Overnight Open Thread (12-9-2013)

Milk - The Drink of Conquerors

Most mammals are unable to drink milk after weaning because their bodies stop producing the enzyme lactase which allows them to digest it. But humans are the exception - with most people producing at least some lactase as an adult. But the amount varies quite a bit across different groups as the map below shows.

Most human populations, however, have developed some degree of lactase persistence, enabling them to digest milk beyond the breast-feeding stage. It is estimated that 75% of the overall world population undergoes some decrease in lactase production, but that figure varies widely, in accordance with the genetic heritage of particular populations. Northern Europeans show only a 5% decrease in lactase production throughout their adult lives, whereas that figure is over 70% in Southern Europe. The fraction of adult lactose intolerance can be as high as 90% in some African and Asian countries.

This lactase persistence is due to a genetic mutation that appeared sometime after the last ice age as humans were switching from hunting-gathering to farming. In fact looking at the above map there are clearly several lactase-persistence hotspots and it's believed that multiple lactase-related mutations appeared independently and began to spread outward based on the advantage that a diet supplemented with milk and milk-products gave.

This map shows the lactase hotspots of the Old World [1], with the Lands of the Milk Drinkers marked in the darkest hues. There are four core areas with a population over 90% lactose-tolerant: western Africa (in an area roughly contingent with modern Mauritania), the middle part of the Arabian peninsula, the Indus estuary (in southern Pakistan) and the north west of Europe (including the British Isles, southern Scandinavia and the coastal areas of the continent, with one deep jut into central Europe). The layer-like distribution of consecutive zones of decreasing lactose tolerance seems to indicate that the Milk Drinkers, in each of these four zones, were able to progress deep into the territories of their lacteally challenged neighbours.

Lessons From Sandy Hook

Lanza may have had Aspergers but he was also very likely a psychopath. And that plus an enabling mother is what made him so dangerous.

The mother did the shooter's laundry on a daily basis as the shooter often changed clothing during the day. She was not allowed in the shooter's room, however, even to clean. No one was allowed in his room.

The shooter disliked birthdays, Christmas and holidays. He would not allow his mother to put up a Christmas tree. The mother explained it by saying that shooter had no emotions or feelings.

Given his long obsession with serial killers and killing in general it's not clear that anything short of institutionalization would stopped him.

Lying Gay Waitress Fired by Dishonest Restaurant

Even though they describe their investigation as 'inconclusive'.

The Gallop Asian Bistro has taken seriously the allegations made by Ms. Dayna Morales, and those made against her. Despite news reports to the contrary, this is not a simple, straight-forward matter and we have conducted our own internal investigation. The results of that investigation are inconclusive as to exactly what happened between Ms. Morales and the customers that night. However, in light of the investigation and recent events, both Ms. Morales and Gallop Asian Bistro have made a joint decision that Ms. Morales will no longer continue her employment at our restaurant. We wish her well in the future.

Oh and the Wounded Warrior Project says that there's evidence of any donation from Dayna Morales despite her asking for donations for it.

Okay she's a serial liar who's probably been lying and scamming people for a long time and hopefully this story will make it harder for her to play her games in the future. But my real anger is at the restaurant. They basically chose a lying waitress over one of their paying customers.

Once she posted a picture of the note with the amount on it it would have been trivial for the restaurant management to check it against all credit card charges during the night and see if any ticket matched it. So they probably knew within a day that her story was BS but they stuck by her even after the completely innocent customers came forward and showed that they had in fact included a tip on their ticket. The Gallop Asian Bistro has made it clear where they stand regarding their customers so why should anyone ever eat there if they had any other choice?

BS Jobs and BS Economics

David Graeber is upset that some 'important' jobs don't seem to pay as much as he thinks they should:

.in our society, there seems a general rule that, the more obviously one's work benefits other people, the less one is likely to be paid for it.  Again, an objective measure is hard to find, but one easy way to get a sense is to ask: what would happen were this entire class of people to simply disappear? Say what you like about nurses, garbage collectors, or mechanics, it's obvious that were they to vanish in a puff of smoke, the results would be immediate and catastrophic. A world without teachers or dock-workers would soon be in trouble.

