Like skiers and snowboarders sharing the same powder, I envision some kind of uneasy truce between those using their DSLRs for still photography, and those using them for videography. I have no basis for the dirty looks and stink eye I imagine them giving each other, but it still warms my heart to see a company like Polaroid trying to bring those two sides together. More »
Okay, the riddle about what happened to Marian has been solved! No, I haven’t been abducted and sold for spare parts. Thanks for all the emails, guys. I just have a mother in very poor condition, in the hospital, and I’ve been camped out there for the past three days.
Don’t worry, riddlers.  I’ll come up with something extra special for you.
Thanks again for all the emails. I think I have about 200. You guys are great.
The original iPhone 4 stumbled out of the gate with an infamous antenna issue that left many users very disappointed. And while the problem was eventually resolved in a modified housing that carried forward to the recently released iPhone 4S, the latest model seems to be suffering from its own serious performance issue. More »
For the past few years, Apple has been hammering away at building its own mapping platform to shake the yoke of Google Maps. It just took another step toward assembling its cartographic Frankenstein monster by buying up C3 Technologies, which assembles hyper-realistic 3D maps and integrates them with more traditional 2D maps and photos. More »
Some people might consider this a sin, but hey: I’m no angle.
This comic is from Luke Surl, who has some pretty funny geek comics on his site.
… and if you don’t get it, this might help. Or you could try searching on it; secant you shall find.
Tip o’ the sunscreen lid to Neil Tyson, whom I hear is really into astronomy.
Because of their size and the heavy glass components inside, large lenses are subject to something known as 'zoom creep' where they have the tendency to extend or collapse under their own weight when pointed upwards or downwards. In some situations the problem can be easily solved by just holding the zoom ring, but other times you might need a specialized tool. More »
Cheering for the hometown team has always been interesting at SoftLayer. With U.S. data centers in Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Seattle and San Jose, the “home team” varies throughout the organization. It’s always fun to talk about games with fans when I’m not invested in the outcome of a game outside my favorite team’s division … And when it comes to the NBA (which no longer has a team in Seattle), it’s easy to cheer for the teams that other SLayers are cheering for. When the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Championships, our Dallas techs were going crazy, and their enthusiasm was pretty contagious.
When it comes to NFL football, things are a little different. Prior to the launch of our San Jose facility, supporting each data center’s home NFL team with some playful banter was normal. When San Jose came into the mix, that meant we’d have a lot of new employees (Yay!) who are probably going to be fans of my Seahawks’ divisional rivals, the San Francisco 49ers (Booo! 
). Now cheering for games gets a little trickier since we don’t want a football-related civil war between offices.
In reality, I’m sure it’ll never be an issue, since SLayers are like a big, diverse family … That being said, I’m glad I wasn’t in the office on the Monday after the Seahawks’ opening game loss against the 49ers. My California peers would have probably been quick to chat about the game, and I probably wouldn’t have wanted to talk about it. It’s different for me to have coworkers who are die-hard fans of a rival team due to their geography (and not just because they are a bandwagon fan), and as we keep growing, I’m sure the football support between offices is going to keep getting more and more diverse … My vote is that we avoid adding a data center in another NFC West rival’s market, though.
The interoffice atmosphere is just another reason why I love working for SoftLayer. Our team is so different, but we’re united by the common goal of making SoftLayer the best company in the world (for our customers and for our employees). For right now, I’m glad that there aren’t as many soccer fans in our halls … You don’t want to see me in my soccer hooligan mode.
-Robert
E-ink technology is easier on the eyes for reading, even if the devices it's currently deployed in feel nothing like a book or magazine. But AU Optronics gives us another tantalizing look at the future with a proof of concept ereader that's completely self-powered, while still as flexible as a piece of paper. More »
Hi every body
I am about to make a master degree research but i didn't find a subject yet, I'm thinking of something related to fluid mechanics, do you have any suggestions?
Most of the traveling I do involves Florida beaches and islands. In addition to suffering at some lousy accommodations, I’ve also had some outstanding experiences, so I thought I’d share a few of them here. This isn’t a complete list, and there are other places I’ve stayed that were quite good, but perhaps not good [...]
Top picks
A fantastic post on the dogged passion of scientists: Internet Porn Fills Gap in Spider Taxonomy, by Meera Lee Sethi
Threefold variation in UK bowel cancer death rates! Wait, that’s less than what you expect from chance, by Ben Goldacre
A lovely piece on the mind of the octopus and what it’s like to study them
Turn the lights off and your speakers up. Ready? Now watch this video of Earth from the International Space Station
This is wonderful. Two scientists – SciCurious and Kate Clancy – critique a paper on their blogs and the author responds on her own blog. Technical but civil comments ensue. Great.
Human population growth: more “bacterial than primate”, by Elizabeth Kolbert.
