7 Billion & Counting - interactive page so you can know your own number & where you fit in!

Think population of the world-ever wondered where you fit in?

All this recent media chatter about 7 billion people in the world this month is not wholly accurate: the window of uncertainty actually ranges from 6 months before the much-hyped 31st October date and for 6 months after.

However when even the United Nation's population expert (one Gerhard Heilig) suggests that the UN figures come with a 1-2% margin of error, the stats on this 7 billion figure can be taken with a grain or two of salt. The Vienna Institute of Demography suggests with a 95% probability that the figure will actually be reached between January & July 2012. This has not stopped the charity plan International from anointing a girl born predictably enough in india as the 7 bilionth! The varied form of birth data collection as well as accurate census information increases the uncertainty rather than offer any confirmation.

However, the hype has been sufficient for the BBC to have put out this interesting post with a calculation of anyone's own spuriously unique position in the story of human existance! As they state, the number of people on Planet Earth has more than doubled in the past 50 years, so be prepared to be surprised!

So click on, input your date of birth & accept your insignificant part in the human story!

What's your number? Calculate here using this link!

Rugby Players need their heads examined

A Scottish newspaper ran a story at the weekend that has echoes of the SPACE blog from mid-August:
http://theedinburghphysiospace.blogspot.com/2011/08/ex-players-sue-nfl-over-concussion.html

Here's the newspaper piece by journalist Tom English:
Scotland on Sunday newspaper article: Tom English 13/11/11

One of the key interviewees about this piece on rugby players whom had suffered concussion donating their brains post-mortem happens to be Dr Robert Cantu, whom sat with SPACE's own Stephen Mutch at a dinner in Banff in May. Interestingly this topic area was discussed, and this again discussed with the same journalist Tom English in Auckland in October when the story was mooted, & a promise to get in touch made by the journalist. 


Needless to say there has been zero effort on contact!  Yet the piece has run in the paper with a number of associated pieces. It is greatly positive that this area has been highlighted, which was part of the brief in the New Zealand discussions. 


Seems sensible that we have this brain bank offer made to sports other than American Football. 
What a pity the piece of journalism highlighting this issue is tainted a little-perhaps that's how it works with good ideas?