Parasitic Mind Control of the Back-Seat Drivers

My fascination with parasites has been long standing; with his husky, very colonial accent, David Attenborough had a wonderfully understated way of showing just how incredible the interplay between parasite and the preyed upon actually is.

Carl Zimmer recently wrote a wonderful piece on the Ampulex compressa wasp that essentially turns cockroaches into ‘zombies’ and then into a living food repository for it’s young.

Now a few more articles have come to my attention today on “Damn Interesting”:

The Sacculina barnacle infects crabs:

“A tiny barnacle called Sacculina is one such parasite. Upon finding a host crab, a female Sacculina will crawl over the crab’s surface until she finds a chink in the armor: a joint. She then ejects her protective shell, reducing herself to a gelatinous blob, and invades.

nside the host, the parasite grows long, root-like tendrils throughout the crab’s body, eventually emerging as a bump on the its underside. During this process she renders the crab infertile, and creates a small opening in the crab’s back that will allow a male Sacculina to make residence there. Soon the crab is filled with millions of Sacculina eggs and larvae, and like a zombie, the crab cares for these eggs and larvae as though they were its own, losing all interest in mating. When a male crab is infected, the parasite alters its physiology and behavior to be female, to better care for the Sacculina’s young.

The parasite basically rewires the crab for its own ends, and the crab becomes a helpless vehicle, expending its energy caring for the young organisms that will move on to inflict themselves upon other crabs.”

The Cymothoa exigua parasite kills (and replaces) the tongue of the Spotted Rose Snapper Fish:

“The Spotted Rose Snapper Fish, which lives off the coast of California, is plagued by what must be one of the most disturbing parasites in all of nature. The crustacean parasite, called Cymothoa exigua, enters the fish’s mouth and leeches blood from the fish’s tongue until the muscle atrophies and dies. The parasite then attaches itself to the withered tongue-stump, and acts as a working replacement for the organ, spending the rest of its life living off bits of food that enter the fish’s mouth.

The Cymothoa exigua is the only parasite known to effectively replace a body organ.”

A species of wasp removes the free will of the Costa Rican Plesiometa argyra orb spider and before it kills it gets the spider to build it a protective shelter:

“On the night before the parasites kill their host, events take a bizarre turn. Through some unknown mechanism, the larvae compel their host spider to build a web that is very different from that it has always constructed before. Instead of a flat, round web, the spider builds a stout, reinforced platform which is much smaller. Once the new web is complete, the larvae kill their host, and cocoon themselves on the structure. It is ideal for the task, being resistant to wind and rain, and safe from the ants that inhabit the forest floor.”

The most disturbing quality of these articles is the ability for certain parasites to essentially alter the minds of their hosts, to turn on or off certain instinctual drives and motivations. Carl Zimmer also wrote about a common organism known as Toxoplasma gondii – transmitted to people through cats. 50 million Americans are aparently infected with it and there is a strong possibility that it may be linked to schizophrenia in humans. In rats, Toxoplasma apparently removes a rat’s fear for cats meaning that more of these infected rats will be eaten thus allowing better transmission of the parasite.

“The scientists speculated that Toxoplasma was secreted some substance that was altering the patterns of brain activity in the rats. This manipulation likely evolved through natural selection, since parasites that were more likely to end up in cats would leave more offspring.”

The question begs asking: How much of the personalties of host animals (including humans) are controlled by these creepy unseen back-seat drivers?

Britney follows the Pitts to Namibia

It doesn’t seem to matter that polio is epidemic there at the moment, or that national borders were closed down to protect the privacy to two philandering movie stars who were idiotically treated like dictators of 3rd world countries during their stay.

Now Britney Spears, the pelvic gyrating slapper-tart-queen and eminent buffoon of pulp music wants to have her next baby in Namibia. Perhaps a little Pitt placental magic will revive her all but dead career who knows but have a look at this wonderful spoof written by Jay Dyckman entitled “Namibia Tourism Minister Sends a Plea to Britney Spears“

… Hit me baby one more time ….

Banana-Gate

Curious George was doing quite well during a press conference today until a reporter walked past carrying a fruit basket and George saw a lovely bunch of ripe bananas. Primeval Simian parts of the brain were awakened causing much squinting of eyes and grasping of hands.

It is believed that when the secret service failed to return with the fruit basket Mr President retired to the Oval Office clutching a well thumbed copy of My Pet Goat.

The Many Wonders of GO

I believe there to be no games that come anywhere close to matching its beauty, elegance and seeming infinite complexity. Emanuel Lasker, a chess grandmaster once stated “it is something unearthly … if there are sentient beings on other planets then they play Go.”

It is the one game where even the most powerful computers of modern times are able only to play at a relatively weak club level. Using a simple 19×19 grid and the alternating play of black and white stones you are able to understand the basic rules in 10 minutes and spend the rest of your life trying to master them.

