The Next Best Thing
The Economist, Thursday October 4, 2007
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9912455
Summary:
Advertising on mobile phones is still small compared to radio, TV, the internet and print but shows great potential. There are more mobile phones then there are PC’s, especially in the third world. Mobile phone advertising could potentially reach more people. Vodafone is running pilots with free minutes in exchange for reading a text-ad or watching a commercial. Another idea has been to let people subscribe to a service which gives them free minutes and text messages in exchange for filling out a form with personal information such as hobbies, whereupon they have to receive and read 6 text-ads daily.
Opinion:
I don’t mind subscribed services where someone actually asks for news or commercial messages to be sent to their phone. The idea of getting free minutes in exchange for reading some text ads also seems fail enough to me. But I would hate it if we get the spam problem or the telemarketing problem on our cellphones too now. Fancy your entire text message inbox clogged up with offers for cosmetic surgery (aimed at the other sexe) or porn. Suppose we get adware on our cellphones now? Its impossible to keep my PC clean of it, even WITH expensive software…
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007
Press Release 8 October 2007 from The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2007/press.html
Summary:
This year’s Nobel Prize in Fysiology or Medicine is going to Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies. Direct quote from the press release: “principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells". The scientists are from the USA and the UK and did research on how to knock out specific genes and creating knockout-mice. Knocking out genes has proven to be of immense value to study how genes work. The original research was done in the eighties and has resulted in hundreds of animal-models for human diseases like cancer and diabetes.
Opinion:
A well deserved Nobel Prize though its always difficult to choose with so much important research going on in the field! The techniques mentioned in the press release are very commonly practised by now. The knockout mice themselves have proven to be a very useful tool, you can’t open a science magazine without finding some research involving knockout mice. Personally I think the cure for cancer will corm from molecular biological research, carcinogenis is an extremely complex process involving many genes and cascade reactions. Knockout mice help scientists unravel this complex process and possibly find a way to control it.
Press Release 8 October 2007 from The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2007/press.html
Summary:
This year’s Nobel Prize in Fysiology or Medicine is going to Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies. Direct quote from the press release: “principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells". The scientists are from the USA and the UK and did research on how to knock out specific genes and creating knockout-mice. Knocking out genes has proven to be of immense value to study how genes work. The original research was done in the eighties and has resulted in hundreds of animal-models for human diseases like cancer and diabetes.
Opinion:
A well deserved Nobel Prize though its always difficult to choose with so much important research going on in the field! The techniques mentioned in the press release are very commonly practised by now. The knockout mice themselves have proven to be a very useful tool, you can’t open a science magazine without finding some research involving knockout mice. Personally I think the cure for cancer will corm from molecular biological research, carcinogenis is an extremely complex process involving many genes and cascade reactions. Knockout mice help scientists unravel this complex process and possibly find a way to control it.
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