/spadassin/

Archaeologists get a glimpse of life in a Sahara Eden - Los Angeles Times

2008-08-15T11:49:00.001-04:00

Archaeologists get a glimpse of life in a Sahara Eden - Los Angeles Times:

A chance discovery by a team of American scientists has led to the
unearthing of a Stone Age cemetery that is providing the first glimpses
of what life was like during the still-mysterious period when monsoons
brought rain to the desert and created the "green Sahara."

The
more than 200 graves that have been explored so far indicate that,
beginning 10,000 years ago, two populations lived on the shores of a
massive lake, separated by a 1,000-year period during which the lake
dried up.

Rebirth of State Capitalism?

2008-08-08T10:19:00.000-04:00

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/democracy_a_flickering_star.html

Democratic capitalism, it would appear, now has a great new rival -- autocratic capitalism. In Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, nations are beginning to imitate the autocrats of China and Russia, even as some in the 1930s sought to ape fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.

Complete Neanderthal Mitochondrial Genome Mapped : Discovery Channel

2008-08-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

Complete Neanderthal Mitochondrial Genome Mapped : Discovery Channel: "The remarkable feat, which has led to at least three major discoveries about the extinct stocky European individuals, represents a breakthrough for studies on the human family."

Clean Break :: GE demonstrates roll-to-roll organic LED manufacturing

2008-03-19T15:34:00.000-04:00

Another advance on the road to cheap, effective, and efficient power and lighting. What's interesting is that the technology can also be used on other things like solar power or displays.

Clean Break :: GE demonstrates roll-to-roll organic LED manufacturing

AFP: Famed geneticist creating life form that turns CO2 to fuel

2008-02-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

Craig Venter is working on developing bacteria that can generate fuel from waste products. If he pulls it off, it could be a major step in biofuel technology and achieving energy independence.

AFP: Famed geneticist creating life form that turns CO2 to fuel: "'We have 20 million genes which I call the design components of the future,' Venter said. 'We are limited here only by our imagination.'"

Solar Power to Rule in 20 Years, Futurists Say | LiveScience

2008-02-20T11:18:00.000-05:00

Recent developments in the technology, such as the panels produced by Nanosolar and other research lead me to think that this may well be true:

Solar Power to Rule in 20 Years, Futurists Say | LiveScience

Iran fires rocket 'into space', plans satellite for '09 | The Register

2008-02-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

Iran's announcements of scientific and technical achievement should be taken with a grain of salt, but if true this is a sign that space is within reach of more and more countries:

Iran fires rocket 'into space', plans satellite for '09 | The Register: "The Islamic Republic of Iran announced yesterday that it had fired a rocket 'into space' and transmitted footage of the launch on state media. The move drew instant condemnation from the Bush administration in America."

Good news for shoe lovers

2008-02-04T15:27:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Health | High heels 'may improve sex life': "Wearing higher heels - although perhaps not stilettos - may improve your pelvic floor muscles and in doing so boost your sex life, a study suggests."

Navy Tests Incredible Sci-Fi Weapon | LiveScience

2008-02-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

I feel vindicated for all those hours I spent playing BattleTech:

Navy Tests Incredible Sci-Fi Weapon | LiveScience: "The U.S. Navy yesterday test fired an incredibly powerful new big gun designed to replace conventional weaponry aboard ships. Sci-fi fans will recognize its awesome power and futuristic technology."

One Common Ancestor Behind Blue Eyes | LiveScience

2008-01-31T13:30:00.000-05:00

A neat bit of genetic archeology -- it would seem that all of us with blue eyes had a common ancestor 6 to 10 thousand years ago.

One Common Ancestor Behind Blue Eyes | LiveScience

Maverick scientists 'could use stem cells to create humans' - Telegraph

2008-01-31T13:11:00.000-05:00

This raises some interesting possibilities for treating infertility as well as allowing same sex couples to have children genetically related to both of them:

Maverick scientists 'could use stem cells to create humans' - Telegraph: "Babies with just one biological parent could be produced by creating stem cells without using embryos, the pioneer of the technique fears."

Ancient bones suggest cavemen wore boots - being-human - 27 January 2008 - New Scientist

2008-01-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

Something I wouldn't have even thought to look at -- by looking at toe sizes, it seems that people 40,000 years ago wore some sort of shoe or boot.

Ancient bones suggest cavemen wore boots - being-human - 27 January 2008 - New Scientist

NOAA: Warmed Global Oceans Produce Less Atlantic Hurricanes

2008-01-26T08:55:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like the waters are muddied a little more. The NOAA has some new research that would seem to indicate that increased ocean temperatures would mean fewer storms in the Atlantic, rather than the more and larger that had been predicted earlier. This underscores that there needs to be a lot more research done before we have any idea how the climate works.

DailyTech - NOAA: Warmed Global Oceans Produce Less Atlantic Hurricanes: "While opposing factions wage war over global warming and what calamities it might bring upon the earth, research by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on ocean temperature and land-falling hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean seems to indicate that a globally warmer ocean may actually produce fewer killer storms."

Discovery News : Discovery Channel

2008-01-24T20:18:00.000-05:00

This is a major discovery that blurs the line between biotechnology and nanotechnology:

Discovery News : Discovery Channel: "The move, which comes after five years of research, is seen as the penultimate stage in the endeavor to create an artificial life form based entirely on a man-made DNA genome -- something which has tantalized scientists and sci-fi writers for years."

The possibility, indeed the probability, of artificial life could open up entirely new technological avenues from designer bacteria and viruses to new symbiotic organisms to living microscopic computers.

