[Barbaton]

On your RCC dude, do you think that was a de novo neoplasm given the genetic history, or an abnormally long presentation of a previous metastasis from the prostate tumor?

Given the presenting symptoms, why was it so long before they did the CT? At test-happy MGH that would have been that week...


What was wrong with your wrist, btw? Everything looked pretty normal to me other than some variance in the shape, but I don't know what to look for yet.

 

[Toshi]

did you look at the RCC thing this afternoon? i added a bunch of slides and, uh, changed the conclusion. hehe. worth revisiting if you saw the old version.

we don't think it's RCC. looks more hematopoetic, or possibly could be dedifferentiated carcinoma from his old prostate malignancy. he didn't get a CT immediately in the summer since a urinalysis turned up E. coli. they assumed the hematuria was from a urinary tract infection. (given that a CT has about a half percent lifetime risk of malignancy in itself avoiding them is prudent.)

wrist diagnosis: carpal bossing and osteophyte formation. they didn't speculate on why, but it's most likely due to chronic hyperextension due to my lax joints.

 

[Barbaton]

did you look at the RCC thing this afternoon? i added a bunch of slides and, uh, changed the conclusion. hehe. worth revisiting if you saw the old version.

we don't think it's RCC. looks more hematopoetic, or possibly could be dedifferentiated carcinoma from his old prostate malignancy. he didn't get a CT immediately in the summer since a urinalysis turned up E. coli. they assumed the hematuria was from a urinary tract infection. (given that a CT has about a half percent lifetime risk of malignancy in itself avoiding them is prudent.)

wrist diagnosis: carpal bossing and osteophyte formation. they didn't speculate on why, but it's most likely due to chronic hyperextension due to my lax joints.

I had seen the new version. I guess I missed the conclusion. Looked like you were debating between the two possibilities.

Is waiting on a CT in a 64yr old individual with a previous history of malignant carcinoma and typical symptoms of a kidney tumor prudent for a .005 risk? Strikes me that that trade-off would have been worth it to detect the tumor earlier.

 

[Toshi]

ya, the conclusion is that we're unsure

the dude had no B symptoms (fatigue, weight loss, night sweats) that would have been suggestive of malignancy. he just had hematuria. given his baseline functional status (status post total colectomy with an ileostomy) being conservative probably wasn't such a crazy idea.

 

[Toshi]

today we visited the heme-path people, and they think it's lymphoma...



on another note, alexis, i have another BTU/gas mileage back of napkin calculation for you to whip out

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196892

 

[Toshi]

after immunocytochemistry stains (special stains for markers specific to certain cell types) it looks like teh dude had B cell lymphoma.

Pan-keratin negative ==> not carcinoma, as this is an epithelioid marker

CD45 positive ==> lymphocyte of some kind, either B or T cell as both express this

CD3 negative ==> not a T cell lineage

CD20 positive ==> B cell is the winner

CD99 negative ==> not a primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), which also looks like small, blue cells on H&E stain

 

[Toshi]

I'm in Atlanta. Was here to retake step 2 Clinical Skills, the standardized patient test that I failed in July for not being warm and fuzzy enough. I also dined with the lovely odette yousef, undergrad buddy from hro turned NPR affiliate radiojournalist.


Now am headed to los cabos via phoenix to sail with the parents.

Atlanta is a weird place. I now grasp what tom Wolfe was writing about in "a man in full". There are many morbidly obese people here. It is like a heart attack waiting to happen. People also wear really garish clothes.

