Link of the day: Bill Gates tries to save the world through vaccines

I find it demoralizing to read about the plight of the world economy, skyrocketing health care costs, and disregard for environmental and climate issues.  It makes me think that the only solution is to reduce the world's population.  Suddenly, those evil antagonists in movies who want to destroy everything don't seem so bad. Fortunately, I read this Forbes article about how Bill Gates is trying to reduce the world's population by distributing vaccines to Africa. If that didn't make sense to you, Gates felt the same way at first:

So in 1997, when he and Melinda first ventured into public health... they focused on birth control... The logic was crisp and Bill Gates-friendly. Health = resources ÷ people. And since resources, as Gates noted, are relatively fixed, the answer lay in population control. Thus, vaccines made no sense to him: Why save kids only to consign them to life in overcrowded countries where they risked starving to death or being killed in civil war?

The problem was that people were having huge families because so many children died in infancy. Vaccines drastically reduce the child mortality rate so that families can plan. The end result is a suppression of population growth. It's not obvious to me that this is true, but if Bill Gates did his homework and is spending millions of dollars to distribute vaccine, I'm inclined to believe in it. The cool thing is that Gates is putting his business skills to use. By guaranteeing a market for vaccines in developing countries, drug companies are competing to supply the product and this is driving the cost of vaccines down. Clever man!

Quote of the day: Depression is sometimes a disease of the strong

Here's an interesting quote I read in the June 2011 issue of Fear.less, a web magazine devoted to interviews with people about fear. The quote comes from Australian comedian Marty Wilson.

But depression is actually a disease of the strong, I think. If people don’t have a mental breakdown, they remain fixated in the cycle of "I must get through this. I must push on. I must do this. I must do that." It’s the depression that allows one to break through that cycle and admit to others that you need help.

I think depression is different for everyone, but I agree that this characterization of depression is true for many people.

Link of the day: Schedule time to worry

Exactly what the title says. An interesting idea is to schedule time to worry (originally mentioned on MSNBC). Scheduling a specific time to worry may actually reduce stress and anxiety. I've personally postponed strong feelings, but I know that only comes back to haunt me because I'll just experience it later at some inconvenient time. I should try scheduling worry time.

Bedtime reading

I'm trying to wean myself off the computer as my late-night relaxation method. Apparently, there are studies that the bright screen tricks your mind into thinking it's still daytime. Personally, I find that the internet frequently becomes a drug and you'll find yourself surfing the web into the wee hours.

I've taken to reading short story anthologies. A few days ago, I checked out the following from my local public library: The Year's Best Science Fiction (2007), The Best American Short Stories (2004), O'Henry Awards, Prize Stories (2000). I think it's working. I can finish a story in about a half hour, I get transported to a different world (whereas the internet just feeds my ADD tendencies), and I can turn the light in my room to the dimmest level while still being able to read.

Cognitive doping

Jose wrote a very interesting post on Academic Productivity. He wondered is it okay for people to take drugs to improve their mental performance? Obviously, most people drink tea and coffee (legal drugs) and society thinks that is acceptable. But what about prescription drugs like Ritalin (used to treat ADD)? Is doing so "cheating" like using steroids in professional sports? I guess it's hard for me to say since I haven't tried any drugs and caffeine doesn't work that well for me. As Jose mentions, the fact that people feel pushed to take drugs is a negative reflection of modern society. Unfortunately, I don't think it's something that will go away. The more educated the world becomes, the more aware people become of better opportunities and then everyone starts competing for the same limited set of desirable jobs.

A friend made a good point that using drugs will probably not increase your creativity or come up with a new idea to start a project. But I think it will help you when you need that extra push to finish something.

Thirdly review 2008, Part 1

I feel like I'm ready to do my first quarterly review. Actually, it's not really quarterly but thirdly. It seems more convenient to break the year into fall, spring, and summer since I'm on an academic schedule. Fall semester ended and spring semester started this week, so it's time.

