Custom file-permissions (777 for install, be careful) needed for ‘wp-admin’, ‘wp-content’, ‘wp-includes’ and the pdo-for-wordpress ‘database’ directories to have install run smoothly.

“Warning: implode() [function.implode]: Invalid arguments passed in /wp-includes/post.php  on line 2552″ was what I was seeing every time I tried editing a Page in the Dashboard. Solution was found at WordPress-Hacks (Spanish page): comment out line 2552 and insert replacement like so:

// hack start
// $check_sql = "SELECT post_name FROM $wpdb->posts WHERE post_name = %s AND post_type IN ( '" . implode( "', '", esc_sql( $hierarchical_post_types ) ) . "' ) AND ID != %d AND post_parent = %d LIMIT 1";
$hierarchical_post_types_string = implode("', '", $hierarchical_post_types);
$hierarchical_post_types_string = addslashes($hierarchical_post_types_string);
$check_sql = "SELECT post_name FROM $wpdb->posts WHERE post_name = %s AND post_type IN ( '" . $hierarchical_post_types_string . "' ) AND ID != %d AND post_parent = %d LIMIT 1";
// hack end

That will select the 10th column and search it for specific value and change the container cells depending thereupon, result can be seen in screenshot. Ah yes. Side-note: of course you would need to wrap your jQuery code in the pre-requisite $(document).ready(function() and so forth (Google is our mutual friend).

Resources used in connection to above snippet:
http://www.javascripttoolbox.com/temp/table_cellindex.html
http://tylermuth.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/jquery-selectors-will-change-your-life/

Secondarily I’m in 2 minds about the permission asking (same with localstorage i html5) – as in: is there any web-developers that will make use of features that demands their non-super-geek-userbase to press novel and scary invented-for-the-occasion buttons in their browsers before their site/app will work as intended? I seriously wonder: if I am to construct a notification (which is actually the case in regards to the db admin shell I’m currently working on) it is obviously better for me to use a jQuery attention grabber (like Tim Benniks’ “growl-like”). It would in essence never work for my no-tech users that they had to take into consideration whether a yellow bar is asking them some obscure message about accessing their desktop during their admin session.. it would spell out consistent and reoccurring user problems!

Lastly, while these app-like features are definitely needed we do need to find another option than the permission asking game – it works for users that are installing Firefox add-ons as second-nature thing but the rest of humanity have just come around to NOT clicking every single thing asking them for permission because it caused their computer to die of virus overload (which you and I had to fix for them). Not good.

Now lets get down with the data. The linked material often contains tool-tips with further information so do allow the mouse to hover before it clicks. A number of the links associated to Vitamin K2 MK-4 points towards material referenced from Winston Price who worked with a formula knows as Activator X, it has been confirmed to actually be Vitamin K2 MK-4 in 2007 by Chris Masterjohn. While most studies have been done on the MK-4 variant I have personally found a vitamin K complex to be of more benefit against dental plaque (I’m not the only one),  see recommended products at end of article for specifics.

Diet & Supplementation

To avoid

1. No sugar (causes bacteria, lactobacillus and streptococcus mutans mainly, to digest sugars and break them down into acid that destroys enamel and allows cavities to form)
2. No wheat (phytic acid causes extra excretion of phosphorus which in essence means loss of teeth mineralization material. Also gluten sensitivity causes mal-absorption of minerals in many people)
3. Preferably no nuts (again phytic acid)
4. No soft drinks (same issues as with sugar, only worse due to phosphoric acid which causes even more acidity and is linked to lower bone density)

To include

1. Vitamin D (even without major diet change Vit. D is able to shift balance towards more cavities being healed than being formed, it promotes absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the gut which is essential because tooth enamel is primarily made out of hydroxylapatite; a crystalline  calcium phosphate)
2. Vitamin K1, K2 MK-4 & MK-7 (helps all bone and teeth health via improved calcium bonding and balances and activates the effects of Vitamin D and A, it also seems to eradicate bacteria and changes saliva from phosphorus-accepting to phosphorus-donating, meaning that your own spit starts maintaining teeth enamel instead of gradually breaking it down).
3. Omega 3 (1.5 times less occurrence of periodontal disease)
4. Rosemary (stabilizes Omega 3 oils in the body to avoid oils becoming rancid & provides anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and interestingly, anti-glycation effects, see recommendations below on how to prepare soundly and cheaply)
5. Xylitol (intake routinely linked to lower incidence of cavities through anti-bacterial and alkalizing effects)

