Not long ago (certainly within most of our lifetimes) it was sometimes the case that doctors practically had to saw you in half just to find out what was wrong with you. Medical science as it existed in my childhood- or even fifteen years ago- would seem shockingly primitive today.

But now they can get detailed images of your innards with ease, and many very serious surgeries can be performed through your bellybutton or somesuch. The accelerating advances in medical technology cannot be overstated. Neither can the cost.

So check this out.

What if swallowing a pill with a camera could detect the earliest signs of cancer? The tiny camera is designed to take high-quality, color pictures in confined spaces. Such a device could find warning signs of esophageal cancer, the fastest growing cancer in the United States.

Quicker, more comfortable, and cheaper. The trend of all things good.

The scanning endoscope developed at the UW is fundamentally different. It consists of just a single optical fiber for illumination and six fibers for collecting light, all encased in a pill. Seibel acted as the human volunteer in the first test of the UW device. He reports that it felt like swallowing a regular pill, and the tether, which is 1.4 mm wide, did not bother him.

Once swallowed, an electric current flowing through the UW endoscope causes the fiber to bounce back and forth so that its lone electronic eye sees the whole scene, one pixel at a time. At the same time the fiber spins and its tip projects red, green and blue laser light. The image processing then combines all this information to create a two-dimensional color picture.

I'm just in such frickin' awe of smart people. With one tech leading to another the way they do, who can imagine what medical science will be like in five years?

Hope this wasn't too boring. Just thought it was so cool.

Posted by: LauraW. at 06:56 AM | Comments (37)
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AH-64 blowin up a veehicular born IED.

It blowed up real good.

Posted by: Dave In Texas at 06:20 PM | Comments (29)
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Maverick takes what just about everyone agrees is a misleading shot at Romney over Iraq today.

McCain charges that in an interview on ABC, Romney advocated for a timetable for withdrawal. Romney denies this and even members of McCainÂ’s base (the MSM) arenÂ’t impressed.

But that's not what happened. A more fair reading of the exchange shows that Romney was instead talking about private benchmarks that would allow Bush and Maliki to measure success or failure. In fact, Romney says flat out that he would veto any bill from Congress that contained such a timetable for withdrawal.

Read the whole story for a complete run down. ThereÂ’s more reaction at The Corner as well.

I guess Straight Talk takes a back seat to a desperate need to change the topic from the economy.

In other news, McCain picks up a pretty big endorsement from the very popular Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist.

I am not entirely sure who this benefits most but I am pretty sure it's not Rudy.

Posted by: DrewM. at 04:58 PM | Comments (132)
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OBAMA WINS IN A BLOWOUT

With 97% of precincts reporting it's Obama 55%, Clinton 27% and Silky 18%

Polls are set to close in less than 5 minutes.

FNC is indicating that Obama is going to win big, especially among blacks. The issue will be can Hillary hold Silky off for 3rd.

Just about all the networks (if not all) called it immediately for Obama. Obama relieved something like 80% of the black vote according to FNC.

Heh [Gabe]: Double-post deleted. Good thinking, Drew.

More [Gabe]:Okay, I'm watching CNN's coverage so as to avoid the smeared glowing spots that Shep Smith puts on my retinas. As far as the CNN "Best Political Team on Television" is concerned, this whole thing is about race and gender. They went from discussing their recent poll which says that all Americans are ready for either a woman or a black man in the White House, to discussing their amazement that Barack Obama got a large portion of the white vote in South Carolina. As if they are stunned to discover that their polling turned out to be right.

AP says that Edwards will be third. That's not a surprise, of course, despite all the talk of SC being his "birth state." It's not like anyone considers him to be of South Carolina even if he was from there originally.

I'm pleased about the result because it guarantees that the Democrats continue to self-destruct on the issue of race. And that's not just spite. I'd like to see a racial awakening for black voters that have long been ignoring the inherent contradictions in the race policies of the Democratic party.

I'm off for the rest of the evening, try not to burn the place down while I'm gone.

Posted by: DrewM. at 03:59 PM | Comments (62)
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...the freaking propeller fell off 8 miles out from the airport.

Pic below the fold. This plane landed at the Aspen CO airport after calling in an in flight emergency.

more...

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 03:24 PM | Comments (24)
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After 9/11, Yasser Arafat staged the most publicized blood donation in the world for the victims of the attack -- to offset the images of Palestinians dancing in the streets in celebration.

He faked even that, as he didn't like needles.

The AP, Reuters, and BBC dutifully reported it.

Posted by: Ace at 12:16 PM | Comments (34)
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Hamas recently held a little show for their media collaborators to protest IsraelÂ’s cutting off of electricity and limiting fuel shipments to the Gaza Strip. Apparently those damn Jews wonÂ’t just keep providing aid to the people who are trying to kill them.

To demonstrate the harshness of Israel’s response, the terrorists held meetings of their ‘legislature’ by candle light.

Except take a look at the curtains blocking out the sunlight on the left side of the picture.

Palestinian lawmakers attend a parliament session in candlelight during a power cut in Gaza January 22, 2008.
REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

More pictures and the full story of how the terrorists and their friends in the media teamed up against Israel at Solomonia.

I guess the only question left is, do these photographers draw a check from Hamas or do Reuters and AP consider their salaries in-kind contributions?

UPDATE: Israel never actually cut off the power it ships to Gaza, just the fuel for the plant that produces most of the area's power.

Thanks to LaruaW for the prompt

Posted by: DrewM. at 10:03 AM | Comments (154)
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A number of comics, including Jay Leno, won their lawsuit against a publisher for producing joke books full of their original material.

Brown gave credit in her books to the comics whose jokes she published, but she violated copyright laws by taking the material without permission or compensation, Boutrous said.

To make matters worse, many of the books were marketed with such slogans as: "Why pay the cover charge in a comedy club? You can get the jokes here," he said.

Hmm.

OK. So I think the new policy on stealing jokes is never give attribution and don't taunt the victims.

Good to know.

Posted by: LauraW. at 07:14 AM | Comments (35)
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That's what Bill Clinton said today while campaigning in South Carolina.

"She and John McCain are very close," Clinton said. "They always laugh that if they wound up being the nominees of their party, it would be the most civilized election in American history, and they're afraid they'd put the voters to sleep because they like and respect each other."

How cozy.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 12:44 AM | Comments (83)
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Just...go look.

It's satisfying to assume the tattoo artist was a Jew. Fits a righteous narrative and puts a smile on one's face.

Delivered to me by Pupster, who said he swiped it from S. Weasel.

Posted by: LauraW. at 07:58 PM | Comments (76)
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