GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

Yeah, yeah, we know. If you want to lose weight you MUST exercise. No if’s, and’s, or (big) but’s about it! Right? Well, for now, yes. However, the future may bring something very new, exciting, and totally unbelievable to the market, and it’s something like a miracle weight loss pill. And yeah, yeah, we all have heard that one before, but new interesting research has proven very promising for a brand new diet pill.  Currently, there is a new drug called AICAR, which is currently being tested on mice and has shown incredible results. According to the study, the sedentary mice that were given the drug were reported to have run (on a testing treadmill) 44% faster and 23% longer than those who weren’t given the drug.  The mice took the drugs for four weeks and burned more calories and had less fat than the untreated mice. Scientists are not exactly sure how well that will translate to humans, but the future looks promising.  Exercise in a pill? That’s exactly what scientists are calling it. “We have exercise in a pill,” said Ron Evans, an author of the study. “With no exercise, you can take a drug and chemically mimic it.” Chemically mimicking exercise? Well, hot damn! Sign the Gorilla up! He is tired of all of those tree-swinging, banana-finding, cardio workouts! Give him the easy shortcut any day!  But while that scenario may ultimately be a stretch, it could, one day, be possible to at least partially mimic the chemical reaction the body has as a result of an exercise workout and still, that is pretty darn cool! Of course, researchers warn that athletes my try to illegally jump on the chemically altered body bandwagon and so we must be cautious. But hey, that is certainly not something new.  Still, the idea seems too good to be true, but it could prove useful in other areas as well. Currently, the no-exercise drug is in advanced human testing to see if it can prevent a complication of heart bypass surgery. But, it takes more than just altered muscles to turn a sedentary mouse into a distance runner, Evans said, and “honestly, I just don’t know how that happens. Whether it would happen in a person, I don’t know. I think it’s a small miracle it happened at all.”  Experts who study muscle agreed that a drug like AICAR may prove useful someday in treating obesity and diabetes. It could also be helpful in helping those who cannot get exercise due to pain or a medical condition. Quick, get it! And hurry up! Isn’t that how we all feel? But still, experts all agree (overwhelmingly) that there is NO replacement for exercise no matter how much we wish there was! (Sigh) Oh well. A guy can dream can’t he?

Well it has finally happened folks. The first state in the union to get smart about the food served in public restaurants is, of course, the forerunner: California. The terminator placed a ban on trans-fats in that state, which will ‘terminate’ forever the use of the artery-clogging fats once and for all. Specifically, he signed legislation that will ban restaurants and other fast food retail establishments from using oil, margarine, and shortening containing trans-fats.  Trans-fats, are extremely unhealthy man-made fats that are both unnecessary and difficult to digest and consuming them increases one’s risk of coronary artery disease by raising levels of bad LDL cholesterol and lowering HDL or good cholesterol levels.  Governor Schwarzenegger has been advocating a healthy lifestyle since his days as Mr. Universe, so it’s only fitting that the “Govenator” should be the first to sign the new legislation. “Today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California,” he said.  So which states will follow suit? Well although California is the first to have a state-wide ban on trans-fats in restaurants, it is certainly not the first to do it in general. The great state of California joins cities like New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Montgomery County MD, all of which have ordinances banning them. The California legislation will take effect on Jan. 1, 2010.  Some say it is an attempt for Big Brother to tell us how to live, but as you probably figured out by now, the Gorilla LOVES this ban and wishes it had come a lot sooner! Will it change lives? Well that is yet to be determined, but in the Gorilla’s humble opinion, it sure won’t hurt!

