The Bahamas is perennially popular with island buyers. One of my favorite new islands to come on the market is Bottle Cay in the Bahamas. This gorgeous island that looks like it would fit in among the islands of French Polynesia is actually located near Cape Eleuthera and is easily accessible via Little Harbour at Powell Point. Excellent elevations, access to water and beautiful beaches make it a perfect place for an secluded vacation home. The nearby development of Powell Point offers basic amenities and a national airport.
Ask Giz: The 7 Steps of the Online Break Up [Badvalentine]
Things didn't go so well, huh, champ? We've talked a lot about love, but now it's time for our resident love doctor to talk about what happens when romance goes south. Here are the steps to breaking up... online.
Breaking up is hard to do, so the song goes, but it can be particularly painful in the digital world. If you find yourself separating from someone you'd created a digital identity with, follow these steps to keep your dignity (and assets) in tact:
1) Change Your Relationship Status If you don't do it, they will, which makes the preemptive relationship status change the way to go. Holding on to a fake "in a relationship with" could make you look desperate to your ex or any friends who know the truth. Better to cut the cord and move on, sadness and all. If you're not yet ready to move on and meet others (or don't want to provoke an online war with your ex), just remove the "in a relationship with" part but don't actually add "Single" or "Looking for Random Play." (Yet.)
2) Yank Some Pictures Some people remove all online signs of their relationship, including Facebook photos of the two of them in happier times. If you're both comfortable with the reminders of your time together, then no harm done (though it may make some future partners wary about why you continue to hold on to and display photos of your ex). If your ex would feel better with no photos online, then by all means respect her or his wishes. Whenever you have a choice, try to choose kindness.
3) To Unfriend or Not to Unfriend Might their feelings get hurt if you unfriend them? Yes, but such is life and love. It's fine to unfriend someone as long as you don't do it in a cruel way, like by sending them an evil message telling them that you're unfriending them due to their bad breath or the way they took nearly an hour to make it through their angel hair pasta. Before unfriending, though, consider whether you might want to date or be friends again in the future. If so, unfriending could be a wrong turn. Is it really that terrible that they might read your status updates or wall posts? Wait, really?
4) Limit Their Access Let's say you decide to stay Facebook friends but you want some boundaries. Change your privacy settings to either put them on limited profile or to modify their access for specific parts of your profile. You can limit their visibility by altering what they can or cannot see (such as placing an "Everyone but" limitation on new photos).
5) Change Your Passwords I don't care how much you trust the person. If you shared your passwords while you were together (for some, it's a sign of intimacy or trust), change your passwords. People sometimes do rash things in fits of jealousy, sadness, depression or revenge. As a sex and relationships columnist, I've heard all sorts of stories involving people breaking into each other's email accounts, bank accounts, Facebooks and more. There's nothing wrong with protecting yourself and your assets.
6) Save Things You Want Before your ex takes photos you want off of their Facebook (or god forbid their MySpace, if they still have one), copy any photos you want to your computer just in case it gets awkward to ask for them later. Even if you don't think you'll want them later on, you might – even if only for the memories. If seeing the photos makes you sad, transfer them to a folder on your hard drive. Still looking at them too often? Save them to an external hard drive. Still peeking? Have a friend babysit your external hard drive until you're able to move on.
7) Consider Blocking Them Hopefully you'll never need to block someone, but there are always those few key creepy people. Maybe it makes you feel gross to imagine that they have any sort of access to your life or that you ever kissed them or allowed them to insert Part A into Part B (and not in a cool gadget sort of way). If that's the case, why stop at unfriending? Block them and move on, as long as you're okay with not being able to see their profile either (which is what Facebook blocking entails). On Gmail and many other email systems, you can also set up rules to have their emails diverted into a separate folder in case you want to be able to receive emails from them but don't want their constant emails reminding you of what went wrong when you're trying to get work done.