 

[Toshi]

am in cabo san lucas, posting via free wifi on my dad's laptop. we're going to be crew on one of two america's cup sailboats later today. i'll probably end up being a grinder (grindmonkey?) on a winch. don't know which one yet, but the vessel will be either the 1981 or 1982 new zealand contender... ATVed around on the beach yesterday, soaked in sun today. good times, and ATV-ride pics will be forthcoming next week in order to fulfill this thread's stated promise



newer boats than the ones we'll be on:

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

well, my first week at work (hehe, same dealership whhere i bought and take my car for service).
few interesting bits.

the shop part of the dealership around 95 mechanics, 20 mechanic bosses, 10 heads of service, 2 floor managers and one shop manager. the service shop is split in two, each with its own boss, secretaries and all. the body shop is whole different department (with its own 60 painters/body repairers plus administrative personel).

dealer sells about 20 cars a day, a car comes in for service every 4 minutes on average (not counting cars coming to the body shop which paints enough panels to paints the make equivalent of about 21-23 cars, a day).
its by appointment only, and right now the closest opening is 6 days from now.
hourly rate? a measly S/.119.78 + 19% sales tax.... thats about US$50 per hour per mechanic (thats about 1/3 of a month worth of minimal wage here ). its funny how much one week at this place has changed my view on the car world so much..... japanese efficiency is amazing.

bonus? next month i´ll get my camaro painted (there is friend of mine who has a 1972 challenger who might be convinced into selling it) there.
4 coats of primer, 6 coats of ppg color and 6 coats of clearcoat. god bless employee benefits!!!

 

[narlus]

am in cabo san lucas, posting via free wifi on my dad's laptop. w

that's funny that we were within 100km of each other; i was w/ my wife and kids visiting her uncle who lives in Todos Santos.

i had a great time, aside from the ~90 minutes described here:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=456623&highlight=:dead:

 

[Toshi]

yikes. makes me glad my camera doesn't have a replaceable focusing screen. wait, it doesn't.

heh


thad and keith, here's something that'd interest you: http://tinyurl.com/3bsmw7

CN: MRI-safe robot for neurosurgery. has haptic feedback on the controls, is said to be accurate to within 50 microns. i think this is the future of surgery, provided that the western world doesn't go bankrupt first.

(cabo and atlanta pics to come. eventually...)

 

[Toshi]

a few movies still pending, but here's the damage from my recent trips to atlanta (for step 2 CS) and to cabo (to sail with the parents).

hit up http://tjclark.ath.cx/ for full galleries. some highlights:

my undergrad buddy odette, now a radiojournalist at a npr affiliate in atlanta. apparently that's what an east asian studies degree at harvard is good for

my hairy mug in the same low light:

nice vista:

color at a timeshare pitch:

color on the marina

can you tell it never rains? (no windows)

out on the water. note the seal (?) posing on the small rock in the foreground

on ATVs:

 

[Toshi]

got some turns in today, but i think this may well be my last ski day of the season. it's starting to get warm, and while the resorts have sufficient snowpack the quality has taken a turn for the worse. today was hideous, east coast style...

 

[Toshi]

at long last the movies:

http://download.yousendit.com/E15EBB0F7AE07A10
http://download.yousendit.com/C1CED2AC3022BF12

one is of me trying to drift the ATV, and the other is of the nice, peaceful beach that we were riding on.

 

[Toshi]

the battle for supremacy in the car section of toshi's brain continues:

2009 VW Jetta Wagon 4Motion TDI. http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/03/geneva-preview-2009-volkswagen-golf.html

awd, low center of gravity, presumably offered with DSG... but get this: 38.6 mpg and a 3300 lb tow rating (!). 0-100 km/h in 12.9 seconds, so roughly as fast as my old 1996 nissan pathfinder.

i would SO rock this thing: slap some roof mounts on for skis, a hitch rack for bikes, and it'd be the ultimate road trip vehicle.

of course, it can be trumped: mercedes has some diesel-electric hybrid models coming out with Li-ion batteries. the S class diesel hybrid gets 43.6 mpg (no word on Imperial or US gallons), and the GLK diesel hybrid racks up "nearly 40 mpg", whatever that means.

http://news.windingroad.com/alternative-propulsion/hybrids/geneva-08-mercedes-benz-vision-glk-bluetec-hybrid/

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1460314

 

[Toshi]

this is cool:

http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=loc&addr=&zip=98115&search=Search

it shows you who has donated how much to which candidate, and you can search by name or by zip code among other fields.

my neighborhood's tally (seattle, WA 98115):

$14,008 to republicans
$141,334 to democrats

(my personal tally can be found by searching under my name, or under 97459, my official place of residence.)