Since this is my first quarterly review, it will be exploratory. First, I will review my progress from last fall (September - December). This was the first semester in a long time where I was serious about my work. I wanted to be challenged, so I took two classes (atomic physics and mesoscopic physics) while doing research. Unfortunately, I wasn't mentally prepared for such a huge workload. Atomic physics took up a lot of time, I ended up dropping mesoscopic physics, and hardly doing any research. I should have realized that two classes would be too much. I've hardly done any research in the past two years, so continuing the trend was very bad. By the end of the semester, I was frustrated and somedays, even on the verge of tears (I guess I don't take failure very well). On the positive side, going to class helped me develop some discipline and there were times that I actually felt excited about science again. I also tried making time cards and it was pretty effective at keeping me from procrastinating. I'll have to start doing them again. Another idea that worked well for me was blocking administrative tasks. If I know that there is a day where I can do non-academic work, I'm less likely to procrastinate.

Now I'll talk about my non-work life. Just like in the previous year, I didn't have much social contact except for a few work-related parties. I was really interested in hockey and did a lot of research about hockey equipment. I'm pretty happy now that I found a stick and gloves that I like. I'm still working on skates, though. Unfortunately, changing equipment has thrown off my game a bit (particularly the skates), but I can live with that. I've been eating better and getting more fruit in my diet. I noticed that I gained some weight at the end of the semester due to lack of exercise (besides hockey) and eating too much at the dining hall. I still read blogs and news feeds, but I think I did a good job of cutting it down. Most days I only need an hour to cover the feeds which I think is about right. At the end of the semester, I discovered Sondheim (a life-changing cultural event for me) and it made me realize how much I miss art (broadly defined as literature, music, fine art, etc). In the last few years, I've focused a lot on very practical things like lifehacking.

Some changes that I propose:

• Spending less time reading about hockey. It's a great diversion, but I just don't have time to read the hockey forums and follow all the details of the San Jose Sharks. I don't think I get much out of it either.
  
• Going to the gym at 6 am. Last fall, I wanted to go in the afternoon so that I could start work earlier. In reality, I would feel tired and talk myself out of going to the gym or have to attend some talk/meeting. So I just ended up never going.
  
• Eating smaller portions at the dining hall. This one shouldn't be too hard; I just have to pay attention. Also, if I lift weights, I'll put on more muscle and burn more calories. So the combination of eating right and going to the gym should keep my weight stable.
  
• I'd like to experience more of the New York theater scene. I might never live close enough to Manhattan to see live shows, so I should make good use of the opportunity. However, I have to be careful and not let my interests run out of control. I propose planning one trip to New York a month (I could go a little more often, but then I'd be bankrupt).
  
• I need to come up with an academic gameplan. I should be attending more seminars, but which ones? Should I take the advanced mesoscopic physics class?
  
• I need to get more people invested in my academic progress besides my advisor. How do I do that?
  

The last two items were questions, so I need to work on them. Stay tuned for a later post.

Association as a way to develop new habits

I've been trying to eat more fruit, but somehow I always found some excuse not to do it. Recently, I decided to make eating fruit part of my breakfast. And I'm proud to say that I've eaten a piece of fruit every day for the past two weeks! Another habit I've developed is doing a morning stretch. I write an entry in my worklog most mornings (just a short sentence about what work I plan to accomplish). I noticed that my body was getting cramped at the end of the day and I was developing a terrible backache so I started doing a stretch along with my worklog entry.

By associating a new habit with an older, more successful one, I have managed to greatly accelerate my personal development process. The next challenge is to go to the gym 5 days a week. Wish me luck.

How much sleep do I need?

I realized that I have never tried to figure out how much sleep I need. From reading a few articles on the web (wikihow and WebMD), it seems like I should first need to normalize my sleep schedule (go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day for 1-2 weeks). Then I should sleep in on a weekend and see how long I naturally sleep. If it's longer than my regular sleep schedule, then I know I need to sleep longer. If it's shorter, than I know I'm getting too much sleep.

I don't know when I'll be able to do my sleep experiment. But the sooner I figure it out, the better.

Bedtime routine

I complained in a previous post that I still don't have a bedtime routine after all these years.

I'm going to try to sketch a rough draft (qmechanic bedtime routine v1.0 if you wish). I will fill out my daily checklist, floss and brush my teeth, set my alarm clock, and read some printed articles. I have read in multiple places that lit screens (e.g. computer monitors and TVs) artificially stimulate your brain when you should be winding down. So I will (sadly) have to shut down my computer.

Two things I'd like to work on

First, I want to only eat vegetables, fruit, grains (like rice, pasta, bread), and lean meat (like turkey, fish, and chicken). No animal fat and no vegetables or meat covered in oil.

