1990′s over a third of all raised bees have disappeared in what scientists have dubbed, ‘Colony Collapse Disorder‘ or CCD. A mysterious condition where bee colonies are rapidly decimated by as yet unknown causative agents. Over the years theories have emerged blaming various culprits such as parasitic mites and the use of applied antibiotics.

Recent research from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Bee Research Laboratory and Penn State University found links between the neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin and CCD. Alarmingly, research has also showed that bees were affected at even extremely low levels of exposure.

If indeed we have discovered a primary agent behind Colony Collapse we must urge regulatory bodies along with commercial manufacturers to restrict use and availability of this class of chemicals.

The study, Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study surmised:

Bees in CCD colonies had higher pathogen loads and were co-infected with a greater number of pathogens than control populations, suggesting either an increased exposure to pathogens or a reduced resistance of bees toward pathogens.

Therefore, growers employing Bees for pollination are urged to immediately halt the use of neonicotinoid-based pesticides to reduce the impact on Bee populations. Bans in Italy in 2009 reduced dramatically reduced losses of Bees for the first time since 1999 as reported by Roberta Cruger on her blog, lovethehoneybees.blogspot.com.

At the end of the day, where industry is concerned change is slow if non-existent in the face of environmental concerns. Yet the fact remains: utilizing Bees for pollination while simultaneously employing chemicals that decimate their populations is illogical and will likely be judged by future generations as criminal.

Can Music Aid Patients Recovering from Actue Brain Injury?

Posted on January 6, 2012 by joebowman

I recently met up with a friend of mine who is a music teacher and as we chatted she began to tell me about one of her students. Unexpectedly, an amazing story unfolded about a young woman whose life was marred by tragedy.

The student was a vibrant 19 year old who had a passion for horses. A passion that unfortunately led to a tragic accident. The young woman, let’s call her Sara, received a serious head injury leaving her in a coma for over 7 months.

While much of the detail of Sara’s condition from a medical standpoint is unknown, what is known is that her parents dutifully kept her ipod charged and plugged into her ears throughout her stay in the hospital.

My friend came to know Sara upon her exit from the hospital. For students that are unable to attend school due to serious debilitation, a program called Home Hospital is available in some areas (it happens to be available in Martinez, CA; Contra Costa County) where a certified Teacher comes into the home to work with these students. The program required no advanced certification beyond that of a Teacher’s credentials and could serve handicapped students with any number of afflictions.

In the case of Sara, my friend was asked to come into the home and work on simple rehabilitation-focused activities. At best, my friend was told, Sara may regain the ability to perform some simple self grooming tasks.

During one session Sara surprised my friend when she uttered the words “money honey”. Over several sessions these words were repeated and not knowing the meaning my friend was telling the story to a friend, who immediately recognized the words as being from a song by Lady Gaga. Sensing an opportunity to engage Sara, my friend played the song in question and Sara surprisingly knew every word.

Here was a person who could barley communicate and only had partial use of her left arm. Now, Sara was demonstrating perfect recall of the lyrics of the songs that had been played in her ears all those long months in the coma. Sara was even able to complete lyrical phrases when the first portion was spoken. As time went on, Sara’s progress continued on a startling pace making the original predictions of being able to perform simple tasks as an simple underestimation.

In addition to the music-based therapy, my friend was lucky enough to be in contact with individuals who specialize in treating patients recovering from acute brain injury and was soon in possession of materials and resources to further enhance the sessions. Surely a combination of different therapies and techniques and other care givers all culminated in a better-than-expected recovery timeline.

However, I couldn’t tear myself away from the possibility of a link between memory and recovery of speech and other motor skills. Hence, we come to the question at the heart of this article:

Can Music Aid Patients Recovering from Acute Brain Injury?

If playing music post-injury, during coma-like scenarios can be recalled in the months following then perhaps memory can tell us more about how the brain works during recovery. I keep thinking about Sara and others like her wondering if simulation of the mind directly after injury does something miraculous, even if it is still unrecognized.

Is Phobos-Grunt just the latest victim of the ‘Mars Curse’?