 

[narlus]

this has a pretty awesome bokeh framing to it.

 

[Toshi]

thanks. i've certainly gotten my money's worth out of that 135/2L.

 

[Fool]

2009 VW Jetta Wagon 4Motion TDI. http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/03/geneva-preview-2009-volkswagen-golf.html

awd, low center of gravity, presumably offered with DSG... but get this: 38.6 mpg and a 3300 lb tow rating (!). 0-100 km/h in 12.9 seconds, so roughly as fast as my old 1996 nissan pathfinder.

i would SO rock this thing: slap some roof mounts on for skis, a hitch rack for bikes, and it'd be the ultimate road trip vehicle.

Nice. Throw in a stick and I'm all over it.

 

[Toshi]

[crossposted from the commuter thread but with more content here]

starting on wednesday i'll have horrifically long commute, 42.5 miles from my house to the childrens' hospital in tacoma. map of commute

i HATE commuting in traffic, not to mention the cost of driving that distance each day, so i'll be hopping on public transit as i am wont to do.

leave house at 4:50 AM, walk 0.3 mi to bus stop
catch bus to the downtown transit tunnel at 4:57 AM, arriving at 5:37 AM
walk 0.2 mi to the commuter rail station
catch 6:10 AM commuter rail to tacoma dome, arriving at 7:10 AM
catch free light rail from tacoma dome to downtown tacoma (runs every 20 minutes until 8 AM, then every 10 minutes)
walk ~1 mile to the hospital or hop a local bus, arriving before 8 in either case

leave house at 5:45 AM, walk 0.3 mi to bus stop
catch bus to the downtown transit tunnel at 5:55 AM, arriving at 6:29 AM
walk a block or two, catch a 6:38 AM commuter bus to tacoma, arriving in downtown at 7:38 AM
walk ~1 mile to the hospital or hop a local bus, arriving before 8 in either case

choices, choices... i think i'll end up taking the bus more often than not because of its superior schedule (i'm doing a reverse commute which means i only have one train time option), but would like to try out the commuter train, the sounder, out of principle.


below are some seattle area mass transit photos. metro transit = seattle and king county, community transit = seattle to points north outside of king county, sound transit = seattle to points south outside of king county. (tacoma is outside of king county.) thanks to my university affiliation i get a $45/quarter pass that's good on any of the above transit systems.

the sounder train, which shares tracks with amtrak:

double decker buses are being rolled out around seattle:

a greyhound-style commuter bus as is used on the tacoma-seattle routes:

an articulated diesel-electric hybrid bus as is found on most routes:

new "Tacoma Link" light rail trains that connect downtown Tacoma and the commuter rail/commuter bus station slightly outside of town:

final side note: both the Sounder commuter rail train and some articulated diesel commuter buses have free WiFi now... http://www.soundtransit.org/x6083.xml

 

[binary visions]

A whole new camera kit is on the way. Finally getting my DSLR and not having to give it back to its rightful owner at the end of the day.

I'm giddy with excitement

 

[Toshi]

A whole new camera kit is on the way. Finally getting my DSLR and not having to give it back to its rightful owner at the end of the day.

I'm giddy with excitement

ooh. canon? nikon? pentax? minolta? sony? leica?

 

[binary visions]

Nikon D300
Nikon 300mm f/4
Nikon 18-70 f/3.5-4.5
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro
Nikon 1.7x teleconverter

The only good part of having all my dad's cameras stolen

 

[Toshi]

awesome, you went to town. i expect much less chromatic aberration out of this setup

 

[binary visions]

Yeah, it's funny - the lenses my dad had were worth practically nothing on the market but they were all constant aperture lenses which are very difficult to find (at least in a non-pro grade lens) and replacement value is pretty high.