First look at SpaceShipTwo - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com

2008-01-23T15:05:00.000-05:00

First look at SpaceShipTwo - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com: "Virgin Galactic

An artist's conception shows the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane.

The new designs for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane and WhiteKnightTwo mothership were unveiled in New York today, and they include some unexpected twists. In fact, you could be excused if you think you're seeing double, or even triple."

A very nice looking spacecraft. I'll be excited to see it in action...

New Rocket Has Problem With Vibration - New York Times

2008-01-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

Some of the problems NASA is running into with the new Ares line of rockets:

New Rocket Has Problem With Vibration - New York Times: "Engineers are concerned that a new rocket, the Ares I, which will replace the space shuttle and send astronauts on their way to the moon, could shake violently during the first minutes of flight."

Electronic Contact Lenses for Better Vision - Medgadget - www.medgadget.com

2008-01-18T12:01:00.000-05:00

Another step from science fiction to reality - soon we could have computer displays printed on contact lenses, allowing a HUD type interface layered over the real world without any bulky equipment.

Electronic Contact Lenses for Better Vision - Medgadget - www.medgadget.com: "Researchers at the University of Washington managed to embed an electronic circuit and LEDs directly into contact lenses, which seemed to look good on rabbit eyes. Though the circuit is not functional and the lights don't light up, the development shows that future applications like direct video to the eye may indeed be possible."

Early settlers drained marshy US landscape - earth - 17 January 2008 - New Scientist Environment

2008-01-17T19:41:00.000-05:00

New Scientist has article about how our idea of the "natural" landscape of eastern North America may be radically wrong

Early settlers drained marshy US landscape - earth - 17 January 2008 - New Scientist Environment: "Standard notions of the 'natural' eastern US landscape with its meandering ribbon-like streams may be misguided, suggests historical research."

This is part of growing historical evidence that both early settlers and Native Americans made drastic alterations to the natural landscape of North America. However, due to a quirk of how history is recorded, our ideas of what the "untouched" natural environment is are only what happened to be the conditions when the first literary evidence was recorded.

I guess everything is on YouTube now.

2008-01-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

If you're a criminal, don't make YouTube videos of yourself taunting police:

ABC News: YouTube Taunt Brings Gangster Takedown: "Two alleged gang members who taunted the Miami Dade Police Department in a video posted on YouTube have been arrested by U.S. agents and charged with federal firearms violations."

Monkey Brains In U.S. Make Robot Walk In Japan -- Robots -- InformationWeek

2008-01-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

Oh Brave New World:

Monkey Brains In U.S. Make Robot Walk In Japan -- Robots -- InformationWeek: "Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have used a monkey's brain activity to control a robot on the other side of the globe. In what researchers tout as a first-of-its-kind experiment, monkeys' thoughts controlled the walking patterns of a robot in Japan."

If it can be modified for humans, it will greatly expand the possibilities of telepresence.

Just imagine the size of the cats

2008-01-16T15:46:00.000-05:00

The Associated Press: Scientists Discover Huge Extinct Rodent: "A herbivore, the beast may have been a contemporary — and possibly prey — of saber-toothed cats in a prehistoric version of Tom and Jerry."

Women overtaking men in college degrees

2008-01-15T15:17:00.000-05:00

Reason Magazine - The Coming American Matriarchy: "According to projections by the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2017 half again as many women as men will earn bachelor's degrees. In the early 1990s, six women graduated from college for every five men who did so; today, the ratio is about 4-to-3. A decade from now, it will be 3-to-2—and rising, on current trends."

Big Brain Theory: Have Cosmologists Lost Theirs? - New York Times

2008-01-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

"Boltzmann's Brain", a scientific version of solipsism:

Big Brain Theory: Have Cosmologists Lost Theirs? - New York Times: "If true, it would mean that you yourself reading this article are more likely to be some momentary fluctuation in a field of matter and energy out in space than a person with a real past born through billions of years of evolution in an orderly star-spangled cosmos. Your memories and the world you think you see around you are illusions."

It's an interesting idea, basically given random fluctuations and cycles of creations in a multiverse, it's more likely that what we perceive as an entire universe is just an illusion than that an entire universe exists.

FDA Says Clones Are Safe For Food - washingtonpost.com

2008-01-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

Another victory for science and common sense over the precautionary principle and fear mongering:

FDA Says Clones Are Safe For Food - washingtonpost.com: "A long-awaited final report from the Food and Drug Administration concludes that foods from healthy cloned animals and their offspring are as safe as those from ordinary animals, effectively removing the last U.S. regulatory barrier to the marketing of meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs and goats."

This should lead to better control of food production, and higher yields in the future.

Toyota Will Offer a Plug-In Hybrid by 2010 - New York Times

2008-01-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

Good news on the techno-green front:

Toyota Will Offer a Plug-In Hybrid by 2010 - New York Times:
"The move puts Toyota in direct competition with General Motors, which has announced plans to sell its own plug-in hybrid vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, sometime around 2010."

This is another good step toward reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Let's hope that it isn't just vaporware and that the resulting cars are affordable.

Today's Mercury Flyby To Be the First Since 1974 - washingtonpost.com

2008-01-14T09:32:00.000-05:00

Keep an eye on this story:

Today's Mercury Flyby To Be the First Since 1974 - washingtonpost.com

Technology has advanced a lot since the 70s, so we may find out a lot of new things about Mercury.

World's cheapest car in India

2008-01-10T09:21:00.000-05:00

Tata Motors, an Indian company, has begun producing the word's cheapest car:

Tata Motors has unveiled the world's cheapest motor car at India's biggest car show in the capital, Delhi.
The vehicle, called the Tata Nano, will sell for 100,000 rupees or $2,500 (£1,277) and enable those in developing countries to move to four wheels.

