Editorial notes: This is the first of 51 Evernote entries titled according to the date on which they were written, making this a personal, chronological journal of observations, lessons learned and conclusions, together with an element of diary writing. Synopsis: Today I discover a foreign news service, muse about its benefits, get side-tracked onto developing an open mind. And then finally added...
There’s this belief that the world is OK. How to address this? How about step 1: What is the nature of the constituents of the matter of concern? Or as Socrates might be modernized, “What is the meaning of each thing?”. Truly ask this, because barely any do. Plato would have us believe that Socrates was the wisest just for knowing that he knew nothing. The implication is that...
Editorial notes: In August 2013, Shai starts his fourth blog, entitled “meanwhile-II” which he dedicates to “witticisms, epiphanies, and emotional breakdowns”. The content of this blog reflects a change in Shai’s overall mood, writing style and direction. While his earlier writings are considerate, scientific and outward-looking, his focus now shifts and, while he continues to produce first-class...
Editorial notes: Shai documents his interpretation of Locke’s Theory of Knowledge[I] which, he explains, “is famous for being based on the principle that the mind is a blank slate” and that the mind is “gaining everything it knows by experience”. The need to acquire experience in order to gain knowledge is a principle by which Shai chose to live his life. Knowing now that this was his guiding...
Source: [TREND_G] The desired outcome after having ‘known‘ this concept is a novel perception. The seed for this perception is the concept of bioproxies, that I can define as ‘xyz’, and in the literature includes the following distinctions ‘a,b,c’. Example: Madagascar which was settled in the mid-first millennium: The local language is Malagasy which is...
Editorial notes: This Essay was found as a ‘draft’ entry in Everything2 and is published here with minor changes. BTW, if you are already here, check out the links in the second line of the title, below. Just hovering over them will give you some insight into Shai’s unique way of thinking and expressing himself. Discovering Geology at the Gariwerd Mountains; or...
Editorial notes: This is one of a number of entries found in Shai’s Evernote archives where he discusses his own methodology for researching and acquiring knowledge, and his preferred methods for storing his notes, taken during that process. Shai devises a system of four tiers of acquiring knowledge. He refers to them as Tier1 to Tier 4. The notes arising from this process of knowledge...
I’m currently – 03/05/13 – in the process of updating this. I’ve added the section “Update (May 2013)”, which is still a work in process (i.e. otherwise I would delete this note here). The title of this node comes from a Nature communication in which recent research linking the prion protein (PrP) and the amyloid-beta (Abeta) protein was discussed. This is a...
Concept: De-extinction Source: A Policy Forum piece in Science (April 5, 2013), titled: “What If Extinction Is Not Forever?“ Technology: Three approaches. Back-breeding is possible where genetic variants homologous to extinct species exist in surviving species. Cloning, as by using somatic cell nuclear transfer from an extinct subspecies (i.e. with other extant subspecies). Genetic...
Background: GPCRs known to signal from surface and to be internalized. Fact: Prove that GPCRs signal from endosomes. Interest: Adds complexity to particulars (ie. location) of GPCR signalling. Source: Research Highlights in Nat Rev MCB (May 2013) on Nature article (2013). Fact: RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription kinetics are modulated by signalling pathways that affect the rate of...
