Is it bad for first cousins to marry?

Nanotechnology invention of the day: Memory chips based on tiny mechanical switches offer increased storage density, speed, and decreased power consumption than conventional storage media.

Why Google News is in perpetual beta even though the bugs have been pretty much worked out. Short answer - it's the lawyers.

Coffee really is addictive. (Via /.)

"Ten Tech Items Inspired by Science Fiction" (Via Linkfilter.)

The US Air Force is trying to develop anti-matter weapons. (Via IPList.)

Scientists have located the source of Earth's low frequency hum.

"The U.S. government plans to offer will offer low-quality images of its new $50 bill over the Internet but they can't be saved, scanned or printed."

One of Google's biggest challenges is how to retain key workers who are now suddenly wealthy.

Global warming fears may be based on a systematic error in climate modelling. According to the article:

The Earth's temperature may have fluctuated more wildly during the past 2000 years than previously thought, according to a new study that challenges how researchers use tree rings and corals to give us a picture of the Earth's past.

If true, the study suggests that recent warming might not be as unique as was thought previously, and might partly be due to natural temperature cycles, rather than humans spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

More information here.

Noah Shachtman has a review of current US space warfare plans.

NASA's Spaceguard program, which is designed to detect asteroids on a near-Earth trajectory, is doing quite well.

The Dilbert Ultimate House.

A robotic mouse uses real mouse whiskers to help in navigate.

Top 11 Reasons Why You Just Saw Porn on My Computer Screen

History of car logos. (Via BBspot.)

Quantum cryptography updates: "Swiss on a Roll With Quantum Crypto" and "NEC Achieve 10-Fold Increase in Quantum Cryptography Key Generation Rate". (Via IPList.)

Computer architecture stories of the day: Pipelining, Part I and Pipelining, Part II.

Breakthough in popcorn science allows you to double the size of each popped kernel as well a reduced the number of annoying unpopped kernels.

"The sound of a person's voice may predict his or her level of sexual activity."

Is there more flatulence in a vegetarian diet?

Optical illusion of the day: The Basic Diamond motion and perception effect. Try it with "bars alone" and "bars occluded". (Via Linkfilter.)

"A novel method of optical data storage could soon be used to hold a terabyte of data on a disk the size of a normal DVD, say researchers at Imperial College London, UK..."

"The Martial Arts of Middle Earth." (Via Ars Technica.)

"Software That Knows Your Every Move". (Via IPList.)

Science experiment of the day: "Cleaning Pennies with Taco Sauce". Nice correlation of experimental and theoretical chemistry.

Escher For Real. If you like those, then there's also Beyond Escher For Real. (Via Linkfilter.)

"Ins and Outs of Teledildonics": Wired has a review of the Sinulator, a remote cybersex device that connects to the USB port of one's personal computer. As the article explains, "...a man can be thrusting in Cleveland while a woman is penetrated in Seattle, and the cybersex experience gets one step closer to the holodeck."

Astronomers will soon have the ability to detect Earth-sized exoplanets.

The Sims in The Sims 2 can play The Sims 1. (Via Boing Boing.)

"Klingons for Kerry": A recent poll of the Klingon population of Portland, OR, showed that 75% of them supported John Kerry for president, whereas 25% supported Satan and 0% supported George Bush. One reason they cited was their belief that the current war in Iraq was based on deception and hence dishonorable. (Via Volokh Conspiracy/Hanah Metchis.)

E-mail from beyond the grave. Here's the corporate website.

Custom Borg My Little Pony.

First impressions are very important in determining the course of relationship, at least for college freshmen.

"America's addiction to fantasy sports could cost the nation's businesses $36.7 million daily..."

Electronic voting machine hacked by a monkey. (Via Madville.)

Flexible sensors will be useful in creating robotic skin.

Why we want to believe in psychics.

Everyone is speculating about the alleged new Google browser.

"How to Bypass Most Firewall Restrictions and Access the Internet Privately At Work" (Via a contributor who wishes to remain anonymous.)

"Rats equipped with radios that transmit their brainwaves could soon be helping to locate earthquake survivors buried in the wreckage of collapsed buildings."

Unwise microwave oven experiments. (Via GMSV.)

Invention of the day: Israeli weapons researchers have created a new non-lethal weapon -- "the ultimate stink bomb, with a disgusting smell that lingers in its victim's clothing for up to five years." (Via DefenseTech.)

Cellphone sociology. (Via Volokh Conspiracy.)

Man rides out Hurricane Ivan in a fortress-like beach house. (Via Linkfilter.)

Physicists have devised a method to speed up the rate of decay of a radioactive element.

Humans swim just as fast in syrup as they do in water. No, really.

Scientists have discovered a naturally decaffeinated coffee plant. (Via BBspot.)

PDA forensic tools. Detailed white paper. (Via Cryptome.)

How Gordon Rugg showed that the "unbreakable code" of Voynich manuscript was just a hoax.

