Patrick Stewart Interview

Interview with Patrick Stewart on acting, 21st century science, and robot ethics.

How One Woman Hid Her Pregnancy From Big Data

"How One Woman Hid Her Pregnancy From Big Data"

What Do Animals Dream About?

"What do animals dream about?"

Who Is at Fault When a Driverless Car Gets in an Accident?

"Who Is at Fault When a Driverless Car Gets in an Accident?"

SCOTUS, Smartphones, And Privacy

Doug Mataconis reviews yesterday's oral argument in SCOTUS on police searches of cell phones and smartphones.

Monty Python's Final Show

Monty Python's final live show will be simulcast to 1500 theaters across the world on July 20, 2014.

How To Use Godzilla In War

"U.S. Military Expert Unveils a Strategy for Deploying Godzilla in War"

How Speech-Recognition Software Got So good

Economist: "How speech-recognition software got so good"

Trusting Strangers In the Internet Era

Wired: "How Airbnb and Lyft Finally Got Americans to Trust Each Other"

Rough Guide to Bad (Or Badly Reported) Science

"Rough Guide to Bad (Or Badly Reported) Science". (Via H.R.)

20 Terrifying Two-Sentence Horror Stories

"20 Terrifying Two-Sentence Horror Stories That Will Keep You Up At Night"

How Tsunamis Form

"Animation explains how tsunamis form and why they're so scary"

3D-Printed Osteoid Cast

"3D-Printed Osteoid Cast Uses Ultrasound to Speed Up Bone Healing".  (Via @debbywitt.)

Is Google Plus Finally Dying?

Slate: "Is Google Plus Finally Dying?"

Honest Kickstarter Campagin

"This video sums up what annoys us about crowdfunding"

Drink All Night Without Getting Drunk

"How to Drink All Night Without Getting Drunk"

Biggest Remote Controlled Helicopter

"5.2-ton Blackhawk turned into the world's biggest RC helicopter". (Via H.R.)

The Quest for Randomness

Scott Aaronson: "The Quest for Randomness"

Medical 3D Printing

A couple of recent stories on applications of 3D printing in medicine:

"$50 3D Printed Hand vs. Traditional, One Thousand Times More Expensive Prosthetic"

"Custom 3D Printed Kidneys Help Surgeons Remove Tumors"

Virtual Doctors

"Genetic experts are eyeing computer Webcams and videoconferencing to assess patients in Alaska and other remote places"

All-Drone Band

io9: "The First All-Drone Band Is Actually Pretty Good"

Don't Charge Your Phone From An Anesthesia Device

ProTip: "Bug can cause deadly failures when anesthesia device is connected to cell phones"

NYC Etiquette

Useful illustration of basic NYC etiquette and tips.

No Powdered Alcohol For You!

NPR: "Feds Say Powdered Liquor Not Actually Legal"

MRI of Jugglers' Brains

Imaging the brains of jugglers.  (Via Debby Witt.)

Escaping Viruses

"A Brief, Terrifying History of Viruses Escaping From Labs". (Via M.H.)

Dancing Robot

Wired: "Watch the Astounding Dexterity of Honda's Dancing Humanoid Robot".  (Via H.R.)

Nobody Lives Here

"Nobody lives here: The nearly 5 million Census Blocks with zero population"

(Green = unoccupied; click through to see larger version)

USB Type-C

"USB Type-C: Simpler, faster and more powerful"

[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes OpEd: Should Doctors Limit Medical Care To Save Money For 'Society'?

[Off topic] My latest Forbes health care column is now up: "Should Doctors Limit Medical Care To Save Money For 'Society'?"

What Happened To The First 10 Apple Employees

"What Happened To The First 10 Apple Employees"

Axe 2.0

"Physics-exploiting axe splits wood in record time". Click through to see the video.

