Ninja Studies

"Japan university awards first-ever ninja studies degree"

Advanced Rocket

"The rocket motor of the future 'breathes' air like a jet engine". (Via H.R.)

Funny Looking Actors Wanted

"Lord of the Rings Series Puts Out Casting Call for Hairy, Burned, and 'Funny Looking' Actors"

Big Lightning

"700-km Brazil 'megaflash' sets lightning record". (Via H.R.)

Win10 Gmail Glitch

"Warning Issued For Millions Of Google Gmail Users"

N95 Physics

Video: "The Astounding Physics of N95 Masks"

Prescription Videogame

"The FDA Just Approved The First Prescription Video Game For Kids With ADHD". (Via H.R.)

Children aged 8-12 years old can now be prescribed gaming sessions on EndeavorRX, in which players pilot a small aircraft through a variety of alien environments – including icy rivers, fiery volcanoes, jungle treehouses and underwater paths.

The game has been specifically constructed to improve attention in youngsters with ADHD, potentially in combination with other treatments, depending on each person – it's certainly much more fun than having to remember to take tablets every day.

Alaska Volcano And Rome

"An Alaskan volcano may have hastened the end of the Roman Republic"

Minimum Mars Colony Size

Nature Article: "Minimum Number of Settlers for Survival on Another Planet". 

They calculate 110 would be the viable minimum.

Mysterious Black Hole Collision

"Ripples in space-time hint at a black hole or a neutron star like we've never seen before".

Maybe this is what thrust our world into this bizarre alternate timeline for 2020!

Over-Showering?

Atlantic: "You're Showering Too Much". (Via M.M.)

Hsieh Forbes Column: Delayed Cancer Care Due To Covid-19 Could Cost Thousands Of Lives"

My latest Forbes piece is now out: "Delayed Cancer Care Due To Covid-19 Could Cost Thousands Of Lives".

I discuss the cost in lives due to the lockdowns, and how this illustrates Bastiat's principle of "the seen vs. the unseen". I also offer some practical suggestions for patients and for lawmakers.

Siri Shortcut For Police Encounters

"'Hey Siri, I’m getting pulled over' shortcut makes it easy to record police"

Zoom Security?

"Can Zoom be trusted with users' secrets?"

Foundation Trailer

Video: Trailer for the new SF series "Foundation", based on the classic Isaac Asimov novels.

Apple Chips

"Apple Mac computers make jump to its own chips"

Purchase A Robot Dog

"Boston Dynamics' Spot Robot Dog Now Available for $74,500"

Map Of Universe

BBC: "Breathtaking new map of the X-ray Universe"

Neuromorphic AI's Need "Sleep"

"Artificial intelligence that mimics the brain needs sleep just like humans, study reveals"

Military And Race

"How the U.S. Military Has Been Affected by Racial Inequality Debate"

Popcorn Button

Video: "Do not use popcorn button"

Replika Chatbot Helps Quarantine Isolation

"Riding Out Quarantine With a Chatbot Friend: 'I Feel Very Connected'"

Gravity Is Different

"Why Gravity Is Not Like the Other Forces"

Bad Apples

"How Apples Go Bad". Literal, not metaphorical.

Sneaky Spying

"Spies can eavesdrop by watching a light bulb's variations". (Via J.Z.)

eBay Harrassment

"Feds: eBay staff sent spiders, roaches to harass couple"

Late Ordovician Extinction Mystery Solved

"Familiar Culprit May Have Caused Mysterious Mass Extinction":

It has long been our planet’s greatest and oldest murder mystery. Roughly 445 million years ago, around 85 percent of all marine species disappeared in a geologic flash known as the Late Ordovician mass extinction. But scientists have long debated this whodunit, in contrast to clearer explanations for Earth’s other mass extinctions.

My money was on Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the candlestick.

Ancient Roman City

"Ground-Penetrating Radar Reveals Entire Ancient Roman City". (Via H.R.)

Turtle Migration

"Drone footage shows 64,000 green turtles migrating to Cairns rookery"

Psychic Miss

Psychics apparently did not see the pandemic coming.

SpaceX Spacesuits

"New SpaceX spacesuits get five-star rating from NASA astronauts". (Via H.R.)

Caffeine Withdrawal

"What Happens to Your Body When You Give Up Caffeine"

Pandemic Donuts

"Two New Doughnut Spots Bring Sweet Relief to Denver"

Civil War Pension

"Last Person to Receive a Civil War Pension Dies":

Irene Triplett died last week at the age of 90. She was the last person in America to collect a pension from the Civil War, $73.13 each month from the Department of Veterans Affairs right up until she passed away. Her father Mose Triplett was both a Confederate and US soldier (a North Carolinian, he defected from the Confederacy halfway through the war) and Irene was eligible to receive his pension after he died because of disability.

Fast Chip

"Engineers Successfully Test New Chip With Download Speeds of 44.2 Terabits Per Second". (Via H.R.)

Space Explosions

"It's 2020, And Astronomers Have Just Found a New Class of Massive Space Explosions":

These bursts of energy are extremely powerful and extremely fast, blasting vast amounts of matter into space at intense velocities. Astronomers have named the new class Fast Blue Optical Transients, or FBOTs.

Rocky Mountain Treasure Found

"A treasure chest hidden in the Rocky Mountains for a decade has finally been found"

Black Nitrogen

"Never-before-seen 'black nitrogen' plugs puzzle in periodic table". (Via H.R.)

COVID Contact Tracing

"How Covid-19 Contact Tracing Works on Your Phone"

Secure Signal

"Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption"

Robot Cook

"Robot Learns to Cook Your Perfect Omelet"

Phone Protection For Protestors

"How to Cop-Proof Your Phone Before Heading to a Protest"

Repulsive Polynomials

"Mathematician Measures the Repulsive Force Within Polynomials"

Breathing Tips

"How The 'Lost Art' Of Breathing Can Impact Sleep And Resilience"

AI Journalists

"Microsoft lays off journalists to replace them with AI"

Bogus Device

Ars Technica: "A $350 'anti-5G' device is just a 128MB USB stick, teardown finds"

Noise-Cancelling Headphones

"What Your Noise-Cancelling Headphones Can and Can't Do"

Hsieh Forbes Column: 9 More Bizarre Consequences Of The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

My latest Forbes piece is out: "9 More Bizarre Consequences Of The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic".

My favorite:

A clever app developed by Japanese firm Yamaha allows fans to remotely cheer (or boo) players from home, played through the stadium speakers so that players can feel the energy of the online crowd.

The article wryly notes, “The app does not, as yet, allow fans to question the referee’s eyesight, or the eating habits of players who struggled to stay match-fit during the league’s virus-enforced break.”

Taste Simulator

"This Lickable Screen Can Recreate Almost Any Taste or Flavor Without Eating Food"