As a general guide adequate amounts of magnesium, calcium and vitamin A and vitamin C (non-acid source preferred, such as sodium ascorbate) needs to be present in the diet for vitamin D and K to work their magic. Supplement these conservatively if in doubt.

edit: post still missing dose recommendations, will be added shortly

EmailStripper 0.1 screen compilation

You can download the compiled exe from here:
EmailStripper.zip (version:2010-02-04 (0.1)) (thanks to Citif.dk for hosting) -note: AU3 compiled exe’s has history of being falsely detected as vira/malware,

And here is the source code (AU3 based), please post improvement in comments and I’ll update the post accordingly.

Dose: 1 (oral) Rocketfuel Black Coffee (wet)
Body weight: 69 kilo (152lb or 11 stone)

First, before I begin, despite what may be deducted from the intro and everything else, this ALL HAPPENED TO A FRIEND and it is only for ease of writing that I have adopted a first person perspective to re-tell the daring tale of despair.

15:47
I first spot the much feared yet also tantalizing substance flaunted on display at a local news agent in the area. After the initial doubt over the slightly hefty price of £1.45 my curiosity gets the best of me (its coffee.. it HEATS ITSELF!) and I commence to pay for the drug with my girlfriend’s (named “Y” for anonymity in the rest of this report) money as I’m as always low on cash.

15:56

After calming myself down (by walking out of the store and thinking about a watermelon and listening to an psychedelic ambient music album by Shpongle) I promptly read the simple yet tantalizing instructions on the side of the jar: 1) “Click the base (once)” 2) Shake for 40 seconds 3) Drink (after opening). Because I’m largely fearless, and mildly retarded, I proceeded to press the base nearly 10 times to make sure it was more than ordinarily pressed and…

15:57

… immediately after I was transferred to another reality zone of complete appreciation in regards to just how well the self heating cup functioned as a hand-warmer; this effect is so strong that it was also commented on by Y who was my sitter throughout the trip [Erowid Note: always use a sitter when trying out dangerous/novel substances].

15:58 (ingesting the substance)

This is f*cking mind-blowing, the coffee just heated itself (at least mildly) and now I’m drinking it… ARGH, the issue is that it taste as if someone is forcefully injecting roughly one imperial gallon (yes that is 4.54609188 liters) of sewer waste into my gullet. The shock causes a strong onset of hallucinations involving small pixies dancing with metal boots in my groin while laughing hysterically. This hallucination however rapidly fades and gives way to swirling visions of me kicking the manufacturer of this coffee in the groin and then finally disappears.

16:05 (the come-down)

I now strongly need a toothbrush and industrial strength hydrogen peroxide to clean my mouth from the vile taste. The lingering taste even as I’m writing this reminds me exactly what sort of price one should be willing to pay for buying pre-manufactured self-heating coffee crap. As I wipe tears from my eyes due to the emotional impact of this trip I cannot help but wonder whether this experience will make me think twice next time. I think I learned my lesson, crac.. coffee isn’t for me, self-heating or not.

*not strictly true – paracrine hormones can communicate between different types of cells whereas autocrine only work on similar types

We will start with the autocrine system since this makes sense in evolutionary perspective; it came first into existence. It is worthwhile to note that several hormones, for an example acetylcholine, are functioning (and synthesized) in both hormonal domains. The description of both systems includes a standardized ending named “Health Perspectives”, while this section is of course written to be relevant to each of the hormonal systems it is reasonable to infer that something that enhances one system will in essence also help balance the other.

Autocrine Hormone System

This system is characterized by its local cellular function. It basically involves one, or multiple, cell(s) releasing locally acting hormones. By “locally acting” I mean that the hormones released will return to act either on the originator cell or its immediate neighbors.  Autocrine hormones do not enter the bloodstream. Since these hormones are the ‘base unit’ of cellular communication they have the power to ‘overrule’ the effects of endocrine hormones – as a metaphor think about them as neighbors or close friends; what they say will most often matter vastly more than any message you may get off the internet (at least short-term).

