The Philosopher Dad

Here we go again, alienating everyone

michaellautman — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:30:44 +0000

Umm… so it’s been quite here at the Philosopher Dad (online not in real life). In an effort to alienate and confuse anyone who ever read this blog… we are moving back to blogger.

philosopherdad.blogspot.com

See you there (please)

Green and Mean ?!

michaellautman — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:30:15 +0000

Tesla Motors has gotten a lot of press lately from Wired.com, CNET, Red Herring and others. They have built the first all electric performance roadster. 0-60mph in about 4 seconds, 250 miles per charge a top speed of over 130 mph and a battery that lasts 100 000 miles. No emissions. 135 mpg equivalent. All this on a three -hour charge. For only 80k. Not bad. The development story at Wired.com is fascinating. I will be passing the hat shortly, although they say that a sedan is in the works.

Technorati Tags: EV, electric, car, tesla, motors

I guess all that tarry goop is good for something….

michaellautman — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:23:47 +0000

ScienceDaily: Baby’s First Stool May Provide Clues To Fetal Alcohol Exposure
Fetal alcohol exposure is usually determined through self-reported maternal consumption. Self-reported drinking, however, is often an unreliable measure. Researchers have found that the presence of certain fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in meconium may provide a dependable biomarker of fetal alcohol exposure.

The test involves taking small samples of meconium and doing a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. This techniques separates different chemicals based on their mass. The data from the analysis can be interpreted to show how much of a given chemical is present. In this case the FAEE ethyl linoleate (formed when ethanol – alcohol – reacts with the fat linoleaic acid) concentration in the meconium is an accurate indicator of how much alcohol a mother has consumed during pregancy.

Although it is not discussed in the article, I imagine that this technique could be used to determine whether or not there is a “safe” level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women.

Technorati Tags: pregnancy, alcohol

That’s why there’s wine at the bris, nudnick

michaellautman — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:09:58 +0000

ScienceDaily: Doctors Treating Pain From Circumcision More Seriously

One of the first things most little boys in the U.S. experience is something they’ll never remember – circumcision – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a painful experience. The debate over whether infants feel pain has ended, and the positive conclusion is catching up with obstetrical, pediatric and family physician training programs, 97 percent of which now learn effective pain relief techniques for circumcision. Just 10 years ago, only 71 percent learned how to ease pain during the brief surgical procedure.

Ummm, about freakin’ time.

Technorati Tags: circumcision, pain

Doesn’t everyone take naked pictures of their kids?

michaellautman — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 15:02:56 +0000

They called me a child pornographer | Salon Life

Jody Jenkins has tells a terrifying cautionary story about his ordeal of being accused of child pornography. A drugstore employee called the police after developing some nude photos of the kids taken while on a camping trip. The family, children included, were subject to lengthy questioning, as were their friends and teachers. The police and family services treated them as though they were guilty from the start, and they were not even allowed to see the photos that were being used against them as evidence (the children took a bunch of photos, so Jenkins wasn’t even aware of all the pictures that had been taken).

As someone who loves to take pictures of my son, this is definitely a scary story. Does this sort of thing enter your mind when you are photographing your children?

Technorati Tags: photography, parenting,
families
pornography

The funny smell really does mean it’s bad for you.

michaellautman — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 14:29:38 +0000

ScienceDaily: Number Of Indoor Swimming Pools Per Capita Linked To Rise In Childhood Asthma

The prevalence of childhood asthma
and wheeze rises around 2 to 3 per cent for every indoor swimming pool
per 100,000 of the population across Europe, indicates research
published ahead of print in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The researcher are indicating that the important factor here is inadequate ventilation for the pools, which leaves high levels of chlorine and chlorine by-products in the pool air. They are calling for studies of the long-term effects of the compounds on children’s respiratory systems.

Still Smoking Mom?

michaellautman — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 13:45:58 +0000

ScienceDaily: Nicotine Exposure During Development Leads To Hearing Problems
Scientists know that children of women who smoke during pregnancy can develop hearing-related cognitive deficits. For the first time, researchers believe they have evidence that not only implicates nicotine as the culprit, but also shows what the substance does to the brain to cause these deficits.

Technorati Tags: pregnancy, smoking, hearing, development

Who Killed The Electric Car

michaellautman — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:24:02 +0000

YouTube – Who Killed The Electric Car?
A new documentary takes a long hard look at what happened to the EV1 from GM.

I know a lot of daddies are looking at things like fuel efficiency when it comes to buying a car, so this should be an interesting watch.

What comes after three? Four!

michaellautman — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:16:09 +0000

CNN.com – What comes after three? Four! – Jul 13, 2006

After delivering triplets three years ago, Angela Magdaleno thought she was done having babies. She was wrong four times over.

Magdaleno gave birth to quadruplets on July 6 by Caesarean section. She now has nine children.

Mama mia. I have trouble with one… imagine seven! The striking thing about this story (aside from the two multiple births) is that although her first pregnancy, which resulted in triplets was achieved with IVF, this one was completely natural.

Late Talking Toddler: New Research Debunks The Myth

michaellautman — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:59:22 +0000

New research findings from the world’s largest study predicting children’s late language emergence has revealed that parents are not to blame for late talking toddlers.

Seems as though a wide range of factors, some genetic, some environmental are the source of late talking. Boys are more likely to talk late than girls. A mother’s education and income had no bearing.