Tag Archives: Life in General

My fundraising appeal for MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Brissie to the Bay was a huge success, raising $3100 to support services including physiotherapy, service coordination, counselling and symptom management as well as MS research to look for better treatments and ultimately a cure for this dreadful disease. Special thanks to generous donor Chris Caton, Tom Davies, David Godden and,Graeme Orr all of whom gave $100 or more, and especially to super-generous Chris Murphy. I know not...

In a case of l’esprit de l’escalier, I just worked out the perfect parenthetical addition to this piece that was published in Inside Story, responding to a string of pro-natalist pieces in the New York Times and elsewhere. The central point is that the economic model in which strong young workers support elderly retirees is outdated and will only become more so. A sharp fall in births during 2020 has provoked a wave of handwringingabout the implications of an ageing population. The...

Here’s my latest email news. Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

Once again, I’m trying to combine exercise and fundraising, in this case for the MS Brissie to the Bay Appeal. Please donate to help me raise $2500 for multiple sclerosis research and help for patients and their families .I’m running a marathon in June, so I’m going to go with virtual fundraising, instead of taking part in the physical ride. My aim will be to run 300km and cycle 500km over May and June, and to raise $2500. Feel free to suggest challenges I could undertake to...

Vaccinations against Covid-19 have started in many countries. In lots of places, it’s been a chaotic mess but Israel has already vaccinated 10 per cent of its population. Meanwhile, in Australia we not only have to wait for an approval process, but for a lengthy planning period to manage such an exercise. I’m not a public health expert, but I could see the need for such a capability 15 years ago (see post below). How can we have missed the boat so badly on this? (Repost) The...

…. to all who celebrate it. And to everyone, peace, love and a better year in 2021 Share this:Like this:Like Loading...

The most memorable answer to this question came from science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, who said “Poughkeepsie” (on checking Wikipedia, I learn that he died a couple of years ago). But in the context of discussions about remote work, I’m interested in the claim that random physical meetings (the archetypal example being corridor or water-cooler encounters with colleagues) are an important source of ideas, and therefore a reason for not working remotely. This seems to be the...

There’s been some good news on the local vaccine front, with a UQ vaccine project passing safety tests and showing early indications of effectiveness. With so many projects going ahead around the world, it seems likely we will have some usable vaccines by next year. On the other hand, based on past experience with similar diseases like influenza, it seems unlikely that vaccines will be perfectly effective. So, we’ll be living with some kinds of restrictions for the foreseeable...

Following up this CT post on health living,, everyone has their own story and their own health. That’s true, but we are all subject to the same physical laws. So, here’s my story and some thoughts on the physics. I managed to lose about 12 Kg over a couple of years, almost entirely through exercise. The basic physics is simple(1) weight loss = (kilojoules burnt – kilojoules consumed)*k,(2) kilojoules burnt = base metabolism + work done where k ≃ 0.025 is a constant reflecting...

Now that the World Health Organization has finally endorsed a recommendation for wearing masks in public, it’s time for Australia to do the same. The most important case is that of public transport including air travel. Urban public transport is vital, but until we take the necessary steps on masks, we will be stuck with recommendations to avoid peak hour travel, guaranteeing a return to private cars and congestions The airlines have been the biggest transporters of the...