Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Saturn's Mysterious Hexagon
I LOVE this storm. Another great article on it:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/saturn-hexagon/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wiredscience+%28Blog+-+Wired+Science%29
And for more info on Saturn, there's always the wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/saturn-hexagon/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wiredscience+%28Blog+-+Wired+Science%29
And for more info on Saturn, there's always the wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Black Hole Drive Could Power Future Starships
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/11/19/black-hole-drive-could-power-future-starships/
I love it! Looks like the Cern Supercollider may be turned on this weekend as well...
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/11/19/large-hadron-collider-could-re-start-this-weekend/
Such a black hole drive could easily accelerate to near the speed of light, opening up the cosmos to human travelers, but that's just the beginning. The micro-black hole could also be used as a power generator capable of transforming any matter directly into energy. This energy could be used to create new black holes and new power generators. Obviously, creating and harnessing black holes is not an easy undertaking, but Crane and Westmoreland point out that the black hole drive has a significant advantage over more speculative technologies like warp drives and wormholes: it is physically possible. And, they believe, worth pursuing "because it allows a completely different and vastly wider destiny for the human race. We should not underestimate the ingenuity of the engineers of the future."
I love it! Looks like the Cern Supercollider may be turned on this weekend as well...
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/11/19/large-hadron-collider-could-re-start-this-weekend/
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Dawn takes residence in Asteroid Belt
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/11/16/dawn-takes-up-residence-in-asteroid-belt/
Excellent! I didn't know that Vesta is believed to be the source of most of the asteroid meteorites that fall to Earth. Interesting!
Excellent! I didn't know that Vesta is believed to be the source of most of the asteroid meteorites that fall to Earth. Interesting!
Civilian Supercomputer Shatters Competition
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/11/civilian-supercomputer-shatters-nuke-simulators-speed-record/
Imagine in 30 years, when computational performance may be close to a trillion fold improvement over our current technology...
The retooled Jaguar supercomputer blew away the competition on the latest list of the 500 fastest computers in the world, clocking an incredible 1.759 petaflops — 1,759 trillion calculations per second.
“From the early 80s it may be close to a million fold improvement in computational performance,” Hack said.
Imagine in 30 years, when computational performance may be close to a trillion fold improvement over our current technology...
Naomi Klein: Revisiting No Logo
Looks like Naomi is releasing an extended introduction. I haven't read the book yet, but its on my to-read list. The article below is interesting as she wrote it in 1999, and in some ways is as applicable now as it was then.
http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2009/11/revisiting-no-logo-ten-years-later
http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2009/11/revisiting-no-logo-ten-years-later
Rebels in Search of Rules
By Naomi Klein, New York Times, December 2, 1999
It is all too easy to dismiss the protesters at the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle as radicals with 60's envy. A seemingly more trenchant criticism is that they are simply behind the curve, fighting against a tide of globalization that has already swamped them. Mike Moore, the director of the W.T.O., describes his opponents as nothing more than protectionists launching an assault on internationalism.
The truth, however, is that the protesters in Seattle have been bitten by the globalization bug as surely as the trade lawyers inside the Seattle hotels—though by globalization of a different sort—and they know it. The confusion about the protesters' political goals is understandable: this is the first movement born of the anarchic pathways of the Internet. There is no top-down hierarchy, no universally recognized leaders, and nobody knows what is going to happen next.
This protest movement is really anti-corporate rather than anti-globalist, and its roots are in the anti-sweatshop campaigns taking aim at Nike, the human rights campaign focusing on Royal Dutch/Shell in Nigeria and the backlash against Monsanto's genetically engineered foods in Europe.
At any time, one huge multinational company may be involved in several disputes—on labor, human rights and environmental issues, for example. Activists learn of one another as they aim at the same corporate target. Inadvertently, individual corporations have become symbols of the global economy in miniature, ultimately providing activists with name-brand entry points to the arcane world of the W.T.O.
This is the most internationally minded, globally linked movement the world has ever seen. There are no more faceless Mexicans or Chinese workers stealing our jobs, in part because those workers' representatives are now on the same e-mail lists and at the same conferences as the Western activists. When protesters shout about the evils of globalization, most are not calling for a return to narrow nationalism, but for the borders of globalization to be expanded, for trade to be linked to democratic reform, higher wages, labor rights and environmental protections.