Posted on December 5, 2011 by joebowman

Brief contact was made last week with the wayward Phobos-Grunt probe, still hobbling through low Earth-orbit since failing to fire its thrusters to escape orbit and send it on its way to Mars on November 9th.

Unfortunately, this setback is just the latest in a string of disasters in Earth’s decades old struggle for the Red Planet. With partial failures and losses of entire missions through the years, we have learned that the conquest of the Martian system is one fraught with danger and peril.

Despite the well-known challenges of interplanetary travel, rumors of a supposed Mars Curse remain remain persistent. Wading through the conspiracy theories and outlandish claims of faked missions and mind-control experiments, I wanted to know if there really was a correlation between disaster and attempts for Mars.

In order to see if people’s perceptions and mission outcomes really were in conjunction, I tapped the resources of RussianSpaceWeb.com to see just how many missions met with disaster on the way to or just after arriving at the Martian system.

Out of a total of 35 missions to Mars, 14 missions or 40% of all attempts to reach Mars have succeeded. We also see that 21 missions or 60% of all attempts to reach Mars met with some type of mission failure along the way.

While journeying to Mars is an obviously perilous journey, the success rates of missions and the beyond life-expectancy performance of the different rovers (Opportunity, Spirit) throughout the last decade fail to show any proof of a mysterious force preventing Humans from reaching our once Earth-like neighbor.

And so, the quest for Mars will continue to drive us past our fears and skepticism and few conceivable setbacks will change people’s hearts and minds. For it is in favor of the chance that we might yet be able to make a crucial home away from home that truly beckons to Humanity.

If we as a species are to survive even the most catastrophic of events (think Earth-seeking asteroids), then colonizing Mars and other places in the solar system becomes more than just the next logical step for space exploration but indeed one that ensures our very existence as a species.

Nanosatellites may mean Bigger Opportunities in Space

Posted on November 11, 2011 by joebowman

When we think of satellites in orbit, one conjures up images of lumbering behemoths careening through space with out stretched arms of solar panels. Since the last shuttle flew back to Earth and straight into a museum I’ve been interested in what kinds of projects are in utero for our friends over at NASA.

My interest in NASA was revived once more this past weekend when I was attending a party for a friend. As I nudged my way towards a plate gleaming with smoked salmon, I found myself in conversation with a gentleman that revealed he works for NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. The most interesting part of our conversation centered around the gentleman’s own work with satellite hardware, specifically ejection systems for nanosatellites.

Imagine a satellite in orbit about the size of a loaf of bread made from commercially available components. Now imagine a fleet of of nanosats (referred to as a swarm) depending on a ‘mother’ vessel and working in concert with ground control teams to perform any number of coordinated activities.

While these small satellites have been in development since the 1990′s, now may be the right time to see increased competition and innovation in space. Hopefully, making space more accessible for commerce and smaller countries will be one of the sparks that is needed to ignite the next space race.

Doctor/Patient Communication Key in Fight Against Unnecessary Antibiotic Prescription

Posted on October 28, 2011 by joebowman

Patient satisfaction is essential to doctors in all settings and nowhere is this more important than in the general practitioner’s office. Satisfied patients typically have more trust for their doctors, follow medical instructions more readily, and return consistently for followups and other types of appointments. Dissatisfied patients can be difficult to manage at best and in many cases simply switch providers or delay seeking care.

One area that challenges medical professionals today is the expectation from the patient that Antibiotics can and will help most any illness. Always under pressure to keep appointment durations tightly controlled leads some doctors to choose between taking the time to explain why antibiotics won’t help with certain illnesses and simply prescribing an antibiotic for the patient’s comfort.

Recommendations for Doctor/Patient communication include telling parents of young children that unnecessary antibiotics can be harmful by creating conditions where resistance is more likely to develop. Also, by speaking with patients in a consultative manner as opposed to a mere dispensation of information will encourage patients to think more critically about their condition and any potential unintended effects. There should be no underestimation of the power of taking one’s patient seriously.

