Zark's

Multiplicity

The movie, Multiplicity, starring Michael Keaton is cute and funny. He has copies made of himself, but like copies of copies, the character and intelligence of the later copies becomes distorted. One of my favorite scenes is when one of the later copies folds a pancake and places it in his billfold. (Okay, so the screenwriter tells it better than I.) There are no serious ethical questions raised, save when one of his copies admits sleeping with Michael’s wife. But there are plenty of comical complications.

With real-life cloning and genetic manipulation, the consequences and ethics certainly classify as an adventure rather than a comedy genre.  Stem Cells have the ability to transform themselves into different cellular types. There are several categories of stem cells – some have universal transformational capabilities and others, more limited. There is also the distinction between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells, the latter coming from blastocyst (see the earlier post – Cloning Marches On) or earlier embryonic division.

The deployment of this technology is controversial. Most would agree that it would be completely ethical to regrow an arm for an automobile accident victim. Many would agree that it would be good to heal someone of a disease. The Michael J Fox Organization has voiced the desire for stem cell research to cure Parkinson’s disease. I think everyone would agree that the elimination of this disease would be an accomplishment for humanity. 

It seems that everyone is in agreement about the end. It is just the means to the end that seems to be the debate. Opponents of embryonic stem cell research consider destruction of an embryo to create stem cells as very wrong.  See Pro-Life Groups Applaud President Bush on Stem Cell Research, Human Cloning Advocates argue that the use of excess or unwanted embryos would provide healing ( Stem-cell ballot language submitted )without destroying planned human life. It seems to be a fine distinction though, before similar justification of harvesting body parts, as recently reported, India busts alleged kidney transplant ring .

Has there been a parallel to the ethics concerning embryonic stem cells in human history? Or is it that the ethical problem is only in the perception of the opponents?

Can you hear me now?

Long before the popular/annoying wireless commercials, Cary Grant asks Trevor Howard in Father Goose , "Can you hear me now?"  I love my Blackberry. I’m not addicted to it – for me, it offers a great productivity enhancement. When I’m still taxiing on the runway, I can begin processing my email. When I’m waiting for a flight, I can conveniently check the latest news without booting my laptop. (However Blackberry designers – improve the ergonomics of the phone for voice conversations.)

I confess though, that I lust after the coolness of the iPhone.  The elegant design just screams, “Touch me!” Alas though, the handcuffs that couple the user to a specific wireless carrier and the absence of a dedicated keyboard have discouraged me from purchasing one. (I actually preferred the graffiti entry of the Palm, but they seem to have lost coolness.  See Palm Waves Goodbye to Retail .)

Hopefully soon the cell phone industry will be changing. There is movement toward an open phone standard that would allow a consumer to take their phone to another wireless carrier, or even install their own applications upon the phone, Verizon sets open developer conference .   Just as web search engines were disruptive technology, search master Google has released a disruptive phone standard, or application program interface (API) in techie-speak. This phone standard is named Android  and it defines interfaces that could be common for all phones and all wireless carriers. Note the keyword, ‘could’. There are competing standards for phones, and the wireless carriers make more money by keeping consumers captive to their phone hardware, software, and infrastructure. 

It is amazing what Google is providing for free.  They offer a complete software developer's kit (SDK) that can be downloaded and even includes a phone simulator for exercising phone programs that you can create.  I've built a couple of examples, and I'm impressed.  Behold! The First Google Android Phone In The Wild indicates we might actually see real hardware soon.  The great thing about capitalism is that if the customers buy something, then other businesses will follow.  (Well, maybe that is not always a good thing.) 

Economic Distress Signals

In Star Trek IV , Spock dismisses Dr. McCoy by saying, “Excuse me doctor, I’m picking up distress signals.” That can be used to describe both the metrics and proposed cures of the U.S. economy. With breath-taking speed, both political parties have agreed upon legislation to place a few hundred dollars of tax rebates into the hands of the consumers. It occupied a substantial portion of the President's speech last night, Bush hammers home on economy .

There is debate though, that the proposed tax rebates are “too much, too little, too late”. How can they make a consumer feel better when their home equity has tanked more than ten times that in the last year, or maybe, month? Have you checked Zillow lately?  There are some theories surfacing that a government fix is needed to avoid a 1920s style depression. They argue this was the reason for the economic stimulus package, not politics.  Others say not to worry, The Economy Is Fine (Really)

I guess I've never understood economics.  I can still remember an economics class when the professor argued that America did not have to produce anything. (He would also argue that there was no reason for a spare tire in an automobile.) If other countries wanted to subsidize the U.S. by shipping us goods at prices below what it cost us to manufacture them, it was only for the betterment of the U.S. Many years later, I still don’t buy into it.  Life's lessons and personal finance have taught me that you have to both produce and invest, not spend. 

Human Cloning Marches On

Human cloning continues to march forward.   Cloning Said to Yield Human Embryos describes how a San Diego Company has created five blastocysts.  These are embryos that have survived early cell division, and for humans represent roughly day 5 of life.  Even more chilling though, is the possibility of creating chimeras – part human, part animal.  H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Dr. Moreau” is not too far away.  In the movie, Jurassic Park, mathematician Ian Malcolm says something like, “Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should!”  Although this phrase can be applied to almost everything in life, it is especially apt for science.  This is explored in Safeguards on science are necessary now

In my novel, (see the page marked Roman DNA), I explore whether life is just a self-sustaining chemical reaction, or whether there is something more.  You can strike a match and light a piece of paper on fire.  This is a simple chemical reaction – combining molecules of carbon and other elements with oxygen.  Early civilizations considered fire a fundamental element of the world.  However there seems to be a huge leap from fire to life.  Or is there?

New Era in Publishing

I'm excited about the Amazon Kindle.  As Steve Jobs has been quoted endlessly, 'America doesn't read anymore.'  I'm uncertain about how this has happened, but it is sadly an accurate observation.  Perhaps the publishing industry became a victim of destructive feedback - there was a small market decline and the publishing industry responded by reducing the product offerings.  This resulted in further market decline and snowballed to where we are.  Perhaps with the distribution convenience of Kindle, this trend can be reversed and reintroduce the world to reading again.

Because of the distribution mechanism, new authors can get published and the classics can be downloaded and reread at a minimal cost.  This could be fun!