Random links

In Italy, so I've been a bit slow to update this lately. Here's a few random links that have cropped up in the meantime:

How Superbugs Will Affect Our Health Care Costs

"The superbugs have not only gotten bad fast--from "not really an issue" in 1980 to a major problem today--but they seem to be getting badder faster, as they merrily borrow resistance-conferring genes from each other. Researchers now say they're seeing resistance show up in the lab, before they even put the stuff into people." - some graphs charting the increasing levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria, and the implications of a world in which antibacterial drugs don't work.

The Amazing Condiment-Picking-Up Device Is More Than A Cool Video, It Could Actually Change The Way We Eat

"It's true--the video of Furukawakikou's new SWITL robotic hand scooping up ketchup and mayonnaise really does have to be seen to be believed. But just for that reason, we shouldn't undersell the teflon scoop's original use case: automating hand processes in a factory-scale Japanese bakery. " would be cool if they can get this artisanal style working at an industrial scale. The machine was made for that purpose - just not sure if the development has progressed to the point that such a thing is possible though.

Children on Medicaid Shown to Wait Longer for Care

The impact of red-tape and lower payments for Medicaid patients: "Sixty-six percent of those who mentioned Medicaid-CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) were denied appointments, compared with 11 percent who said they had private insurance, according to an article being published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine. In 89 clinics that accepted both kinds of patients, the waiting time for callers who said they had Medicaid was an average of 22 days longer."

Young adults feel empowered by debt

The byline: "Carrying a lot of credit card and student loan debt sadly raises the self-esteem of young people. The glow fades at age 28."