It's a tiny car with none of the modern features like power windows or steering, or air conditioning. But it does get 50mpg and can seat an entire family, making it a vast improvement over what many have had to live with. It should help make vehicle ownership more affordable for millions.

Scientists Use Sunlight to Make Fuel From CO2

2008-01-05T12:49:00.000-05:00

Another innovative approach to alternative energy, though unfortunately a decade or more away:

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/01/S2P

Being able to convert other types of carbon molecules into hydrocarbons would essentially give us the ability to undo the past century of fossil fuel use.

Electricity shops in Sierra Leone

2007-12-27T17:23:00.000-05:00

Sierra Leone's Electricity Shortage Charges Up Young Entrepreneurs

A nice look at the entrepreneurial answer to electricity shortages in Sierra Leone. To combat unemployment and lackluster public services a number of young men have set up small shops offering services such as cell phone charging or video games run off of small portable generators.

It doesn't pay to be too masculine

2007-08-24T10:23:00.000-04:00

Researchers at Universities of St Andrews and Durham have found that men with more feminine features are judged to be better potential fathers and husbands:

Women see 'masculine' men as unsuitable long-term partners, according to new research from the Universities of St Andrews and Durham.

Conversely, the psychologists found that men with feminine facial features are seen as more committed and less likely to cheat on their partners.

Men with masculine faces, with features such as a square jaw, larger nose and smaller eyes, were classed as significantly more dominant, less faithful and made worse parents than feminine-featured males. They were also thought to have personalities that were less warm when compared to their `feminine' counterparts, who had finer facial features with fuller lips, wide eyes and thinner, more curved eyebrows. The scientists say it gives further insight into what people see in others when choosing potential partners.

Full article here.

Sailing the seas of Mars

2007-06-14T13:09:00.000-04:00

Based on evidence of ancient shorelines, it looks like Mars may have had large oceans at one point in its history. The oceans would have been there over a billion years ago, so it's unlikely there was any life in them.

Mystery Solved: Mars Had Large Oceans - Yahoo! News

Women Prefer Men Who Look Like Dad | LiveScience

2007-06-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

A recent study finds that women who had a good relationship with their dads prefer men who resemble their dads, while women who had a bad relationship, or little contact, dislike men who look like their dads.

Women Prefer Men Who Look Like Dad | LiveScience

Letters Reveal Young Darwin Had Stinky Feet | LiveScience

2007-05-17T18:30:00.000-04:00

An amusing factoid they don't teach you in school:

Letters Reveal Young Darwin Had Stinky Feet | LiveScience

The face, not the body, attracts a mate - sex - 13 May 2007 - New Scientist

2007-05-13T09:52:00.000-04:00

Looks like men aren't quite as shallow as everyone thinks:

The face, not the body, attracts a mate - sex - 13 May 2007 - New Scientist

The Desktop Factory - Popular Science

2007-05-11T15:53:00.000-04:00

An interesting interview with Hod Lipson, one of the founders of Fab@Home on the possibilities of home "fabbers". I'd really like to see this technolgy develop in the way he suggests, it could be the start of a new Boutique Economy to replace the Information Economy.

The Desktop Factory - Popular Science

Climate Change, Not Humans, Trounced Neanderthals

2007-05-06T00:42:00.000-04:00

Looks like climate change was a problem for other hominids as well. Should have signed Kyoto, I guess.

LiveScience.com - Climate Change, Not Humans, Trounced Neanderthals

Mouse brain simulated on computer

2007-04-27T23:48:00.000-04:00

The first steps have been taken toward digitized human minds: a simulation of neurons roughly as complex as a mouse brain has been run on a computer. It was only run briefly, and at a speed 10x slower than real time, but it's a start. Progress in computing speed will soon allow realtime simulations, or faster.

The next step is finding a way to map an existing brain, and duplicating it in a simulation.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Mouse brain simulated on computer

Purple Earth!

2007-04-11T10:47:00.000-04:00

An interesting theory on early photosynthetic organisms on Earth. It seems that early microbes may have used retinal to absorb solar energy, giving them a purple hue rather than a green one. Ultimately, chlorophyll was more efficient though more difficult to produce, leading to it becoming the energy source of all plants today.

It's a good thing to keep things like this in mind when searching for extra solar planets with life on them. Our sun made chlorophyll more efficient, but a star with different properties may make retinal dominant.

LiveScience.com - Early Earth Was Purple, Study Suggests

Alien worlds may come in pretty colors...

2007-04-11T10:42:00.000-04:00

Some interesting thoughts on how plant life on other planets might appear, given the different spectrum of other stars.

For plants on alien worlds, it isn't easy being green - space - 11 April 2007 - New Scientist Space

Hip E-mail Addresses Bad for Resumes

2007-04-10T09:58:00.000-04:00

Looks like a recent study has confirmed what those working in HR have known all along: get a professional looking email address to put on your resume!

LiveScience.com - Hip E-mail Addresses Bad for Resumes

SpaceX Succeeds - Sort of..

2007-03-21T09:25:00.000-04:00

It looks like SpaceX's second attempt to launch it's Falcon 1 rocket was a success today - almost. While the rocket did successfully launch, they lost contact with it during the second stage, prior to reaching LEO. This is still good news for the company, as their first launch failed on the launch pad a year ago. The price tag of $7 million per launch makes them a very affordable alternative to other launching services, and potentially allows them to work with NASA to service the ISS.

Falcon flies to space but misses orbit

Good news for terraformers

2007-03-16T12:01:00.000-04:00

ESA's Mars Express probe has massive ice depostits on Mars's south pole, up to 2.3 miles thick. This is good news for those who hope to one day set up bases on the planet, and eventually colonize it.

