Here's Why

SFX

The SFX science fiction/anime/comic book./horror expo on Satuturday had illegal swords being seized from dealers and melted down, the big drawcard Patrick Steward was missing due to last minute health problems. They got struck by lightning on Sunday and the power went out. They were instructed to evacuate the building for safety reasons. Luckily there was a big baseball game on next door, and so the authorities restored power before the expensive guests were forced out into the rain.

< ahref=http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=4142>The anime fans had some impressive costumes.

We were just there to visit the TorontoTrek table, and see what it was all about. The dealers were charging high for everything on sale, so they didn’t get my money for books or t-shirts.

There was an information booth that wasn’t staffed. People before us had added the word “NOT” on a card in front of the “INFORMATION” sign. We sat and waited there for friends. I practiced throwing the free trading cards. People stull came up asking for information, so we changed the sign to read “MISINFORMATION”. People only saw what they expected to see, and still came up and asked us for directions. So we changed the sign to read “RANDOM FACTS”, and continued throwing the cards, going for a distance competition. Fans came up asking for random facts. At last, people who can read!

Later we came back and saw the booth labelled “KISSING BOOTH”, with two girls in anime costumes inside. They had buttons reading “HUG ME”. It was fun to watch men’s faces as they walked by and clocked that the girls were gaol bait, or simply tried to figure out if they should call the girl’s bluff.

Ogopogo!

We arrived in Kelowna two days ago, and yesterday I realized that this is the home of the famous Lake Monster Ogopogo! I’ve read about the monster in Fortean Times.

There’s even a video from Monster Hunters at http://www.seesya.com/ taken at Rattlesnake Island, the home of the monster according to native legend.

And various blurry photographs.

The consensus among the believers in the “snake in the lake” is that its a throwback to primitive whales, and they’ve found bones of such creatures in the area.

Perversion for Profit

This is from a fun film from the wonderful Prelinger Archives of archival and stock footage. Over 4000 titles from 1927 to 1987. My favourites are the 1950’s “social education” films such as “Perversion for Profit”, and “Are you Popular?”.

Ciguatera follow-up

In April, Ian Woolf reported how the fish we eat in Australia can be contaminated with Ciguatera poison, one of the poisons used in Haiti along with puffer fish and toad poison to make real Zombies. In a Discovery follow-up, Ian asks what is being done to protect us from Ciguatera.

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Lets try that again

We’ll soon be flying to Canada for 9 weeks, with time in Kelowna, Toronto, Buffalo and Georgina Island, and then returning home via a few days in Amsterdam because its cheaper that way. Once you’re leaving the Australian continent, its cheaper to buy a Round The World ticket than it is to buy a direct return ticket.

This is the last minute chance for Australian people to put in orders for Canadian stuff, and Canadian and American people to put in orders for Australian stuff. We kept our list of TimTam addicts from January…:-)

Nuclear FOE and the Devil

With all the concern about the decision to replace the old research reactor at the nuclear science facility at Lucas Heights in southern Sydney, there hasn’t been much in the way of informed debate. The bad guys were too arrogant to defend their position, and the good guys weren’t asked any questions. Ian Woolf decided to play Devil’s Advocate and sought out Len Kennear from Friends of the Earth, and asked him some hard questions.

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Short-circuited by Ciguatera

“The body electric” by Diane Martindale was published in New Scientist on 15th May 2004. She explained the latest research into the human body’s use of electric fields. In a really interesting feature, what rang a personal bell, was her explation of how body cells sense and respond to electric fields.

Kenneth Robinson of Purdue University thinks it is calcium channels embedded in the cell membrane. These are the same calcium channels that are jammed open by the Ciguatera poison in my system. Since the calcium channels are normally opened by changes in volatge across the cell, the flow of calcium through the channels might convert electric fields into a signalling cascade. The electric field may normally cause the channels to open and allow a rush of calcium into the cell.

The idea is that the calcium activates a second messenger molecule, and so on down the signalling chain, and so a strong signal is registered by the nervous system. If calcium channel blocker drugs are administered, then the cells no longer respond to electric fields.

The question that isn’t addressed in the feature is the opposite case which is caused by Ciguatera poisoning: the channels are jammed open and the calcium is allowed to frow freely and activate the signalling cascade. To me this sounds like the Ciguatera is causing false signals to be registered. Lots of random noise, as if there were strong electrical fields being amplified. Sensory overload. Just as experienced.

The other possibility is that when the Ciguatera poison is in lesser concentrations, instead of always jamming the calcium channels open and starting a signalling cascade, it makes the calcium channels more likely to open in the presence of electric fields. Overamplification of the initial signal.

This may be a mechanism for the hyperacuity symptoms. Signals normally filtered out because they are too small, instead get amplified and registered.

Sudden changes in the presence of the Ciguatera toxin would cause a voltage surge, causing a short-circuit.