Is it time for Random Thoughts - Part 4?

[Ripley]

Beer makes men smarter: study
Wiley conceded that her findings run counter to popular belief that alcohol hinders analytical thinking and muddies the mind.

“We have this assumption, that being able to focus on one part of a problem or having a lot of expertise is better for problem solving,” says Wiley. “But that’s not necessarily true. Innovation may happen when people are not so focused. Sometimes it’s good to be distracted.”

It may also help explain why raving drunks like Ernest Hemingway, John Cheever or Charles Bukowski were able to write their books.

“Sometimes the really creative stuff comes out when you’re having a glass of wine over dinner, or when you’re taking a shower,” Wiley said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/beer-men-smarter-study-article-1.1059752

(Note though study seems to explicitly mention subjects were men)

Thanks for the link, it is odd that the study focused on men only!

So;
a) only men were picked for the study (why?)
b) It's the fallacy of incomplete evidence, meaning I'm feeling sad as I want beer to make me clever! I'm a bit dim and I like drinking beer

 

[leroyjenkens]

I hate it when I think up a completely original joke term and it turns out I'm the 27,000th person to think it up all on their own for the first time.

That's one of my main fears of being a comedian; thinking up a bunch of jokes, telling them on stage, and finding out later, after tons of people call me a joke stealer, that all of those jokes were already told before by various comedians.

Nope, as I understand it mathetmatical formula/equations are considered as being "natural" and can't be patented. I was just talking to a patent lawyer last week who had a degree in math and said he got out of math because there's no way to make money off your "inventions".

THAT'S the reason he got out of math? Was he in any realistic danger of inventing a bunch of new equations?

 

[Cosmobrain]

All this talk conversation about alcohol is making me want some beer. However, I need to stop drinking so much :/

cb

 

[lendav_rott]

Guys I have quit smoking, it's been a while now since I last lit up!

 

[JorisL]

good luck

 

[lisab]

Guys I have quit smoking, it's been a while now since I last lit up!

Excellent !

 

[Enigman]

Thanks for the link, it is odd that the study focused on men only!

So;
a) only men were picked for the study (why?)
b) It's the fallacy of incomplete evidence, meaning I'm feeling sad as I want beer to make me clever! I'm a bit dim and I like drinking beer

Have some dark chocolate:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodandd...ng-chocolate-can-help-improve-your-maths.html

 

[DennisN]

If you're broke and you don't know where to go to
Why don't you go steal some terrain?
Putin in Ukraine
Different men who wear no insignia,
camo pants and camo coats
no-one to blame
Putin in Ukraine

Melody: Puttin' On the Ritz (Irving Berlin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3PnQ3tgzY

 

[HeLiXe]

*obligatory posting as I am the queen of random thoughts*

 

[Vahsek]

Errr... I'm sick and tired - of always being sick and tired...!

 

[HeLiXe]

so...banned members are now italic?

 

[micromass]

so...banned members are now italic?

Do you like italics, helixe??

 

[HeLiXe]

Is that a threat? Is Borek rubbing off on you?

Micromass...I will break your little prism in half!

 

[drizzle]

WB HeLiXe! :)

 

[HeLiXe]

:-O Drizzle :D:D:D:D nice to see you!

 

[Vahsek]

Do you like italics, helixe??

LOL

Italics looks cool though!

 

[Yanick]

I was ravaged by an oral surgeon today (wisdom tooth extraction) and the pharmacists apparently decided to leave their brains at home. It took them 5 hours to fill amoxicillin and oxycodone/acetaminophen, I guess pain management is not high on their priority list. I literally had tears coming out of my eyes ~3-4 hours post-op, when the local anesthetic wore off. That state was extended for one whole hour because the pharmacist or tech couldn't verify my insurance. Someone wrote me in as a female and the insurance company said no dice. Instead of calling me, my doctor or the emergency contact (my wife), they just put the prescriptions to the side and then fought with my wife for several hours when she came to pick up the meds.

I am extremely fed up with the medical system. I know I shouldn't generalize, and I'm in the field myself, but it just seems like I get to hear about my insurance more than my actual health from any and all practitioners who I see.