And Alex Tabbarok sets him straight:

This, of course, is just the diamond-water "paradox"-why are diamonds, mere baubles, so expensive while water, a necessity of life, is so cheap?-the paradox was solved over a hundred years ago by.wait for it.can you guess?..the marginal revolution. Water is cheap and its value low because the supply of water is so large that the marginal value of water is driven down close to zero. Diamonds are expensive because the limited market supply keeps the price and marginal value high. Not much of a paradox. Note that, contra Graeber, there is nothing special about labor in this regard or "our society."

Moreover, it's good that prices are determined on the margin. We would be very much the poorer, if all useful goods were expensive and only useless goods were cheap.

And as one commenter points out Lebron James can always haul garbage but the reverse is not true of a garbage man. In general you're not paid what you're 'worth' - you're paid what it would take to replace you.

4 Common Morals Designed to Keep You Poor

My ex-mother-in-law used to help us out quite a bit, just out of the blue. Usually it was in odd ways, like buying a swing set for the kids or bringing us unnecessary things she found while shopping. Mostly dildos. Sometimes things that weren't dildos but were shaped very much like dildos. But it was always useful in some way, even if we brought the unnecessary items back for store credit. We were always thankful for it, but the second we asked her for help, she blew up.

Honestly, I understand why, and I don't blame her for it one bit. Giving something freely to someone feels pretty awesome. But if that person asks you for more on top of what you've already given them, it's pretty easy to feel like you're being taken advantage of.

What It's Like Being a Military Linguist

You got bad gouge about the Army guaranteeing you a job. The Navy can too, provided you get it on paper. I entered the Navy with my job as a linguist guaranteed. The only thing that would have stopped me- if I had not passed my security clearance or had failed out of DLI. Trust me, I've seen both. It is a little scary, but you will be fine. (Provided you don't have too many skeletons in your closet. . . (Grin.) One guy had a vindictive girlfriend who lied about him and drugs, so he never completed DLI.)

...Last thought on women: I really appreciate having females in the Navy. And on the ship. (Even subs if you guys want to. I certainly don't want to be in one of those sinkers.) Trust me, the Navy is like a really cool, slightlllllllllllly miserable club where you work hard. Or sometimes, you completely screw off. (Don't tell anyone about the last thing.)

Saying 'Merry Christmas' Is Worse Than Killing Someone

Or even worse - fornicating. The beard has spoken.

You Should Hire This Guy

Well just based on the names alone on the letters of recommendation I would have hired the former patent clerk.

From Henri Poincaré:

Nov. 1911

My dear colleague,

Mr Einstein is one of the most original thinkers I have ever met. In spite of his youth, he has already achieved a very honourable place among the leading savants of his age. What one has to admire in him above all is the facility with which he adapts himself to new concepts and knows how to draw from them every possible conclusion. He has not remained attached to classical principles, and when faced with a problem of physics he is prompt in envisaging all its possibilities. A problem which enters his mind unfolds itself into the anticipation of new phenomena which may one day be verified by experiment. I do not mean to say that all these anticipations will withstand the test of experiment on the day such a test would become possible. Since he seeks in all directions one must, on the contrary, expect most of the trails which he pursues to be blind alleys. But one must hope at the same time that one of the directions he has indicated may be the right one, and that is enough. This is indeed how one should proceed. The role of mathematical physics is to ask the right questions, and experiment alone can resolve them.

The future will show more and more the worth of Mr Einstein, and the university intelligent enough to attract this young master is certain to reap great honour.

Your most devoted colleague,

Poincaré

The Yahoo AoSHQ group. Bla bla bla.

And my twitter thang.

Tonight's post brought to you by a 5,000 year old Sumerian star map:

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posted by Maetenloch at 10:19 PM

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