Huge ice deposits cover sou Save as Draft th pole of Mars - CNN.com

Probe spots seas on Saturn's moon Titan - CNN.com

2007-03-14T11:45:00.000-04:00

It looks like images sent back by Cassini have revealed natural gas seas on Titan. They've been theorized for along time, but this is the first definitive proof.

Probe spots seas on Saturn's moon Titan - CNN.com

The real Sparta

2007-03-12T21:42:00.000-04:00

This article is a good comparison of Spartan society as depicted in "300" to our actual historic knowledge of the city-state.

While I loved the movie, I did get a chuckle out of Sparta cast in the role of defender of democracy and western values. While that was the long term effect of the Battle of Thermopylae, it was more of an accident than any intentional desire of Sparta -- it bought time for the Athenians to evacuate and for their fleet to regroup and destroy the Persians at Salamis.

Sparta practiced ruthless eugenics, had an economy devoted to the single purpose of training elite soldiers, and had a secret police that waged perpetual war on their hundreds of thousands of serfs via teenage military trainees sent out to fend for themselves and kill any serfs they came across.

LiveScience.com - Sparta, Spandex and Disturbing Distortions of '300'

So what excuse do men have?

2007-03-09T14:43:00.000-05:00

Scientists discover the cause of most of Mankind's woes:

LiveScience.com - Study: Genes Make Women Cranky

No Comment

2007-03-08T09:40:00.000-05:00

LiveScience.com - Gorillas Gave Humans 'The Crabs'

Friendship & Gender

2007-03-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

A new study on friendship and gender:

A four-year study by sociologists at The University of Manchester has found that women are much more likely than men to make deep and lasting friendships.

The investigation into social networks by the University’s Research Centre for Socio-Cultural Change found that men are more fickle and calculating about who they should be friends with.
Women on the other hand, stand by their friends through thick and thin.

ScienceDaily: Women Are Best At Being Buddies

The new Final Frontier

2007-03-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

Wired.com has an article up about the potential new industry of undersea mining. It looks like technology is reaching a point where tapping major deposits on the ocean floor is economically viable.

Wired 15.03: Race to the Bottom

The Origin of Species

2007-03-05T14:36:00.000-05:00

LibriVox has Darwin's Origin of Species in free downloadable audio formats -- all 24 hours of it...

LibriVox » The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

Evolution and Religion

2007-03-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

The New York Times magazine has a story up this week about research into the origins of religious belief. I think there's good evidence that humans are genetically predisposed toward the supernatural. Perhaps not a monotheistic god in heaven per se, but all of us have a touch of animism. We may just call it luck or fortune, or we may have a sense of there being a purpose to the world beyond us. The universe is a big place, and ascribing human or at least giving it anima helps us deal with what would otherwise be cold equations.

Evolution and Religion - Darwin’s God - Robin Marantz Henig - New York Times

Lunar eclipse on Saturday night

2007-03-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

Saturday beginning at 3:18pm and reaching totality at 5:44pm (ET) the moon will undergo the first total eclipse in nearly three years.

If you're outside tomorrow afternoon or evening, look up.

SPACE.com -- Saturday Night Special: Easy-to-Watch Lunar Eclipse

Pre-columbian solar temple

2007-03-01T15:44:00.000-05:00

A nice pic of a 2300 year old observatory in Peru:

SPACE.com -- Ancient Solar Observatory Discovered

Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy: The Greatest Generation Gap Since Rock and Roll -- New York Magazine

2007-03-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

New York Magazine has an interesting article on the "new generation gap", highlighting the different behavior online between those younger than 25 or so and those old.

Old news for most members of said younger generation, but interesting.

Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy: The Greatest Generation Gap Since Rock and Roll -- New York Magazine

No great surprise here

2007-03-01T09:25:00.000-05:00

A recent study has found that people see what thier beliefs make them want to see:

LiveScience.com - The Rich See What They Believe

The things scientists will do with grant money...

2007-02-28T15:40:00.000-05:00

Bigger is better, if you're a mouse:

LiveScience.com - Longer Penises Give Rodents Mating Advantage

HPV Infection Common Among American Females

2007-02-28T13:14:00.000-05:00

I know I'm a bit paranoid about disease in general, but I found the results of this study to be rather alarming. It seems that 1/4th of American women have an HPV infection. Hopefully this research will boost efforts to have the vaccine a standard part of those given to children.

ScienceDaily: HPV Infection Common Among American Females

Inching ever closer to home fabrication

2007-02-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

ScienceDaily reports on recent progress toward making a home "fabber", or computer controlled 3d printer that could be used for home manufacturing. This is definitely a technology worth keeping an eye on, if it ever matures it will completely revolutionize the economy and society.

ScienceDaily: Open-source Replicator? Home-built 3-D Printer Could Launch A Revolution, Engineers Say

Chimps Make Weapons to Hunt, Scientists Say - AOL News

2007-02-23T10:31:00.000-05:00

One of the more interesting new discoveries about chimps is that they appear to use spears to hunt for smaller primates. This comes on top of earlier discoveries that some groups use stones for cracking nuts.

This would seem to indicate that tool using in hominids goes back much further than though, possibly before the homo genus. Unfortunately, there's no chance of simple wooden spears like those the chimpanzees make lasting millions of years, so we may never know for certain.

Top News- Chimps Make Weapons to Hunt, Scientists Say - AOL News

Inkjet Technology For Organ Printing

2007-02-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

It looks like organ printing inches even closer to being a viable medical technolgoy. I fully expect by the time I'm elderly to be able to get replacement organs this way.

