"Death Ray Replaced By The Voice of God":

LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) is basically a focused beam of sound. Originally, it was designed to emit a very loud sound. Anyone whose head was touched by this beam, heard a painfully loud sound. Anyone standing next to them heard nothing. But those hit by the beam promptly fled, or fell to the ground in pain. Permanent hearing loss is possible if the beam is kept on a person for several seconds, but given the effect the sound usually has on people (they move, quickly), it is unlikely to happen. LRAD works. It was recently used off Somalia, by a cruise ship, to repel pirates. Some U.S. Navy ships also carry it, but not just to repel attacking suicide bombers, or whatever. No, the system was sold to the navy for a much gentler application. LRAD can also broadcast speech for up to 300 meters. The navy planned to use LRAD to warn ships to get out of the way. This was needed in places like the crowded coastal waters of the northern Persian Gulf, where the navy patrols. Many small fishing and cargo boats ply these waters, and it's often hard to get the attention of the crews. With LRAD, you just aim it at a member of the crew, and have an interpreter "speak" to the sailor. It was noted that the guy on the receiving end was sometimes terrified, even after he realized it was that large American destroyer that was talking to him. This apparently gave the army guys some ideas, for there are now rumors in Iraq of a devilish American weapon that makes people believe they are hearing voices in their heads.

This made more sense when an American advertising firm recently used an LRAD unit to support a media campaign for a new TV show. LRAD was pointed at a sidewalk in Manhattan, below the billboard featuring the new show. LRAD broadcast a female voice providing teaser lines from the show. The effect was startling, and a bit scary for many who passed through the LRAD beam. It appears that some of the troops in Iraq are using "spoken" (as opposed to "screeching") LRAD to mess with enemy fighters. Islamic terrorists tend to be superstitious and, of course, very religious. LRAD can put the "word of God" into their heads. If God, in the form of a voice that only you can hear, tells you to surrender, or run away, what are you gonna do?

Excellent video archive from the Computer History Museum. (Via IPList.)

"Tech aplenty for cheaters, suspicious spouses".

Wireless recharger.

"A federal judge in Vermont has ruled that prosecutors can't force a criminal defendant accused of having illegal images on his hard drive to divulge his PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) passphrase."

Here's additional legal analysis from Orin Kerr, arguing that the decision is wrong.

Cool animation of cell biology. Very sleek computer graphics. (Via Susan Mashaw.)

How out-of-body illusions cause plane crashes. (Via Cosmic Log.)

Who wouldn't want a Zeus Lightning Bolt Letter Opener? (Via Neatorama.)

Immanuel Kant attack ad.

"Why pregnant women don't fall over"

For IT staff: "The 5 users you meet in hell (and one you'll find in heaven)". (Via GMSV.)

Or visit "The IT Room". (Via Jeff Johnson.)

"How Super-Precise Atomic Clocks Will Change the World in a Decade"

"Scientists think they have discovered the energy source of auroras borealis, the spectacular color displays seen in the upper latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere."

Bizarre Windows errors. (Via GMSV.)

Feigning death works:

After playing World of Warcraft, the 12 year old boy knew how to cope when he was attacked by a moose in the forest.

In the article he describes how he first yelled at the moose, distracting it so his sister got away, then when he got attacked and the animal stood over him he feigned death. "Just like you learn at level 30 in World of Warcraft."

Now who says you can't learn useful stuff from WoW?...

(Via BBspot.)

Video of the day: "James Randi tricks philosopher Dan Dennett". (Via Cynical-C.)

"Drugs or genetic manipulation can turn the homosexual behavior of fruit flies on and off within a matter of hours." The article is careful to note that this does not necessarily have scientific implications for the cause(s) of human sexual preferences.

"World War II Weapon: Monopoly With Real Money"

In 1941, the British Secret Service asked the game’s British licensee John Waddington Ltd. to add secret extras to some sets, which had become standard elements of the aid packages that the Red Cross delivered to allied prisoners of war. Along with the usual dog, top hat and and thimble, the sets had a metal file, compass, and silk maps of safe houses (silk, because it folds into small spaces and unfolds silently). Even better, real French, German and Italian currency was hidden underneath the game’s fake money. Departing allied soldiers and pilots were told that if they were captured they should look out for the special editions, identified by a red dot in the Free Parking space. Any sets remaining in the U.K. were destroyed after the war. Of the 35,000 prisoners of war who escaped German prison camps by the end of the war, “more than a few of those certainly owe their breakout to the classic board game,” says [historian Brian] McMahon.

