, November 19, 2015
Daily Bafflements
The white coat may be losing favor as a symbol of the medical profession. / Donnie Ray Jones
• Wired reports on claims by the Tor Project, a free “onion routing” software for enabling anonymous communication online, that the FBI paid researchers at Carnegie Mellon University $1 million to hack its users aiding in an investigation which resulted in seventeen arrests. Carnegie Mellon denies the claims, saying the university complies with subpoenas, but does not receive compensation for providing such information.
• MIT has developed a Fitbit you can swallow.
• Many doctors are eschewing their white coats, believing the garments contribute to the spread of hospital-acquired infections, though traditionalists argue for the coat’s “cultural significance.” As the debate rages on, some hospitals are providing doctors with neoprene vests, “to address concerns about being cold and needing pockets.”
• Earlier this week, The Guardian reported on London’s Psychedelic Society, where attendees can learn how to find an ayahuasca ceremony on TripAdvisor. The society is part of a growing psychedelic movement in the UK and America, with an increasing number of churches and organizations where the drugs can be consumed legally. Just ask the participants.