Sometimes breakups are necessary and wanted. Other times they are exceedingly sad. If you're stuck in a real rut of sadness or depression, check out Peter McWilliams' classic How to Survive the Loss of a Love.
Read more of Dr. Debby's love advice here during Gizmodo's Bad Valentine celebration.
Debby Herbenick, PhD is a Research Scientist and Associate Director of The Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University, a sexual health educator at The Kinsey Institute and author of Because It Feels Good: A Woman's Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction. She blogs at MySexProfessor.com.
Gingerbread heartbreak shot by Jared Zimmerman/Flickr used under CC license
Bad Valentine is our own special take on the beauty—and awkwardness—of geek love.
All But Confirmed: No Flash In Windows Mobile 7 (At Least at First) [Windows Mobile 7]
A scoop of sorts over at Phone Scoop (and verified elsewhere this evening) confirms that Windows Mobile 7 will not support flash at launch—which is officially tomorrow during the MWC—but will eventually support it, sometime.
Both Phone Scoop and Engadget are confirming the news this evening, which means tomorrow's big Windows Mobile 7 reveal will be revealing, yes, but will not include mention of Adobe or flash. Please note that this is reportedly for initial builds of the OS, and will most likely change with later versions. Most likely. [Phone Scoop via Engadget]
Space Blitz is Out of Synch
2010 Legislative Blitz February 21-23 in Washington DC, Space Exploration Alliance
"... the Commission found that NASA simply can not accomplish the goals with which it has been tasked unless it receives an additional $3 billion in annual funding. In the current economic climate, however, it is uncertain which path our nation's leaders will now take in response to the Augustine Commission's findings. An increase in funding is not necessarily the path that will be chosen."
Keith's note: Gee folks, your "blitz" is a little more than a week away. It might be a good idea to update your website to reflect the actual situation NASA is in.
New Pointers To Deleted ISS Components
Keith's note: Some new images were posted at nasa.gov tonight. Have a look this image. Specifically, look at the direction labels inside of Node 3 ("Tranquility") that have been covered up (partially). On the right hand side of the image you can see an arrow that says "-> to HAB". On the left hand side you can see directions "<- to CRV". "CRV" usually means "Crew Rescue (or Return) Vehicle". "HAB" refers to the habitation module. Both of these things were deleted from the ISS program many years ago.
"Just Make Sure You Don’t Touch the Sid-" *ZAP* [We Love Toys]
Well, that was a gimme.
Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.
Tony Starch Prefers Vodka Martinis [We Love Toys]
Iron Mr. Potato Head Man. Yes.
Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.
Catch Me On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Tomorrow AM | The Intersection
It was just announced on their Twitter feed, so that’s pretty official.
The subject is vaccination, and I’ll be appearing with Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC’s chief medical editor.
My segment is around 8:40 am ET.
For those who want to check out my last Morning Joe appearance, meanwhile, you can watch it here.
How Clean is Your Electricity?
How clean is the electricity you use?
The US EPA has a web site, Energy and You, to help you find out. For the basic information and statistics, you simply need to know your zip code. This will show a break down of how much SO2, Nox and CO2 is produced per mWh (1,000 kWh) for electricity used in your area. If you would like specific information about a home or business, then the annual electric usage in kWh for that structure is needed.
The breakdown of fuel types also gives a good idea of waste products. Coal is the dirtiest fuel, not only in terms of emissions but in terms of byproducts after combustion. Fly ash from coal burning power plants is ever present and represents a real disposal issue for the power plant operator. Of course, nuclear, in it’s current configuration, generates hazardous materials that need to be stored for 10,000 years. This, by the way, can be changed with a different type of reactor. h/t to Sunvolt
Here is the environmental impact of my electricity:
The type of power most used to generate electricity in my area is coal. This is also true nation-wide. Coal plants should be shut down as soon as possible all across the country, and replaced with renewable and clean energy, and here is just a snippet of why from the EPA site:
(COAL) Air Emissions
When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury compounds are released. For that reason, coal-fired boilers are required to have control devices to reduce the amount of emissions that are released.
