Bipolar patients than Carrie Fisher should not take Prozac

Carrie Fisher, a popular actress as Princess Leia, was dead in her 60 years old. She was suffering from a heart attack when she was on a plane from London to Los Angeles. She was carried to the hospital soon after arriving in Los Angeles, but clinicians could not save her, unfortunately.

Fisher was known to have had bipolar disorder. She did not conceal it. The fact she expressed she was mentally ill might encourage people with mental disorders.

However, she seemed to have taken Prozac, an antidepressant drug whose component is fluoxetine. The bereaved family of her threw Prozac into her urn.

Independent: Carrie Fisher's funeral urn was a giant model of a Prozac pill

It may be true that Fisher loved Prozac in her life. But, I have to mention that antidepressant drugs including Prozac are potentially harmful to patients with bipolar disorder. There is reliable evidence that taking antidepressant makes bipolar disorder complicated or treatment-resistant, though some studies are against this hypothesis. In my experience, a few patients with bipolar disorder get recovered after taking antidepressants. At the same time, more patients can be saved with quitting antidepressants with replacing them to mood stabilizers.

I do not know the course of Fisher. I am afraid some patients with bipolar disorder will take Prozac to deteriorate their mental status. While Prozac is a good choice for depressive patients, inappropriate usage of is may be fatal.

Palm oil is attacked for health risk

Palm oil is one of the most frequently seen kinds of edible oil product. It is widely used in sweets as a domestic ingredient.

Recently, however, some researchers suggest that palm oil has carcinogenic character. European Food Safety Authority showed an animal experiment which resulted in a finding of increased prevalence of cancer. Its conclusion was that glycidyl fatty acid esters were likely to have potential harm to human.

EFTA: Process contaminants in vegetable oils and foods

Following this presentation, some food companies received criticism from consumers. Ferrero, which is popular as Nutella maker, made a comment about the safety of palm oil it adopts as an ingredient, to conclude that dismissal of palm oil was not cost-effective.

International Business Times: Nutella maker Ferrero fights back claims the palm oil-filled chocolate spread causes cancer

The health risk of saturated fatty acid has been discussed for several decades. Therefore, it is not surprising if palm oil is identified as a carcinogen. In my opinion, complete banning of palm oil is unrealistic. In Japan, rape oil is dominantly used, but it is also suspected to be harmful to human. Although healthier food taking is essential, balanced discussion is also required.

Julian Assange's life proof using blockchain

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, a whistlebrawler website, remains in the core of argument.

My past entry: Julian Assange to be interviewed by prosecutor

 Since June in 2012, Julian Assange has stayed at Ecuador Embassy in London in 2012. In October, however, it was rumored that the internet connection to Assange was shut down. As he could not appear even on the internet, some people doubted that he was no more alive. There were some tweets by Assange and his supporters and other fragments suggesting he is still fine. Indeed, it is possible for someone to arrange Assange's images and video to pretend he is alive.

Heavy: Where Is Julian Assange? WikiLeaks Supporters Demand Proof of Life

And recently, Assange himself showed a solution to dismiss the hypothesis that he hade deceased. He made a video message in which he spoke a part of the newest blockchain created in the Bitcoin transaction. Blockchain is a group of letters in which all transactions are recorded. Each fragment of blockchain is created at the same time of validating each transaction. As astronomical numbers of computers are engaged in creating blockchain, it is almost impossible to disguise the digits of blockchain. Also, since blockchain is lively updated, it is unfeasible for anyone to forecast the content of blockchain created in the future. Thus, reading and reporting current blockchain can be done only be alive persons.

CoinDesk: Julian Assange Just Read Out a Bitcoin Block Hash to Prove He Was Alive

The way for proof of life taken by Assange is very interesting. It is obvious that Assange loves Bitcoin as a crypt-currency without centralized administrators.

However, I think Assange's video is not enough to prove he is alive. The video image is easily fabricated with the latest technique. Someone can speak synchronized to the computer graphic as if Assange does so. After all, it is extremely difficult to distinguish a real person from fiction.

Facial recognition is challenged

Facial recognition is one of the innovative modern techniques to bridge the machine interface to the present world. We can easily find a friend's face from astronomical numbers of pictures on the internet. As well, a facial recognition program can detect a suspect's figure in a crowded crossroad. Its ability of tracking is often superior to a group composed of several professional guards.

However, this system is often too genius to be used for our convenience in daily life. Nowadays, national agencies administering public safety such as CIA can identify not only your personal information but also your current position and recent activities. Outlaws gets your personal information through gathering the data on the social network. Their conducts are often supported by facial recognition systems.

Therefore, some people are afraid they can be unintentionally tracked by a nameless algorithm. According to them, facial recognition is rather harmful than beneficial for human society.

Recently, Adam Harvey, an association of artists and technologists in Berlin, made an attempt to distract facial recognition systems, using printing patterns which mimic a face attached to clothing or bodies. These stimuli can confuse the algorithm to detect human faces. The association warns facial recognition systems have evolved to be able to identify not only the personality of each target but also their criminal tendencies.

