Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Scientists Give Ships Invisibility Cloaks
"Scientists Give Ships Invisibility Cloaks". To protect against storms (not against visual detection).
Spider Silk Spun Into Violin Strings
"Spider silk spun into violin strings":
A Japanese researcher has used thousands of strands of spider silk to spin a set of violin strings.
The strings are said to have a "soft and profound timbre" relative to traditional gut or steel strings.
That may arise from the way the strings are twisted, resulting in a "packing structure" that leaves practically no space between any of the strands.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
How Western Tech Firms Are Helping Arab Dictators
"Surveillance Inc: How Western Tech Firms Are Helping Arab Dictators"
Some of the surveillance software even allows dictators "to change emails while en route to their recipient". I'm just glad we never have to worry about our own government doing anything like this here in America.
Some of the surveillance software even allows dictators "to change emails while en route to their recipient". I'm just glad we never have to worry about our own government doing anything like this here in America.
Scientists Revolutionise Electron Microscope
"Scientists revolutionise electron microscope":
The new method, called electron ptychography, dispenses with the lens and instead forms the image by reconstructing the scattered electron-waves after they have passed through the sample using computers.
Scientists involved in the scheme consider their findings to be a 'first step' in a 'completely new epoch of electron imaging´. The process has no fundamental experimental boundaries and it is thought it will transform sub-atomic scale transmission imaging.
Project leader Professor John Rodenburg, of the University of Sheffield's Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, said: "...We've shown we can improve upon the resolution limit of an electron lens by a factor of five. An extension of the same method should reach the highest resolution transmission image ever obtained; about one tenth of an atomic diameter."
Monday, March 05, 2012
Pasta-Shaped Radio Waves
"A group of Italian and Swedish researchers appears to have solved the problem of radio congestion by cleverly twisting radio waves into the shape of fusilli pasta, allowing a potentially infinite number of channels to be broadcast and received."
China Clamps Down on Bloggers
"China clamps down on popular microblogs"
In particular, bloggers can be punished for "a range of vaguely defined activities, such as 'undermining national unity,' 'spreading rumors, disturbing social order, or undermining social stability,' and 'illegal activities on behalf of civil society organizations.'"
In particular, bloggers can be punished for "a range of vaguely defined activities, such as 'undermining national unity,' 'spreading rumors, disturbing social order, or undermining social stability,' and 'illegal activities on behalf of civil society organizations.'"
Sunday, March 04, 2012
No Pulse: How Doctors Reinvented The Human Heart
"No Pulse: How Doctors Reinvented The Human Heart".
It took some "thinking outside the box" to get rid of the heartbeat:
It took some "thinking outside the box" to get rid of the heartbeat:
Building a heart that mimics nature's lub-dub may be as comically shortsighted as Leonardo da Vinci designing a flying machine with flapping wings. Nature is not always the best designer, at least when it comes to things that humans must build and maintain. So the newest artificial heart doesn't imitate the cardiac muscle at all. Instead, it whirs like a little propeller, pushing blood through the body at a steady rate. After 500 million years of evolution accustoming the human body to blood moving through us in spurts, a pulse may not be necessary...(Via Instapundit.)
Internet In A Backpack
US Special Ops forces working in remote areas now use a pretty slick "internet in a backpack" system.
Cetacean Rights?
Scientists and philosophers have been arguing whether whales and dolphins have rights.
They're certainly more plausible candidates than most animals. Of course, the critical part of the debate is establishing what the criteria for rights should be (e.g., capacity for language, abstract conceptual thought, etc.)
They're certainly more plausible candidates than most animals. Of course, the critical part of the debate is establishing what the criteria for rights should be (e.g., capacity for language, abstract conceptual thought, etc.)
Archive: MRI of Intercourse
10 years ago on GeekPress: Radiology can be fun! Yes, the British Medical Journal did publish an article studying the MRI appearance of people having sex.
The current version of GeekPress started 10 years ago in March 2002. To commemorate this milestone, I'll be posting occasional tidbits from the archives on the relevant anniversary date under the heading, "10 years ago on GeekPress".
The current version of GeekPress started 10 years ago in March 2002. To commemorate this milestone, I'll be posting occasional tidbits from the archives on the relevant anniversary date under the heading, "10 years ago on GeekPress".
Saturday, March 03, 2012
How To Cite a Tweet in an Academic Paper
The Modern Language Association now has official guidelines: "How Do You Cite a Tweet in an Academic Paper?"
Details are at the MLA website:
Details are at the MLA website:
Begin the entry in the works-cited list with the author’s real name and, in parentheses, user name, if both are known and they differ. If only the user name is known, give it alone.Here is a helpful graphic:
Next provide the entire text of the tweet in quotation marks, without changing the capitalization. Conclude the entry with the date and time of the message and the medium of publication (Tweet). For example:
Athar, Sohaib (ReallyVirtual). "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)." 1 May 2011, 3:58 p.m. Tweet.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
AutoCorrect Fail Causes School Lockdown and Police Response
Bad autocorrect leads to school lockdown and police reponse.
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