"The breakthrough with this technology is that cells now can be precision-placed virtually instantaneously with the materials that make up a scaffold to hold the cells in place," Boland said. Precision placement of the cells is achieved by filling an empty inkjet cartridge with a hydrogel solution (a material that has properties similar to tissue) and another inkjet cartridge with cells. The printing is accomplished much in the way that color photographs are made, activating alternatively the hydrogel and cell nozzles.

ScienceDaily: Inkjet Technology For Organ Printing

Scientists develop portable generator that turns trash into electricity

2007-02-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

An interesting new prototype from Purdue:

A group of scientists have created a portable refinery that efficiently converts food, paper and plastic trash into electricity. The machine, designed for the U.S. military, would allow soldiers in the field to convert waste into power and could have widespread civilian applications in the future.

Scientists develop portable generator that turns trash into electricity

Besides the military uses mentioned, this could be very useful at large institutions such as schools and prisons. Even home use, if there's a lot of waste.

Boston officials play CYA

2007-02-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

It looks like the officialdom of Boston are continuing to overreact, and in the process making them and their city look like even bigger idiots...

Two held after ad campaign triggers Boston bomb scare - CNN.com

Chavez proclaimed Augustus...

2007-01-31T15:39:00.000-05:00

Chavez gets powers to rule by decree | Top News | Reuters.com:

"Venezuela's Congress on Wednesday granted President Hugo Chavez powers to rule by decree for 18 months as he tries to force through nationalizations key to his self-styled leftist revolution."

Super Soldiers: Tomorrow's 'Army of One' Technology

2007-01-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

Looks like a lot of developments are underway in military hardware for soldiers. It will be interesting to see how they work in the field, and if they prove as revolutionary as smart bombs and stealth weapons have.

SPACE.com -- Super Soldiers: Tomorrow's 'Army of One' Technology

$100 laptop project launches 2007

2007-01-02T22:15:00.000-05:00

It looks like the OLPC is actually being produced, and will be available this year. I was skeptical from the start, but it looks like I was wrong. Let's hope the laptop actually helps kids learn, and isn't another waste of money like so many things billed as a solution to education woes.

BBC NEWS | Technology | $100 laptop project launches 2007

Sic semper tyrannis

2006-12-29T22:24:00.000-05:00

Hussein was symbol of autocracy, cruelty in Iraq - CNN.com

Photos show evidence of recent water on Mars - CNN.com

2006-12-06T16:07:00.000-05:00

Looks like the rumors are correct:

Photos show evidence of recent water on Mars - CNN.com

This bodes well for future Mars missions, especially manned ones and long term bases.

NASA Schedules Briefing to Announce Significant Find on Mars

2006-12-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

There's some buzz being generated about a press conference NASA has planned for Wednesday. A good number of people are speculating that they might have evidence of water on the surface of Mars...

NASA - NASA Schedules Briefing to Announce Significant Find on Mars

Reason Magazine - Brother, Can You Spare 22 Terawatts?

2006-11-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

An interesting article on how daunting it may be to meet the energy demands of a fully developed world. I think the analysis is good, but flawed in assuming no improvements to efficiency or other technologies.

Nocera calculates that if 9 billion people in 2050 used energy at the rate that Americans do today that the world would have to generate 102.2 TW of powerÂmore than seven times current production. If people adopted the energy lifestyle of Western Europe, power production would need to rise to 45.5 terawatts.

Reason Magazine - Brother, Can You Spare 22 Terawatts?

Boehner, Blunt re-elected as House leaders | Top News | Reuters.com

2006-11-17T16:00:00.000-05:00

Not really major news, I just think the headline is really funny.

Boehner, Blunt re-elected as House leaders | Top News | Reuters.com: "Boehner, Blunt re-elected as House leaders"

Private Texas spaceport launches test rocket - CNN.com

2006-11-14T12:02:00.000-05:00

Looks like the ever mysterious Blue Origin is testing rockets out in Texas:

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- A remote West Texas spaceport being built and bankrolled by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos launched a test rocket Monday for the first time.

"There was a launch, a one- or two-minute event," Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said from the agency's office in Oklahoma City. He had no details.

The exact nature of the 6:30 a.m. launch or the type of spacecraft was not immediately known.

A Houston-based spokesman for Blue Origin, the Bezos-owned firm developing the private commercial space venture, did not immediately respond to a telephone inquiry from The Associated Press.

Private Texas spaceport launches test rocket - CNN.com

2006-11-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Looks like the ever mysterious Blue Origin is testing rockets out in Texas:

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- A remote West Texas spaceport being built and bankrolled by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos launched a test rocket Monday for the first time.

"There was a launch, a one- or two-minute event," Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig said from the agency's office in Oklahoma City. He had no details.

The exact nature of the 6:30 a.m. launch or the type of spacecraft was not immediately known.

A Houston-based spokesman for Blue Origin, the Bezos-owned firm developing the private commercial space venture, did not immediately respond to a telephone inquiry from The Associated Press.

Private Texas spaceport launches test rocket - CNN.com

SPACE.com -- Freak One-Eyed Monster Storm Spotted on Saturn

2006-11-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

A freaky storm two-thirds the diameter of Earth and unlike anything ever seen has been spotted on Saturn.

The tempest, some 5,000 miles wide (8,000 kilometers), has an oddly human-looking hurricane-like eye [image]. But it is very different from a terrestrial hurricane, scientists said today.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft photographed the huge storm. It swirls with 350 mph winds at the ringed planet's south pole. It has a remarkably well-defined eye ringed by clouds that soar 20 to 45 miles high (30 to 75 kilometers), or up to five times taller than hurricane clouds on Earth.

