mysterywhiteboy

It's the same with many words with the -ize suffix - we seem to have subconsciously accepted -ise to the point that spellcheckers demand it, when in actual fact the OED form of a word typically uses -ize.

Most British newspapers use the -ise form. The Oxford University Press use the -ize form. So it isn't as clear cut as you think.

I recall reading that the -ise alternatives have some roots in Australian us of the language.

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1 mysterywhiteboy 13 years ago 0 comments

Waterfall 2006 - International Conference on Sequential Development. waterfall2006.com

2 mysterywhiteboy 13 years ago 0 comments

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65 mysterywhiteboy 13 years ago 81 comments

Comment · 13 years ago

I've been saying this for a while now.

Comment · 13 years ago

Programming _can_ be like an art form and appreciated in isolation.

In most cases though programming is a means to and end. In that case you've got to not only enjoy programming - but also believe in that end. When you do you'll happily wade through all kinds of language, system, and framework quirks and frustrations to get to that end.

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24 mysterywhiteboy 13 years ago 31 comments

Comment · 13 years ago

As someone else in the same position (young and mild hypertension) I too was told to cut back. I am a CS PhD and have no medical/nutritional background. Everything I know came from Google, PubMed, and my GP - so (for want of a better phrase) take what I say with a pinch of salt ;)

The causal relationship between salt and blood pressure appears to have historically been under debate. I don't however think it should be so readily dismissed as not backed by "Science". In fact the evidence appears to suggest that there is now little to debate.

A study called INTERSALT [1] in the late 1980s appears to have muddied the waters, and is often brought up. It supported the causal link - but was subsequently seen to be the victim of poor statistical analysis.

This seems to have been the theme of those arguing pro-salt, finding flaws in studies. Fair game - but it doesn't disprove the link. More recently though the general consensus seems to be that a long term reduction sodium has a measurable and beneficial impact on BP[2]. A key study in demonstrating the link was the DASH-Sodium study, a randomized controlled trial [3].

The Harvard School of Public Health has some great articles[4][5] discussing the "Salt Debate" and points to a number of papers.

Personally, having taken time to read (and understand what I can), I think the evidence supporting is pretty compelling so have reduced the levels of sodium in my diet.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersalt_study [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23558162 [3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11136953?dopt=Citation [4] http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2010/07/10/its-t... [5] http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-heart-d...