Update on the "Home Computer" picture: The photograph is apparently a Photoshopped hoax. Reader Mike Jaeger pointed out,

That is the control panel from an old naval nuclear reactor. On the far right is the EPCP (electric plant control panel) where the electrical operator on watch ("EO") controls power flows and breaker positions (notice the schematic laid out with switches for breakers). In the middle section is where the reactor operator ("RO") sits. He shims the control rods up and down in the reactor core with the lever (the L shaped lever just in front of the horizontal bar) and on the left is the throttleman station (usually manned by electricians). The large wheel is used to open/close ahead steam valves to the propusion shaft, while the smaller wheel is used to open/close back steam (astern throttles). The two wheels would be used in conjunction with each other to get the shaft to stop from a forward rotation, and then go in reverse (ahead steam is removed and astern steam applied to stop the shaft). The different gauges are specific to each station, with the throttleman concerned about power to steam flow ratios, steam pressures, etc. The RO cares about primary water avg. (coolant) temp, pressures, etc. The EO is watching vital bus voltages, and charging the battery with a trickle charge.

Thought you may like to know that (I used to sit on the far right, but on a newer version of that same panel).

Thanks for the correction, Mike!

The home computer of the year 2004 as envisioned in 1954. The caption reads:

Scientists from the RAND Corporation have created this model to illustrate how a "home computer" could look like in the year 2004. However, the needed technology will not be economically feasible for the average home. Also the scientists readily admit that the computer will require not yet invented technology to actually work, but 50 years from now scientific progress is expected to solve these problems. With teletype interface and the FORTRAN language, the computer will be easy to use...

I just want to know what the giant steering wheel will be used for. (Via Metafilter.)

How the internet saved small bookstores, especially used bookstores. (Via Marginal Revolution.)

Scientists have developed new algorithms for shape-shifting robots. More information here.

"Electronic Voting - The Trouble With Technology": Good overview from The Economist.

Cool HP commercial. (Via Madville.)

Google rotated. (Via Linkfilter.)

The 50 Weirdest Guiness World Records. (Via Metafilter.)

Invention of the Day: The flashlight that accepts multiple battery sizes.

"Why We Fall Apart": Using reliability engineering theory to explain human aging. (Via Linkfilter.)

"An injection of stem cells saved the sight of mice who would otherwise have gone blind..."

Autonomous software agents. (Via SciTech Daily.)

"Summer vacation at Burning Man"

Bicycle security article of the day: "Your brand new U-Lock is not safe." Warning - read the entire thread before you try this with one of your own Kryptonite bicycle locks, since the technique might ruin your lock.

Beware the "JPEG of Death"

Computer security article of the day: "How to cover your tracks". The bad guys know this stuff. You should, too.

Top 11 Geek Pick-up Lines.

The Onion chimes in on the expiration of the "assault weapons" ban.

Zero-G flights will soon be available to the public for $3000. Here's the corporate website.

Turn your plants into audiospeakers.

Unusual search engines. (Via Linkfilter.)

"Fractal Hypnosis" movie. (Via Gravity Lens.)

"The right and left human ears process sound differently, according to scientists who studied the hearing of babies and found the right ear better at picking up speech-like sounds and the left more attuned to music."

The real-life "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld will be going national. The stores will be called "The Original Soup Man" and franchises can be purchased for $30,000 (plus 5% of the gross sales). BTW, the owner Al Yeganeh hates Jerry Seinfeld, and the franchises will not be allowed to use the term "Soup Nazi" in their promotional literature.

Human bar codes.

Test yourself: Do you have color-number synesthesia? (Via John DiPrete.)

Humans can survive without dreaming. Related story here.

"Restaurant Customer Arrested For Tipping Under 18%". No, really. (Via Metafilter.)

Admin note: GeekPress will be on hiatus for a week. We'll be back Tuesday September 14!

Portable nuclear power plants.

Latest NYC yuppie trend: $14 powernaps in specialized super-comfortable sleep cubicles. Here's the corporate website.

Update of anti-shoplifting technology.

Invention of the day: The robotic foosball opponent. Here's more information.

Spider-Man reviews crayons!

Technology vs. Torture: "Psychopharmaceuticals and brain imaging could make prisoner interrogation more humane. Should we use them?" (Via SciTech Daily.)

Cold fusion is back from the dead. (Via IPList.)

"A private lab in Dallas is set to try something never before attempted by scientists who investigate crimes: separate the DNA of identical twins to try to show which member of the pair committed a crime." (Via Linkfilter.)

Orgasms are all in the mind. (Via Cosmic Log.)

Sending virtual humans into space instead of flesh-and-blood astronauts.

Brain scan studies show that dyslexia is not the same in every culture. In particular, dyslexics reading character-based languages (like Chinese) have different brain abnormalities than dyslexics reading alphabet-based languages (like English). More information here.

Animated insect GIFs using acquired with scanning electron microscopy. (Via Joost Bonsen.)

"Is encryption doomed?" Nice discussion of the "P=NP?" problem.

The most efficient way to contact intelligent aliens in other star systems would be to send physical mail packages, not radio broadcasts.

Vote swap websites have been revamped for the 2004 election.

Are thunderstorms really dangerous?

Quentin Tarantino has a blog. Cool! (Via Linkfilter.) Update: Oops - it's a fake. But a well-done one. (Thanks to Jon Acheson for setting me straight.)

"Getting a grip on antimatter". Nice scientific update.

The biological basis for autism. (Via SciTech Daily.)

Retro games galore: 40 classic Java games and 22 classic Flash games from the past. Highly addictive. (Via Linkfilter.)

"The Monetary Economics of Thurston Howell III": Great economic analysis of fiat currency on Gilligan's Island. (Via Boing Boing.)