More details here. (Via Bruce Schneier.)

History and technology of the toothpick. (Via ALDaily.)

Bizarre Japanese game show of the day: "Human Tetris". (Via Susan Brickell.)

Web metrics: Nice discussion of "unique visitors" vs. "page views" vs. "time spent", and who benefits from each metric.

"Things Other People Accomplished When They Were Your Age". (Via MeFi.)

"Subliminal smells can have powerful effects".

"Using a new technique to turn skin cells into stem cells, scientists have corrected sickle cell anemia in mice."

Video of the day: "Here Comes Another Bubble". (Via Howard Roerig.)

Moral Health Care vs. "Universal Health Care"

ObPoliticalPost: Lin Zinser and I have co-authored an article on health care history and policy that will be appearing in the Winter 2007-2008 issue of the journal The Objective Standard entitled "Moral Health Care vs. 'Universal Health Care'".

We argue that the current crisis in American health care is the result of decades of government interference and violations of individual rights in health insurance and medicine. Hence the solution to the problem is not more government controls but instead to gradually and systematically transition to a rights-respecting, fully free market in those industries.

Normally, the articles are available to subscribers only, but the editor has made the full text of the article available for free online.

(Regular GeekPress blogging will resume on Monday December 10.)

"Experiments in Israel show that subliminal images of the national flag make extreme nationalists more moderate"

"In Defense of Audiophiles".

Excellent interview with Bruce Schneier by the Freakonomics Blog.

A Tesla coil Christmas tree. (Via GMSV.)

"What stories do ghosts tell around the campfire?"

"When Newton's Third Law Doesn't Work":

One of the interesting phenomena present in quantum mechanics is the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect. The AB effect predicts that a charged particle, usually an electron in experiments, shows effects from electromagnetic fields in regions where the particle is excluded. This leads to the interesting fact that, in electromagnetism, Newton’s Third Law of Motion doesn’t always hold true.

Herman Batelaan explains to PhysOrg.com: “If you want to move anything in the world around you, you need forces. But in the Aharonov-Bohm effect, the electron reacts without any forces. There is no force, but something happens.”

The end of an era: "AT&T to hang up its pay phones".

3G iPhone coming in 2008?

Pictures of water effects in computer games over the years. (Via GMSV.)

"Young chimp beats college students" in memory tests. If those students were anything like this young woman, then I'm not surprised...

Great Amazon "reviews" of uranium ore. (Via BBspot.)

"Anesthesia awareness".

"12 Things I Learned from TV Court Shows"

Motion Induced Blindness illusion. (Via BBspot.)

NASA has conducted research in what sexual positions are possible in outer space:

Twenty positions were tested by computer simulation to obtain the best 10, [science writer Pierre Kohler] says. "Two guinea pigs then tested them in real zero-gravity conditions. The results were videotaped but are considered so sensitive that even NASA was only given a censored version."

Only four positions were found possible without "mechanical assistance". The other six needed a special elastic belt and inflatable tunnel, like an open-ended sleeping bag.

Mr Kohler says: "One of the principal findings was that the classic so-called missionary position, which is so easy on earth when gravity pushes one downwards, is simply not possible."

"Tag Heuer plans watch phone for 2008". (Via Clicked.)

How to attach this to that. (Via Brian Schwartz.)

"How Does Bruce Schneier Protect His Laptop Data? With His Fists -- and PGP".

"The Secret to Raising Smart Kids: Don't tell them that they are." (Via Jim May.)

Are sleep deficits permanent? (Via SciTechDaily.)

Stir fried Wikipedia. (Via Waxy.)

"Marine Research Facility Designed Using Star Wars Films"

Update on reverse engineering the brain in silicon.

If you're going to sue your boss, don't use your work e-mail account to discuss strategy with your lawyers.

"Prosthetic Limbs That Can Feel".

Why you shouldn't name your ship the "MS Explorer". (Via BBspot.)

"Top 10 worst IT disasters of all time". (Via Fark.)

"15 cool word illusions". (Via Clicked.)

"How to charge an iPod using electrolytes and an onion"

Photographs of cats caught in midair. (Via Neatorama.)

Nice summary of the science and/or pseudoscience of birth order and its effects on personality traits. (Via ALDaily.)