I asked for a thyroid shield thing when they did the tooth X-rays, they refused, then proceeded to explain that the machine doesn't use radiation. They then promptly retreated behind a lead shield several feet away from me to scan me with 'radiation-less' X-rays.

I am beginning to believe that I am the crazy one.

I shall now retreat to my opiate induced stupor while I hold frozen quinoa to my battered jaw.

The best part is, the guy wouldn't extract both sides on the same day. I get to do this all over again next Thursday! This time I will have the opiates on hand for post-op pain management. Did I mention that I asked the surgeon for a day or two worth and he wrote me for 15 pills! No waste in the system at all.

 

[Evo]

I was ravaged by an oral surgeon today (wisdom tooth extraction) and the pharmacists apparently decided to leave their brains at home. It took them 5 hours to fill amoxicillin and oxycodone/acetaminophen, I guess pain management is not high on their priority list. I literally had tears coming out of my eyes ~3-4 hours post-op, when the local anesthetic wore off. That state was extended for one whole hour because the pharmacist or tech couldn't verify my insurance. Someone wrote me in as a female and the insurance company said no dice. Instead of calling me, my doctor or the emergency contact (my wife), they just put the prescriptions to the side and then fought with my wife for several hours when she came to pick up the meds.

I am extremely fed up with the medical system. I know I shouldn't generalize, and I'm in the field myself, but it just seems like I get to hear about my insurance more than my actual health from any and all practitioners who I see.

I asked for a thyroid shield thing when they did the tooth X-rays, they refused, then proceeded to explain that the machine doesn't use radiation. They then promptly retreated behind a lead shield several feet away from me to scan me with 'radiation-less' X-rays.

I am beginning to believe that I am the crazy one.

I shall now retreat to my opiate induced stupor while I hold frozen quinoa to my battered jaw.

The best part is, the guy wouldn't extract both sides on the same day. I get to do this all over again next Thursday! This time I will have the opiates on hand for post-op pain management. Did I mention that I asked the surgeon for a day or two worth and he wrote me for 15 pills! No waste in the system at all.

Here in the US they insist on doing all extractions at once under general anesthesia. Wisdom tooth extraction is dangerous, so they do not want to do it more than once.

If you are in the US, I assume your dentist would not do this, they would have referred you to an oral surgeon. If your dentist is doing this, is he old? I have had my wisdom teeth removed and those of my two children and in three different states, and each time we were referred to an oral surgeon and put under general anesthesia, with an anesthesiologist and emergency medical care there. Obviously, mine was done decades before my children were even born.

Yanick, if you went to an oral surgeon here, I would check to see how many complaints have been lodged against them before going back. Seriously. Did they tell you how dangerous it is?

 

[HeLiXe]

I was ravaged by an oral surgeon today (wisdom tooth extraction) and the pharmacists apparently decided to leave their brains at home. It took them 5 hours to fill amoxicillin and oxycodone/acetaminophen, I guess pain management is not high on their priority list. I literally had tears coming out of my eyes ~3-4 hours post-op, when the local anesthetic wore off. That state was extended for one whole hour because the pharmacist or tech couldn't verify my insurance. Someone wrote me in as a female and the insurance company said no dice. Instead of calling me, my doctor or the emergency contact (my wife), they just put the prescriptions to the side and then fought with my wife for several hours when she came to pick up the meds.

This is so awful. I had my wisdom teeth extracted and I know the pain can be maddening. I am so sorry that you had to experience this.

On a lighter note acetaminophen and hydrocodone is AWESOME you will feel better soon...chin up!

 

[HeLiXe]

Here in the US they insist on doing all extractions at once under general anesthesia. Wisdom tooth extraction is dangerous, so they do not want to do it more than once.

They do insist but I had mine done under nitrous oxide.

 

[Yanick]

Evo, I'm in NYC and the surgeon was trained at NYU (supposedly a top notch program). It was done under IV general anesthesia and was pretty much pain free. His explanation about separating the extraction was a non-sensical statement about possible damage to the mandibular nerve. It's really just a scam to bill my insurance for two separate procedures. I am moving in a few weeks and really don't have the option of hunting around, especially since my insurance leaves few options for surgery.