This is what sets the young protesters in Seattle apart from their 60's predecessors. In the age of Woodstock, refusing to play by state and school rules was regarded as a political act in itself. Now, opponents of the W.T.O.—even those who call themselves anarchists—are outraged about a lack of rules and authority. They are demanding that national governments be free to exercise their authority without interference from the W.T.O. and asking for stricter international rules governing labor standards, environmental protection and scientific research.
Everyone, of course, claims to be all for rules, from President Clinton to Microsoft's chairman, Bill Gates. In an odd turn of events, the need for "rules-based trade" has become the mantra of the era of deregulation. But deregulation is by definition about the removal of rules. The W.T.O., charged with defining and enforcing deregulation, is only concerned with rules that regulate the removal of rules.
The W.T.O. has consistently sought to sever trade, quite unnaturally, from everything and everyone affected by it: workers, the environment, culture. This is why President Clinton's suggestion yesterday that the rift between the protesters and the delegates can be smoothed over with small compromises and consultation is so misguided.
The face-off is not between globalizers and protectionists, but between two radically different visions of globalization. One has had a monopoly for the last 10 years. The other just had its coming-out party.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Photographer Collection: David Guttenfelder in Afghanistan
This is an amazing collection of photos, check it out:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2009/10/30/photographer-collection-david-guttenfelder-in-afghanistan/
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2009/10/30/photographer-collection-david-guttenfelder-in-afghanistan/
For the past seven years, David Guttenfelder has witnessed and documented the changing landscape of Afghanistan. Although mostly embedded with coalition troops, he has also covered the presidential elections, bodybuilders in Kabul, the state of Afghan prisons and daily life in the country. Guttenfelder is the chief Asia photographer for The Associated Press and over the past seven years has offered the general public a close-up, intimate look at the lives of troops fighting in the mountains and remote regions of Afghanistan.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Obama's Bad Influence by Naoimi Klein
Great article by Naomi Klein here.
Of all the explanations for Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, the one that rang truest came from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "It sets the seal on America's return to the heart of all the world's peoples." In other words, this was Europe's way of saying to America, "We love you again"—sort of like those weird "renewal of vows" ceremonies that couples have after surviving a rough patch.
Now that Europe and the United States are officially reunited, it seems worth asking: is this necessarily a good thing? The Nobel Committee, which awarded the prize specifically for Obama's embrace of "multilateral diplomacy," is evidently convinced that US engagement on the world stage is a triumph for peace and justice. I'm not so sure. After nine months in office, Obama has a clear track record as a global player. Again and again, US negotiators have chosen not to strengthen international laws and protocols but rather to weaken them, often leading other rich countries in a race to the bottom.
Let's start where the stakes are highest: climate change. During the Bush years, European politicians distinguished themselves from the United States by expressing their unshakable commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. So while the United States increased its carbon emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels, the European Union countries reduced theirs by 2 percent. Not stellar, but clearly a case where the EU's breakup with the United States carried tangible benefits for the planet.
Flash forward to the high-stakes climate negotiations that just wrapped up in Bangkok. The talks were supposed to lead to a deal in Copenhagen this December that significantly strengthens the Kyoto Protocol. Instead, the United States, the EU and the rest of the developed countries formed a unified bloc calling for Kyoto to be scrapped and replaced. Where Kyoto set clear and binding targets for emission reductions, the US plan would have each country decide how much to cut, then submit its plans to international monitoring (with nothing but wishful thinking to ensure that this all keeps the planet's temperature below catastrophic levels). And where Kyoto put the burden of responsibility squarely on the rich countries that created the climate crisis, the new plan treats all countries the same.
These kinds of weak proposals were not altogether surprising coming from the United States. What was shocking was the sudden unity of the rich world around this plan—including many countries that had previously sung the praises of Kyoto. And there were more betrayals: the EU, which had indicated it would spend $19 billion to $35 billion a year to help developing countries adapt to climate change, came to Bangkok with a much lower offer, one more in line with the US pledge of... nothing. Oxfam's Antonio Hill summed up the negotiations like this: "When the starting gun fired, it became a race to the bottom, with rich countries weakening existing commitments under the international framework."
This isn't the first time a much-celebrated return to the negotiating table has resulted in overturned tables, with hard-won international laws and conventions scattered on the floor. The United States played a similar role at the UN conference on racism in Geneva in April. After extracting all sorts of deletions from the negotiating text—no references to Israel or the Palestinians, nothing on slavery reparations, etc.—the Obama administration decided to boycott anyway, pointing to the fact that the new text "re-affirms" the document adopted in 2001 in Durban, South Africa.
