Any delusional bloggers out there? ;)

Do mobile phones cause cancer?

There are as many studies for as there are against the issue of whether mobile phones cause cancer (dare I say, like global warming?)

Mobile phones emit radio signals and electromagnetic fields that can penetrate the human brain, and some campaigners fear that this could seriously damage human health.

Eeek!
- Ronald Herberman, of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, said children should use mobiles in emergencies only and adults should try to keep the phone away from the head.
- UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme said there was a "hint" of a higher cancer risk in the long term and that its research would look into the effects over a 10-year period. Chairman Prof Lawrie Challis said "We can't rule out the possibility at this stage that cancer could appear in a few years' time."
- A study of 500 Israelis found this year that heavy mobile phone use might be linked to an increased risk of cancer of the salivary gland.

But....
- A US analysis by the University of Utah this year of thousands of brain tumour patients found no increased risk as a result of mobile use, but added that the effects from long-term use "awaits confirmation by future studies."
- Research reported in 2006 by the British arm of an international project called Interphone concluded that mobile phone use did not lead to a greater risk of brain tumour.
- Recent Danish and French studies found no increased risk of cancer.

Excerpts from here

Regardless which way you ring, here's two solutions I can think of - which don't involve discarding your mobile device. After all, we can't live without it, right?
1) Demand occupational hazard compensation for us industry peeps
2) Use that bluetooth headset!

Scifi fans in Singapore, rejoice!

NBC Universal's SCIFI channel is officially in Singapore! As of July 1, SCIFI is available on Starhub Channel 98 for a ~$5 monthly subscription. The premiere season features Heroes Unmasked (plus behind the scenes), Stargate: Atlantis and SG-1, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Star Trek: TNG, Quantum Leap, The Outer Limits, Xena, Medium, Sliders, Mutant X, Andromeda and Jericho, among others. Note: Starhub's "upsize" offer includes various other channels, e.g. AXN Beyond (which between the SCIFI network, covers most of the best cult scifi/fantasy/horror TV programs), BBC Entertainment, NBC's Universal, FOX CRIME, etc.

Source: This article and NBCU comments. More details here.

Dr Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog

Good things can come out of strikes!

If you're looking for a good laugh, don't miss this quirky 3-part online musical series about "a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to." The talented brothers Joss, Zack and Jed Whedon and Jed's fiancee created and independently produced this during the WGA strike last year.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog stars Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.), Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Serenity) and Felicia Day. The series is streaming LIVE and FREE right now on Drhorrible.com till midnight Sunday July 20th (I assume that's US PST). Of course, money will be made through sales of downloads via iTunes, CDs, DVDs (with extras), comics and other tie-ins.

Read more here and here ... and here's the trailer:

What's missing from the iPhone 3G?

I admit I'm impressed by the direction Apple is taking with the iPhone and the mobile (internet) industry overall. One million units sold in the first three days of the July 11 launch also proves that hype works. For you aspiring iPhoners and smartphone enthusiasts (myself included), just make sure you know what you're getting - or not! - when the iPhone 3G comes your way. There's no question it looks and feels great, appeals to the "style conscious" among us, and wisely incorporates some earlier feedback with the 3G, AppStore, ActiveSync and MobileMe functions. However, here's what I feel is missing vs my "ideal wish list":

1. No (real) keyboard - touch or no touch, there's no tactile feeling and no horizontal (widescreen) view. Also, "touch" typing is not as easy as it looks!
2. Still the same old 2 megapixel, no flash camera, no autofocus - don't be fooled by the large (and non-VGA) screen!
3. No video calling or vidconferencing
4. No voice or video recognition and recording
5. No MMS and no SMS forwarding
6. No text editing between emails, messages, notes, websites, etc.
7. No removable battery (though you can replace with a fee)
8. Limited bluetooth - only works for calls via an Apple headset. No file transfers with other devices or stereo headsets possible
9. No instant messaging or chat via a built-in VoIP client
10. No Java or Flash support when browsing

So caveat emptor! Besides, you could always get a Nokia instead. ;)

iPhone 3G. I haven't eaten in days.

What's a little friendly rivalry, eh?



At least the iPhone activation and MobileMe problems appear to be addressed...

Does faith have space in science fiction?

As a person of faith who's also an unabashed science fiction and fantasy fan, my interest was piqued by this recent article on God Is My Co-Pilot which looks at how scifi addresses religious issues.

Despite a recent trend toward secularism, God is still front and center in the ages old debate between science and religion. There is a popular misconception that a great divide exists between science and religion. In fact, science-fiction has always tackled religious themes — many times, quite overtly. While the trend recently has seemed to tip slightly in favor of the secular persuasion, God is making a strong comeback... [Battlestar] Galactica’s trip down the path certainly isn’t new in either the realm of science-fiction or television, but given the current climate and trends toward secularism, I find it refreshing. It does represent somewhat of a radical departure from recent, overt attempts of the popular media to avoid religious issues, let alone religious controversy.

While the article's main pro-religious example is the reimagined BSG series, it makes two major omissions. In the scifi genre, Star Trek is a classic example of an intentionally secular series, where most - if any - religious references and beliefs were "alien" in nature, and humanity or science usually prevailed over any higher power. This was largely due to Gene Roddenberry's own atheism, and remained consistent, with few variations on the theme, throughout the various spin-offs. Conversely, Babylon 5 which was created and for the most part written by JM Straczynski (coincidentally another atheist, but raised Catholic), was remarkably open and pluralistic about religion, and far more "ambiguous" in addressing the science vs faith debate.

My own preference for faith in scifi is somewhat in between. I'm drawn to allegories - sans any heavy handed preaching - where spiritual elements are woven throughout the hero's (or heroes') journey of self discovery, often fraught with sacrifice, betrayal, love, war, doubt and eventually, belief. In a similar vein, writers such as Arthur C. Clarke, George Lucas and Eric Kripke have also cited Joseph Campbell's universal journey of the hero across multiple mythologies as key influences on their respective works. This is what attracts me to shows like Star Wars, Supernatural, BSG and to some extent, Stargate and Heroes; ancient mythology and more modern classics by CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle, and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, Piers Anthony's Adept and Stephen King's Gunslinger series.

If you're a Supernatural fan, read more here!.

When everything goes wrong, like if your whole life falls apart - then you've gone KABLUEY!

"Everyone has a black sheep in the family. This one is blue."

Kabluey is out! A fun, well received indie comedy by Scott Prendergast about a hapless brother helping his sister care for her two boys in Austin, TX (there's an inside joke here for those who know). Check it out if you live in New York City, Austin, San Francisco or Los Angeles ... or wait patiently ;). Happy 4th of July!

Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds

Amidst all the weddings, births and our recent 3rd anniversary, I am once again reminded of this Shakespeare sonnet which conveys so much (and so beautifully!) on the unconditional, long-suffering and forgiving nature of true love.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116