With more permutations than the number of atoms in the known universe, it is believed that no game of go has ever been played twice in its 4000+ year history.

It is well worth a look.

Sources of information:

Wikipedia
Sensei’s Library
GoBase

MS-Bloat 2007

So finally a brief expose of the new Office 2007 Beta which is being removed from my computer as we speak. One word sums it up – eye Candy. If you're used to the way office 2003 and below (and every other word processor in the world) works then steer clear – it was a very frustrating experience. The only nice touch was the rollover preview, select some text and move over different formating options to see the effects – but that was about it.

Make a spreadsheet and it will natively export to new file formats that are totally useless to anyone else – hide the familiar file…save… behind a big flashy icon and shove every conceivable thing into the new ribbon bar that takes up half the screen and you get a bloated, overpriced version of the software you already own.

Take out some of the coolness like direct pdf export (that open office has had for years) and there is very little left to justify an upgrade cost. Gosh this is sounding a little like Vista isn't it?

Outlook looked nicer but crashed repeatedly (ok so it is still in beta) and was not compatible with the iCal standard (Nice one guys!). Thunderbird handles my extensive email repository so much better than Outlook and Thunderbird's absent calendar has been entirely satiated with Google's awesome web calendar.

For me Thunderbird + Google Calendar is a much better, cleaner and quicker solution than the latest Microsoft bloatware.

The Old Boy’s Club, Iranians Need Not Apply

Oh this is exciting news indeed (drip drip….), all dollied up and given the lovely face of healthy competition – you’d almost believe they were competing to make the first new soda vending machine in 20 years and not something that could wipe humanity off the planet. Mr. Bush you a goddamn psychotic hypocrite – make sure you have the best set of irons at the country club but ensure that sanctions prevent other “non-wasps” (like them eye-ranians) from joining.

Bealzibub is surely warming a little spot in hell for you!

“The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the San Francisco Bay area and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are competing to design the nation’s first new nuclear bomb in two decades.

Scientists at both facilities are working around the clock on plans that will be presented to the Nuclear Weapons Council, a federal panel that oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons. The council will choose a winner later this year.”I have had people working nights and weekends,” said Joseph Martz, the head of the Los Alamos design team. “I have to tell them to go home. I can’t keep them out of the office.”

Congress approved the new bomb, known as the reliable replacement warhead, with bipartisan support in 2005 as part of a defense spending bill. The weapon would, by law, have the same explosive power as existing warheads. Proponents of the project say the U.S. would lose its so-called “strategic deterrent” unless it replaces its aging arsenal of about 6,000 bombs, which will become potentially unreliable within 15 years. A new, more reliable weapon, they say, would help the nation reduce its stockpile.”

Save The Whales

I sound like a bumper sticker but money talks and bullshit walks. Japan is closer than you think to resuming commercial whaling. In a more environmentally friendly world how can atrocities like this continue to be perpetrated?

Read on.

Frigate Bay, Saint Kitts and Nevis — The international body charged by the UN with protecting the whales is about to be taken over by the world’s most consistently and aggressively pro-whaling government. How could this happen? In an environmentally aware world, why are we seeing a roll back of 20 years of progress on such a fundamental issue? The answer lies is in a tangle of politics, economics and international bureaucracy, and reveals there might be hope for the future of the whales after all.

www.greenpeace.org/international/news/2006-whale-meeting

The Coming Tide

Put away your blocks
Your empty damaged tools
The broken empires of sand
Will be washed away
On the coming tide

Fold up the yellow page
Of your accomplishments
They matter not now
Any failure to live is yours
And yours alone.

Empty your pockets
And let the trinkets fall
The barren earth welcomes
A rain of empty labels.
Remnants of desperate clinging.

Cast high your perceptions
Above idle chat and noise
Releasing dull and tepid senses
Oblivious to the currents
That rage around us

Let your distractions go
The relentless searching
For things to plug the holes,
Time is only measured
In it’s wasting.

Open your eyes
Downcast and trembling
Your pools of familiarity
Are safe no more
The tide is coming

© Stuart Forsyth (2006)

A Sad Day For Literature As Rowling Comes out Tops

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According to Reuters, JK Rowling was voted the greatest living British writer in a survey published Thursday. This is indeed a sad sad day in literary circles. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the adolescent rompings of the boy wizard as much as the next person, the books though are by no means worthy of any title even remotely akin to great literature.

Terry Pratchett came in at second place, in my book (gah.. puns) much better than Rowling's teenage page turners.

Third was Ian McEwan, author of titles including "Amsterdam" and "Atonement,"

Forth was Salman Rushdie: "Satanic Verses" and "Midnight's Children". This incredible author deserves the kudos of the term literature … this level of writing being eclipsed by Harry Potter's Hogwarts replete with talking snakes?

I think not.

China: Secretive arms exports stoking conflict and repression

China is fast emerging as one of the world’s biggest, most secretive and irresponsible arms exporters, according to a new report issued today by Amnesty International.