It was a flimsy excuse, but there was some kind of logic to it, since the United States had never signed the original 2001 document. What made no sense was the wave of copycat withdrawals from around the rich world. Within forty-eight hours of the US announcement Italy, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland had pulled out. Unlike the United States, these governments had all signed the 2001 declaration, so they had no reason to object to a document that reaffirmed it. It didn't matter. As with the climate change negotiations, lining up behind Obama, with his impeccable reputation, was an easy way to avoid burdensome international obligations and look progressive at the same time—a service the United States was never able to provide during the Bush years.
The United States has had a similarly corrupting influence as a new member of the UN Human Rights Council. Its first big test was Judge Richard Goldstone's courageous report on Israel's Gaza onslaught, which found that war crimes had been committed by both the Israeli army and Hamas. Rather than prove its commitment to international law, the United States used its clout to smear the report as "deeply flawed" and to strong-arm the Palestinian Authority into withdrawing a supportive resolution. (The PA, which faced a furious backlash at home for caving in to US pressure, may introduce a new version.)
And then there are the G-20 summits, Obama's highest-profile multilateral engagements. When one was held in London in April, it seemed for a moment that there might be some kind of coordinated attempt to rein in transnational financial speculators and tax dodgers. Sarkozy even pledged to walk out of the summit if it failed to produce serious regulatory commitments. But the Obama administration had no interest in genuine multilateralism, advocating instead for countries to come up with their own plans (or not) and hope for the best--much like its reckless climate-change plan. Sarkozy, needless to say, did not walk anywhere but to the photo session to have his picture taken with Obama.
Of course, Obama has made some good moves on the world stage—not siding with the coup government in Honduras, supporting a UN Women's Agency... But a clear pattern has emerged: in areas where other wealthy nations were teetering between principled action and negligence, US interventions have tilted them toward negligence. If this is the new era of multilateralism, it is no prize.
Obama's Bad Influence
Published in The NationOf all the explanations for Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, the one that rang truest came from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "It sets the seal on America's return to the heart of all the world's peoples." In other words, this was Europe's way of saying to America, "We love you again"—sort of like those weird "renewal of vows" ceremonies that couples have after surviving a rough patch.
Now that Europe and the United States are officially reunited, it seems worth asking: is this necessarily a good thing? The Nobel Committee, which awarded the prize specifically for Obama's embrace of "multilateral diplomacy," is evidently convinced that US engagement on the world stage is a triumph for peace and justice. I'm not so sure. After nine months in office, Obama has a clear track record as a global player. Again and again, US negotiators have chosen not to strengthen international laws and protocols but rather to weaken them, often leading other rich countries in a race to the bottom.
Let's start where the stakes are highest: climate change. During the Bush years, European politicians distinguished themselves from the United States by expressing their unshakable commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. So while the United States increased its carbon emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels, the European Union countries reduced theirs by 2 percent. Not stellar, but clearly a case where the EU's breakup with the United States carried tangible benefits for the planet.
Flash forward to the high-stakes climate negotiations that just wrapped up in Bangkok. The talks were supposed to lead to a deal in Copenhagen this December that significantly strengthens the Kyoto Protocol. Instead, the United States, the EU and the rest of the developed countries formed a unified bloc calling for Kyoto to be scrapped and replaced. Where Kyoto set clear and binding targets for emission reductions, the US plan would have each country decide how much to cut, then submit its plans to international monitoring (with nothing but wishful thinking to ensure that this all keeps the planet's temperature below catastrophic levels). And where Kyoto put the burden of responsibility squarely on the rich countries that created the climate crisis, the new plan treats all countries the same.
These kinds of weak proposals were not altogether surprising coming from the United States. What was shocking was the sudden unity of the rich world around this plan—including many countries that had previously sung the praises of Kyoto. And there were more betrayals: the EU, which had indicated it would spend $19 billion to $35 billion a year to help developing countries adapt to climate change, came to Bangkok with a much lower offer, one more in line with the US pledge of... nothing. Oxfam's Antonio Hill summed up the negotiations like this: "When the starting gun fired, it became a race to the bottom, with rich countries weakening existing commitments under the international framework."
This isn't the first time a much-celebrated return to the negotiating table has resulted in overturned tables, with hard-won international laws and conventions scattered on the floor. The United States played a similar role at the UN conference on racism in Geneva in April. After extracting all sorts of deletions from the negotiating text—no references to Israel or the Palestinians, nothing on slavery reparations, etc.—the Obama administration decided to boycott anyway, pointing to the fact that the new text "re-affirms" the document adopted in 2001 in Durban, South Africa.