The average emission rates in the United States from coal-fired generation are: 2,249 lbs/MWh of carbon dioxide, 13 lbs/MWh of sulfur dioxide, and 6 lbs/MWh of nitrogen oxides.1
Mining, cleaning, and transporting coal to the power plant generate additional emissions. For example, methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is trapped in the coal, is often vented during these processes to increase safety.
(COAL) Water Resource Use
Large quantities of water are frequently needed to remove impurities from coal at the mine. In addition, coal-fired power plants use large quantities of water for producing steam and for cooling. When coal-fired power plants remove water from a lake or river, fish and other aquatic life can be affected, as well as animals and people who depend on these aquatic resources.
This makes me want to turn off the lights and the computer right now. But no, we don’t have to live without electricity! We have to pressure our power companies to use clean renewable energy instead of dirty coal. This is very doable — they just aren’t doing it. I’ve been thinking about how to change the minds of those in our power companies, and it seems that trying to reason with them is not working. I have written emails and they are quite arrogant in their certainty that they are being responsible, no matter how much coal they burn. They give [...]
Shouting "I AM IRON MAN" Sounds Far More Credible In This Helmet [We Love Toys]
The new Iron Man helmet is too cool: It opens and closes slowly, just like in the movie, lights up, and JARVIS talks to you.
Not bad, for $35. There's also a redesigned Replusor glove that does the whole "yeoooowwwBOOOSHH" sound effect when you fire it at tanks, pets or small children, and Arc Lights in the Mark IV or Mark VI variants.
Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.
Novel diamond-based nanowire devices advance quantum technology
By creating diamond-based nanowire devices, a team at Harvard has taken another step towards making applications based on quantum science and technology possible.
Physicists play Lego with photons
By manipulating a mysterious quantum property of light known as entanglement, researchers are able to mount up to two photons on top of one another to construct a variety of quantum states of light - that is, build two-story quantum toy houses of any style and architecture.
Seeking papers and artworks on the intersections of chemistry, nanotechnology and art
2011 is the International Year of Chemistry! To celebrate Leonardo is seeking to publish papers and artworks on the intersections of chemistry, nanotechnology and art for their on-going special section on nanotechnology and the arts.
Science at the nanoscale: An introductory textbook
This book provides a very detailed and interesting overview of the fundamental principles of nanoscience, discusses the background of several nanoscience experimental techniques, and sheds light on some of the visionary and important applications in the truly interdisciplinary area of nanotechnology.
DEK Solar Continues to Thrive in China
Most recently, the solar screen printing specialist completed a contract to supply a high-profile turnkey provider in the region with a large number of new metallization lines.
FutureCarbon to Present Innovative Products at nano tech 2010
FutureCarbon is presenting its innovative products CarboGran, an easily soluble CNT granulate, and its electrically heated coating Carbo e-Therm.
Nanotechnology Valentine’s
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have made a Valentine card of pure palladium - it is only 8 nanometres in size; you can even see the atoms.
NCBI ROFL: I scream! You scream! We all scream…from ice-cream headaches. | Discoblog
It’s BMJ week on NCBI ROFL! Each day this week we will feature a fun article from a British Medical Journal holiday issue. Enjoy!
Ice cream evoked headaches (ICE-H) study: randomised trial of accelerated versus cautious ice cream eating regimen
“Cold stimulus headache, also known as ice cream headache, is a common problem and is reported to occur in about a third of a randomly selected population. It was further suggested that the ice cream headache could be induced only in hot weather… we compared the effect of two ice cream eating regimens on the incidence of ice cream induced headaches in a prospective randomised manner. The study was carried out during the winter to test whether this phenomenon was restricted to hot weather only…Participants who received green dot questionnaires were given 100 ml of ice cream and were told to eat it in >30 seconds. They were further instructed to have about half their ice cream left after 30 seconds and then to continue at their own pace. Participants who received red dot questionnaires were given 100 ml of ice cream but were instructed to eat it in <5 seconds. The temperature of the ice cream was not formally regulated throughout the study… Twenty (27%) of 73 students in the accelerated eating group reported ice cream headache compared with 9 (13%) of 72 students in the cautious eating group.”
