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Ancient Chinese Secret - Soup From 400 B.C.

Ancient Chinese Secret - Soup From 400 B.C.

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

If you think people in your family can't cook, imagine how bad the soup must have been to bury it and leave it untouched for 2,400 years.   

Chinese archaeologists say a bronze cooking pot dug up near the former capital Xian (for 1,100 years - go see the terracotta army at the burial site of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor, there) contains bone soup.   They found it while excavating a tomb because they need an extension of the airport - nothing new, China is sort of like a "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" opening when it comes to history getting in the way of Progress.
Hamburglar Robble Robble's McDonald's Database, Steals Tasty Email Addresses

Hamburglar Robble Robble's McDonald's Database, Steals Tasty Email Addresses

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

It may be poignant that the "Hamburglar", one of the many characters McDonald's created in the early 1970s to rip off the "H.R. Pufnstuf" children's television show (fear not, McDonald's was sued and lost) is used in Reuters / Fox News headlines about hackers who hack filched data from the McDonald's servers in classic “Robble robble” fashion.
Featured on Universe Today

Featured on Universe Today

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

There's an interview of me up on UniverseToday today.  Interviewer Nancy Atkinson chose some really nice quotes, which of course make me sound much smarter and more clueful than I really am.  So I call it a win!  And no one will know better, mwah ha ha.   It has my best definition of sonification yet.  It also has a cute picture of a cat.  So you know the drill, go read it and enjoy!
The Plot Of The Week - ZZ Cross Section, CDF, Circa 2010

The Plot Of The Week - ZZ Cross Section, CDF, Circa 2010

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

A new result for the production cross section of Z boson pairs in proton-antiproton collisions at the 2-TeV Tevatron collider is now public, thanks to the efforts of the CDF collaboration. The measurement, in a nutshell, confirms Standard Model predictions nicely: the cross section is determined to be 1.45 picobarns, with an asymmetric error bar of of +0.60-0.51. The Standard Model, on the other hand, predicts that the cross section is 1.21 picobarns. The agreement of the two numbers, within uncertainties, says that all is well in the searched final state, and no unforeseen effects are at work.
In Time For Christmas, A Celestial Ornament

In Time For Christmas, A Celestial Ornament

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

SNR B0509-67.5 (or SNR 0509 for short) appears to float serenely in the depths of space, but this apparent calm hides an inner turmoil. The gaseous envelope formed as the expanding blast wave and ejected material from a supernova tore through the nearby interstellar medium.  SNR B0509-67.5 is the visible remnant of a powerful stellar explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small galaxy about 160 000 light-years from Earth.

Ripples seen in the shell's surface may be caused either by subtle variations in the density of the ambient interstellar gas, or possibly be driven from the interior by fragments from the initial explosion. The bubble-shaped shroud of gas is 23 light-years across and is expanding at more than 18 million km/h.
Biofuels - Ethics Versus Ideology

Biofuels - Ethics Versus Ideology

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

In the 1990s, virtually everyone except those closest to environmental issues knew biofuels were a bad idea in their current incarnation.   But evangelists like Al Gore insisted they were the future and concerns about what it would do to the food supply for poor people went unheeded.

Now we know - at least in ethanols based on that technology, biofuels are worse for the environment and made food more expensive and Mr. Gore has said he made a mistake endorsing them to garner support for his presidential race but once government policies - and therefore lobbyists - are in place, it is hard to turn back.
Violent Video Games Not A Cause Of Aggession In Kids - Study

Violent Video Games Not A Cause Of Aggession In Kids - Study

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

Depression in young people strongly predicts how aggressive and violent they may be or may become, but exposure to violence in video games or on television is not related to serious acts of youth aggression or violence, at least among Hispanics in the U.S. according to new research by Dr. Christopher Ferguson from Texas A&M International University. 

Violence in media and the potential negative effects on adolescent antisocial behavior, and youth violence in particular, is a highly debated issue, both in academic circles and among the general public and policy makers but the research is inconclusive largely due to methodological problems.
Metaphors, Iconicity And Sign Language

Metaphors, Iconicity And Sign Language

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

Some metaphors are difficult to explain - if you have a child and use one and get asked what it means, and then get asked what the definition means, you know what we...mean...see how hard it can be to communicate?

They're even more difficult in sign language and a recent study on the use of metaphors in spoken language and various sign languages looks into the issue.  The recent paper by Irit Meir of the University of Haifa examines the interrelations between two notions that play an important role in language and communication, iconicity and metaphor.
Killing Babies With Bill Maher: Science Enemy Against Vaccines

Killing Babies With Bill Maher: Science Enemy Against Vaccines

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

The pharmaceutics industry, too many science bloggers, “skeptics” - they all tell us that we should trust science and that all those who speak out for “natural” solutions are none other but religious idiots, or even monsters, criminals who do not refrain from harming your child for financial benefit. They try to bang it into our heads: Also nature is just chemistry; the often not applicable always-been-there-anyways-argument.

As I explained with help of the example of the vitamins E and D, the “tree huggers” often get it right plainly by staying “natural”.

Squid-eating Whales Pay the Price in Pollutants

Squid-eating Whales Pay the Price in Pollutants

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

All this talking I've been doing about those nasty ol' sperm whales hunting down and devouring poor defenseless squid (okay, they're not quite defenseless, but still) might make you think I'm a whale-hater. Not so! In fact, I harbor (heh heh) considerable sympathy for the cetaceans of the world, especially with regard to their tragic toxic burden.
Birth of the Universe from “Nothing” - Big Bang Simulation

Birth of the Universe from “Nothing” - Big Bang Simulation

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

 Birth of the Universe from the Zero Energy State

1) There was a pair creation of positive and negative energy in the early universe.