Why biology is in dire need of some viral marketing (and why the creationists are winning at SEO), by Kevin Zelnio.
An important piece on views of evolution in the Muslim world & why young-earth creationism is absent
Brutally scathing report says polio eradication isn’t going to happen any time soon. By Maryn McKenna
Love the tyrant, not the hype: A must-read post by Tom Holtz on the real reasons why T. rex is so damn interesting.
“You don’t want to be the science writer who asks a famous astronomer ‘so are u telling me there’s a telescope in space?” Cassie Willyard on why science writers need to ask dumb questions.
A beautiful creative combo of science & cathartic writing: “Time+brain chemistry heal all wounds” by Christie Wilcox.
Carl Zimmer asks about the biggest cell. A great conversation ensues.
Great feature on sequencing the Black Death genome, by Ewen Callaway
Very good piece by Erika Check Hayden on why sequencing Steve Jobs’ genome couldn’t save his life, and the limits of modern genetics.
The book marketplace is more about “selling objects… than propelling the arguments they contain.” Excellent analysis by Megan Garber
Virtual wolf pack show that ambush is possible without planning or cooperation
6 guys in a capsule – great Wired piece on a 520-experiment in isolation, that simulates a trip to Mars
Dolphin Curiosity: Knowledge for Knowledge’s Sake. I love Paul Norris’ blog on animal intelligence.
Educate a woman, educate a nation: why women’s education is key to slowing population growth. Really important concept.
Bacteria threaten cave art – but some scientists disagree with “keep cave closed” tactic. Cool story by Carmen Drahl.
An excellent deep-digging feature on the mislabeling of fish from the Boston Globe.
News/science/writing
Looming gaps in satellite coverage could create an important gap in climate data
Killer whales in captivity are NOT a 13th Amendment problem
Killer Whales Migrate Thousands of Miles to…Exfoliate?
Cookie-Cutter Cat Not As Cute The Name Sounds
The neuroscience of ‘pissing yourself with fear’
$10m prize for sequencing 100 centenarian genomes in 30 days. Well, they should be easy to catch…
First patient receives novel gene therapy for type of blindness. Good luck to him!
Mass Species Loss Stunts Evolution for Millions of Years
Was Archaeopteryx an early bird? The debate about this iconic fossil critter continues. Brian Switek gets the nuance in the debate, unlike most journalists who opted for a simple turn-around narrative.
Declan Butler dissects the malaria vaccine announcement from last week. It’s still important, but how important?
The Royal Society has made all journal articles over 70-years-old free-to-access
The arsenic debate that matters: conflicting studies fuel arsenic debate
Swans and stem cells: winners of this year’s Imagine Science Film Festival
Cognitive Chaos May Fuel Marijuana’s Side Effects
21% of “high impact biomedical journal” studies have honorary/ghost authors
The UK’s National Cancer Director orders an independent review of breast cancer screening programme. Good. Necessary.
Does Time Exist? The definitive debate. Check out comment 20 for a clear lay explanation!
Universal HPV vaccination for boys recommended by CDC advisory panel.
This is big, important and potentially worrying. Non-invasive fetal genetic screening debuts.
Tasmanian Devils Might Survive Cancer Scourge
Two parasites, one host in a new blog called Nothing in Biology Makes Sense
One of the 7 billion humans has just brought the number of Javan rhinos down to 50
The Iceman genome cometh
Argument over RNA editing study deepens
Before flight, did dinosaurs use flap-assisted incline running? Great videos on the evolution of flight, via Carl Zimmer.
This might be the earliest Western childbirth image (and it was found by a blind student)
The Empire of Death, The World’s Monuments to Human Skeletons
“I wanna be like you-oo-oo.” Orangutans develop different cultures like humans.
People are better at golf if they’re told that their club belonged to a pro
Peer review is f***ed up – let’s fix it
Why Do We Keep Going Back to Jurassic Park? Other than the fact that Hammond keeps on sending us.
EyeTracker – tech that allows paralysed ALS patients to draw with their eyes
“An ignorance about genetics so profound that I may lose hope in humanity”: Emily Willingham on the Huffington Post’s shocking science section.
“Naming gives us the illusion that nature is fixed, but it is as fluid as the language used to describe it”
“We knew our predictions were little better than guesses, but we continued to act as if each prediction was valid.” Don’t Blink! The Hazards of Confidence
People with strong involuntary digust reactions are more likely to be conservative, oppose gay marriage.
Sail-backed crocodiles & the rise of the ruling reptiles
Crabitats! Project Shellter aims to build 3D-printed homes for hermit crabs
‘Sex and the Scanner’: why MRI scanners don’t make for good sexy TV.
The first episode of Frozen Planet was incredible. Surfing penguins, the world’s most incompetent sea-lion, killer whales attacking seals with waves, and this epic wolf hunt.