A Day In The Life Of A Stormtrooper

"Photographer Uses Star Wars Figurines To Depict A Day In The Life Of A Stormtrooper"

My favorite:

High Tech

Wired: "How Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are rushing to cash in on cannabis"

The Other Captain America Movie

"The other Captain America movie -- this 1973 Turkish version in which he teams up with a Mexican wrestler and fights evil Spiderman".

I'm guessing this wasn't authorized by Marvel Comics.

DNA Analysis Of Dollar Bills

WSJ: "Scientists are discovering a surprising number of microbes living on cash"

From the article:

In the first comprehensive study of the DNA on dollar bills, researchers at New York University's Dirty Money Project found that currency is a medium of exchange for hundreds of different kinds of bacteria as bank notes pass from hand to hand.

By analyzing genetic material on $1 bills, the NYU researchers identified 3,000 types of bacteria in all—many times more than in previous studies that examined samples under a microscope. Even so, they could identify only about 20% of the non-human DNA they found because so many microorganisms haven't yet been cataloged in genetic data banks.

Easily the most abundant species they found is one that causes acne. Others were linked to gastric ulcers, pneumonia, food poisoning and staph infections, the scientists said. Some carried genes responsible for antibiotic resistance.

"It was quite amazing to us," said Jane Carlton, director of genome sequencing at NYU's Center for Genomics and Systems Biology where the university-funded work was performed. "We actually found that microbes grow on money."

(Via Marginal Revolution.)

Professional Actors Reading Yelp Reviews

Professional actors reading Yelp reviews.

I especially liked this one and this one (below):

Dronies

Old: Selfie.
New: Dronie.

3D Printed Candy

"Meet the Inventors of a 3-D Printer for Hyper-Complicated Candy"

Reynolds On 3D Printed Guns

Glenn Reynolds: "Should We Be Afraid of the 3D Printed Gun?"

Habitable Planet?

Alex Knapp: "NASA Has Discovered The First Potentially Habitable Earth-sized Planet"

Google X

"Google X: An Exclusive Look Behind The Secretive Lab's Closed Doors". (Via H.R.)

Wired on Google Modular Phone

Wired: "Google's New Modular Phone May Be the Last You’ll Need to Buy".  As the article notes, it's still a work-in-progress.

New US Time Standard

"NIST launches a new US time standard: NIST-F2 atomic clock"

13 Mac Keyboard Tricks You Should Know

"If You Have A Mac, Memorize These 13 Keyboard Tricks"

Snail Shell Magnified

"This is what a snail shell looks like x 2500"

Terrible Real Estate Agent Photographs

Terrible real estate agent photographs.

Stradivarius vs. Modern Violin Quality

Blind test: "Professional violinists cannot actually tell the difference between a Stradivarius and a modern instrument, experts find"

What Does Sound Look Like?

Video: "What Does Sound Look Like?"



Nice use of Schlieren visualization!  (Via @SupaTrey.)

Best SWA Safety Briefing

Awesome Southwest Airlines safety briefing -- better than some stand-up comedy I've paid for!

Kids React To Walkman

"21st century kids try to figure out what a Walkman is". You should feel old now. (Via Doug M.)

The 23 Types of Baristas

"These are the 23 types of baristas"

Computer Support Call Leads to Burglary Arrest

"Computer support call leads to burglary arrest".

What It Takes To Become An Astronaut

USA Today: "So you want to be an astronaut? Here's what it takes." (From a few months ago.)

5 Anamorphic Illusions

"5 Anamorphic Illusions"

Floating NYC Neighborhood

"How NYC's Newest Neighborhood Will Float Above an Active Train Yard". (Via H.R.)

Fast Chinese Eyes

"Faster eye responses in Chinese people not down to culture, study suggests". (Via Dave J.)

Beyond Quantum Computing?

Scott Aaronson: "Is There Anything Beyond Quantum Computing?"

Wine Decorker

The ultimate wine bottle uncorker and pourer for the man who has everything. Including patience. (Via H.R.)

Beer Plus Barbecue

If you barbecue, you should add beer -- for health reasons. Doctor's orders.