2) The total energy of universe is 0.

Stephen Hawking and Alan Guth et al. argued that gravitational potential energy is negative energy, and that such gravitational potential energy can offset all positive mass energy during a period of inflation.

3) The acceleration in the expansion of the universe observed suggests the existence of positive energy out of mass energy, and alternatively, it corresponds to what the overall gravitational potential energy of the universe has positive value, indicating that gravitational potential energy will not able to offset positive energy.
Hyman's Anecdotal Healings: Now The Autism

Hyman's Anecdotal Healings: Now The Autism

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

Mark Hyman loves the case study; when one of his posts at Huffington Post deals with an almost magical healing he's engendered, well, chances are, there's gonna be a kid involved. This time up, it's Hyman curing autism cuz he's teh man.

Let's look at his first paragraph: "Imagine being the parent of a young child who is not acting normally and being told by your doctor that your child has autism, that there is no known cause, and there is no known treatment except, perhaps, some behavioral therapy."
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm sales record of 3.3 million in a day is...WOW

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm sales record of 3.3 million in a day is...WOW

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

I confess, I haven't played World of Warcraft, though I did enjoy Warcraft and Warcraft II.   Persistent online games can be tough to find time for when you have a career but Blizzard has the best business model ever - they charge you for the game and they charge you to play it and for that they have my respect.   Yayyy capitalism.

Others don't seem to mind having to buy a game you can't play without a monthly fee , since Blizzard is claiming its World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion sold-through more than 3.3 million copies in its first 24 hours of release.
Between The Nazca Lines: What Is A Cargo Cult?

Between The Nazca Lines: What Is A Cargo Cult?

Dec 14 2010 | comment(s)

In preparing my series on Ancient Astronauts, I encountered a few problems I hadn’t anticipated, though maybe I should have looking back  now. Mainly the problem is a lack of understanding of the terms being  and ideas being used.

Things like why a myth is a myth, or why Archaeologists except certain views over others. If you’re not well versed in these reasons, it can seem a little biased and possibly lead to confusion, like in what the term “quantum” means. So, when I saw Von Daniken and his ilk using the term “Cargo Cult” to describe the Nazca lines, I realized many people may not understand what he’s saying.
Life Isn't Aways Wonderful - Humanity's Third Biggest Problem

Life Isn't Aways Wonderful - Humanity's Third Biggest Problem

Dec 13 2010 | comment(s)

The three problems of humanity were outlined in a talk by Nick Bostrom (of Oxford University, UK) at TED in April 2009.

In this piece I will continue to examine the "big" problems identified in the TEDTalk.  It is this third point that begins to illustrate what the underlying objective of all the other pieces truly is.  

Problem #3:  Life Isn't Usually as Wonderful as it Could Be is a BIG problem
This holiday season, enjoy the Worst Restaurant Meals for your diet

This holiday season, enjoy the Worst Restaurant Meals for your diet

Dec 13 2010 | comment(s)

If you're like me, you want to binge a little during the ever-increasing Christmas holiday season, which is now 15% of the year and so is well on its way to joining Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall as actual seasons.

What is the most ridiculous food you can eat that is commonly available to most of the US?  In 2010 it is Cheesecake Factory’s Bistro Shrimp Pasta with 2,730 calories, 78 g saturated fat, 919 mg sodium and 141 g carbohydrates.   Not bad if you are an NFL lineman and it's the only meal you eat that day but otherwise not great.
Tiny numbers and letters found in Mona Lisa's eyes

Tiny numbers and letters found in Mona Lisa's eyes

Dec 13 2010 | comment(s)

Art detectives took a look at the "Mona Lisa" using magnification techniques not available to Leonardo da Vinci himself and say they have found,  hidden in her pupils, tiny letters and numbers.

And they were placed there by da Vinci, they say.

Said Silvano Vinceti, president of Italy’s National Committee for Cultural Heritage
Yelp, WebMD, others claim Google plays favorites

Yelp, WebMD, others claim Google plays favorites

Dec 13 2010 | comment(s)

When you're number one, you are always a target.  Basically, you can't win when you are the world leader in search but critics are ramping up complaints about Google's search engine placement just the same.   

Google is content and specialized-search sites in hopes of boosting ad revenue and that means search ranking by 'authority' drop.   So rivals are taking it personally.   
OpenLeaks - competitor to WikiLeaks will get back to core mission

OpenLeaks - competitor to WikiLeaks will get back to core mission

Dec 13 2010 | comment(s)

The downfall of WikiLeaks, aside from the eccentric personality of its leader, is that it lost its way, increasingly focusing on the US and ignoring the 140 actual dictatorships in the world where dissidents are risking their lives to get information out.

Former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg feels there is a place for a disclosure group not bent on attacking one country and so is launching OpenLeaks.    It will also be different in that it isn't about attention for the founder, instead being solely a platform for submitting the data.  The actual publication will be handled by others.
Health care reform mandatory coverage struck down - next stop, Supreme Court

Health care reform mandatory coverage struck down - next stop, Supreme Court

Dec 13 2010 | comment(s)

U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson has struck down the Obama administration’s mandatory health care coverage provision - essentially forcing people to buy health insurance whether they want it or not, much like we have to pay into social security whether we want a government retirement plan or not - as unconstitutional.  But the fight isn't over, since everyone knew this would end up in the Supreme Court the minute it was signed.