Example of compound(s) or drug(s) that modifies the activity of the Autocrine system

An excellent, and mass publicized, example of a autocrine activity modifier is aspirin which temporarily disables the two enzymes COX-1 and COX-2 that are essential to the production of a number of the autocrine prostanoid hormones. The good news is that COX-2 repression quells inflammation (and thus helps protect against everything from cancer to arthritis) while COX-1 repression helps stop the production of thromboxanes, which otherwise promote (at times fatal) blood clotting. The bad news is that new study reviews are showing that the increase in bleeding related accidents by supplementing with aspirin makes it so that this practice in essence only makes sense for people who have already suffered from heart-related problems.

Examples of Autocrine hormones

Eicosanoids (“derive[d] from either omega-3 (ω-3) or omega-6 (ω-6) EFAs. The ω-6 eicosanoids are generally pro-inflammatory; ω-3′s are much less so [...] with effects on cardiovascular disease, triglycerides, blood pressure, and arthritis“) [source]

Cytokines (“[derived from] proteins, peptides, or glycoproteins. [They are] substances that are secreted by specific cells of the immune system [in the] general region of the pathogen infected cells, so other immune molecules which follow the signal will arrive at that site”) and they hold a (“possible role in [...] autoimmune disorders. Several inflammatory cytokines are induced by oxidant stress. The fact that cytokines, themselves trigger the release of other cytokines and lead also to increased oxidant stress, makes them important in chronic inflammatory disorders.”) [source]

Health Perspective

Omega 3 fatty acids are undeniably a very subtle, efficient and proven way of positively helping the autocrine system do its job. Also, should a pro-inflammatory cycle in the autocrine system already be present then a number of compounds, such as Turmeric (Curcumin), are perfectly able to help short-circuit the negative loop by manipulating the expression of inflammatory autocrine factors downwards.

Endocrine Hormone System

Human Endocrine Glands

The endocrine system is characterized by its use of the blood system as communication highway for all its hormonal activity. The system has its control unit in the form of the hypothalamus (located in the middle of the brain) which, via the pituitary gland (which is in direct control with the blood stream), links the endocrine system (7 hormonal glands) up with the nervous system. This system lends itself well to illustration so have a look at included image (modified CC licensed image from Wikipedia) for reference.

In essence the hypothalamus gets incoming data in the form of feedback (via both communication via the nervous system and by sampling the amount of hormones in the bloodstream) from another gland that says “enough” or “more” of a given hormone which it uses to regulate production.

Endocrine sets of hormones are often functioning in axis setups; a famous, and often felt, example is the hormonal glucagon-insulin axis. In order for people to be fully functional and awake these two hormones needs to be in balance within a relatively small window. Insulin drives blood glucose down while glucagon drives it up. If we eat moderate amounts of carbohydrate in conjunction with protein then the pancreas uses these two hormones to keep the blood-glucose level within a very tight window. Should we overeat carbohydrate then the blood-glucose will go up a lot, eventually causing a strong release of insulin to drive it back down, this time however, the pancreas will not be able to stop the falling blood-glucose levels because protein is required for glucagon synthesis – result is that we get sleepy after over-eating for example pasta (or drinking fizzy drinks). Since insulin disables use of stored glycogen as energy long term stressing of the pancreas insulin production is likely to cause combination of overweight and eventually diabetes due to falling production of insulin.

Example of compound(s) or drug(s) that modifies the activity of the Endocrine system

Iodine is essential for the production of thyroid hormone. “The thyroid controls how quickly the body burns energy, makes proteins, and controls how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.” Iodine deficiency can lead to “extreme fatigue, goitre, mental slowing, depression, weight gain, and low basal body temperatures.” which happens not just in developing countries but also in Europe: “In Germany it has been estimated to cause a billion dollars in health care costs per year.”) (sources 1 and 2)

Examples of Endocrine hormones

Growth hormone (GH) (Is a “protein-based poly-peptide hormone. It stimulates growth and cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals [.. and is secreted by the] pituitary gland.”) (source)

Pregnenolone (One of several pro-hormones that can undergo further steroid metabolism to be converted into a range of other hormones including the the axis hormones estrogen and progesterone as well as being a “precursor to testosterone and estrone“) (source)

Health Perspective

A re-occurring theme in the above information on the endocrine system has been the hormonal axes and how their maintainance of a fairly tight balance is of vital importance to health – it is worth understanding this process fully to aid this process through diet. After all imbalances can lead to diabetes which is actually being used as a accelerated model of aging. In essence minimizing excess blood glucose through dietary habits, along with exercise to promote healthy GH levels, will likely continue to be the most effective way to stabilize the endocrine system for years to come.