Have you ever wondered how much of the energy the gasoline you put in your tank really uses? Well, if the Gorilla told you, you probably wouldn’t believe it! Of the gasoline you put in your car’s tank, only a mere 25% of the energy is actually used to power your car…the rest is expelled out of your exhaust pipe! Yuck! (Global warming anyone?)  What a waste of precious energy and money. But wait- don’t think for a minute you and the Gorilla are the only ones who are bothered by this fact. Many people over the years have tried to create ways to harness that additional energy to make your gas go a lot further, but no one has found a practical way to do it- until now.   Researchers at the Ohio State University and Caltech in California have found a way to harness and recycle some of the extra energy using a thermoelectric material that is nearly twice as effective as current materials. ”The material does all the work. It produces electrical power just like conventional heat engines — steam engines, gas or diesel engines — that are coupled to electrical generators, but it uses electrons as the working fluids instead of water or gases, and makes electricity directly,” Joseph Heremans, who led the project, said in a statement.  Jeff Snyder of Caltech worked on the project and says that the device can increase the vehicle’s fuel efficiency by 10%. Snyder says the idea of thermoelectrics has been around for a long time, but it didn’t make sense when oil was only $20 per barrel. ”Now that energy costs have gone up by a factor of five, these alternative ideas that have been around for awhile are a lot more viable,” Snyder said in a telephone interview. He believes it would be possible to make the systems available in the next 10 years. Hmmm…10 years?  

Call the Gorilla crazy, but 10 years just seems a little too late, considering the ballgame could quite possibly be a bit more “green” by then! After all, aren’t automakers currently focusing on the non-use of gasoline and more energy efficient cars in the next 10 years? A good idea, yes- but it’s just too bad the good idea didn’t have better timing! It would be great to have that technology available right now when we are currently experiencing an energy crisis, with gasoline costing more than $4 per gallon! But yes, a great idea indeed, and who knows, maybe in ten years gasoline may still be the number one source of energy for automobiles. (But let’s hope not!)

It’s happened to all of us. The dreaded cell phone call we needed to make, but didn’t want to. You know what the Gorilla is referring to. That call to your boss to tell him you didn’t make the deadline or that call to your girlfriend to tell her “it’s over.” Or how about the call to that “Chatty Kathy” you work with that has you praying for her voicemail every time you dial her?  Yes, we have all had moments where we just wanted to skip the actual conversation and just leave a message and now a new service called Slydial lets you do just that. The concept of the service is not necessarily a new one. However, unlike similar services that are limited to only others in your network, Slydial actually lets you do this with anyone at anytime in the U.S., and not just another person in your network.  Slydial is simple and easy: Users simply call 267-SlyDial and listen to a short advertisement (or you can pay 15 cents per call to skip this step) and the call is then directed straight to the person’s voicemail. And voila! The awkwardness is avoided altogether (or at least delayed). Recipients still get a notification of a voicemail or in some cases even a missed call. Gavin Macomber, Co-Founder of MobileSphere Ltd., the company behind SlyDial, says that “everybody has gone through the scenario where they’ve called somebody and just hoped they got voicemail so they didn’t have to have a conversation.”  He, like so many of us, believes that SlyDial can come in handy in the business world as well as in our personal lives, and the Gorilla agrees. Not only are conversations sometimes too time-consuming, but yes, they can be terribly awkward as well. But let’s not get too comfortable with this concept folks…after all, it’s not completely foolproof, as sometimes a half ring may actually occur, alerting the receiver that you just called! They may call you back right away, without ever listening to the voicemail you left. Oops! Backfire. God forbid you have to talk with them!   

As convenient as it may be to simply “avoid” actually conversing with others, let’s just be honest here– this behavior sounds remarkably like “cowardice” in a lot of ways! Call it what you will, but it’s an interesting service.