The report shows how Chinese weapons have helped sustain brutal conflicts, criminal violence and other grave human rights violations in countries such as Sudan, Nepal, Myanmar and South Africa. It also reveals the possible involvement of Western companies in the manufacture of some of these weapons.

“China describes its approach to arms export licensing as `cautious and responsible`, yet the reality couldn‘t be further from the truth. China is the only major arms exporting power that has not signed up to any multilateral agreements with criteria to prevent arms exports likely to be used for serious human rights violations,” said Helen Hughes, Amnesty International’s arms control researcher.

China’s arms exports, estimated to be in excess of US$1 billion a year, often involve the exchange of weapons for raw materials to fuel the country’s rapid economic growth. But it is a trade shrouded in secrecy; Beijing does not publish any information about arms transfers abroad and hasn’t submitted any data to the UN Register on Conventional Arms in the last eight years. "

Rest here:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/document.do?id=ENGASA170332006

Beaten by the Bugs

The flu has been ping ponging around the office and up till today I managed to avoid it, however in the end the microbes usually win. Wikipedia provides me with an interesting statistic – 95% of people exposed to the virus that causes the common cold will become infected, however only 75% of people show symptoms. In an office with a communal kitchen it was really only a matter of time.

Some tips that might help prevent a cold this winter:

• Keep your own mug/plate/utensils at work if you share a common communal kitchen
• wash your hands often (the mechanical action of washing removes the virus)
• fresh air – open windows, avoid closed air conditioned spaces shared with other cold sufferers
• The first 3 days of a cold is the most infectious – this is the period where the stoic will try and tough it out before secondary infection makes them feel really sick – encourage colleagues to go home and not share their germs.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Take your Vitamins, especially your Vitamin C.
• Eat small healthy energising meals during your cold – there is a lot to be said for the bowl of chicken soup.
• Rest
• Drink water regularly, avoid becoming dehydrated
• Stay warm and dry

so with a throat full of razor blades I bid you adieu.

Password Maker Available

Just posted Password Maker on the software page, if you’re like me and are bored with coming up with creative phonetics for your passwords then try password maker. I use safenote (also available in software) to keep my password list up to date and safe from prying eyes.

WordPress like a Snail in Frozen Mud

I am getting heartily tired of the WordPress Admin interface. The functionality is great, the speed is terrible. Come on guys – you have the best blog software in the world, get some decent hardware on the job before you lose your fan base!

The Next Generation of Tolkien Appreciation

Tonight I started reading The Hobbit to my 5 year old and was amazed by how easily he took to the story. Wide eyed he begged for another 5 minutes and was bouncing around at the thoughts of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, The dwarves and Mr. Gandalf setting off on an adventure: those "nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things that make you late for your dinner."

So much better than TV.

A Leaving List

As part of the psychological preparation for emigrating, psychologists recommend a list of reasons why you would want to go. I am preparing such a list and am adding to it regularly. I don’t want to take up too much space on my blog with what is happening at the moment in SA but for those interested my list is here: http://www.forsyth.co.za/leaving/

The Right To Ask Questions

Every so often you stumble upon a beautifully written and succinct bit of information that slaps you in the face leaving you feeling “I should have written that!”. The right to ask questions by Larry Rosenberg is one such article. It is the acid test that keeps a skeptic like me sane in a search for the deeper meaning of life.

As a Buddhist and a skeptic I have bumped up against my share of stupidity, the kind that seems to permeate all religions across the globe. The student finds the teacher and then gives up on the right to ask questions, rather deferring that guidance to someone who is very often a total stranger. I am firmly of the opinion that the day you stop asking questions, is the day you die inside, no wonder so many “seekers of the truth” end up so disappointed.

Lord Atisha, the Buddhist Teacher who was attributed to restoring the teachings to Tibet from India went to Indonesia to receive the teachings on Bodhichitta from Dharmamati:

When they finally landed, Atisha did not go at once to the famous master, but stayed instead for a full two weeks with a group of this master’s disciples. He prodded them over and again for information about their teacher and insisted on his full biography. This shows us the importance of thoroughly examining a spiritual master and checking his or her qualifications before going to study.

Atisha exercised his right to question.

Internet Again and Ubuntu Released

Well after a little dry spell in my blogging I have my home Internet sorted which should hopefully bring many good blogging things to come.

I was very excited by the new uBuntu Linux release today, this version is truly something special and I am very pleased with the direction the uBuntu team and the chaps over at Canonical are taking. Every release sees Linux become more and more mainstream on the Desktop. If you are like me and are tired of being shafted with every new Microsoft release, having an operating system complete will all the bells and whistles available on a CD is a God-send.

If you go to shipit, they will send you Linux disks for free (gasp!) and you can try out this live disk before taking the plunge. Boot off the CD and it will load Linux from the disk allowing you to try and play without affecting your underling operating system.