"Forgotten your password? Google can find it for you. Unfortunately". (Via Fark.)

"Why you shouldn't go to law school". (Via Volokh.)

More on fMRI lie detection.

"7 Incredible Natural Phenomena You've Never Seen". (Via BBspot.)

More on Garrett Lisi's physics theory, including a Wikipedia summary of its strengths and critcisms, a FAQ for newspaper reporters, and a personal FAQ about Lisi himself.

"Whose Rules Apply On The Web?": Interesting article on how internet companies can or should respond if they are based on one US state and/or country, but they run afoul of the laws of another state/country.

The day after Thanksgiving is not the busiest shopping day of the year.

This 360-degree military simulator is one step closer to a holodeck.

Robotic "Pied Piper" cockroaches can trick real cockroaches into following them, "even to places where a sensible roach would never venture". (Via SciTechDaily.)

British nuclear security: Until 1998, some British nuclear weapons could be armed by just the single turn of a bicycle lock key.

To arm the weapons you just open a panel held by two captive screws - like a battery cover on a radio - using a thumbnail or a coin.

Inside are the arming switch and a series of dials which you can turn with an Allen key to select high yield or low yield, air burst or groundburst and other parameters.

The Bomb is actually armed by inserting a bicycle lock key into the arming switch and turning it through 90 degrees. There is no code which needs to be entered or dual key system to prevent a rogue individual from arming the Bomb.

(Via Bruce Schneier.)

Happy Thanksgiving! Regular blogging will resume tomorrow.

"What If Gmail Had Been Designed by Microsoft?"

The procrastination flowchart. (Via GMSV.)

Tyler Cowen on his iPhone:

I still use my iPhone almost every day and I can no longer imagine not having one. Mostly I surf web sites and blogs while waiting in lines, or read email. I've yet to make a phone call with it.

Who has the oil? (Via BBspot.)

Principles of economics, translated into normal English. Very funny piece from the Stand-Up Economist. (Via Lin Zinser.)

Theory of Everything? Physicist/surfer Garrett Lisi may have found a way to unify all the major particle and forces of nature, including gravity, without having to rely on dubious multi-dimensional string theory. Plus his theory may be testable in the near future. His theory predicts:

...more than 20 new particles not envisaged by the standard model. Lisi is now calculating the masses that these particles should have, in the hope that they may be spotted when the Large Hadron Collider - being built at CERN, near Geneva in Switzerland - starts up next year.

Here's a related article. Here's the link to his paper. (Click on the "PDF" icon on the upper right for the PDF version.) And a link to a semi-technical explanation (with video).

(FWIW, I once met him several years ago at a dinner party, back when Diana and I lived in San Diego and he was a PhD student at UCSD. He was a friend-of-a-friend, and he struck me as an extremely intelligent man. So although my math background is not strong enough to enable me to assess the merits of his theory, he would be a plausible candidate to have come up with a revolutionary new theory in foundational physics.)

Cool Star Trek home theater. (Via /.)

Wormholes on Earth? And a related article from Nature.

"A pair of mathematicians has created a video that shows how to visualize and understand Möbius transformations, which are a fundamental and highly abstract mathematical tool. The new video, "Möbius Transformations Revealed," has become an Internet sensation, with 60,000 hits on YouTube so far.

"... 'You need some pretty heavy mathematical machinery that people usually don't do until their first year of grad school to prove the stuff in the video,' [Jonathan] Rogness says, "but we've been showing this to high school students and they seem to get it."

"How to halt light and bottle it".

Hushmail turns over data to the government. (Via Bruce Schneier.)

Because November 19 is World Toilet Day, it seems as good a time as any to answer the perennial question, "What if everybody in the United States flushed the toilet at the same time?". (Via Neatorama.)

The end of Tesla vs. Edison: Con Ed will shut down the last of their DC electrical service in Manhattan, marking the end of the famous battle between the AC and DC power distribution methods advocated by Tesla and Edison respectively. (Via Howard Roerig.)

It's probably illegal to do this to a telemarketer. But it is tempting... (Via MDMD, aka "Mad Dog".)

"Did NSA Put a Secret Backdoor in New Encryption Standard?"

This is how it works: There are a bunch of constants -- fixed numbers -- in the standard used to define the algorithm's elliptic curve. These constants are listed in Appendix A of the NIST publication, but nowhere is it explained where they came from.