HeLiXe, once the meds kicked in I was treated to some pleasant euphoria and pain relieve as well as waves of nausea and dizziness. I'll take that over the incredible pain any day though.

At present I feel like I was hit in the face by a baseball bat. Atleast its tolerable when the meds are working.

 

[Evo]

They do insist but I had mine done under nitrous oxide.

It's the general anesthesia that wears off within minutes of when they stop administering it. Within 20 minutes of them finishing, you can go home. Both of my girls did great with it. Knocked out, woke up, all done. They were really scared before hand, so knocking them out was great. Evo Child had at least one impacted tooth, so it was scary. With impacted teeth there is a very high chance of facial paralysis if the doctor nicks a nerve, so having the patient completely immobile is very important.

Helixe, you're brave.

 

[AlephZero]

Makes me glad I never fell ill while in the USA!

Dental treatment in the UK isn't free on the national health service, but the fixed cost for a "course of treatment" (independent of the number of sessions) for any number of fillings and extractions (but not bridges, crowns, etc) is £49 (about $80). No health insurance required - just pay cash.

I don't understand the logic about risk. Surely the risk of something going wrong is per tooth, independent of how many are done in one session?

The most dental work I've had done in one go was 7 extractions, to clear the way for a set of dentures. All done in one session under general anesthetic, and I woke up with the dentures in my mouth. (That wasn't a completely new experience, since I had a partial set before). No oral surgeon involved, my regular dentist did it in his own surgery. IIRC he had one day a month scheduled for general anesthetic procedures, with an anesthetist from the local hospital. No extra painkillers required, and you went home as as soon as you could walk around without falling over (as Evo said, about 15 minutes after waking up). There was probably something fairly strong in the anesthetic though, because having gone home I didn't want to do anything more intellectually or physically challenging than sleep for several more hours, and woke up from that a bit sore but otherwise pain free.

 

[Yanick]

Makes me glad I never fell ill while in the USA!

Dental treatment in the UK isn't free on the national health service, but the fixed cost for a "course of treatment" (independent of the number of sessions) for any number of fillings and extractions (but not bridges, crowns, etc) is £49 (about $80). No health insurance required - just pay cash.

The surgeon I was first referred to, who didn't accept my flavor of dental insurance, quoted me $1500 for the extraction out of pocket. He would've gotten some money from my insurance too, but because he was "out of network" he was able to monetarily violate me.

I don't understand the logic about risk. Surely the risk of something going wrong is per tooth, independent of how many are done in one session?

That is exactly my thinking and why I am nearly convinced its simply a way to scam a bit more money from my insurance. Two visits means he can bill for two "check-ups," two anesthesia sessions etc. I don't see how spacing the extraction in time will have change the outcome in any way. He will either damage the nerve in anyone extraction event or he won't.

I'm just stuck right now because the wisdom teeth have not erupted and are growing sideways into my molars. I had to put this off for a while to get some important things done but I am at a point now that I may not have any insurance in a month and I may not get a chance to get the work done for many months. That will make things much worse in the long run.

The most dental work I've had done in one go was 7 extractions, to clear the way for a set of dentures. All done in one session under general anesthetic, and I woke up with the dentures in my mouth. (That wasn't a completely new experience, since I had a partial set before). No oral surgeon involved, my regular dentist did it in his own surgery. IIRC he had one day a month scheduled for general anesthetic procedures, with an anesthetist from the local hospital. No extra painkillers required, and you went home as as soon as you could walk around without falling over (as Evo said, about 15 minutes after waking up). There was probably something fairly strong in the anesthetic though, because having gone home I then had a sleep for several more hours, and woke up from that a bit sore but otherwise pain free.

I was in the recovery room for maybe 10-15 minutes but definitely woozy for several hours after. Once the pain started kicking in, I snapped right out of my stupor.

I don't necessarily consider myself intolerant to pain, I really avoid pain meds whenever I can, but this was intolerable to me. The surgeon never really spoke with me after the procedure, but I suspect the tooth gave him some trouble and he really needed to do some dissection, sawing and wrestling to get it out.