It was a flimsy excuse, but there was some kind of logic to it, since the United States had never signed the original 2001 document. What made no sense was the wave of copycat withdrawals from around the rich world. Within forty-eight hours of the US announcement Italy, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland had pulled out. Unlike the United States, these governments had all signed the 2001 declaration, so they had no reason to object to a document that reaffirmed it. It didn't matter. As with the climate change negotiations, lining up behind Obama, with his impeccable reputation, was an easy way to avoid burdensome international obligations and look progressive at the same time—a service the United States was never able to provide during the Bush years.
The United States has had a similarly corrupting influence as a new member of the UN Human Rights Council. Its first big test was Judge Richard Goldstone's courageous report on Israel's Gaza onslaught, which found that war crimes had been committed by both the Israeli army and Hamas. Rather than prove its commitment to international law, the United States used its clout to smear the report as "deeply flawed" and to strong-arm the Palestinian Authority into withdrawing a supportive resolution. (The PA, which faced a furious backlash at home for caving in to US pressure, may introduce a new version.)
And then there are the G-20 summits, Obama's highest-profile multilateral engagements. When one was held in London in April, it seemed for a moment that there might be some kind of coordinated attempt to rein in transnational financial speculators and tax dodgers. Sarkozy even pledged to walk out of the summit if it failed to produce serious regulatory commitments. But the Obama administration had no interest in genuine multilateralism, advocating instead for countries to come up with their own plans (or not) and hope for the best--much like its reckless climate-change plan. Sarkozy, needless to say, did not walk anywhere but to the photo session to have his picture taken with Obama.
Of course, Obama has made some good moves on the world stage—not siding with the coup government in Honduras, supporting a UN Women's Agency... But a clear pattern has emerged: in areas where other wealthy nations were teetering between principled action and negligence, US interventions have tilted them toward negligence. If this is the new era of multilateralism, it is no prize.
Arctic Sediments Show That 20th Century Warming Is Unlike Natural Variation
Very interesting article here. Can't say I didn't see this coming.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023163513.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023163513.htm
ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2009) — The possibility that climate change might simply be a natural variation like others that have occurred throughout geologic time is dimming, according to evidence in a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper published October 19.
Most Complicated Eyes: Mantis Shrimp
And I thought my eyes were bad before reading this article!
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/mantis-shrimp-eyes/
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/mantis-shrimp-eyes/
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Martian Dust Devils
The markings in the Martian dirt are caused by Dust Devils that lift up the red silt, leaving behind the darker colored material. Amazing!
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091021.html
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091021.html
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
SLOOH - Your Online Observatory
This looks really cool! 12 months for $49.99. And they've got a set of "Missions" for kids too, looks like these are $4.99. I just might take some time to look over the trial...
http://www.slooh.com/
http://www.slooh.com/
Saturday, October 17, 2009
South Park in Sepia
I recently took my favorite South Park photos and redid them in sepia. Here are a few of my favs:
Here is the full set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariuccij/sets/72157622467856266/
Here is the full set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariuccij/sets/72157622467856266/
Yoda Pumpkin Carvin!
A friend asked me to create a Yoda stencil for carving pumpkins. Or in this particular case Squash carving. Thought I'd post here in case anyone else would like to use it!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Number of Possible Multiverses may be "Humongous"
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/10/15/if-we-live-in-a-multiverse-how-many-are-there/
Keep in mind this is truly hypothetical, but extremely interesting. And yeah, I'd bet that 10^10^10^7 is a "humongous" number.
Keep in mind this is truly hypothetical, but extremely interesting. And yeah, I'd bet that 10^10^10^7 is a "humongous" number.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Hiking Devil's Lake
I was fortunate enough to have Sunday open last week, and spent it hiking around Devil's Lake. Took hundreds of pics, and it was the nicest day we've had weather-wise in a very long time. Here are some of my favorites:
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Europa Capable of Supporting Life: Richard Greenberg
Alright, WAY cool.
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/10/08/europa-capable-of-supporting-life-scientist-says/
“Unmasking Europa: The Search for Life on Jupiter’s Ocean Moon.”
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/10/08/europa-capable-of-supporting-life-scientist-says/
The global ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa contains about twice the liquid water of all the Earth’s oceans combined. New research by Richard Greenberg of the University of Arizona suggests that there may be plenty of oxygen available in that ocean to support life, a hundred times more oxygen than previously estimated.I'm definitely adding his book to my "must read" list:
....
