Blogging from work!

I've got what I like to imagine is a very, very diluted version of the feeling of a transplant surgeon with his patient on the table, waiting for the harvested organ to be delivered so that the procedure can begin.

I say diluted because all I'm really doing is waiting for my antibody shipment so that I can start my experiment, which I've already set up. Hopefully you see the analogy. Anyway. To pass the time, I've been reading the Times, and as always I've got things to say:

1. Two articles in Science today focus on "research" that relies predominantly on brain scanning/imaging techniques. One claims to have "found" Schadenfreude in the brain-- sometimes, the areas of our brain involved in reward light up when we witness pain in others. Another claims that political partisanship is unconscious; areas of our brains involved in emoting, rather than those that participate in cold reasoning and logic, are active when we are contemplating political facts or decisions. Now, is it just me, or is it no surprise whatsoever that schadenfreude (like most mental & emotional processes) can be picked up in brain scans. And isn't it not really a "shocker" that we're biased and emotional when making political decisions? I say the Times (and Science and Nature) should publish more newsworthy news, not screen based on catchy titles and mainstream interest. It's the Science Times. For crying out loud. This stuff should've been relegated to side-column research briefs. I could go on and on, but I won't. I will say, though, that I thoroughly enjoyed James Gorman's tongue-in-cheek writing. Hee.
   
   
2. When I think about early plane travel (and early SPACE travel, holycannoli), and then I think about all of the advances in safety and comfort that have been made since then, I think to myself: holy crap. I mean, how scary would it be to go back and have to do things the old-school ignorant dangerous way? It's a similar situation with medicine, and the experience of being a medical student. I'm glad I'm starting this process now, with reforms in education and maximum hours for interns and residents. There's a lot of controversy about all of this, and it's always hard to break away from a system that works. But the thing about progress is: it's progress. Forward doesn't always mean better, but in terms of space travel and medicine, I'd like to think it does.
   
   
3. A lot of travelers these days are looking for the combination backpacking-leisure experience. They want find a vacation that is adventurous-- they want to visit an exotic land with an exotic culture. But at the same time, they want to enjoy the comforts of resort accommodations, English-speaking guides and servers, dollar-priced souvenirs, and the option of non-exotic foods. They want to live on the wild side, but on the safe side... and they're willing to spend money to do it. It's a phenomenon that leads to the massive changes occurring in Cambodia, a recently-mod travel spot. The country is abuzz with change and development to accommodate the flocking tourists; luxury resorts are popping up everywhere. "The draw for millions of people is not just plush beds and nimble-fingered masseuses; it's these three countries' uniquely messy histories and the ways all are struggling to move forward," writes Gross. But we First-World tourists need to realize that our curious and petty desire to "experience" third-world cultures, with their "messy histories"--as a vacation--results in more than a the building of a couple of posh resorts in Angkor Wat; it changes the landscape of Cambodian economy and culture in drastic ways. We need to keep our history/culture lessons and our concepts of luxury vacation separate, or else the exotic places in which we seek adventure will become pseudo-exotic clones of tourist-centric Honolulu, Hawai'i.