The Drake equation is an absurd tautology. Anyone with an intuitive sense of math as a language should grasp that. I remain shocked that there are those who don't realize any discussion of the Drake equation is just like arguing how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

My favorite version goes something like this:

N = F(L) * L, where N is the total number of aliens, F(L) is the fraction of aliens per laser and L is the number of lasers in the universe.

The advantage over your hot nymphomaniac aliens in convertibles is that mine conforms much more closely to Occam's razor.

(I can't remember where that came from. It could have been here.)

I haven't read it, and I'm only vaguely familiar with it. I'm not in primary care, so it's slightly less applicable to my practice, but it looks interesting. I agree that communication is the most important thing. I prefer to listen longer and avoid multitasking even if it means potentially getting behind on my other tasks - call it a measure twice, cut once approach to medical care - but I do think a lot of the external forces in the health care world heavily disincentivize that sort of doctor-patient relationship, even if everyone has the best intentions.

I really enjoyed Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. I'm not a huge Tarantino fan, but I found this a lot more measured and mature compared with his previous films. I especially appreciated the slow build and the implicit, as opposed to explicit, exposition.

"...one of those low info voters who will waver between positions that are diametrically opposed, like favoring small government and a UBI. Steve M over at No More Mister Nice Blog..."

Milton Friedman, the father of modern economics and patron saint of small government, strongly advocated for UBI throughout his life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLt2X8Zybds

Training more physicians would be the place to start. There is currently a major shortage in every medical specialty. US residency training is severely underfunded, and new restrictions on immigration mean that fewer foreign physicians are allowed to practice. With the Baby Boomers aging, and with the uniquely high expectations of that generation in particular, the problem will only get worse.

1. You currently do have the right to access your health data, as specified by InMD above.
2. Doing so is a cumbersome process as a result of current regulations including HIPAA, which were not really written for the internet age.
3. Special interests also benefit from and safeguard the existing costly and inefficient processes. This is a general trend throughout health care that is worse than in other industries.
4. There are special categories such as HIV status and psychiatric records that currently have additional protections.
5. Things like immunization records, readily apparent anthropometric data, and normal results from well visits probably do not need any special privacy safeguards. This information is often even required by schools or workplaces, which makes subjecting it to medical privacy laws somewhat silly.
6. I like when my patients are aware of their own medical results and come in with questions. (Most physicians would agree, I think.) It lets me tailor my conversation to the patient's concerns and also gives me the chance to ask any follow-up questions that might change the significance of a particular data point.

We'll be moving again this spring. I think I'll take your advice and factor in the presence of non-Cox, non-Comcast internet coverage into our new neighborhood. For now, 4G/5G is markedly superior, but it's not perfect. For instance, I can't use my Apple TV with 4G/5G, and I need to hotspot to run anything on the projector, which eats up hotspotting data.

I'm not familiar with them. Are they like a Cox/Comcast monster? Is there a market?

What service provider are you using?

I like my car now (I need it.), but I remember the days of not having a car and riding my bike everywhere. Things were considerably simpler, and less expensive. Hopefully I'll make it back there someday!

I think where my list tends to disagree with many other lists especially is that I really enjoyed Men Against Fire and really did not enjoy the Entire History of You. I think I enjoyed Men Against Fire for some of the same reasons I enjoyed Nosedive and Fifteen Millions Merits: they had to set it in a campy, bizarre future with grotesque CGI monsters in order to avoid the uncanny.

I liked the ending to Be Right Back actually, although many people criticized it. I think you should finish watching the episode. I'm curious what you think.

such as...

I thought the ending would have a sort of I, Claudius thing, but I thought it would be Tyrion, not Bran, that wound up as ruler. I think Bran as ruler makes sense and is also something unexpected, so kudos to George/Dan and Dave for it.

I thought the ending would have a sort of I, Claudius thing, but I thought it would be Tyrion, not Bran, that wound up as ruler. I think Bran as ruler makes sense and is also something unexpected, to kudos to George/Dan and Dave for it.

I'm reading Atrocity Exhibitions right now, actually, slowly.

As far as nominee for perfect short story, I would offer either Leiningen Versus the Ants or A Hunger Artist

So many politicians are just along for the ride and will just say and do whatever let's them stay in the car. Hilary Clinton is one of these. On the other hand, Trump, Obama, Harry Reid, and Tulsi Gabbard want to drive the car.

Honestly held viewpoint. I've crossed over the dark abyss of cynicism to acceptance.

I think the President has to be a winner. The Republicans may hold insane views on most things, but they are winners. The Democrats may hold slightly saner views, but they are for the most part losers (besides Obama and Harry Reid). Tulsi Gabbard strikes me as a winner, which is what the President should be. I am certainly open to her candidacy. I wonder what her policy is.

I don't know the specifics of the case, but as a physician who treats critically ill patients during emergency situations, I will say that we regularly circumvent "barricades", and many people would die if we did not. I imagine bringing two mental health providers to a disaster scene is a very much analogous situation, and I am having trouble imagining a scenario where an exceptionable reason for driving around a barricade could not be produced, despite the very unfortunate outcome in this case.

10 years later, this remains the only site on the Internet that I consistently get pleasure from reading.

I'm sorry my contributions have been few and far between over these last few years. There's a strong likelihood I can start consistently contributing again starting sometime this year.

Fa1 - "Contrary to stereotypes, being a parent has moved me left more than right so far..."

Me too. I wonder if it has to do with the paradigm shift taking place in American culture, that liberal values are now more wholesome. I throw up in my mouth when I think about my children growing up in the world some of the politicians on the right envision. Likewise, as a result of changing educational paradigms and the Great Recession, our generation of young parents has relied on public assistance more than previous generations.

He was the best President of my lifetime, and a badass dude. The world would have been a better place if Bush Sr's approach to world affairs became the paradigm it was meant to be.

I'm imagining a dystopian future with stringent building codes where an engineer guild controls the apparatus for measuring and thereby the global economy!

Almost any leftover food makes a great Spanish omelette. Thanksgiving is no exception.