What Shumow and Ferguson showed is that these numbers have a relationship with a second, secret set of numbers that can act as a kind of skeleton key. If you know the secret numbers, you can predict the output of the random-number generator after collecting just 32 bytes of its output. To put that in real terms, you only need to monitor one TLS internet encryption connection in order to crack the security of that protocol. If you know the secret numbers, you can completely break any instantiation of Dual_EC_DRBG.

The researchers don't know what the secret numbers are. But because of the way the algorithm works, the person who produced the constants might know; he had the mathematical opportunity to produce the constants and the secret numbers in tandem.

Of course, we have no way of knowing whether the NSA knows the secret numbers that break Dual_EC-DRBG. We have no way of knowing whether an NSA employee working on his own came up with the constants -- and has the secret numbers. We don't know if someone from NIST, or someone in the ANSI working group, has them. Maybe nobody does.

We don't know where the constants came from in the first place. We only know that whoever came up with them could have the key to this backdoor. And we know there's no way for NIST -- or anyone else -- to prove otherwise.

This is scary stuff indeed.

High definition video is causing problems for pornographers:

Pornography has long helped drive the adoption of new technology, from the printing press to the videocassette. Now pornographic movie studios are staying ahead of the curve by releasing high-definition DVDs.

They have discovered that the technology is sometimes not so sexy. The high-definition format is accentuating imperfections in the actors — from a little extra cellulite on a leg to wrinkles around the eyes. ...

“The biggest problem is razor burn,” said Stormy Daniels, an actress, writer and director.

(Via Michael Williams.)

Toddlers start treating robots as if they were other children after only a few months of exposure.

Neuroimaging and political prediction: Powerful new tool or overhype-of-the-day?

"The Death of E-Mail": The cultural gap between first and second generation internet users.

"Suitcase nukes closer to fiction than reality". Includes obligatory Jack Bauer picture. (Via SciTechDaily.)

Today's prequel is Battlestar Galactica: Razor. Coming November 24.

"Thought Police: How Brain Scans Could Invade Your Private Life". We're definitely not at that point yet. But we're not that far away either. (Via Cosmic Log.)

Rand Simberg dispels cloning myths. And Phil Bowermaster explains, "Three Things Cloning Isn't".

If you don't want to know the plot to the Star Trek 11 movie, then don't click here. (Via /.)

"24: The Unaired 1994 Pilot". Jack Bauer saves the world with AOL 3.0!

The Top 10 Off Switches. (Via /.)

14-year old boy saves a life because he watched "MythBusters". (Via BBspot.)

Malcolm Gladwell has a new thought-provoking essay asking if criminal profiling is more like a pseudoscience rather than a science, especially with predictions that are too vague to provide guidance, and get be fitted to the actual facts only in retrospect.

For instance, here is a summary of the profilers' predictions about the famous BTK serial killer:

The best minds in the F.B.I. had given the Wichita detectives a blueprint for their investigation. Look for an American male with a possible connection to the military. His I.Q. will be above 105. He will like to masturbate, and will be aloof and selfish in bed. He will drive a decent car. He will be a “now” person. He won’t be comfortable with women. But he may have women friends. He will be a lone wolf. But he will be able to function in social settings. He won’t be unmemorable. But he will be unknowable. He will be either never married, divorced, or married, and if he was or is married his wife will be younger or older. He may or may not live in a rental, and might be lower class, upper lower class, lower middle class or middle class. And he will be crazy like a fox, as opposed to being mental. If you’re keeping score, that’s a Jacques Statement, two Barnum Statements, four Rainbow Ruses, a Good Chance Guess, two predictions that aren’t really predictions because they could never be verified—and nothing even close to the salient fact that BTK was a pillar of his community, the president of his church and the married father of two.

A real-life DaVinci code?

An Italian musician and computer technician claims to have uncovered musical notes encoded in Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper," raising the possibility that the Renaissance genius might have left behind a somber composition to accompany the scene depicted in the 15th-century wall painting.

"It sounds like a requiem," Giovanni Maria Pala said. "It's like a soundtrack that emphasizes the passion of Jesus."

(Via Instapundit.)

"'Robo-moth' melds insect, machine". And more stories on animal brains in robotic bodies (2nd paragraph down).

"Nonlocality of a Single Particle Demonstrated Without Objections"

"Why bad employees don't get fired". (Via Mental Floss.)