"Violence is NEVER, EVER, a choice that a man should make." - Patrick Stewart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqFaiVNuy1k
Sunday, August 10, 2014
How big is the comet Rosetta is going to land instruments on?
Here we go. How big is the comet we're about to land a spacecraft on? This big!
Get your Vitamin D level checked.
“We expected to find an association between low Vitamin D levels and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but the results were surprising – we actually found that the association was twice as strong as we anticipated."
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_405559_en.html
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_405559_en.html
Genes
I just read Dan Riskin's book, Mother Nature is Trying to Kill You. It was a great read, except for being excessively sentimental at the end. I wanted something more technical, so I finally got around to reading (in audiobook form) The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. The audiobook is particularly good, read by Dawkins and his wife, Lalla Ward, who played Romana on Dr. Who. Their particular emphasis makes understanding the material much easier, in my experience.
Mass Effect
I did some creative consulting for weapons design for Mass Effect, back when my friend Chris Hepler was writing for them. The Reaper Blackstar was based on some (fictional) physics I worked out.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Reaper_Blackstar
"The Reaper weapon nicknamed "Blackstar" is so advanced that Alliance scientists can only offer speculation about how it works. The gun appears to exploit an element zero core and mass effect fields to fire gravitational singularities - micro black holes - that revert to their natural lethality when they impact a solid object. Researchers theorize that the blast tears apart the strong nuclear forces that hold the target's atoms together, resulting in a localized fusion reaction in light atoms and a fission reaction in heavy atoms. If that hypothesis is correct, the weapon alters nuclei, thus changing the chemical composition of the target. It destroys organic tissue, corrodes surviving armor, and leaves a visible trail of light-emitting particles.
Although some might argue that the Blackstar's single-launch capability makes it a liability, its capacity for utter destruction is essential when the user requires large-scale, instantaneous damage."
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Reaper_Blackstar
"The Reaper weapon nicknamed "Blackstar" is so advanced that Alliance scientists can only offer speculation about how it works. The gun appears to exploit an element zero core and mass effect fields to fire gravitational singularities - micro black holes - that revert to their natural lethality when they impact a solid object. Researchers theorize that the blast tears apart the strong nuclear forces that hold the target's atoms together, resulting in a localized fusion reaction in light atoms and a fission reaction in heavy atoms. If that hypothesis is correct, the weapon alters nuclei, thus changing the chemical composition of the target. It destroys organic tissue, corrodes surviving armor, and leaves a visible trail of light-emitting particles.
Although some might argue that the Blackstar's single-launch capability makes it a liability, its capacity for utter destruction is essential when the user requires large-scale, instantaneous damage."
Twitter Roundup
My Recent Posts from Twitter:
Wine contains endocrine disrupting pthalates, absorbed from epoxy linings of fermentation tanks. Soda & beer cans too http://bit.ly/1ooayr4
Antibacterials Triclosan & Triclocarban pass thru placenta & are potential teratogens. DON'T USE ANTIBACTERIAL SOAPS. http://bit.ly/1uCK0C2
We keep poking the climate dragon, "and eventually the dragon becomes pissed off enough to trash the place." http://bit.ly/1lk7juS
Difficulties in civilian life, rather than war experiences, linked to drinking problems for soldiers back home http://bit.ly/UFB4z6
Lands' End Announces Science-Themed Tees For Girls. Excellent. Superb.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/30/lands-end-science-tees-for-girls_n_5635375.html
Math is really useful for figuring out how to make the part of the Universe that you have under your control do what you want it to do. PM
One of nation’s largest engineering staffing providers, Kelly Services, predicts U.S. will need 250,000 more engineers in next ten years.
To the extent we exclude anyone from engineering, we miss good ideas. @PaulMirel speaking to a group of young engineers from the @NSBE
How to print metals of the future: @NASA's new #3D tech may build spacecraft parts http://go.nasa.gov/1lOWlgP
Oh, this is going to be good: Satanists demand religious exemption from laws that restrict access to abortion.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/07/28/3464769/satanists-hobby-lobby-abortion/
NASA: "The most powerful agency on the dreams of our nation is currently underfunded." -- Neil DeGrasse Tyson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc
If we exclude women from engineering, we miss half the good ideas. #egalitarianism #womenintech
C2N14, zero H. Azidoazide Azide. Compound so sensitive, they had to dim the Raman spectrometer to prevent exploding.
http://bit.ly/WNUNqd
Wine contains endocrine disrupting pthalates, absorbed from epoxy linings of fermentation tanks. Soda & beer cans too http://bit.ly/1ooayr4
Antibacterials Triclosan & Triclocarban pass thru placenta & are potential teratogens. DON'T USE ANTIBACTERIAL SOAPS. http://bit.ly/1uCK0C2
We keep poking the climate dragon, "and eventually the dragon becomes pissed off enough to trash the place." http://bit.ly/1lk7juS
Difficulties in civilian life, rather than war experiences, linked to drinking problems for soldiers back home http://bit.ly/UFB4z6
Lands' End Announces Science-Themed Tees For Girls. Excellent. Superb.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/30/lands-end-science-tees-for-girls_n_5635375.html
Math is really useful for figuring out how to make the part of the Universe that you have under your control do what you want it to do. PM
One of nation’s largest engineering staffing providers, Kelly Services, predicts U.S. will need 250,000 more engineers in next ten years.
To the extent we exclude anyone from engineering, we miss good ideas. @PaulMirel speaking to a group of young engineers from the @NSBE
How to print metals of the future: @NASA's new #3D tech may build spacecraft parts http://go.nasa.gov/1lOWlgP
Oh, this is going to be good: Satanists demand religious exemption from laws that restrict access to abortion.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/07/28/3464769/satanists-hobby-lobby-abortion/
NASA: "The most powerful agency on the dreams of our nation is currently underfunded." -- Neil DeGrasse Tyson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc
If we exclude women from engineering, we miss half the good ideas. #egalitarianism #womenintech
C2N14, zero H. Azidoazide Azide. Compound so sensitive, they had to dim the Raman spectrometer to prevent exploding.
http://bit.ly/WNUNqd
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