WHO Q&A on the carcinogenicity of red and processed meat

Here are the Q&A on the recently published findings about processed meats being characterized as level 1 - carcinogenic to humans, and red meat being characterized as level 2A - probably carcinogenic:

Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat

Lithium-Air: A Breakthrough

FT: Cambridge chemists make super-battery breakthrough (link)
A breakthrough has been demonstrated that would allow creation of Lithium-air batteries that would have five times larger capacity than the best batteries in use today. This would mean either batteries five times smaller or batteries with five times more energy stored. In any case, if this works out I'm looking forward to having smaller mobile phones (again) as well as finally getting that electric motorcycle!

Where have the blueberries gone?!

My favourite is RED #40!

Blueberries faked in cereals, muffins, bagels and other food products - Food Investigations 

Unfortunately, the situation in Europe is not much better: Fake food being sold by criminal organizations across Europe

Corn - genetic engineering at it's best?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/science/25creature.html?referer=&_r=0

Ena Kadic was from Bihac

Ena Kadic, former Miss Austria, died in hospital after an accident in Austrian Alps.
She was born in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina (former Yugoslavia).

http://news.yahoo.com/ex-miss-austria-dies-mountain-fall-094148695.html

A case that shapes data transfer rules

http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKCN0SD1TE20151019?irpc=932

Landfillharmonic

A wonderful film!

http://www.landfillharmonicmovie.com/

Sonic Pi - learn to code

Beautiful presentation on creativity, technology, and programming. I haven't seen something this good and important in a while. Explains the role of technology today. Please watch, share, and apply!
This also explains why I love my profession so much that I spend a lot of my spare time doing the same thing.

http://sonic-pi.net/

Learning to code is such an important feat in the 21st century. A whole new world opens up once you learn to create something. The beauty of Open Source, and the licensing models that sprung in the recent years, is that there are so many projects out there that you can use, borrow ideas from, or contribute to, or link together and create something new. Platforms like GitHub, which stores source code for free, enabled an explosion of exchange of ideas, concepts, and solutions available as source code. Knowing how to read and write this code is becoming increasingly important.

The implementation is the most exciting part. Even if you are not a professional programmer, you can still write the code that does something useful for yourself. There are hardware platforms like Raspberry Pi, or Android and other PCs on USB sticks, or simply common phones and tablets. Many of these are increasingly available for under $100 and are more capable than a machine that landed humans on the Moon.

You can also contribute to existing projects and add to ideas and solutions already implemented. A wide field of options opens up once you start.

Receive SMS Online

Here is a list of services that offer free SMS receipt online with numbers in Australia:

• http://receivefreesms.com/
• http://receive-sms-now.com/ 
• http://www.receiveonlinesms.biz/
• http://freesmsverification.com/  

The numbers are not reliable, however, so don't expect to use them for the long-term.

Hybrids match diesel fuel economy

Certain grades of the Prius that goes on sale in Japan in December will achieve as much as 40 kilometers (25 miles) per liter under Japan standards.

That is 2.5 liters per 100km. Half the fuel it used to take on the diesel cars I considered quite good in fuel efficiency.

Source: Prius Takes on Diesels as Hybrids Seen Gaining From VW Scandal (link)

Syria

Here's a different view on Syria. It gets much more complicated than is visible from the Western news and the focus on side-effects.

https://youtu.be/cCdaExnIpGs

More documentary footage from the ground: https://youtu.be/K25XBJolG5w

Seeing the recordings from the place very much reminds me of scenario that was unfolding in Bosnia in the 1990's, which I happened to experience first-hand.

Interview(s) with Zbigniew Brzezinski

https://youtu.be/MMmLkNw--JE
At 11:11, excellent comment on Islamic fundamentalism.

List of Bilderberg conference participants 2015

It is impressive to see so many participants from Austria, considering it's geographical size. Obviously, the sphere of influence is not that small.

http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/participants.html

Syria: The Last Assignment

Just watching Syria: The Last Assignment, a footage taken among the rebels in Syria: Free Syrian Army, Al-Tawhid Brigade, Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar Al-Sham, and ISIL. Unfortunately, cameraman Yasser Faisol al-Jumaili's last assignment.
One version of the film can be seen online at Al Jazeera (link).

More about cold and flu

Once you already have a flu, there is not much you can do. But some remedies are universal - chicken soup and ginger tea.

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/chicken-soup-and-recipes-for-cold

Prevention, as usual, is the best medicine.

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/exercise-when-you-have-cold

How to avoid the flu

Here's something very practical. Scientific facts about flu.

Bloomberg - How to Avoid Getting Sick This Fall http://bloom.bg/1JUYane

Collection of documentaries on history

http://historum.com/history-films-television/50390-seriously-awesome-list-full-documentaries.html

Out of the collection above, here is a documentary on the second siege of Vienna in 1683.

Also one about the first siege in 1529 - https://youtu.be/pPXDgUrg5E8

Holy Roman Empire

Being sick certainly has its advantages. It is also great to have so much content available at the click of a mouse button. For example, here are half a million results for the videos about the history of the Holy Roman Empire:
https://www.google.com/search?q=history%20of%20holy%20roman%20empire%20youtube
Now I can finally learn more about this piece of history of European civilization.
A 5-part series (link)

Etiquette in Vienna U-Bahn

Pay attention to the #12. "Act disgusted if the waiting time is more than 3 minutes"

http://www.viennawurstelstand.com/index.php/how-to/a-guide-to-viennas-u-bahn-etiquette/

Big Oil's problems

From Balloons in Search of Needles, by John Mauldin

I’ve read that over $1.2 trillion of scheduled Big Oil investments have been delayed or taken off the table. The majors have a depletion problem. They have to find new oil, and in size, to be able to make up their losses from reduced production from older fields. While small, independent companies can do very well drilling 10 or 20 wells at reduced costs, the majors need to find huge “plays,” which are typically in inhospitable places and cost more per barrel to pull out of the ground. $50 oil just doesn’t cut it.

Someone is going to eat those losses. Depending who it is and how big they are, we could see some sizable energy industry defaults and bankruptcies over the next year. There’s an outside chance the spillover could affect some hedge funds and make them unwind other positions. That’s how you get a “contagion” going.

The core of good business idea

The core of good business is to sell something people need. But successful business is the one that manages to artificially create that need.
The comic below illustrates how this works. Coincidentally, this whole concept is described in the latest book by Nobel laureate Robert Schiller and George A. Akerlof, Phishing for Phools. The point being the quesion whether the artificial creation of this need is ethical.
For reference, here is a description of phishing for those not familiar with the concept.
This is well portrayed in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street with the example of selling a pen. How to do it right, and how not to do it.