Borrowing from nature’s nanofabrication tricks – biomimetic crystallization nanolithography

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Numerous research groups around the world are inspired by the biomineralization processes found in nature - the process by which living organisms produce inorganic materials (minerals) found in bones, teeth, or shells. In this process, the formation of the mineral is controlled with great precision by specialized organic biomolecules such as sugars and proteins. Whereas the fabrication of many man-made crystals requires elevated temperatures and strong chemical solutions, nature's organisms have long been able to lay down elaborate mineral structures at ambient temperatures. Being able to duplicate nature's 'production process' would potentially allow for much simpler and 'greener' fabrication technologies than the ones employed today. To that end, researchers have developed a new nanofabrication methodology to generate crystalline oxide semiconductor nanopatterns under mild conditions.

Robots Making Your Food [Image Cache]

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This sushi-making robot, along with the Okonomiyaki robot and the omelet robot, aren't new, but they are featured in this NYT story about chef robots to get you up to speed on machine-prepared cuisine.

The only question I have, since these robots are from Japan, is about where else that hand has been. [NYTimes]


Nikola’s Letterhead (And How Tesla Won the War of the Currents) [Lifechanger]

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This was Nikola Tesla's letterhead. It reminded us that along with the often overlooked little things which change our lives, we need the loud, filthy, slaughter-filled battles just as much. Like the dirty War of the Currents.

Just in case you're not familiar with the War of Currents—one of my favorite messes in the history of electricity—allow me to catch you up. On one end of it all we had Nikola "Wizard of the West" Tesla, George Westinghouse, and alternating current. On the other hand was Thomas "Dirty Fighter" Edison and direct current.

The whole trouble began when the United States were ready to move away from Edison's idea of direct current and try that newfangled AC. Dear ol' Tommy couldn't just sit back and let that happen. So, he did what any man in his right mind would do and started a smear campaign against the new system:

[He spread] disinformation on fatal AC accidents, publicly killing animals, and lobbying against the use of AC in state legislatures. Edison directed his technicians, primarily Arthur Kennelly and Harold P. Brown, to preside over several AC-driven killings of animals, primarily stray cats and dogs but also unwanted cattle and horses. Acting on these directives, they were to demonstrate to the press that alternating current was more dangerous than Edison's system of direct current.

When that wasn't enough, Edison got a bit more personal:

He also tried to popularize the term for being electrocuted as being "Westinghoused". Years after DC had lost the "war of the currents," in 1902, his film crew made a movie of the electrocution with high voltage AC, supervised by Edison employees, of Topsy, a Coney Island circus elephant who had recently killed three men.

Considering that we don't refer to someone being shoved into the electric chair as a "Westinghousing," I'd say Tommy didn't do so well. Anyway, we're not here to make fun of killing animals, Tommy's lost war, or to brag about Tesla. The point is that a good idea—alternating current—wasn't taken down by a dirty fight. And that, ladies and gents, is a #lifechanger.

Letterhead image from Letterheady. Some information from Wikipedia and the Nikola Tesla Museum


radio trouble

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so my father and I instaled an new sony sterio in a 84 300D TD mercedes and created a short that isnt bad ... but you know isnt good.... and i cant find a place where i can find if its the darn yellow wire to plug in to the ignition or the red one. but there is a gray wire that goes no where that we

NASA’s Perfect PAO Storm

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Verbal Testimony by Miles O'Brien: Senate Hearing on NASA's FY 2011 Budget

"While I give the Administration plan high marks for its steely-eyed reassessment of priorities - it did a horrible job telling this story. The headlines should have read: "Space is now open for business". Or - "Space travel now for the rest of us" Or "Space Station science gets a big reprieve" or "NASA to work on fixing air traffic delays" or "NASA to focus more on our favorite planet: Earth".

You get the idea. Instead we got a bunch of blue moon stories...

Why? Well for one thing my understanding is this decision was made in the White House office of Science and Technology Policy office - and was very closely held until the weekend before the budget rollout. They were reluctant to tell the kids I guess.

Even so, everyone in the Space Cadet Nation knew Constellation was a dead man walking. But denial is a powerful thing and so NASA was caught flatfooted - with no strategic plan on how to explain the nuance of this story. And let's face it the mainstream media doesn't have a clue either. Reporters who know some things about this beat have been unceremoniously dumped by the big papers and networks right and left - and many of them are now...well...webcasting.

So it is the perfect storm: the agency is not sold on the change...the communications plan is non existent...the reporters are not well informed...and the public is disengaged."

Keith's note: Hmmm .. the person responsible for all of this messaging is NASA PAO AA (and self-proclaimed "White House Liaison for space") Morrie Goodman who said last week: "I need to make sure that the agency's message is heard loud and clear and that our position is well known, well articulated, in the best way possible for people to understand and hopefuly come to the same conclusions that we do about the things that we do and where we are going."

Something is broken, Morrie.