For adults cases of pharyngitis, most instances are self-limiting and are best helped by traditional care methodologies. Ensuring that the patient is aware of the power of supportive care during illnesses is imperative in defeating the obligatory expectation of antibiotic treatment. In the case of rhinosinusitis many cases are viral, upper respiratory tract infections although differentiation between viral and bacterial is challenging. Symptoms lasting for less than 7 days are less likely to have a bacterial infection. Guidelines for practitioners for adults and children are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Patients themselves are also a necessary part of the equation in preventing the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Knowing that there is a difference between a viral and bacterial infection can only help today’s doctors communicate more effectively with patients. Truly, the Doctor/Patient nexus is the one of the most effective and accessible methods for turning the tide against the potential for antibiotic resistance in ourselves and our communities.

Improved Compliance Needed to Ensure Long-term Efficacy of Transgenic Crops

Posted on October 18, 2011 by joebowman

Diabrotica virgifera virgifera or western corn rootworm is a serious threat to corn farming causing widespread destruction to the roots of plants from feeding larvae. Transgenic strains of corn were developed to leverage toxin producing genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) as an insecticide.

Bt delta endotoxin has been in use since the 1960′s as a direct application insecticide and saw it’s first large-scale deployments as a transgenic GMO in 2003. By 2010, over 143 million acres (58 million hectares) were planted in the United States. Bt corn posses Bt delta endotoxin in varying concentrations throughout the plant body. When an insect comes into contact with Bt delta endotoxin the protein bonds with internal organs (gut) causing a structural breakdown there by releasing bacteria into the bloodstream causing septicemia and death.

The promise of Bt corn among other things is a reduction to the level of insecticide required during growing seasons which in turn modify the cost and operating expenditures of agribusinesses across the United States. Many health and environmental advocates target insecticide use as a major problem and a reduction in use may be seen as a welcome change in the corn industry’s methodology.

Proper management of Bt corn planting is essential in ensuring that this resource remains a viable deterrent to the western corn rootworm and other pests for as long a period of time as possible. A high-dose/refuge method for maintaining the efficacy of Bt corn involves setting aside ‘refuge’ plantings of non-Bt corn preventing selective pressure from building, keeping genetic populations dilute in terms of resistance. The high-dose/refuge practice which was highly effective until the 1990′s saw a dramatic loss of efficacy.

Recent investigations have shown that fields infested with Bt-resistant strains of D. virgifera virgifera were associated with insufficient or non-compliant refuge plantings of non-Bt corn. Recent surveys throughout the Midwest have estimated that merely 50-70% of farming operations are compliant.

More emphasis on proper management of Bt corn is needed to ensure that this advanced bioinsecticide realizes it’s full potential not only for business concerns but to also ensure that agribusiness is able to keep pace with an exploding global population in the decades to come. It is hard to ignore the fact that the campaign against the western rootworm is simply one of many battles fought waged by agriculture in the modern age and discipline and strict adherence to proscribed polices for management

Reference & Citations:

Your Smart Device is Making You Weird: GPS Induced Stupidity

Posted on October 5, 2011 by joebowman

When a technology becomes reliable to a certain level people tend to free themselves from thought and responsibility to varying degrees. Take for example the Global Position System (GPS), once an important tool limited to military applications, GPS is now standard and rightfully expected by consumers purchasing mobile devices, vehicles and more.

Whether you are in your car, on foot, or just planning an outing you are in need of direction and location information. And, few technologies give quite as much assurance as GPS-aided navigation.

Our main thinking point for today’s article is thus:

What happens when people over-rely on a convenience technology that is not necessarily always accurate? If people stop thinking for themselves then what happens to the rest of us?

You be the judge, here are a few snippets from news stories around the web highlighting some of the not-so-great moments of GPS Induced Stupidity in another installment of a segment I like to call, Your Smart Device is Making You Weird.