This particular hardware hack was performed using a modified edition of the so-called BSEL hack on the Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 processor that I got with the machine from Dell. Unfortunately only older guides for BSEL hacks seem to be floating about and most of them require use of conductive ink. Not so easy.

Basically after finding image on ocforums.com showing a 1066 MHz to 1333 MHz FSB hack performed by using tape I rejoiced; the worst thing that could possibly happen was a total Dell meltdown.

So I took the Vostro apart (they are by the way incredibly nicely build (and silent) machines) and put, I’m sorry but yes, ordinary-99-penny-postoffice-brown-tape over one of the pins on the bottom of the CPU. This tape was cut out to fit on a scientific scale by using a pair of kitchen scissors. See image.

Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 BSEL Overclock

Prime95 & Core Temp after 2hrs of stress testing

This worked when I put in back in the computer and actually allowed me to boot into Windows with a 3491.3 MHz (332.5 * 10.5) clock speed, so I decided to run a few benchmarks. First of all I did 2 hours of Prime95 stress testing (I know probably too little but the temp stabilized already after an hour so I’m not concerned) which worked flawlessly and only took the temp up to a max of 50c (measured with Core Temp) on one of the cores.

CPU-Z stats

Then, seeing as the temperature was stable and so forth I found it prudent to put some actual evidence up to suggest that this is not total bullcr*p, tada, enter CPU-Z verified overclock, or seeing as you may find me trustworthy anywho simply have a closer look at the image on the left.

As a final little prod to make it clear that this is absolutely all in all brilliant I took an extended screenshot from PerformanceTest (nice benchmark software from PassMark; they have free 30 day trial out and that should do fine if all you want to do is ascertain the awesomeness of your overclocking adventure). In order to view the image full resolution you’ll have to click it a few times to get the fullscreen version and then make sure your browser isn’t scaling it to see the neato details. One more thing: “This Computer” represents the 3.50 GHz overclock and the other two are simply in there for you to see that not only is the CPU at this speed about 15-20% faster than stock speed but it also about 15% faster than the much more expensive Core 2 Duo E8400 (!)

CPU PerformanceTest 7.0 Benchmark

What the above does not touch upon is the fact that the increased FSB (1066MHz to 1333MHz) has allowed everything from the (admittedly shitty) integrated graphics card to the RAM to run 10 to 15% faster. And it shows. Now.. about that solid state drive..

Grabbing color from video using freeware get.color

This little free application, get.color, allows you to get the html color code of the current pixel the mouse-cursor is hovering above by holding a selected hotkey pressed – simply double click the left mouse button to copy the html RGB color code into the clipboard (in the format of, for example, “#247ca4″ without the quotation marks). Perfect for use when designing webpages, copying stubborn colors between different Photoshop clones or the likes of it. See screenshots for examples of how it can grab color from webpage or indeed anything you have on your screen (video..etc. perhaps with the exception of DirectX games, I don’t game currently so can’t tell you, update: user-comment from Ekkoreverb suggests that it does not work and may indeed bring DirectX games down so guess its a no luck thing)

Taking color from webpage with get.color

The freeware app has no installer and can be manually placed in the Window’s “Startup” folder if you like. It starts a little color-pipette icon in the traymenu which you can rightclick to edit the config file or to shut it down. Also, the default hotkey is F2, simply hold it pressed to see get.color in action

You can download the archive from here:
get.color.zip (version:2009-08-29) (thanks to Citif.dk for hosting!)

