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Where Are All The ITaxes

Where Are All The ITaxes

Apr 30 2012 | comment(s)

If we had a prize for Most Celebrated Business Hero in America, it would have to be Steve Jobs, the late founder of Apple.

The agile doge of Silicon Valley had a “death stare” you couldn’t escape.
He had a up-from-orphan back story you couldn’t resist.
And he had the vision of ten of his fellow technology executives.

That’s why--we’re told--Apple was so good at making the things we love. All things “I”, that is--from iPads and iPhones, to iPods and iTunes.

Lately, it also seems that Jobs and the company he left behind were also awfully good at all things Me.
Aircraft Nose Art - The Psychology

Aircraft Nose Art - The Psychology

Apr 30 2012 | comment(s)

Of all the available publications on 'Aircraft Nose Art', very few have investigated its psychological undercurrents.

An exception is ‘Aircraft Nose Art: From World War I to Today’ (1991). Chapter 1 of which was authored by the late George R. Klare, who was Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Ohio University.
James Cameron And Challenger Deep On National Geographic

James Cameron And Challenger Deep On National Geographic

Apr 30 2012 | comment(s)

The Mariana Trench is perhaps the most isolated place on the planet. Film director James Cameron recently took a real-life expedition to Earth’s ocean floor Cameron describes his journey during an in-depth interview to promote his National Geographic special, airing April 29th: “I was watching the numbers going deeper. The sub slows down as you get to the target depth. There is a long moment of getting to think about it. Then you have to get busy. You have less than a thousand feet from the bottom, you fine-tune the ballast, adjust the camera, turn up the spotlight. As the altimeter counted, I saw the glow of the bottom!” 
Nuclear Fusion - The Latest

Nuclear Fusion - The Latest

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

While cold fusion remains a pipe dream, fusion as an energy source for the future continues to be funded and improved. 

In nuclear fission, current nuclear energy, the nucleus of an atom is split, but in fusion two lightweight atoms join together.  The biggest benefit is no explosion.

The ITER project is seeking to turn nuclear fusion into reality and is making use of the Tokamak reactor for this purpose. Reactors of this type and the plasma used in them to carry out fusion have a number of control problems, and to solve them, electronics engineer Goretti Sevillano has come up with some tools in her thesis defended at the University of the Basque Country.
Excited Xi(b) Baryon - New Particle Discovered At LHC

Excited Xi(b) Baryon - New Particle Discovered At LHC

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown particle composed of three quarks in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator. The baryon known as Xi_b^* confirms fundamental assumptions of physics regarding the binding of quarks.

 The baryon family refers to particles that are made up of three quarks and quarks form a group of six particles that differ in their masses and charges. The two lightest quarks, “up” and “down” quarks, form the two atomic components, protons and neutrons. All baryons that are composed of the three lightest quarks (“up”, “down” and “strange” quarks) are known. Only very few baryons with heavy quarks have been observed to date. They can only be generated artificially in particle accelerators, as they are heavy and very unstable. 

Your Next Eyeglasses Could Be Designed After A Moth's Eyes

Your Next Eyeglasses Could Be Designed After A Moth's Eyes

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

If you wear glasses, and they have been created recently, you are reading this article by looking through a tiny, transparent layer of nanomaterial. Anti-reflective coatings based on nanomaterials that reduce the amount of reflected light are used in most optical devices, including glasses, photo lenses, TV screens, solar cells and LED lights.

They could get better in the future. Some of the most efficient ARCs are made by mother nature and are found in the eyes of insects, like moths. The eyes of moths are covered with a layer of tiny bumps which are smaller than the wavelength of incoming light. This natural coating eliminates glare, hiding the moths from predators and improving their nocturnal vision. Some types of ARCs actually mimic the moth's eye.
The dineutron has finally landed

The dineutron has finally landed

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

In a recent PRL article Artemis Spyrou and collaborators have reported on the first observation of an exotic form of nucleons, the long-sought dineutron.

Dineutron was predicted theoretically as a short-lived bound state of two neutrons emitted from a nucleus. The formation is possible due to the strong nuclear force that may hold the two neutrons close by for some time.
Counterintuitive - What The Youthful Brain Does May Not Mean So Much

Counterintuitive - What The Youthful Brain Does May Not Mean So Much

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

Aging is unavoidable - except perhaps for the brain, say researchers. They also present counterintuitive evidence that it is what you do in old age that matters when it comes to maintaining a youthful brain - not what you did earlier in life.

Education alone won't save your brain; PhDs are as likely as high school dropouts to experience memory loss with old age. Don't count on your job either - those with a complex or demanding career may enjoy a limited advantage, but those benefits quickly dwindle after retirement.

Instead, engagement is the secret to success. Those who are socially, mentally and physically stimulated reliably show greater cognitive performance with a brain that appears younger than its years.
Aristotle Vs Galileo: A Battle Over Free Fall

Aristotle Vs Galileo: A Battle Over Free Fall

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

I have been invited to give a 30 minute presentation to high-school kids next week about Free Fall. The physics teacher who is organizing this event also has some nice plans to include a theatrical play, a couple presentations on Galileo's story by the students and an introductory talk by one of his colleague on the same matter.

The request to my side was to prepare something to expand the horizons of students related to the entirely different perspectives on bodies motion in the gravitational field by Aristotle and Galileo.
Desperate Fishwives - Goby Girls Go Gaga

Desperate Fishwives - Goby Girls Go Gaga

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

Gobies are the little fish you may have seen under the pier or swimming around your feet in salty water if you’ve visited the coasts of Western Europe. These seemingly boring brownish fish live a hectic life, lasting only one year. Up close, the gobies are as glamorous as gold fish, in orange fish frocks and shiny bellies full of eggs.