The Guardian: Anti-surveillance clothing aims to hide　wearers from facial recognition

I am not sure how the claims of Harvey is really threatening. More or less, facial recognition systems are potentially invasive against our privacy. We may be prepared to the current situation in which our daily activities are spied by anyone with ease.

However, the treatment of Harvey seems not effective in a longitudinal point of view. The algorithm of facial recognition is evolving day by day. Our figures, postures, and gaits are characteristic with each other. The next generation program will be able to identify us without shooting our face, I guess.

More fundamentally thinking, what is the goal of facial recognition? Where does this technology proceed? Is it complete tracing of our lives? Is it to make all our personal information searchable, as Google is pursuing? Or, is it to create a perfect copy of functions of human? It is a wonderful, but a bit fearful question.

Six-hour work policy abandoned in Sweden

The previous year, I mentioned an attempt of reduced work hour in Sweden. In some hospitals and nursing home, workers were to work for six hours in a day, instead of eight hours. In this entry, I suspected that this policy would raise the satisfaction of employees, but it was not feasible for some jobs.

My past entry: Reduced working time in Sweden

At last, this challenge was terminated, unfortunately. Because of increased cost not matching the benefits, Gothenburg City abandoned the plan to make the six-hour policy permanent.

It was true that reduced work hours improved not only the satisfactory level but also the productivity of the employee. However, the facilities had to hire more workers to compensate the reduced working time, not surprisingly.

Independent: Sweden scraps six hours work day despite staff being 'healthier, happier and more productive'

Since increased cost of this new policy was easily prospected, I am doubtful to the decision of scrapping this plan due to poor cost-benefit. The attempt brought reduced sick leave cases by ten percents. It could not compensate the increase of hiring costs. On the other hand, it is uncertain how the quality of life of the employees was calculated to evaluate the effectiveness of the reduced hour policy.

Nonetheless, Swedish campaign showed a good example of a social experiment. It is admirable for a city to make this kind of challenge for seeking a better figure of the society.

Mosul dam endangered to collapse

What is the difference between an official government and a revolution force? The both may consider making the world better. But, the former thinks it in a longitudinal way whereas the latter only focuses on the destruction of the current evil authority.

Mosul Dam, near ISIS territory, is in a very fragile status, according to researchers. Some specialists warn that it is not surprising if it would collapse tomorrow.

Independent: Mosul Dam could collapse at any minute 'killing 1.5 million people'

Mosul Dam was built on Tigris River in Northern Iraq in the 1980s, and it stores up to 11.1 billion cubic meters of water. Millions of people are given benefits from the dam. If it is crippled, many people will suffer from the shortage of pure water. Furthermore, the broken dam can cause a flood, leading to a disastrous effect on broad areas.

Not only Iraqi government but also foreign professionals have noticed the risk at the dam. Continuous maintenance or replacement of the dam is necessary to prevent the collapse. However, the security matter in this region cannot allow the treatment.

If ISIS claims that it is a new nation, regardless of its establishing process, it should be responsible at least for maintaining the security of its lands. But, Jihadists seems indifferent to such a fundamental issue.

This kind of problem is similar to hostage case. A good terrorist always takes care of the life of hostages. He keeps lifeline and food for long-term barricading. By contrast, extremists easily throw away their lives. In this sense, I never believe ISIS will develop their own nation.

Universal basic income experiment in Finland

Finland government seems to decide to an experimental implementation of basic income.

In Finland, unemployed citizens will receive monthly income up to 560 euros for two years. The amount of payment would not be reduced even if the receiver gets a new job, different from a conventional scheme of the unemployment compensation.

Independent: Finland launches universal basic income pilot of 560 Euros a month

Not every jobless people will get the basic income. Whether a person is subjected to this experiment is randomly determined. The government aims to investigate the influence of this new scheme on the motivation of the citizens for working.

Traditionally, unemployment insurance scheme was criticized as it deprives citizens' motivation to seek a new job. It will be terminated soon after getting the salary, leading to the decrease of total income.

On the other hand, basic income scheme is also worried to make citizens lazy. You can easily imagine that some people would have no more work if they get regular income. So far, some minor studies have suggested that guaranteed income does not eliminate workers' motivation. Finland's experiments will examine the hypothesis with more reliable evidence.

In my opinion, basic income scheme will be successful in some particular situations. In a highly sophisticated society, limited numbers of people with high productivity earn a dominant percentage of revenue of the whole society. In other words, it is not necessary for many people to work to survive. At the same time, entertainment and some regions of activity not essential for survival such as philosophy, literature, sport, and art, are established as a subject to devote one's life. The combination of a few experienced producers and many happy consumers is a stereotype of an ideal society, I think.

In addition, I believe every citizens will want to contribute to the society in some ways when they are economically satisfied. Humans motivation is to shift to higher dimension according to the stage of achievement from one's safety to others' happiness. Therefore, I do not think basic income scheme will ruin the virtue in our community.

Finland has more than eight percent of jobless citizens. It means that they do not have to work at least for maintaining the minimal structure of the society. It is sorry for them to get an unwanted job. Actually, 560 euros in a month is not enough to live. Also in this meaning, it is merely an experiment. Nonetheless, I hope Finland's challenge will be fruitful.