Baby Names Ending in "N"

"America, Why Are You Naming All Your Boys Like This?"

Here's the trend over time:

Nanodiamonds

The many uses of nanodiamonds. (Via H.R.)

Transition Tips for Win XP Users

"Windows XP Isn't Safe to Use Anymore. Here's What to Do Next."

Update: Link was broken, now fixed!

Celebrities that Look Like Matresses

"Celebrities that Look Like Matresses"

Google Glass In The Workplace

Google Glass being used in the workplace.  (Via Marginal Revolution.)

Adalja AMA on Infectious Disease, Antibiotic Resistance, and Biosecurity

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert, recently did a Reddit Science AMA: "Ask me anything about biosecurity, emerging infectious diseases (e.g., Ebola, MERS, H7N9), influenza, polio, norovirus, antibiotic resistance, measles, mumps, STDS, and related history, science and policy issues".

Spinal Cord Repair?

New Scientist: "Pioneering implant revives legs of paralysed men". (Via H.R.)

Skydiver Meteorite Update

The skydiver "meteorite" may have just been a rock inadvertently packed in with the skydiver's parachute.

Visually Stunning Math Concepts

"Visually stunning math concepts which are easy to explain"

The Donut Of Power

The donut forged in the fires of Mount Doom:

One donut to rule them all,
One donut to feed them;
One donut to bring them all
And in the darkness fatten them.

(Via Neatorama.)

The Bovine Internet

"Why Farmers Are Connecting Their Cows to the Internet". (Via Marginal Revolution.)

Everything You Don’t Know About Tipping

"Everything You Don't Know About Tipping".

Lots of interesting information, especially towards the end. (Via Diana.)

Aluminum Slug Melts And Levitates At The Same Time

"An aluminum slug melts and levitates at the same time":

Invisible Ink War

"Invisible Ink War: How Chemists Revealed Germany’s Secret WW I Writing"

3-D Printing Of Human organs

"The next frontier in 3-D printing: Human organs"

What Meetings Feel Like For Engineers

Heh: What Meetings Feel Like For Engineers. (Via J.B.)

Differentiating Asian Scripts

"The itchyfeet guide to differentiating between Asian scripts"

Map Of Earthquakes

Corey Powell: "In one map: Every major recorded earthquake since 1898, showing how Earth is put together.".  More images here.

Cortana Is Clippy For Your Phone

This description of Microsoft's Cortana makes it sound like Clippy for your phone. (Via Diana.)

Cereal Box Psychology

"Why Cap'n Crunch Looks Down at Your Kid"

Unusual Skydiving Hazard

"Norwegian skydiver nearly struck by meteorite":

Although Helstrup is still not completely convinced that it was indeed a meteorite that flew past him, the experts are in no doubt.

"It can't be anything else. The shape is typical of meteorites -- a fresh fracture surface on one side, while the other side is rounded," said geologist Hans Amundsen.

He explained that the meteorite had been part of a larger stone that had exploded perhaps 20 kilometres above Helstrup.

DST Blowup

Irish bomber accidentally blows himself up because he forgot about Daylight Saving Time. (Via R.G.)

More Light Blogging

Admin note: More light blogging for the rest of the week due to external obligations.

Your Hand and Feet Might Be Deadly Weapons In Guam

Eugene Volokh: "These hands and feet are registered as deadly weapons... in Guam!"

Black Death Not Spready By Rat Fleas

"Black death was not spread by rat fleas, say researchers". Instead, it was likely airborne.

Dunkin' In Korea

The latest hot spot in Seoul, Korea is Dunkin' Donuts. No, really.

Galactic Empires

"Can Galactic Empires Exist Without Faster-Than-Light Travel?"

[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes OpEd: What The US Can Learn From the Australian Health Care Debate

[Off topic] My latest health care OpEd is now up at Forbes: "What The US Can Learn From the Australian Health Care Debate".