The 32-year-old man, a computer maven, was on temporary assignment for an I.B.M. contractor in New York and wandered through the rolling hills here one evening, trusting in the cyber-driven intelligence of his car’s G.P.S. device rather than his own. As a result, according to Metro-North, he ended up making a right turn onto the railroad tracks and getting the undercarriage of his rented Ford Focus wedged between the rails. The man calmly hauled out his suitcase, called 911 and waited to wave the train to a stop. But the train couldn’t brake in time and ended up dragging the car for 100 feet until it burst into a fireball.

Read it Here

Most tales of GPS-Induced Stupidity do not end in fiery carnage (yet), but we see from this snippet that not even tech savvy people are safe from technology related ignorance.

A Bavarian man was given a persuasive lesson in the fallibility of technology Thursday night when he crashed into another car and injured an 11-year-old boy after obeying his car navigation device’s command to turn around on a divided autobahn.

Amazingly, the man, 45, took a U-turn on the divided motorway and began driving down the wrong side because the satellite navigation computer told him to turn around, police said in a statement.

Read it Here

Strange as it may sound, there is no replacement for using one’s eyes to aid in the operation of motor vehicles or heavy machinery.

The teen, who had two juveniles in the car with him in violation of the state’s graduated license rules, was headed westbound on Route 33 in his Ford Mustang when, he told police, his GPS told him to make a left turn onto Sweetmans Lane, police said.

The 17-year-old cut across the eastbound lanes of Route 33 and struck a vehicle on the left side at about 7:50 p.m. Saturday, according to police. The impact turned that car around 180 degrees before it came to rest facing oncoming traffic. The driver of that vehicle was taken to an area hospital after complaining of neck pain.

A third car struck the rear bumper of the Mustang, pushing that car into a spin before it too came to rest facing the eastbound oncoming traffic. A fourth vehicle traveling in the eastbound lanes swerved left to avoid the multiple car accident scene, when that car struck the curbed median, damaging both right-side tires, and rolling into the westbound lanes before coming to a stop.

The 17-year-old driver, from the Morganville section of Marlboro, was issued motor vehicle summonses for careless driving, making an improper turn and violating the terms of his provisional driver’s license.

Read it Here

Of course, we expect poor judgment from young drivers so this is perhaps not the best example of GPS Induced Stupidity. You can view disturbing statistics related to young drivers here.

Three young women escaped the sinking Mercedes-Benz SUV after the vehicle’s GPS directed them down a boat launch and into the Mercer Slough in Bellevue, Washington.

The driver thought she was on a road while following her GPS unit just after midnight, but she was actually heading down the boat launch. All three women made out safely, but the SUV was completely under water. Officials said the three were in town for a conference and were trying to get to a hotel in Bellevue.

“They were trying to re-route their path and found this boat launch near the entrance to I-90 in South Bellevue and just kept driving into the water,” Mr Keenan said.

Read it Here

As amusing as these stories are they may speak to something larger about Human nature in terms of technology. Perhaps there is a natural expectation that technology will someday alleviate most of the ‘burdens’ people experience in their daily lives. Even if this were the case such a thing is surely far into the future.

Only you as an individual can truly be responsible for your own safety, but when others fall prey to over reliance on technology or mere stupidity you may find that there is only so much you can do to prevent the consequences of GPS Induced Stupidity.

Flowers and Fruit of the Genus Mammillaria

Posted on September 24, 2011 by joebowman

joebowman.scienceblog.com – Mammillaria or the nipple cactus is one of the most popular of all cacti genera. Named for the characteristically pronounced tubercles, mammillaria as a genus are globose to barrel shaped either solitary or clustering and branching to trailing. Many species have latex sap and typically dense spination. Geographic distribution varies from the northern states of Mexico throughout significant portions of the southwestern United States. Plants are notable for their heat tolerance.

Flowering mammillaria

Forming a crown around the plant flowers bloom throughout the summertime. Colors ranging from light yellow to dark magenta with some species having a midstripe running laterally down the petals. Flowers are highly variable but are typically small and cup shaped.

Fruiting mammillaria

Many species of the genus mammillaria are self-fertile. Fruit develops within the body of the cactus and is long and slender to club shaped. Waxy greenish but typically red skinned fleshy fruit with heavy mucilage making quick extraction of the seeds rather challenging. Seeds vary in shape and color between species and are very small usually in the range of 1 mm.