On a positive note, I doubt he did any damage to the mandibular nerve. A small part of my lip is slightly numb (maybe, hard to tell) but otherwise I have full feeling in my tongue, teeth, face etc. So there's that

 

[Evo]

Makes me glad I never fell ill while in the USA!

Dental treatment in the UK isn't free on the national health service, but the fixed cost for a "course of treatment" (independent of the number of sessions) for any number of fillings and extractions (but not bridges, crowns, etc) is £49 (about $80). No health insurance required - just pay cash.

I don't understand the logic about risk. Surely the risk of something going wrong is per tooth, independent of how many are done in one session?

The most dental work I've had done in one go was 7 extractions, to clear the way for a set of dentures. All done in one session under general anesthetic, and I woke up with the dentures in my mouth. (That wasn't a completely new experience, since I had a partial set before). No oral surgeon involved, my regular dentist did it in his own surgery. IIRC he had one day a month scheduled for general anesthetic procedures, with an anesthetist from the local hospital. No extra painkillers required, and you went home as as soon as you could walk around without falling over (as Evo said, about 15 minutes after waking up). There was probably something fairly strong in the anesthetic though, because having gone home I didn't want to do anything more intellectually or physically challenging than sleep for several more hours, and woke up from that a bit sore but otherwise pain free.

I think here there is a definite issue of malpractice lawsuits. A regular dentist isn't skilled at oral surgery and if something comes up unexpectedly, an oral surgeon is much more qualified to deal with it. Since I had insurance, I definitely wanted an experienced oral surgeon in a fully equipped facility for my kids. For me, I have a very low threshold for pain, so chose to go the oral surgeon route, especially after that first dolt dentist that tried to do an extraction with the root of another tooth wrapped around the tooth that he wanted to extract. He was completely unqualified. He couldn't even read the x-rays that clearly showed a highly unusual circumstance that would prevent anything but oral surgery. I had to wait a week with a partially extracted tooth to get an oral surgeon. MORON.

 

[dipole]

I refuse to have my wisdom teeth removed. I have been told more than once that I should get them removed by dentists (then again, who hasn't been told that), but they are mostly in on the top row and seem to be coming in ok on the bottom. Unless I start experiencing serious discomfort or something bad like an infection happens, I will trust that nature knew what she was doing when we evolved these things.

I honestly think that wisdom tooth extraction is, for the most part, a big racket.

 

[Evo]

I refuse to have my wisdom teeth removed. I have been told more than once that I should get them removed by dentists (then again, who hasn't been told that), but they are mostly in on the top row and seem to be coming in ok on the bottom. Unless I start experiencing serious discomfort or something bad like an infection happens, I will trust that nature knew what she was doing when we evolved these things.

I honestly think that wisdom tooth extraction is, for the most part, a big racket.

Got to agree that is is a very big money racket. Unless they are causing problems, I don't see any reason to touch them. I had problems, one was coming in sideways and growing against my cheekbone and causing severe pain, another was impacted, the others were pushing my other teeth out of place.

 

[Borek]

Too much wisdom for a random thoughts.

 

[Borg]

I always seem to be the first in my family to catch a cold. I then get blamed for everyone else catching it no matter how careful I am in trying to isolate myself and not spread it. Sigh...

 

[Mandelbroth]

I always seem to be the first in my family to catch a cold. I then get blamed for everyone else catching it no matter how careful I am in trying to isolate myself and not spread it. Sigh...

Blame your family's immune systems. They aren't strong enough to coexist with your cold.

 

[HomogenousCow]

Things supposed to be found in haircuts
-Haircuts

Things not supposed to be found in haircuts
-Excessive attempts to engage in conversation

 

[Vahsek]

Things supposed to be found in haircuts
-Haircuts

Things not supposed to be found in haircuts
-Excessive attempts to engage in conversation

Deja-vu... Try some variations when you're complaining.

 

[HomogenousCow]

Does anyone read xkcd?

Did they ban cosmobrain

 

[drizzle]

URGHHHHHHHHHHHH! %$@# this printer.

 

[Vahsek]

Did they ban cosmobrain

I think they did. Judging by his posts, I had already guessed he was quite annoying. But that he would get banned - never saw that coming.