Second, I want to stop checking my email in the morning. I'm moving my Yahoo calendar notifications to an email address that no one knows about, so that I can still get my notifications without being distracted by other message.

Current wakeup system

I like to wakeup to my own music, rather than a buzzer or radio station. For a while, I would plug my stereo into my computer and use WinAlarm (a Winamp plug-in) to wake me up. The trouble was that I'd have to leave my computer on overnight and as you might know, prolonged uptime is bad for hard drive life. Then I switched to using a iHome iPod clock radio. This idea solved the problem of having an alarm independent of my computer. However, the sound quality on the iHome was terrible compared to my stereo. And I couldn't plug my stereo into the iHome clock.

So now I have finally settled on a system that works pretty well. I setup a calendar reminder every night to plug my stereo into an 2 GB iPod Nano (which I was formerly using with the iHome clock). As a backup, I also have a Sony clock radio which I use as a backup alarm. The Sony clock has nice big green digits which makes it a great clock for my room, too.

Link of the day: Martha Beck

I recently came across an archive of articles written by Martha Beck (who makes her living as a "life coach.") She writes a column with Oprah Magazine. Before you think "ick, touch-feely women stuff", I just want to say that her thoughts are very insightful and her writing is quite witty.

Here are some of the articles I enjoyed:

• "Putting the fun in dysfunctional" - how to deal with annoying relatives
  
• "I love you just the way you were" - how to deal with people who can't see past the old you
  
• "To be alone or not to be alone" - how to find your balance between solitary and social behavior
  
• "Have a heart - exercises to improve your empathy
  
• "Help! Mayday! SOS!" - how to ask for help without hurting relationships
  
• "Oh, this old thing?" - avoiding envy pre-emption
  
• "Overhelpers anonymous - how not to get carried away with helping people
  
• "The joy diet" - make yourself happy everyday (but no equation feasts)
  
• "The lonely season" - how to deal with different types of loneliness
  
• "The sponge people" - protecting yourself if you're very sensitive
  
• "Wait. Are you implying that I need to read this article?" - dealing with highly defensive people (think reptile)
  
• "Why it's harder to receive than to give" - how to become gracious about receiving
  
• "Why are people mean?" - how to deal with mean people
  
• "Your body whisperer" - how to be one with your body
  
• "Always apologize, always explain" - art of an effective apology
  
• "True confessions" - how, when, why to confess

Link of the day: Ode to the afternoon nap

I always wonder if it's a good idea to take naps. Here's a discussion on Lifehacker about taking naps.

For me, it's important that I take a nap because I'm really tired and not because I'm avoiding work. In the former case, I really do find it beneficial.

Caffeine overdose

I went to bed early, tossed and turned and got up at 1 am, then got back into bed at 3 am. Ick, I think I had a caffeine overdose. I'll have to stop having coffee after lunchtime.

Link of the day: Math screensavers and exercise videos

I found some cool stuff this morning. First, Chris Lomont has a bunch of math-based screensavers including Mandelbrot sets, knots, and polyhedra. Second, John Sokolowski has an excellent site called Athlete 365 which includes a library of exercises, many illustrated in video.

Free break reminder software for Windows and Linux

For all Linux and Windows users, there is an excellent, free break reminder program called Workrave. I like how the rest breaks come with animated exercises (usually a feature that only comes with paid software).j

Drink more water

Buy a 32 oz Nalgene bottle. Choose a wide mouth (so you can really gulp that water down) and an outrageous color (so that you notice the bottle). Place the bottle within your field of vision while you work.

Also, a side benefit of drinking a lot of water is that you have to get up to use the bathroom and refill the bottle -- providing a natural break from sitting still.

Ergonomic book holder: Atlas Ultra

I'm a fan of nice ergonomic stuff -- fun and useful for your long-term health. I have a cool Goldtouch keyboard and I have my eye on a Herman Miller Aeron chair (when I have enough money to justify the cost someday).

One thing I've noticed recently is that there is no ergonomic way to read a book if the book is lying on a horizontal surface (like a table). My sister suggested a book holder. A quick web search, several months ago, led me to the website of Atlas bookholders.

I now have two Atlas Ultra bookholders (in black). OK, I have expensive taste, but I really like them. They're very adjustable and they come with little metal rods which act as page stoppers.

Now I can read my books without crunching my neck and back. I'll avoid developing academic hunchback syndrome as illustrated in this comic.