potterspoet

life seems to be thwarting my plans to work out

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:35:32 -0500

i was going to work out tonight, but i took a shower in the middle of the day and want to go to a floordate(our floor of the dorm and a floor of a guys dorm do something together) later and am not going to shower again before the floor date. because that would be dumb. maybe i’ll do abs later.

my grandma just sent me this photo of my little brother and i at...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:58:53 -0500

my grandma just sent me this photo of my little brother and i at his 8th grade graduation. despite the choking thing, i think it’s cute.

Paper chips diagnose disease

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:34:54 -0500

“Lab on a chip” makes testing simple, cheap, and portable

by me, for my college’s newspaper. i thought it was cool enough to be worth sharing.

It’s the size of your thumbnail, costs pennies to make and could save thousands of lives.

The newest technology in health care is decidedly low tech. A few layers of paper, cut into a specific pattern, these “chips” can diagnose disease.

As reported by CNN, the major use for the new gadget is in war-torn or third world countries, where doctors are scarce and labs to run blood work and diagnose disease are even more so. The paper chips, which do not yet have a name, could, with one drop of blood, give the user an answer about HIV, malaria, Hepatitis C, and various other diseases, all on one chip of paper.

The chip works in a way not unlike a home pregnancy test. Supply a drop of blood, and the treated paper will channel the blood into the form of a tree, with the colors providing answers as to whether or not the patient is infected with various diseases. More than that, the “chips” can assess the severity of the disease.

That said, the chip is not the most advanced “lab-on-a-chip” technology. It is, however, one of the least expensive, and could provide definitive answers to those that cannot access basic health care.

The technology, which could be on the market in a year, was

developed by Whitesides Research Group, which is headed by a professor at Harvard University.

According to Whitesides, he found his inspiration from the simple form of computer chips and comic books. His inspirations became an integral part of the chip itself, with water-repellent comic book ink the

force that channels the blood into

the shape of a tree. The treated paper beneath that tree shape reacts with the blood in ways that, read correctly, can diagnose disease.

Whitesides envisions the chips being used hand-in-hand with cell phones, which have become incredibly popular in even destitute areas.

A picture of the diagnostic paper chip, taken on a cell phone, could be sent from a rural area to a doctor miles away, who could interpret the results and give the patient an answer.

There are limits to the chip’s power, though. A definitive answer is all well and good, but Dr. Gaby Vercauteren of the WHO warns that without access to the care that patients need, only one part of the problem has been solved.

Knowing that a person has a disease and being able to treat it are two very different things.

Whitesides’ chip can only do part of that. Nevertheless, the cheap, functional chip could make a huge difference in the way that doctors approach medical care in the developing world, decreasing the need for bulky laboratory equipment and allowing many to finally know what diseases they may be facing

i was going to go shopping, but it's raining

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:22:05 -0500

those two things should not be related, but they are. it’s a half mile walk to my car, folks, and i just dried my hair.

hello, my name is mary ellen, and black eyeliner makes me look...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:01:02 -0500

hello, my name is mary ellen, and black eyeliner makes me look like a raccoon.

i just laughed out loud

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:09:54 -0500

one of the songs scrolling by on my screen was by engelbert humperdinck.

SERIOUSLY.

currently on my tv:

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:07:40 -0500

some guy with a bad mustache is taking a journey through the music of the 60’s

breadlove

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:45:37 -0500

breadlove:

i love bread, so this makes me salivate…

breadlove: Another egg-in-a-hole :-) i love egg in a holes!...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:43:07 -0500

breadlove:

Another egg-in-a-hole :-)

i love egg in a holes! love, love, love.

so i had a crazy dream during my nap

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:07:39 -0500

one i at the time wanted to write down, because i thought it would make a great book.

there was a girl that just moved into town, and a boy, (who for some reason i feel like may have had two heads) and they fell in love and then she got pregnant and then they were going to get married but she was like 16 and he was like 17 and there was basketball and golf and all sorts of weird stuff.

in retrospect, not such a good book.

dbizzle: Canadians don’t go pee during important hockey games....

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:54:24 -0500

dbizzle:

Canadians don’t go pee during important hockey games.

Well, this is just the water consumption record for Edmonton on the day we won the gold medal in men’s hockey, but I have no doubt you’d see something similar across the country.

Too funny. We definitely have our priorities straight.

via

this is awesome

faithandbegorrah: This day is going to break my heart. I know...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:59:44 -0500

faithandbegorrah:

This day is going to break my heart. I know it. I can feel it.

throbbing headache=no class

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:14:51 -0500

why do i feel guilty about not going to class even though i have an excuse? probably because so often i don’t have an excuse.

so this movie, She's Out of My League

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:25:23 -0500

is it sad that i recognize the main guy in it not from any movies, but from a guest stint on Numb3rs?

waitlisted at minnesota

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:11:33 -0500

which is ok, considering i thought it would be a no, and that i already have been accepted at one vet school

ever have someone be completely bitchy to you for no reason?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:48:25 -0500

and you are like “i don’t know what your problem is but it sure isn’t me” and as much as you want to ignore it, it irks you, because you can’t figure out what the deal is and this girl is being rude?

anybody want a rabbit?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:18:25 -0500

no seriously. i am “co-owners” with someone who just got tired of the rabbit, who lives at her house. i can’t take it, as i live in the dorms, and she is threatening to take it to the humane society, where they will, most likely, euthanize her.

redwoodroots: I want a road trip where I get to drive places...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:09:53 -0500

redwoodroots:

I want a road trip where I get to drive places like this. with friends, and camping.

But I don’t want to be the one who drives, I’m a terrible driver.

The Rocky Mountains (via christieandsteve)

SIGN ME UP. i LOVE driving, i love mountains, and i think we might be able to manage a road trip without killing each other:)

AND GUESS WHO LOST 3 POUNDS THIS WEEK?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:07:44 -0500

due to trying to live healthy (AND I FEEL BETTER PHYSICALLY, even better)

GUESS WHO GOT THEIR HOMEWORK DONE EARLY?!!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:05:38 -0500

ok, so not early, it’s due wednesday, but STILL.