Photographs by Joe Bowman

Your Smart Device is Making You Weird: Digital Youth

Posted on September 14, 2011 by joebowman

Here we are with another installment of ‘Your Smart Device is Making you Weird’ where I bring you my observations on the subtle changes in people and society as a result of Convenience Technology: Tablets, Phones, and Pads.

joebowman.scienceblog.com – If you want to know what the future holds for a given population you need only observe their children. Where as you or I have grown into and adopted convenience technology as we have moved through life, those of us born in more recent years will have had cellular phones and various technological implements thrust at them starting from early ages. Some could say this is ‘lazy parenting’ while others (parents) would extol the virtues of devices that not only connects them to the world but placates children as well. Regardless, it is something not entirely minor that separates these generations and those that came before.

In my last segment on ‘Your Smart Device is Making you Weird’ I wondered about a young family I saw in passing with each member gazing into their own device. One of the family members was a young child of about 2-4 years of age who was hypnotized by the glowing screen of a mobile phone.

What was not apparent to me at the time was the fact that this scenario is not unique, in fact quite the opposite seems to be true the more I pay attention. And, if it is happening in my sleepy suburban town (Pleasant Hill, CA) it is surely happening in many more places. You may have even seen this yourself as you observe children with their parents in public or even at your own family gatherings. The scene is always the same, the children are surprisingly quiet and well behaved as they cradle a mobile device in their tiny hands.

I took the elevator from the parking garage on the way to work trying to compensate for being late by quickly scanning emails and text messages. A woman entered just behind me and and smiled broadly remarking that her husband loves his iPad (mine is actually a Samsung Galaxy Tab). Sensing my opportunity to gain additional perspective I mentioned the trend of young children on devices. The woman (a mother of a young child as it turned out) proudly let me know that her child had their own mobile WiFi only device. Not noticing the bemused expression on my face the woman went about her way. I spent some time afterwards looking at statistics wondering about the woman and her tech savvy child.

The accompanying chart shows usage statistics by age group using data collected in 2010. I recreated the chart in Excel using some conditional highlighting rules to show how the data trends as users grow into adulthood. Note the green arrows showing the high values.

Regardless of whether you view children using technology as a good or bad omen for the future one thing stands out: not only are children spending ever increasing amounts of time using technology, they are doing so at increasingly younger ages.

The thing that keeps going through my head is the fact that you can’t gain or change something without giving up or changing something else in return.

A Very Brief Overview of Cactus Spines

Posted on August 12, 2011 by joebowman

By Joe Bowman | joebowman.scienceblog.com

In the dry and parched lands of the Americas the cactus in all it’s many forms thrive in the some of the most challenging environments.

In ecosystems where even the slightest advantage can mean the difference between survival and extinction each adaptation brings new opportunities for gaining advantages. The most recognizable adaptation of cacti is of course it’s penchant for a prickly persona. Cacti are best known for their spines – sharp protrusions typically covering the entire plant. Warding off hungry scavengers and punishing any inconsiderate or unwitting passerby foolish enough not to pay heed to these hardy plants. While the adaptations of the cactus are many and worthy of exploration, today I bring you a very brief overview of cactus spines.

The spines of a cactus emerge from a unique feature called, areola. These highly specialized growth sites give rise to the spines of a cactus and allow plants some flexibility in arranging spine growth around the plant body.

Aerola are only found on cacti and are one the distinguishing features of this unique group of plants. Spines can have many different characteristics from large thick spines to many small spines to fine filamentous hairlike growth. Some spine configurations are not entirely offensive in nature with some plants sporting pectinate spines that are soft and bristle-like and are held against the body.

Not to be ignored are glochids, very small, almost microscopic spines commonly produced by members of the genus Opuntia. Cacti armed with glochids are notorious for their unassuming appearance while closer inspection reveals their true nature.

This overview is far too brief to properly explore each type of cactus spine with any detail. However, it is easy to recognize that the stately cactus is a surprisingly fascinating plant and the closer you look the more interesting they become.