Original -> Replacement
200mm f/4 -> 300mm f/4
50mm f/1.4 -> 50mm f/1.4
24-70 f/3.5 -> 18-70 f/3.5-4.5
2.0x tcon -> 1.7x tcon

If it were my money I would have gotten a D80 and dropped the 50mm, probably the Tamron as well and replaced it with an extension tube... but it's not my money, so I didn't

 

[Toshi]

thought of the day:

what's the speed at which a given car achieves the best fuel economy? i read (speculation) once that suggested that the lowest speed in which the car could get into its top/longest gear would be ideal, so around 45 mph.

stemming from the above, is this speed different for different cars? furthermore, how does the economy drop off as speed rises?

for example, could it be possible that some cars cruise at 80 mph at close to their maximum efficiency while others fall flat on their faces over 60? how could this information be easily expressed? a chart with fuel economy at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 mph on flat ground, and the same at a 5% grade?

(i'm enough of a nerd that i started lugging my car more after figuring out how to read brake-specific fuel consumption charts. low rpm + medium-high load == max efficiency. an example is below.)

 

[Toshi]

a few interesting small and/or efficient cars from the Geneva auto show:

Kia Soul concepts

Volvo XC60, based off of the S40 platform (aka the Ford euro-Focus platform that the Mazda3 also calls home). will be available with two diesels in european spec, although whether they'll make it over to the US is up in the air.

Mazda2, which also has a diesel variant, and may make it to the US:

 

[Toshi]

and, finally, 3 cutaways of the GT-R:

http://news.windingroad.com/photo-gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=36605
http://news.windingroad.com/photo-gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=36602
http://news.windingroad.com/photo-gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=36589

(not inlined since they're 1024 px wide. small version below)

 

[narlus]

If it were my money I would have gotten a D80 and dropped the 50mm, probably the Tamron as well and replaced it with an extension tube... but it's not my money, so I didn't

confused...so is the stuff yours, or your dad's and you can use it?

either way, nice gear listing!

 

[binary visions]

confused...so is the stuff yours, or your dad's and you can use it?

either way, nice gear listing!

It was all of my dad's old Olympus gear, accumulated over probably the last 35-40 years. One of the cameras was in Vietnam with him.

He gave it all to me which is why I was bummed about losing it. So all of it, old and new, was/is mine.

I'll see how the 50mm works out, may end up with the Sigma 30mm instead but I had to be a little careful with the insurance since I didn't want to appear to be a scam artist and it was a couple hundred bucks more.

 

[Westy]

thought of the day:

what's the speed at which a given car achieves the best fuel economy? i read (speculation) once that suggested that the lowest speed in which the car could get into its top/longest gear would be ideal, so around 45 mph.

stemming from the above, is this speed different for different cars? furthermore, how does the economy drop off as speed rises?

for example, could it be possible that some cars cruise at 80 mph at close to their maximum efficiency while others fall flat on their faces over 60? how could this information be easily expressed? a chart with fuel economy at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 mph on flat ground, and the same at a 5% grade?

(i'm enough of a nerd that i started lugging my car more after figuring out how to read brake-specific fuel consumption charts. low rpm + medium-high load == max efficiency. an example is below.)

I seem to have convinced myself that I like my current situation of having two cars. One nice one, another for hauling dirty bikes, dirty dogs and well I am often dirty. Was thinking about selling the WRX and getting something cheaper like a beat up old pickup. Looking a little further into it if I can find an older used S10 or Ranger with a blown engine and a bit of work I could make an EV conversion for about $8K. With an effective range of 80 or so miles it could cover the majority of my trips and operating costs would be just a few cents per mile.

 

[narlus]

It was all of my dad's old Olympus gear, accumulated over probably the last 35-40 years. One of the cameras was in Vietnam with him.

He gave it all to me which is why I was bummed about losing it. So all of it, old and new, was/is mine.

I'll see how the 50mm works out, may end up with the Sigma 30mm instead but I had to be a little careful with the insurance since I didn't want to appear to be a scam artist and it was a couple hundred bucks more.

how'd you lose it? and why did you spec the D300?

i am sure you could sell a NIB D300 for close to retail value, if you wanted to get the D80 and more $ for lenses. the sigma 30 is a great lens on a cropper.