How to get a job in Antarctica
How big was world’s population when you were born?
Heh/wow/huh
Study Finds Every Style Of Parenting Produces Disturbed, Miserable Adults
The beards! Oh god the beards! How the Joy of Sex was illustrated
Do NOT attempt to answer this question. Mind splode.
Man chases crab, crab gets hilariously awesome revenge on man
A strategic plan, to be stapled to the heads of all strategy consultants.
Dinosaurigami: how the hell did he do a Kentrosaurus???
“Responses of unwitting participants to balls unexpectedly thrown by an experimenter or propelled by a hidden cannon…”
Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing. At the end, Nick Fury recruits them all.
“The dictator was dragged from a big pipe and then some stuff happened”
HuffNo Tumblr
Being alive linked to autism
The planet’s version of farting in the bath: an underwater volcano spews exotic lava
Confused grasshopper is confused
Journalism/society/internet
Open Lab 2011: Blogging Comes of Age. (I’m helping to judge and I quite agree. A particularly good batch this year).
Good round-up from Nieman Lab about getting tablet news to pay.
I’ve been playing around with ifttt.com – an essential tool for journalists and other heavy web users.
A great dissection of why Amy Harmon’s autism story in the NYT is so good – I love the description of writers leaving “gold coins” for readers.
Was It A Cat I Saw? Interview with, and essay by, palindrome king Barry Duncan. His record? 800 words
Someone hacked Israel’s biometric database in 2006. Now 9 million people’s personal info is on the loose.
A great piece on how Anonymous, the new Shakespeare movie, relates to science denialism
“Intelligent Rival Imitator of Siri.” Android has a Siri, called Iris.
Why architects suffer from myopia, and some buildings look really weird
Three psychiatrists urge DC Comics to stop misrepresenting the mentally ill.
Cyborg no more! The BBC moves to human-edited Twitter feeds
The @Guardiantagbot will answer your queries to discover your weaknesses. Er, I mean, help you find content.
Brian Cox is wrong: blogging your research is not a recipe for
It’s time to admit that journalists are human beings, and they have opinions:
The European Geosciences Union is offering fellowships of 5,000 euros for journos to report on geosciences research. Disclaimer: I’m judging
What are the best “dumb” interview Qs that sci journos ask? Loads of great answers, plus some from me. Also: how to cover conferences.
How much energy does the entire internet consume?
In a surprising move, Australia's Qantas Airways has officially grounded its entire fleet today, and stopped all domestic and international flights as part of an ongoing and messy dispute with the airline's three unions. More »
What makes something taste 'good' is a complex psychological and physiological human process that has made creating artificial tasters, or accurate scientific models, very difficult. But researchers at the University of Copenhagen have come up with what's described as a "magnetic tongue" that could allow factories to monitor and improve the flavor of tinned tomatoes during the canning process. More »
Trademark Law
Apple 's sees the "Apple" logo of CaféKind in Bonn, Germany as an "eyesore"
Logo from Apfelkind
Logo from Apple
The Logo from the attacked Chinese Noodle manufacturer
Apple
The IT group Apple takes action against a Bonn café, which has an apple in its logo. The fact tha
Mother and pup
South Wamses Seal colony
While Panasonic has already alluded to its existence, their new Micro Four Thirds Lumix GX1 camera has been kept under tight wraps before its official November 8th unveiling. But since it's nearly impossible to keep new gear a secret these days, a handful of photos, of what's assumed to be the first snapper in the Lumix GF professional line, have appeared on the Taiwan Mobile01 forum. More »
I've got a husqvarna 440 chain saw ;it goes but it doesn't' keep started can you help me out thank you
Recently, a man called the Hertsfordshire (UK) police to report flashing lights in the sky… and, well, listen for yourself:
Heh. Well, I’m actually glad he called back to admit his mistake!
You might think this is really unusual, but this call doesn’t surprise me at all. Take a look at the links in the Related Posts section below; people have reported Jupiter and balloons as UFOs, and the Moon has made an appearance once or twice as well. Even dust motes on old photographic plates have spurred warnings of a menace from space…
Tip o’ the tin foil beanie to Nancy Atkinson.
Related posts:
- NYC Fox station reports Jupiter and balloons as UFOs
- It’s a UFO, by Jove
- That’s no moon… oh, wait, yes it is.
- Giant spaceships to attack December 2012?
- 9-1-1, that spells "Moon"
can electricity produce without using magnet...
It's hard not to look at this limited edition case from ZooGue, that actually holds a couple of iPad 2s, and not shake your head in disbelief. Until you realize that it's not only an easy, albeit expensive, way to improve the tablet's multitasking capabilities. But it's also being auctioned off to benefit those with autism. More »