Image: flickr/HurleyFamily
Related content:
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: A moment on your lips, forever in your intestine.
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Competitive speed eating: truth and consequences.
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: eat me.
Nothing Says “I Love You” Like a Non-Orientable Surface | Cosmic Variance
Feeling like Valentine’s Day is a little too cutesy for an intellectual heavyweight such as yourself? Nonsense; the heart may have its reasons, but reason can certainly figure them out, given sufficient grant funding and some diligent graduate students. Jennifer Ouellette points to a talk by Mary Roach that is safe for TED but arguably not safe for work, and shares some brain scans to prove that love is really blind.
If all that biology is a bit too squishy, Sarah Kavassalis does the math. Here you will find the right functions to use to draw hearts — my favorite is the fourth heart curve from Wolfram|Alpha, shown at right — and how to construct topologically nontrivial versions out of construction paper and scissors. Who says mathematicians aren’t practical? Nor are they above venturing into the realm of the literary.
Roses are red.
Violets are approximately blue.
A paracompact manifold with a Lorentzian metric,
can be a spacetime, if it has dimension greater than or equal to two.
Shakespeare, maybe not. But the course of true science never did run smooth.
Poke Two Jedi’s Eyes Out at the Same Time With General Grievous’s Insane Spinny Lightsaber [We Love Toys]
There's a badass scene in the Clone Wars cartoon where General Grievous cuts down six Jedi, by himself, using some insane spinning saber techniques. This twirling dual-bladed Grievous lightsaber will let you do that to your friends.
In other toy lightsaber news, with the next releases, the blades will actually screw off, meaning when you're not deflecting Nerf darts, you can hang the lightsaber on your belt. Screwing the blade on does kind of kill the magic though—at least Luke coulda used the Force to do it.
STAR WARS GENERAL GRIEVOUS LIGHTSABER
(Approximate Retail Price: $34.99; Ages: 6 & up; Available: August 1, 2010)
JEDI warriors have long recognized the prowess of GENERAL GRIEVOUS as a highly skilled, elusive and often multiple-LIGHTSABER-wielding adversary. Now, kids can engage in LIGHTSABER battles just like this powerful cyborg with the new STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS GENERAL GRIEVOUS LIGHTSABER. Battle with the power of GENERAL GRIEVOUS by spinning the two LIGHTSABERS simultaneously in one hand, take out the spinner and connect the two LIGHTSABERS for double-bladed LIGHTSABER action, or use the two separately to ward off an opponent. Both LIGHTSABERS include electronic lights and battle sounds!STAR WARS LIGHTSABERS?(Approximate Retail Price: $9.99 to $19.99 to $34.00 up to $119.99; Available: August 1, 2010)
2010 is the year of the LIGHTSABER! Hasbro is offering its widest range ever of
STAR WARS LIGHTSABERS – the quintessential battle weapon for JEDI and SITH across the galaxy. From the BASIC and ELECTRONIC LIGHTSABERS, to the all-new spinning GENERAL GRIEVOUS LIGHTSABER, to the line of authentic high-end replica FORCE FX LIGHTSABERS, Hasbro offers STAR WARS fans of all ages a variety of ways to engage with the noble weapon of the JEDI. The new ELECTRONIC LIGHTSABERS even offer a DVD featuring the greatest lightsaber battles ever, including epic duels from the animated television series and the live action battles between the most famous JEDI and SITH. (Each sold separately.)
Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.