 

[Toshi]

I seem to have convinced myself that I like my current situation of having two cars. One nice one, another for hauling dirty bikes, dirty dogs and well I am often dirty. Was thinking about selling the WRX and getting something cheaper like a beat up old pickup. Looking a little further into it if I can find an older used S10 or Ranger with a blown engine and a bit of work I could make an EV conversion for about $8K. With an effective range of 80 or so miles it could cover the majority of my trips and operating costs would be just a few cents per mile.

why a pickup for the EV conversion? there's a geo metro EV conversion with batteries hanging down below the undercarriage running around my neighborhood...

 

[Westy]

why a pickup for the EV conversion? there's a geo metro EV conversion with batteries hanging down below the undercarriage running around my neighborhood...

There are a lot more older small pickups available than subcompacts, especially in this part of the country.

I would need something that can do 70 mph. Speed requires voltage which means more batteries. Mounting 10 batteries in a pickup is a no-brainer, much harder in a small car especially for someone with limited fabrication resources.

A transmission really isn't needed for an electric vehicle and just saps energy. Since the axle and differential is separate from the transmission in a RWD vehicle it can be removed and the motor connected directly to the drive shaft.

 

[Toshi]

fair enough. make sure to post your progress when/if you go ahead with that project.

i foresee biodiesel being a more practical option for me if i end up in the pac nw. there are a TON of places selling B20, B50, B99 out here.

www.pdxbiodiesel.org shows portland's strength in biodiesel stations, and seattle is equally, if not better, represented

 

[binary visions]

how'd you lose it? and why did you spec the D300?

It was stolen, along with a bunch of other stuff out of my house. Front door was kicked in.

D300 mostly because of the improved high ISO. I didn't really have a "budget" to work with, I had to replace things on a 1:1 basis so I couldn't just skimp on the body and buy an extra lens.

i am sure you could sell a NIB D300 for close to retail value, if you wanted to get the D80 and more $ for lenses. the sigma 30 is a great lens on a cropper.

I've definitely considered that. Most of the stuff arrives today - I will likely keep the D300, since this lens kit is pretty good and covers most of my immediate needs. The D300 has some advantages - the AF system since birds will be one of my chief targets, and the cleaner high ISO. It's certainly a little overkill, but I can grow into it.

We'll see when it gets here

 

[narlus]

It was stolen, along with a bunch of other stuff out of my house. Front door was kicked in.

damn, when did that happen? that suxors. what else did they steal?


by all accounts the D300 is a cracker of a camera, so i'd probably hang onto that and save for a lens.

 

[binary visions]

Every piece of electronics in the house. The TV, three digital cameras, two laptops, a desktop, my monitor, some misc. computer parts, a phone...

Most of it was replaceable. I lost a few months worth of pictures that were backed up on a secondary drive but had not made it onto DVD (I was at the end of a backup cycle), but most of the stuff didn't really have any sentimental attachment. Except my dad's camera equipment. Fortunately, they left Jenn's jewelery alone.

Happened a week from this past Friday.

 

[narlus]

wow, that really sucks. you getting a security system now? was it an isolated event, or where other houses nearby also struck?

thankfully (knock on wood) i've never had a residence broken into, just my car a couple of times.

 

[binary visions]

One other house was hit a couple months ago but nobody at the same time as we were. Security system is partly installed, I'll be finishing it up tonight... and we got a bunch of ADT stickers off eBay right when it happened, so hopefully that'll discourage any would-be robber. It'll make us a little more comfortable anyway.

Dresser drawers and such were all pulled out, and the other house that was hit a couple months ago had guns stolen, so that's probably what they were looking for. No prints, no witnesses... everyone was at work. Cop wasn't exactly optimistic about finding anything out.

Just did a little playing with the D300... it's a friggin' beast. Probably about as safe as carrying a baseball bat - anyone looks at you funny and you could take their head off.