SPACE.com -- Freak One-Eyed Monster Storm Spotted on Saturn

An MIT physicist sees future of tech: personal fabricators - November 13, 2006

2006-11-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

An interesting article on the coming revolution in on demand personal manufacturing:

According to MIT's Neil Gershenfeld, the digital revolution is over, and the good guys won. The next big change will be about manufacturing. Anyone with a PC will be able to build anything just by hitting 'print.'

An MIT physicist sees future of tech: personal fabricators - November 13, 2006

2006-10-31T14:26:00.000-05:00

Japanese Robot

Anti-U.S. Attack Videos Spread on the Internet - New York Times

2006-10-06T13:20:00.000-04:00

I support our troops, but i think it's important to avoid censorship and to provide these sort of videos and images to the public. It's good for people to know what's going on in Iraq, even if some of it is propaganda.

Housing burden rising across America

2006-10-03T11:06:00.000-04:00

American families across the nation are paying an increasingly large portion of their incomes on housing, putting a squeeze on household budgets, according to a published report.
The New York Times, in an analysis of data from the Census Bureau, reports that there has been an increase in the percentage of both home owners and renters who are paying at least 30 percent of their gross income on housing - a level that is widely seen as a limit of affordability.

This is certainly true in my case -- a quick calculation shows that I pay about 37% of my income on housing costs. Part of that is utilities added into the rent, but I know how the crunch feels.

Life Is Better; It Isn’t Better. Which Is It? - New York Times

2006-09-21T10:58:00.000-04:00

NYT has an interesting article on the debate over whether we're better off now than we were in the past, despite official numbers that show very little gain in incomes for middle class Americans.

I've long thought there was something wrong with the official figures, which fail to take into account the vastly better quality of life and technological improvements. I'd much rather be here and now than in the supposed glory days of the late 70s.

Life Is Better; It Isn’t Better. Which Is It? - New York Times

Wal-Mart to offer $4 generic prescription drugs - Sep. 21, 2006

2006-09-21T10:52:00.000-04:00

Generic drugs getting cheaper at Wal-Mart - Wal-Mart announced Thursday that it is testing a program in Florida to sell about 300 generic prescription drugs for as low as $4 for a 30-day supply.The world's largest retailer said the program, to be launched on Friday, will be available to customers and employees of 65 Wal-Mart stores, Wal-Mart neighborhood market stores and Sam's Club pharmacies in the Tampa Bay, Fla., area, and will be expanded to the entire state in January 2007.

Eris -- the almost planet

2006-09-14T21:47:00.000-04:00

It looks like the dwarf planet that caused the recent controversy over what makes a planet a planet has been given a name -- Eris, appropriately named after the goddess of Strife and Discord. Somewhat larger than Pluto, the dwarf planet formerly known as "Xena" raised concern that there could be potentially hundreds of other planet in the outer solar system.

After debating back and forth, and at one point defining everything larger than Ceres as a planet, astronmers settled on a definition that demoted Pluto and shut the door on planet Eris (and Ceres).

So long planet Eris, we barely knew you.

California politics, what more is there to say?

2006-09-07T10:31:00.000-04:00

August 24, 2006, Sacramento, California.

Introduced by Assembly Members Richman and Canciamilla
Coauthors: Assembly Members Aghazarian, Bass, Benoit, Berg, Bermudez, Blakeslee, Bogh, Calderon, Chan, Chavez, Cogdill, Cohn, Coto, Daucher, DeVore, Emmerson, Frommer, Garcia, Goldberg, Haynes, Jerome Horton, Shirley Horton, Houston, Huff, Karnette, Keene, Koretz, La Malfa, Laird, Leno, Lieber, Liu, Matthews, Maze, Mountjoy, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nation, Negrete McLeod, Niello, Parra, Plescia, Ridley-Thomas, Sharon Runner, Ruskin, Salinas, Strickland, Tran, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, and Yee.

August 24, 2006

Relative to Pluto's planetary status.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

WHEREAS, Recent astronomical discoveries, including Pluto's oblong orbit and the sighting of a slightly larger Kuiper Belt object, have led astronomers to question the planetary status of Pluto; and

WHEREAS, The mean-spirited International Astronomical Union decided on August 24, 2006, to disrespect Pluto by stripping Pluto of its planetary status and reclassifying it as a lowly dwarf planet; and

WHEREAS, Pluto was discovered in 1930 by an American, Clyde Tombaugh, at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, and this discovery resulted in millions of Californians being taught that Pluto was the ninth planet in the solar system; and

WHEREAS, Pluto, named after the Roman God of the underworld and affectionately sharing the name of California's most famous animated dog, has a special connection to California history and culture; and

WHEREAS, Downgrading Pluto's status will cause psychological harm to some Californians who question their place in the universe and worry about the instability of universal constants; and

WHEREAS, The deletion of Pluto as a planet renders millions of text books, museum displays, and children's refrigerator art projects obsolete, and represents a substantial unfunded mandate that must be paid by dwindling Proposition 98 education funds, thereby harming California's children and widening its budget deficits; and

WHEREAS, The deletion of Pluto as a planet is a hasty, ill-considered scientific heresy similar to questioning the Copernican theory, drawing maps of a round world, and proving the existence of the time and space continuum; and

WHEREAS, The downgrading of Pluto reduces the number of planets available for legislative leaders to hide redistricting legislation and other inconvenient political reform measures; and

WHEREAS, The California Legislature, in the closing days of the 2005-06 session, has been considering few matters important to the future of California, and the status of Pluto takes precedence and is worthy of this body's immediate attention; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly hereby condemns the International Astronomical Union's decision to strip Pluto of its planetary status for its tremendous impact on the people of California and the state's long term fiscal health; and be it further

Resolved, That the Assembly Clerk shall send a copy of the resolution to the International Astronomical Union and to any Californian who, believing that his or her legislator is addressing the problems that threaten the future of the Golden State, requests a copy of the resolution.

