The mother of a friend died recently, quite suddenly, after taking medicine to improve her memory, as she was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. My own mother will be 90 in mid-May, and is becoming forgetful herself.
So these two things suddenly motivated me and I spent 4 or 5 days creating an Alzheimer's web site. You can see it here.
At the moment, it's mostly a framework, with only a small amount of content, but I will add to it over the next year or so. I spent a lot of time researching Alzheimer's drugs, which I knew nothing about a week ago, and compiled a comprehensive chart. However, it was too complicated. So I simplified it down to what you now see on the web site, with links to the manufacturer's or distributor's information.
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Saturday, April 7, 2007
Thailand Travel Dictionary
I met with a Belgian named Yves Masure yesterday, along with Kanokporn Boonjan, the Managing Director of Thai Culture Publishing. Yves has been working on an encyclopedic reference or guide to Thailand and Thai culture for 9 years, and produced a CD-ROM and web site called THAILEX. It's now in its fourth incarnation.
Yves demonstrated his CD; it's pretty good, very impressive, has lots of stuff I not only didn't know, but have never heard of.
The information is primarily arranged like a dictionary or encyclopedia, in alphabetical order. There are several indexes, including a photo index. There are hundreds of photos.
But here's the kicker: there are actually 3 guides on the same CD, as he has the same information in English, Dutch, and Thai. Yves is fluent in Thai and did all the translation himself. So if you have a Thai partner, both can make use of the CD.
Kanokporn and Yves came to an agreement, so Thai Culture Publishing is now acting as his agent to distribute the CD within Thailand and via the Internet to the world.
You can see it here. Sphere: Related Content
Yves demonstrated his CD; it's pretty good, very impressive, has lots of stuff I not only didn't know, but have never heard of.
The information is primarily arranged like a dictionary or encyclopedia, in alphabetical order. There are several indexes, including a photo index. There are hundreds of photos.
But here's the kicker: there are actually 3 guides on the same CD, as he has the same information in English, Dutch, and Thai. Yves is fluent in Thai and did all the translation himself. So if you have a Thai partner, both can make use of the CD.
Kanokporn and Yves came to an agreement, so Thai Culture Publishing is now acting as his agent to distribute the CD within Thailand and via the Internet to the world.
You can see it here. Sphere: Related Content
Names can be a problem in Sweden
I read on the BBC news site today about a family who named their child "Metallica", and had the name rejected by government authorities.
"The name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 - pronounced Albin - was also rejected by authorities in 1996. The boy's parents had chosen the name as a protest against Swedish naming laws."
I dunno, I kind of like the name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116. But the kid would probably never find his name on one of those name plaques you see in various stores. Our daughter, Inika, used to look for her name and never found hers either.
The article is here.
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"The name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 - pronounced Albin - was also rejected by authorities in 1996. The boy's parents had chosen the name as a protest against Swedish naming laws."
I dunno, I kind of like the name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116. But the kid would probably never find his name on one of those name plaques you see in various stores. Our daughter, Inika, used to look for her name and never found hers either.
The article is here.
Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Cane Toad Program in my old Neighbourhood in Australia
In Australia, cane toads are a problem. They were originally imported from Brazil and released in the north about 50 or 60 years ago, I think, to combat sugar cane beetle. The problem is, they contain two sacs behind the head which contain a poison deadly to just about everything. If a dog eats the cane toad, that toad dies, but so does the dog. Ditto with snakes, lizards, and most birds. One species of large black crow, however, has figured out that they can flip the cane toad over and rip its guts out and eat them. This is the only bird that can handle a cane toad. To a human, the cane toad poison is not deadly, but can make you very sick.
Cane toads eat smaller toads and frogs, fish, insects, etc. Maybe small snakes, too, I dunno. They tend to wipe out the local frog and normal toad population.
So cane toads have been breeding and breeding and breeding virtually with nothing stopping them. They look like regular warty toads, but much bigger. Recently a huge one weighing several pounds and more than a foot long was caught, so they are getting bigger, too.
They are gradually pushing down from the north, and have now reached Sydney.
Some people play “cane toad golf” when they find one, whacking it with a golf club. Some people douse them with a flammable substance, like BBQ starter, and have a cane toad bonfire. Many people, though, think those methods are too cruel. We just pushed it into a plastic bag, then tied the bag tight and stuck it in the freezer. You leave it overnight. The toad gets lethargic, then goes to sleep, then dies from hypothermia. Just like a Canadian in the wilderness. In the morning, you have a “toadsicle” or “toadcube” which you can toss in the rubbish.
They are in my former neighbourhood of Carindale in Brisbane, but one man there has started a “toad watch” and is doing something about it. Read about it here:
Courier Mail article Sphere: Related Content
Cane toads eat smaller toads and frogs, fish, insects, etc. Maybe small snakes, too, I dunno. They tend to wipe out the local frog and normal toad population.
So cane toads have been breeding and breeding and breeding virtually with nothing stopping them. They look like regular warty toads, but much bigger. Recently a huge one weighing several pounds and more than a foot long was caught, so they are getting bigger, too.
They are gradually pushing down from the north, and have now reached Sydney.
Some people play “cane toad golf” when they find one, whacking it with a golf club. Some people douse them with a flammable substance, like BBQ starter, and have a cane toad bonfire. Many people, though, think those methods are too cruel. We just pushed it into a plastic bag, then tied the bag tight and stuck it in the freezer. You leave it overnight. The toad gets lethargic, then goes to sleep, then dies from hypothermia. Just like a Canadian in the wilderness. In the morning, you have a “toadsicle” or “toadcube” which you can toss in the rubbish.
They are in my former neighbourhood of Carindale in Brisbane, but one man there has started a “toad watch” and is doing something about it. Read about it here:
Courier Mail article Sphere: Related Content
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