Contents of archive must all be unzipped in same folder for the freeware utility to work. The software is provided as freeware if anyone should be seriously interested in improving upon it then I’ll be happy to Open Source it. Leave a comment on this posting if you’re interested in getting in contact about get.color

Ginkgo Biloba leafs

This post contains a wide range of links to informative pages concerning the effect of Ginkgo Biloba on the human organism. Headlines link to overview LEF.org articles on subject. Other links are all PubMed related.

Update (2009-06-25): It should be noted that the below summarized micro trials contrasts in bad way with the latest larger scale Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) Study that shows NO effect whatsoever on older individuals in regards to prevention of dementia and Alzheimer’s  disease. Still, it is worth noting that a European equivalent of the American GEM study is currently being conducted in France: the GuidAge study final results are set to come out in 2010. If a major difference is found this is probably down to the use of clinical grade EGb 761 in the French study versus the commercial grade Ginkgold Max (Nature’s Way) used in the American study. This posting will be updated when the results are out.

Anti-Aging Effects of Ginkgo Biloba

Excerpt: “A study published in 2003 concluded that ginkgo extract improves the general mental health and quality of life of elderly adults with normal cognitive function (Cieza A et al. Effects of Gink- go biloba on mental functioning in healthy volunteers. Arch Med Res. 2003 Sep;34(5):373-81.). Sixty-six healthy volunteers aged 50-65 participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that evaluated ginkgo extract’s effect on mental functioning. The participants took 240 mg of ginkgo extract or a placebo daily for four weeks. At baseline … the characteristics … in the placebo group and ginkgo extract group were similar … subjects who took ginkgo extract saw significant improvements in their self-perceived mental health and quality of life. Participants who took ginkgo extract performed markedly better on action and reaction tests, and also reported improved mood, providing further evidence of the efficacy of ginkgo extract.” Also: “…review underscores the potential benefits of Ginkgo biloba in cardiovascular diseases”[1]. Lastly, Ginkgo seems an overall neuroprotecter: “Substantial experimental evidence indicates that EGb761 has neuroprotective potency”[2]

Anti-arthritic behavior of Ginkgo Compounds

Excerpt: “Ginkgetin, a biflavone from Ginkgo biloba leaves, was previously reported to be a phospholipase A2 inhibitor and this compound showed the potent antiarthritic activity”[1]. Even better: “Ginkgetin (10-20 mg/kg/day) strongly reduced arthritic inflammation in an animal model of rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (86% inhibition at 16 days at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day) via intraperitoneal injection, while prednisolone (5 mg/kg/day) showed 79% reduction.”, ergo, it shows better result than the stuff people are injected with once it gets really bad (while at the same time, very unlike prednisolone, protecting cells in the rest of the organism)[2]. Of relative interest is also a study showing that Ginkgo works in concert with other NSAIDs: “Results suggest that GbE may be of clinical value as an anti inflammatory and analgesic drug alone or in conjunction with NSAIDs”[3]

Cognitive Enhancement

Excerpt: “… there is scientific support for memory enhancement even in young healthy people. Following just a single dose of 600 mg of ginkgo extract, a significant memory improvement was demonstrated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study using Sternberg’s memory scanning test. The effect lasted for several hours (Subhan et al. 1984). In [a] randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled crossover study, 31 volunteers aged 30-59 years were given multiple doses of 50 or 100 mg; a single dose of 120 or 300 mg; or placebo during the day of testing. A psychometric test battery was administered before the first dose and at frequent intervals during the day until 11 hours after the last dose … effect of ginkgo in healthy volunteers was most evident with the 120-mg dose; more apparent in the oldest age group of 50-59 years; and [most] pronounced for short-term memory … (Rigney et al. 1999).”

Extending Life Span with Ginkgo use

Excerpt: “An unexpected finding occurred in a study published in Physiology & Behavior (1998, Vol 63, No 3 pp-425-433). The study was designed to … assess cognitive function. What surprised the scientists, however, was the rats administered ginkgo lived a mean of 31 months compared to 26.4 months in the placebo group. In human equivalency terms, these results indicate that ginkgo could extend life span by 11 years. The scientists who conducted this study went into quite a bit of detail to explain why ginkgo may have produced this unexpected longevity benefit, and suggested that life span studies on ginkgo extract be initiated to confirm these initial results.”

That’s all. More Health Summary Postings are to follow and are to be updated on running basis as new findings come along.