Have you ever wondered if you can get better health information on the Internet than you can from your own physician? Many people rely on the Internet to attempt to diagnose problems that they are having prior to seeing a doctor, and surprisingly, many doctors actually condone this practice. Why? Because some doctors believe that with the limited time they have with patients now, it is tedious to have to sit and go over symptoms, and it is simply too time consuming. They believe that if a patient comes in prepared, after having done their own research online, the patient is more aware of what is ailing them.  Doctors can then get right to making a diagnosis based upon the information about the exact symptoms that the patient is experiencing. Of course there are many doctors who believe just the opposite is true. These physicians believe that often times when people do their own research to try and “self diagnose” they can actually make it more difficult on the doctors who are treating them, by complicating the matter.  But what do you think? The Gorilla knows that if something is ailing him, he can do his own “pre-diagnosis” to narrow it down. That way, you have a precise idea of what is wrong with you prior to seeing the doctor, and you can even make suggestions of what you think it could be based on your online diagnosis. The Internet is a great tool to research medical problems and one woman in the UK found out exactly how good it really is when she used it to diagnose her daughter’s illness when doctors could not find one.  For 6 months, the 16-year-old girl suffered with severe headaches and fatigue. When doctors could not find a diagnosis, the girl’s mother turned to the Internet and found a disease with all of the symptoms her daughter was suffering from- Lymes disease. And when she told the doctor to run the test, they found that it was, in fact, Lymes disease. Without this important information, the girl could have died. Thank God this mother did her “homework!!  So do you think you could do the same thing? Sure you could!  There are several websites dedicated to helping patients pinpoint certain illnesses based upon their symptoms and they can be extremely helpful when patients are faced with a medical problem. WebMD and Healthline, for instance, are sites that let you target the exact area of the body based on whether you are male or female, and along with its “symptom checker,”, helps you narrow down your symptoms. It then gives you all of the possible illnesses based on those symptoms. The result is an idea or several ideas of the direction in which you want your doctor to go. These sites may also be helpful in making you aware of certain treatment options that your doctor may have overlooked or failed to mention. Many patients look to the Internet for alternative treatments to illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart problems. Certain search engines can also give patients access to treatment centers and their locations. And don’t think patients are the only ones using the Internet to help research and diagnose medical conditions; physicians often rely on the power of the Internet to help them find valuable information and resources as well.  So should you be doing your own “self-diagnosis,” as well using the Internet? Well, that is entirely up to you, but doctors warn that too much “self-diagnosis” can be dangerous and they say that no matter what the concern is, you should always seek help from a medical professional even if you think you know what is wrong. Yes, online medical help cannot replace actual tests and getting professional help and treatments, but it certainly can be helpful, and that is the whole point of the Internet!

Ever wonder what it would be like to take a flight somewhere and actually be able to use that laptop you lugged aboard for Internet access? You probably know that it’s been in the works for a while now, but now it’s become a reality.  JetBlue will be offering limited email and instant messaging services on some of its flights as early as next week to try and renew efforts to offer in-flight Internet access. The great news is that it will be absolutely free! Wow..something free on an airplane flight in THIS volatile economy? That’s certainly a hard thing to believe!  But before you get too excited, notice what the Gorilla relayed earlier about this announcement; it’s LIMITED Internet access. So what does that mean exactly? Well, to start with, general email attachments and web surfing will not be permitted because of bandwidth constraints. In addition, if you want to use your laptop or handheld device you will have to use services from Yahoo only, which will limit some people, but then again, you could always forward your corporate emails to a Yahoo account, right?  Jet Blue also has a deal with Research in Motion to allow passengers with one of two Blackberry models (which both have WI-FI capabilities) to check personal email and work email as well.  JetBlue plans to debut its new system on an Airbus A320 on Tuesday’s flight from New York to San Francisco. The aircraft has been specially designated “BetaBlue,” as it will be used to test the systems new entertainment services offered through JetBlue’s subsidiary LiveTV. As far as use of the devices during take-off and landing, that has not changed, and JetBlue still requires them to be turned off during take off and landing.  

Glenn Fleishman, editor of the Wi-Fi Networking News site, said he “knew of no commercial airline currently offering such services, though many will debut next year.” But other airlines are expected to follow suit with the use of the Internet, etc. and AMR Corp.’s  American Airlines is expected to do so as early as within the next few months. So is it a good thing even though you may be “limited?” Well, at least it’s a start. Even if you are limited to certain devices, certain options, and using Yahoo services, most people believe that if they can at least access their corporate emails while in flight, that takes care of a lot of issues. And that my friends, limited as it may be, is better than nothing!

