Archive for April 12th, 2008

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Science Etcetera Saturnday, 20080412

Saturday, April 12th, 2008
  • A project where college students created drawings to explain scientific concepts to high school students gives both sides a better understanding of the subject matter.

  • Science Drawings Clarify Science

    Science Drawings Clarify Science
    Kara Culligan and Eunji Chung, Harvard University
    Lina Garcia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • 80 percent of web searches are informational, as opposed to navigational or transactional according to researchers who classified web searches
  • Washing fruits and vegetables reduces risks of food poisoning, but irradiating them is probably the most thorough safety precaution.
  • A team of international collaborators have come up with a map of protected areas Madagascar needs to establish in order to preserve the most biodiversity.
  • For $230, Nestle has bought the rights to hundreds of millions of gallons of water out of Florida, while the state’s neighbors are begging for drought relief.
  • Short video documentary covering urban bee-keeping.
  • Eat your heart out Batman! It’s a kerosene-powered jetpack!!!

  • Kerosene-Powered Jetpack

    Kerosene-Powered Jetpack
  • One study hints that the “epidemic of autism” might actually be an epidemic of misdiagnosis.
  • The active learning robot is cool, but I want to see it applied to something practical, like playing RoboRally.
  • An archeological dig at Stone Henge is turning up evidence for its purpose.
  • A Fox News anchor actually told viewers that “the U.N. says the planet may actually cool off for the 10th year in a row.” They then cut to commercial so someone could wipe the drool off her chin.
  • Climate Change is going to impact the production of beer. EVERYBODY PANIC!!! (HT Clint)
  • Laika, the first dog in space, finally gets her own statue.

  • Laika Monument

    Laika Monument
  • Boys and girls do better in school when they learn co-ed.
  • Electronic networks modeled after the nervous system in our skin will lead to planes, buildings, and other structures that let us know when they need repair.
  • While we’re scanning the skies for radio waves from extraterrestrials, some civilizations in our Milky Way are probably 1.5 Billion Years more advanced than that.
  • Ohhhhh… Check out the new NASA Science Portal.
  • Beyond Flash and Hard Disk memory, Racetrack Memory has the performance and reliability of the former and the high-capacity of the later.
  • It’s a space-themed day, so while appreciating the past, also look to the future with this Virgin Galactic Passenger Spaceflight Animation:


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    Yuri’s Night In Second Life

    Saturday, April 12th, 2008

    Science Drawings Clarify Science

    Monument to Yuri Gagarin
    in Moscow

    Courtesy Wikipedia

    Outer space is eternal and extends indefinitely far out. There is enough room for everyone there.” - Yuri Gagarin

    Can’t make one of the parties tonight? Go virtual and attend COLAB’s Yuri’s Night party in Second Life. It begins 11AM PDT and runs until 11PM PDT, with live virtual music performances scheduled all throughout the day. I’ll be wearing my virtual Yuri t-shirt, if I can find it.

    Extropia in Second Life also has events planned all day. David Brin will be giving a speech at 1PM PDT.