This text is available on the California Legislature website.

Breaking News from the 1700s

2006-09-06T10:03:00.000-04:00

Google announced plans to provide archival news articles dating back to the 1700s to users:

Ye olde Google News: Stories from the 1700s
Under new service, users will be able to target specific dates or view coverage of an issue over time, although not all articles will be free to view.

Google News is getting a sense of the past to balance out its relentless focus on the present.

Google Inc. has added the ability to search through more than 200 years of historical newspaper archives alongside the latest contemporary information now available on Google News, the market-leading Web search firm said Tuesday.

More here.

Search the archives here: http://news.google.com/archivesearch

CNN.com - Reports: Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' - Sep 4, 2006

2006-09-04T01:51:00.000-04:00

A sad day, but at least it wasn't a crocodile that got him...

Guedelon Castle

2006-08-31T11:49:00.000-04:00

I came across this article about a French project to build an authentic Burgundian castle using only hand tools and local materials, as would have been done in the middle ages. It's a very ambitious project, one that won't be complete until 2023. However, it's already drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists, since it's the only place you can see a castle actually being built the way they once were. Europe, after all, already has plenty of castles in varying states of repair.

The craftsmen don't plan to stop with just the castle. Tourism is bringing in enough money that they are financially independent, and they plan to build an abbey and village once the castle is complete.

CNN.com - 'Explosion of diversity' sweeps U.S., census shows - Aug 15, 2006

2006-08-15T12:02:00.000-04:00

CNN has an interesting article highlighting the increasing diversity of the US population.

Some key highlights:

Education levels increased in every state from 2000 to 2005. Nationally, the share of adults 25 and older with at least a high school diploma increased from 80 percent to 84 percent. The share of adults with at least a bachelor's degree increased from 24 percent to 27 percent.
Every state is getting older. Nationally, the median age -- the one at which half the population is older and half is younger -- went from 35.3 in 2000 to 36.4 last year.
Hispanics increased their hold as the country's largest minority group, at 14.5 percent of the population, compared with 12.8 percent for blacks. Hispanic is a term for people with ethnic backgrounds in Spanish- speaking countries. Hispanics can be of any race, and most in the U.S. are white. When demographers talk about the shrinking percentage of white people in America, generally they are talking about whites who are not Hispanic.
Such whites are a minority in four states -- Hawaii, New Mexico, California and Texas -- and the District of Columbia. The share of white people fell below 60 percent in three other states: Maryland, Georgia and Nevada. Nationally, non-Hispanic whites make up about 67 percent of the population, down from 70 percent at the start of the decade.
California, New York, Texas and Florida have the nation's largest immigrant populations. The new data show that immigrants will travel beyond those states if there are jobs available.

CNN.com - 'Explosion of diversity' sweeps U.S., census shows - Aug 15, 2006

SPACE.com -- NASA's New Moon Project Gets a Logo

2006-08-15T11:55:00.000-04:00

Space.com has images of the new NASA logo for Project Orion, the new moon mission project in the works (not to be confused with the other Project Orion )

Even the President of Iran has a blog now...

2006-08-13T13:37:00.000-04:00

http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/

I wonder how long it will be before he opens a MySpace account....

2006-08-08T14:05:00.000-04:00

I was at an antique shop yesterday and picked up an interesting book, a salesman's sample of "The Nations of Europe: The Causes and Issues of the Great War".

What's interesting about it is that it was published in 1914, shortly after the war started. It's neat to see what was thought about the war early on, and of the forces involved. There's one picture of the Austrian army training with a caption that says "They are rated as among the world's finest soldiers." :)

There lots of great pictures, with captions that seem somewhat amusing in hindsight. There's a picture of a German airship above British ships, with a caption saying that the zepplin is capable of destroying the entire fleet with its bombs and that aircraft such as that will play an important part in the struggle. There's also a picture of a French submarine from pre-war training maneuvers, with the claim that the submarine could have destroyed the entire fleet of battleships. The author seems to be very excited about new technologies...

The book goes on to give the reasons behind the outbreak of war, what new technologies and other factors make this war unique, etc. It also goes into the history of 19th century conflicts, and what to expect during the Great War.

I'm tempted to track down the full, 400 page version of the book, though the salesman's copy is interesting enough by itself...

Matt Damon cast as Kirk in Star Trek XI

2006-08-03T15:40:00.000-04:00

According to Slashdot, Matt Damon has been cast as a young James T. Kirk for the upcoming Star Trek XI. According to rumor, the movie is set on Kirk's first mission with the Enterprise, so they couldn't use Shatner this time. Damon does look a little like a young Shatner, but it will be strange seeing someone else playing Kirk. Still, with J.J. Abrams behind the film, it should be good.

College students warned about Internet postings

2006-08-02T23:38:00.000-04:00

It looks like more and more colleges are becoming concerned about what students are posting on their blogs and on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook.

It's often easy to forget that anything that goes on in an electronic format -- webpages, blogs, emails, pictures -- can be easily shared and passed around without your knowledge. It may seem like you're in the privacy of your own home at times, when in reality you've got the windows wide open.

Movie-themed kid's cereal reviews

2006-08-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

Over on Wired.com there's a humorous review of breakfast cereals based on this summer's blockbuster movies.