The earth’s atmosphere is full of greenhouse gas emissions, which is not news. But did you know that it is believed that a potentially large percentage of it could be coming from those cute, chubby, mooing beefsteaks we call cows? Silly yes, but entirely true! It has been widely known for decades that animal waste has contributed methane to the greenhouse effect, but not a lot of attention has been paid to its potential effects. Until now, carbon dioxide emissions received most the credit for its large contribution to the earth’s greenhouse effect, but scientists in Argentina have decided to take a closer look at cows, and what they may be contributing.  Argentina is one of the world’s biggest beef producers, with some 55 million cows grazing on its famed Pampas Grasslands. And Methane, researchers say, is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere and can be found in animal waste, landfills, coal mines and leaking natural gas pipes. Researchers say the slow digestive system of cows makes them a producer of methane so they found an effective way to measure just how much that could be. The researchers attach a red plastic tank to a cow’s back and connect it through a tube to the animal’s stomach, and scientists say they can trap bovine burps and analyze them. (Yes, the Gorilla did say “burps”).  “When we got the first results, we were surprised. Thirty percent of Argentina’s (total greenhouse) emissions could be generated by cows,” said Guillermo Berra, a researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology. It’s simply unbelievable that a cow, weighing around 1200 pounds, could emit that amount of methane-equal to almost 1000 liters- daily. Scientists are now working to develop new diets for cows that will make it easier for them to digest food. They are working on testing out alfalfa and clover and trying to move away from grains. “We have done a preliminary study and have found that by using tannins, you can reduce methane emissions by 25 percent,” said Silvia Valtorta of the National Council of Scientific and Technical Investigations.  

Wow! You’d think that someone would have figured this out a bit sooner! Let’s just hope they don’t find any greenhouse gas emissions in Gorilla burps. Can you imagine them trying to put a tank on a Gorilla’s back? That one could be costly!

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. That is not a healthy statistic, but the Gorilla has a theory; America is about to get healthy again because the high costs of food may just prompt people to eat much less, whether they like it or not.  You see, food manufacturers are about to give you less bang for your buck. Yes, the packaging will look almost the same, and the change will be hard to notice, but less is exactly what you are getting, and as unfair as that may be, it may be the “tough love” the doctor didn’t order for America’s much needed weight crisis. It’s called “short-sizing” and it’s a way for manufacturers to keep costs down. Ice cream, for example has gone from a half-gallon to 1¾ quarts to now as little as 1½ quarts, but it costs the same price or even more now!   Breakfast cereal is probably the most obvious culprit, giving you 1-2 ounces less than before. And it’s not just food. Inspectors in the New York City area found that it is also personal items, such as soap and lotions that have been short-sized as well. And how about flour and wheat products? The Gorilla noticed it the other day; much smaller packages, but at the same price as the formerly larger size. Bummer!  

Now, that’s not going to help anyone lose anything but their dough! (Pun intended.) It’s not just supermarkets that are short-sizing either. Restaurants have started making the changes and it’s so very sneaky, you may not even notice it. Some restaurants are serving meals on smaller plates for the same price as the once larger plates (which in the Gorilla’s humble opinion gave you way too much food to begin with). Manufacturers say that they have been hurt by the high cost of both fuel and raw ingredients. Faced with losing tremendous business, these and other manufacturers said that in general, they had a choice: either shrink the product or increase the price. Some even resorted to both of these options, leaving consumers scratching their heads.  Although this problem may seem annoying and unfair to some (and it surely is), might it really be a blessing in disguise? After all, smaller quantities of food mean less intake, which equals some unintended weight loss. Face it, Americans are all spoiled and eat way too much anyhow! And since people don’t like ”dieting,” it seems to be sort of a backhanded way to get some results for the two-thirds of us who really seem to need it. Hey that’s the best kind, of weight loss! So although the higher cost for less product may seem like a raw deal, just call it a silver lining you never knew you needed!

