Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed

Test
On Parasites and Delusions
Field Notes: Gold, Apocalypse, Watches, Cisco, etc.
Bin Laden & How Information Spreads Now

Test

Posted: 07 May 2011 01:11 AM PDT

In the Beat of a Heart: Life, Energy, and the Unity of Nature A test

On Parasites and Delusions

Posted: 06 May 2011 01:22 PM PDT

This might just be the best blog post I have read this year. It’s nominally on patients with delusions of parasitic infestations, but it’s so much more.

I saw a patient recently for parasites.

I get a sinking feeling when I see that diagnosis on the schedule, as it rarely means a real parasite. The great Pacific NW is mostly parasite free, so either it is a traveler or someone with delusions of parasitism.

The latter comes in two forms: the classic form and Morgellons. Neither are likely to lead to a meaningful patient-doctor interaction, since it usually means conflict between my assessment of the problem and the patients assessment of the problem. There is rarely a middle ground upon which to meet. The most memorable case of delusions of parasitism I have seen was a patient who I saw in clinic who, while we talked, ate a raw garlic clove about every minute.

"Why the garlic?" I asked.

"To keep the parasites at bay," he told me.

I asked him to describe the parasite. He told me they floated in the air, fell on his skin, and then burrowed in. Then he later plucked them out of his nose.

Much more here.

Field Notes: Gold, Apocalypse, Watches, Cisco, etc.

Posted: 06 May 2011 12:56 PM PDT

With Dollar in Turmoil, Two Debates on Gold Captivate Manhattan (Source)
What apocalypse reveals about us (Source)
Is the Wristwatch Past Its Time? (Source)
Why Cisco’s John Chambers has to go (Source)
Greece: You can’t fire me, I quit (Source)
Gold & Lady Gaga (Source)
Latest issue of Chance wiki (Source)

Bin Laden & How Information Spreads Now

Posted: 06 May 2011 12:09 PM PDT

Smart and empirical discussion of how the bin Laden death information spread on The Twitter, first as rumor and then as fact. Read the whole thing. It’s worth seeing how the new news works, but it’s also just superb analysis.