Clearly they enjoyed working together, because this isn't just another damn boring cereal with unidentifiable marshmallows. No, this is regular, mouth-flaying Cap'n Crunch with red Superman insignias. OK, admittedly they don't have the actual "S" in the middle. And the low levels of quality control over on Crunch Island have resulted in the shapes looking like anything from a heart to the opening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I give them points for trying.

Wired News: Sweet New Silver-Screen Cereals

Habitable Planet Possible Around Nearby Star System

2006-08-01T14:46:00.000-04:00

This is pretty neat - according to computer models there might be an Earth-like planet around the star 55 Cancri, about 40 light years from Earth.

That's still pretty far, but it's looking more and more like there are other habitable planets in our neighborhood.

SPACE.com -- Habitable Planet Possible Around Nearby Star System

RIP E3

2006-07-31T16:59:00.000-04:00

It looks like it's true -- E3 is, if not dead, then severely reduced in size. EA, SONY, Microsoft, and Nintendo have all pulled out. Future E3's or whatever takes its place should be a very different creature indeed.

Next Generation - ANALYSIS: Ten Reasons for E3's Collapse

One thing I wonder is if these companies might not get more bang for their buck at smaller conventions and events around the country (or world). Comic, Gaming, and SciFi conventions could be a good place to run booths, for instance. There's significant crossover between electronic gamers and the other groups.

Blogger Web Comments for Firefox

2006-07-31T11:34:00.000-04:00

Google has a neat little tool that ties in well with Blogger. It lets you post comments to your blog about whatever webpage you're viewing as well as see what other people have said in their blogs.

Get the extension at www.google.com/tools/fi...

So Big and Healthy Grandpa Wouldn’t Even Know You - New York Times

2006-07-31T11:20:00.000-04:00

The New York Times has an interesting article about how the general health, stature, and intelligence of people has improved over the past 150 years. A very interesting article, showing how the good old days weren't that good for most people.

So Big and Healthy Grandpa Wouldn’t Even Know You - New York Times

New research from around the world has begun to reveal a picture of humans today that is so different from what it was in the past that scientists say they are startled. Over the past 100 years, says one researcher, Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago, humans in the industrialized world have undergone “a form of evolution that is unique not only to humankind, but unique among the 7,000 or so generations of humans who have ever inhabited the earth.”
The difference does not involve changes in genes, as far as is known, but changes in the human form. It shows up in several ways, from those that are well known and almost taken for granted, like greater heights and longer lives, to ones that are emerging only from comparisons of health records.
The biggest surprise emerging from the new studies is that many chronic ailments like heart disease, lung disease and arthritis are occurring an average of 10 to 25 years later than they used to. There is also less disability among older people today, according to a federal study that directly measures it. And that is not just because medical treatments like cataract surgery keep people functioning. Human bodies are simply not breaking down the way they did before.
Even the human mind seems improved. The average I.Q. has been increasing for decades, and at least one study found that a person’s chances of having dementia in old age appeared to have fallen in recent years.

Falcon 1 update

2006-03-02T11:33:00.000-05:00

The launch window for the maiden fight of Falcon 1 has been slipped to March 20 through 25. The flight will take place form the Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands. The payload for the mission will be FalconSat-2, part of the Air Force Academy’s satellite program that will measure space plasma phenomena.

SpaceX is developing a family of light, medium, and heavy lift capability reusable launch vehicles. The Falcon 1, Falcon 5, and Falcon 9 launch vehicles intend to reduce the cost and increase access to space -- eventually for human passengers!

SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk who previously co-founded PayPal, the world’s leading electronic payment system.

Rachel Bevilacqua's Blog

2006-02-23T11:08:00.000-05:00

Rachel Bevilacqua's Blog

Catholic judge calls SubGeniuses insane and perverted.

It may be true, but that's no reason to take away their kids.

(hail eris)

1 Million Babies?

2006-01-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

If the Million Dollar Homepage wasn't enough for you, check out the New Baby Homepage

That's right, selling tiny ads to websites no one ever heard of isn't the only way to make money on the web. Not when there are plenty of new parents eager to show of their little poop factory.

Funny Picture of the Day

2006-01-22T13:34:00.000-05:00

There's just something funny about a US Missle Destroyer chasing a small dhow full of pirates.

Be part of a conspiracy!

2006-01-19T15:01:00.000-05:00

Here's something fun - a mad lib conspiracy generator.

With its help, I was able to uncover this nefarious cabal:
In order to understand anarchism you need to realize that everything is controlled by a Seattle Sea Hawks made up of Irish with help from Pastafarians. The conspiracy first started during the Battle of Tours in Stonehenge. They have been responsible for many events throughout history, including the Boston Tea Party. Today, members of the conspiracy are everywhere. They can be identified by picking one's teeth. They want to assault Pat Robertson and imprison resisters in a nursing home using dirigibles. In order to prepare for this, we all must stop. Since the media is controlled by NOW we should get our information from George Bush.

Loompanics closing

2006-01-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

Sad to say, it looks like long time publisher of odd and hard to find books (including the Principia Discordia) is going out of business. But don't despair! They're having a big sale, so here's your last chance to purchase their books.

All books are 50% off their original price (including everything in the large 2005 Main Catalog). Once they are gone, they are gone for good. Orders will be filled on an early-bird-gets-the-worm basis. First come, first served. Nothing will be backordered. So order early. We'll enclose a refund check for books ordered that are no longer available. Remember, most of these books cannot be found in even the largest libraries. The majority of them will never be seen in bookstores. They are here now -- available to you at 50% off. Heck, at 50% off you can fill your head with lots of new stuff.