Secretly, they are the stars of “Fishteria Lane.” As the mating season draws to an end, guys drop dead by the hour, making goby girls go all out in their hunt for a mate to father their offspring. 

There's no time to be coy.
Gabapentin Helps Marijuana Addicts Kick The Habit

Gabapentin Helps Marijuana Addicts Kick The Habit

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

Researchers have presented clinical evidence that the drug gabapentin, currently on the market to treat neuropathic pain and epilepsy, also helps people to quit smoking marijuana (cannabis). Unlike traditional addiction treatments, gabapentin targets stress systems in the brain that are activated by drug withdrawal.

In a 12-week trial of 50 treatment-seeking cannabis users, those who took gabapentin used less cannabis, experienced fewer withdrawal symptoms, like sleeplessness, and scored higher on tests of attention, impulse-control, and other cognitive skills, compared to patients who received a placebo. If these results are confirmed by ongoing larger trials, gabapentin could become the first FDA-approved pharmaceutical treatment for cannabis dependence.
Religion 2.0

Religion 2.0

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

This blog is more an ear than a tongue. It needs you, and we need a way to revere life while respecting the gift of our critical intellect. We may need to have fun, may need to let our ideas dance for and by themselves. Some elements of a fresh, non-authority-structured Religion 2.0 might include the following, without apologies for the fuzzy thinking that often starts good things off:
Excessive use of fertilizers is reducing productivity.

Excessive use of fertilizers is reducing productivity.

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

Fertilizers producing wastelands in semi arid and arid regions. Some months ago I attended a conference in Germany where excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers was a cause of concern for the European Nations. Back home there is report that excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers ( Ideal broad generalization is N:P:K: 4:2:1) has resulted in ration of N:P:K 15:9:1. Excessive use of nitrogen and phosphorus in state of Rajasthan. Agriculture department as per recent report (Rajasthan Patrika. 28/04/2012) has accepted that this is causing danger of wasteland development and reduced yield of crops. The use of fertilizers which was 2.4 million tones in 2010-2011 has increased to 2.7 million tones in 2011-2012.
New Stem Cell Found In The Brain - And It Can Form New Brain Cells

New Stem Cell Found In The Brain - And It Can Form New Brain Cells

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

A new stem cell has been found that can proliferate and form several different cell types, including new brain cells.  This discovery may be used to develop methods that can repair diseases and injury to the brain.

Analyzing brain tissue from biopsies, the researchers for the first time found stem cells located
around small blood vessels in the brain. The cell’s specific function is still unclear, but its plastic properties suggest great potential. A similar cell type has been identified in several other organs where it can promote regeneration of muscle, bone, cartilage and adipose tissue.
Petition To The MA State Senate On The Judge Rotenberg Center.

Petition To The MA State Senate On The Judge Rotenberg Center.

Apr 29 2012 | comment(s)

Gregory Miller, a former JRC employee, has set up a petition on Change.org, and given permission to repost his petition letter:
What Is The Geometry Of Spacetime? — Introduction

What Is The Geometry Of Spacetime? — Introduction

Apr 28 2012 | comment(s)

Many people struggle with, and even rail against, Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.  The way it is usually taught or presented often seems to make it appear to be ever so complex, far too abstract and opaque, and even downright "hokey".*  My experience certainly allows me full empathy for such struggles.

However, through my journey through these struggles, I did find the kernel, the "missing piece", even the "gem", so to speak, behind the theory.  I suspect that this kernel may be what is missing in the understanding of those that struggle with, or, maybe, even rail against, Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.  I know I could have easily fallen into this category.

France's Psychoanalysis Autism Treatment 'Shame'

France's Psychoanalysis Autism Treatment 'Shame'

Apr 28 2012 | comment(s)

France is not exactly known for being pro-science (nor is Europe generally) but when it comes to autism, they are decidedly anti-science.

For decades, France has turned its back on the latest scientific thinking and treats autism as a form of psychosis. Instead of using behavioral therapy (developed in the 1970s and '80s in the US and Canada and now the norm in most of the world) to treat autistic children, stimulating and rewarding them to develop the skills they need to function in society, France puts its faith in psychoanalysis. Freud would be proud but most of the world is shocked.
Even Amateur Boxing Can Cause Brain Damage

Even Amateur Boxing Can Cause Brain Damage

Apr 28 2012 | comment(s)

You likely knew that professional boxing causes brain damage but a new study shows it is more than just an assumption, even about amateurs. Researchers analyzing 30 top-level Swedish boxers found changes in brain fluids after bouts, which indicates nerve cell damage. 

It has been debated for quite some time whether Olympic (amateur) boxing is hazardous to the brain. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, joined with colleagues at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Linköping University and the Swedish Boxing Association in conducting a unique study of 30 top-level Swedish boxers and 25 reference persons. What they found was that boxers even in amateur bouts with headgear had brain injury similar to Alzheimers.
Pollution in river waters: 20 percent higher levels of arsenic

Pollution in river waters: 20 percent higher levels of arsenic

Apr 28 2012 | comment(s)

Pollution in holy rivers is going to higher levels and it is threat to mankind. Arsenic once reported from West Bengal waters is deadly poison to human health. Recently a report said arsenic level in river Yamuna has risen to 20 times. Rivers and water bodies during festival season see lot of religious people immersing idols. Idols are huge and colored with various paints and decorations and made of material which may not be biodegradable. It is sentimental issue for some but immersing idols in rivers or small ponds is increasing in alarming proportions as religious fervor is gaining momentum. Rivers already facing threat from municipal wastes and industrial waste have to bear the colors and materials of idols which kill the water animals and microorganisms.
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Approval Of Cameron Health's S-ICD® System For Patients At Risk Of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Approval Of Cameron Health's S-ICD® System For Patients At Risk Of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Apr 28 2012 | comment(s)