The Gorilla has been hearing a lot of talk about more and more celebs going “green” in Hollywood- and that’s a good thing! If Hollywood can be good for something other than spouting off their political views, (the Gorilla can do without celebrity opinions on politics), then why shouldn’t they use their clout to get others to be environmentally conscious?  So what exactly are celebrities doing to change their lifestyles and go “green”?  Well some are changing their own personal habits and some are creating products to help change the world. For example, Leonardo DeCaprio, has bought an apartment in Riverhouse, an eco-friendly building overlooking the Hudson River. The eco-friendly Prince Charles has just purchased and Aston Marin that runs on biodiesel made from wine! And the beautiful and environmentally active, Kate Hudson, is collaborating on a line of cruelty-free, good-for-the-Earth hair-care products that she hopes will eventually expand into a skin care and color cosmetics. Although these examples may be extreme and limited to those who are financially successful, the examples are being set to help us be aware of changes we call all make (even small ones) that can change our carbon footprints and make all of us greener.  So how can you make simple changes to your own daily life to be more “green?” Many people say they started small, but even small changes can be meaningful. Here are a few examples of things each of us can do in our daily lives to help us be gentler to our environment. Adjust your water heater: Did you know that if you lower your water heater’s temperature from 145 degrees to 120 degrees, not only are you saving energy, but you will save a little money too?   How bout’ riding a bike instead of driving? When the Gorilla only has to go a short distance, he tries to ride his bike or walk instead of using his car. With gas prices being ridiculous anyway, is this really a hard thing to do? You are killing 3 birds with one stone here: (Pardon the pun!) You are saving on gas, you are reducing carbon emissions, and you are getting exercise to boot!  Stop printing so much! Many people are using much less paper and toner by simply keeping their information stored in their computers, rather than printing it out. If at all possible, try to do this. Another option is to switch to a laser printer; it uses much less paper and toner. Use biodegradable or organic products: There are more and more products to choose from that are kind to the environment. These are products that in addition, are not tested on animals. They are better for the environment (less harsh chemicals), healthier, and animal friendly. They include everything from shampoo to food. Look for products with the “Green Seal.” Use Energy Star Products: With the help of ENERGY STAR, people saved enough energy in 2007 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars — all while saving $16 billion on their utility bills. The Gorilla doesn’t have to tell you how important it is to recycle, recycle, recycle!  That is the most basic of environmentally conscious efforts. And everyone can make a difference in this world. If you think your individual efforts alone are insignificant, consider this: Individually, all alone, as a single human being, you can decrease production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by thousands of pounds each year. So get out there and go green…everyone’s doing it!

It is Monday. You are up and about getting ready for your usual commute to work. On your way out, you look in the mirror by the front door to check your appearance, as you always do. Tie is straight…check! Hair is neat…check! No food in the teeth…check! You are on time- no, you are early, in fact. You think to yourself, “This will be a good day.” Suddenly, just as you are opening your car door- BAM! A flash of light hits you out of nowhere. It happens to you every so often so you are no stranger to its sneakiness, and its brashness. It is a migraine-or at least the familiar beginnings of a migraine and you dread what you know will be the inevitable pain and misery that will surely abound within the hour.  For those of you who don’t know about them, a migraine is not just a bad headache, it is much worse, and unless you have personally experienced one, you cannot imagine just how badly they can hurt. They are painful. They are disruptive. They can sometimes be debilitating. But now, a new device is on the horizon that may just zap the pain away.  A recent study revealed that a device, which delivers a therapy known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, may be just what the doctor ordered. This cool little device sparks a magnetic pulse, that when held against a person’s head, creates an electric current among nerve cells to the brain. In turn, the migraine is disrupted in the “aura” phase, which is experienced by many people at the beginning stages of a migraine and causes visual disturbances and tingling and numbness. A new study, which included over 200 patients, randomly selected some of the patients to use the TMS device and the others to use a “sham” product. Of those who used the TMS device, 39% of the TMS patients were pain-free two hours after treatment, versus 22% of patients using the sham device.  

Dr. Yousef Mohammad, of Ohio State University in Columbus, said “This is very significant. This is a much better response than is achieved with any other method or medication that we have.” If this incredible device becomes available, it means that the misery migraine sufferers have to endure may be soon be a thing of the past. So let’s rewind, shall we? With the TMS device in your pocket, you walk to your car feeling ready for the day, and when the migraine strikes, you whip out your little headache blocker and BAM! Within a short period of time, you are back to Monday morning in great shape and the day isn’t an entire loss. Well, isn’t technology and science a wonderful thing?