Greenberg says that the concentrations of oxygen would be great enough to support not only microorganisms, but also “macrofauna”, that is, more complex animal-like organisms which have greater oxygen demands. The continual supply of oxygen could support roughly 3 billion kilograms of macrofauna, assuming similar oxygen demands to terrestrial fish.The good news for the question of the origin of life is that there would be a delay of a couple of billion years before the first surface oxygen reached the ocean. Without that delay, the first pre-biotic chemistry and the first primitive organic structures would be disrupted by oxidation. Oxidation is a hazard unless organisms have evolved protection from its damaging effects. A similar delay in the production of oxygen on Earth was probably essential for allowing life to get started here.
“Unmasking Europa: The Search for Life on Jupiter’s Ocean Moon.”
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Blue Stonehenge
Interesting article. It would seem a second Stonehenge has been found a little more than a mile away from the first.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/06/second-stonehenge-discovered
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/06/second-stonehenge-discovered
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Exxon's Climate-Victim Candles
I'm definitely going to see their movie when it comes out on the 7th. In the mean time, check out this hilarious prank they pulled on Exxon.
http://www.theyesmen.org/hijinks/vivoleum
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/yes_men_strike_/
http://www.theyesmen.org/hijinks/vivoleum
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/yes_men_strike_/
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Untold Stories of the Tsunami
I think a big part of being human is sharing stories. Opening up to others, telling them something about yourself and your life.
Today I checked Hulu for the latest episode of Defying Gravity, and while there I found a link to this film. It's extremely heartbreaking, listening to the people in the video tell their stories, but to me, it was something I had to watch. They took their time to share their own piece of the tragedy, so that others can hopefully appreciate their circumstances a little more.
God bless all the people who died and went missing that day 5 years ago. What a tragedy. Sharing this because it tells their story, and it makes me feel a little more human.
Today I checked Hulu for the latest episode of Defying Gravity, and while there I found a link to this film. It's extremely heartbreaking, listening to the people in the video tell their stories, but to me, it was something I had to watch. They took their time to share their own piece of the tragedy, so that others can hopefully appreciate their circumstances a little more.
God bless all the people who died and went missing that day 5 years ago. What a tragedy. Sharing this because it tells their story, and it makes me feel a little more human.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Brain Scanning
Interesting article here about pulling images from your brain.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/brain-scans-reveal-what-youve-seen/
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/brain-scans-reveal-what-youve-seen/
Monday, September 21, 2009
Multicolr Search Lab
This tool is awesome!!
Click your color, or color combinations, and this tool will (instantaneously) search through literally millions of images and bring you a collage in that color. Not only that but each is linked back to the original photo on Flickr. How sweet is that!
http://labs.ideeinc.com/multicolr/
Click your color, or color combinations, and this tool will (instantaneously) search through literally millions of images and bring you a collage in that color. Not only that but each is linked back to the original photo on Flickr. How sweet is that!
http://labs.ideeinc.com/multicolr/
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sorry Mountain Dew, you've been out uh... Dewed!
Well I mean... in the coolness factor at the very least. Still going for green until their bloaty prices drop. Makes me laugh though!
http://www.myjones.com/code/limited.php?campaign=wizards
Original Link: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/09/dd-flavored-jones-soda/
Immortal... Jellyfish!?
Yep, who would have known... These little buggers use "transdifferentiation" to basically remake their cells, just as a salamander can regrow its tail. Only they can remake EVERY cell in their body. Over. And over. Thus, feasibly they can live forever.
What an interesting bugger. Though in the photo below it sort of looks like we're seeing a blurry photo inside its body, or is that just me? I mean, I half expect to see Cris Angel walk up to it and go "ARE YOU READY!!!!!"
Check out the original link:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2009/01/29/the-curious-case-of-the-immortal-jellyfish/
What an interesting bugger. Though in the photo below it sort of looks like we're seeing a blurry photo inside its body, or is that just me? I mean, I half expect to see Cris Angel walk up to it and go "ARE YOU READY!!!!!"
Check out the original link:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2009/01/29/the-curious-case-of-the-immortal-jellyfish/
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Super Cell Lightning on Saturn
Looks like Saturn's lightning storms have broken a new 'longest lasting' record. A lightning storm nearly 2000 miles across has been raging there since January.
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/09/14/super-cell-lightning-storm-raging-on-saturn-since-january/
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/09/14/super-cell-lightning-storm-raging-on-saturn-since-january/
Monday, September 14, 2009
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