Managing your nerd Nov 13, 2009
A nerd is someone who is intelligent, and is passionate about learning - it's something that lasts an entire lifetime, no matter what forms it may take ... Best post I read this morning and for the past week as a matter of fact ... " He smiles and happily gives me a short description. Your article starts very scary (for me). I don't want to be a "project complete" but was brave enough to finish the article. You actually helped me understand why my husband is still with me after five years:... (Harper's Magazine)
The Science Behind 'Stop Me If I've Told You This' Nov 13, 2009
No matter the group, the students didn't seem to have trouble recalling which separate facts and faces they had seen. Related Stories. (Fox News)
Atom-smasher ready to reboot Nov 13, 2009
They suggest in recent papers that no supercolliders that could produce the Higgs boson, an as-yet-unseen particle that would help answer fundamental questions about matter in the universe, will work because something in the future stops them ... The results of the LHC experiments may help resolve fundamental problems such as the disconnect between Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, which describes the world on a large scale, and quantum mechanics, the laws of matter on a scale too small to... (CNN)
Scientist: CO2 not causing global warming... Nov 13, 2009
The fact is that CO2, as a variable gas, doesn't vary too much from this nominal percentage indicates that no matter what we did, it wouldn't change much of anything - well, except make us poorer and more oppressed ... People, no matter how well-educated and seemingly intelligent, will always manage to be conned by frauds like Mr. Gore ... " This isn't about clean energy. It's about the destruction of the United States of America. Frankly Unctuous on November 12, 2009 at 08:23 PM I would just... (The Drudge Report)
Captains Press Conference Transcript - Pittsburgh Game Preview (Nov. 11) Nov 12, 2009
Are you ready for it already, or is it just matter of fact, this is the next game. It's a little bit of all of that. (Und.com)
Baillieu finally builds head of steam with rail safety policy Nov 12, 2009
Having said that, the only policy that will matter in 12 months time will be water security, which was obvious 3 years ago and which is why Labor pinched the Libs policy to build a desal plant. The Libs have no where to go and will remain in Opposition at least until they get a real leader. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
A bubbling ball of gas Nov 12, 2009
Dark spots appear and disappear, clouds of matter dart up - and behind the whole thing are the magnetic fields, the engines of it all. The SUNRISE balloon-borne telescope, a collaborative project between the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau and partners in Germany, Spain and the USA, has now delivered images that show the complex interplay on the solar surface to a level of detail never before achieved. (EurekAlert!)
Supernova Mystery Solved Nov 11, 2009
Whats left at the centre is a tiny nugget of superdense matter called a neutron star, the youngest example of one we know ... Its a nice story that seems to explain why Cas A is different not because its full of quark matter, but because of its relative youth. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Black holes: Powerhouses of the universe Nov 11, 2009
Black holes, so named because even light cannot escape their gravitational grasp, can only be sensed through their tug on other matter ... At their centers, all the matter is crushed to infinite density inside a space of zero volume, called a singularity ... Yet, for all the bizarre happenings inside black holes, if you are sufficiently far enough away from them, they act like any other matter. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Researchers Hunt For New Zeolites Nov 11, 2009
Yet creating and refining a new type of zeolite is still a matter of. . (Science Daily)
Flipping A Photonic Shock Wave Nov 11, 2009
Speedy electrons or other charged particles can briefly outrun light in matter, producing a shock wave in the form of a cone of light known as Cerenkov radiation. The eerie blue glow in the cooling water of nuclear reactors is result of particles moving faster than the speed of light in water. (Science Daily)
School board discusses new graduation requirements and senior privileges. Nov 11, 2009
Mitzel was asked to continue research into the matter and come back with a recommendation to the February or March meeting. Bon Homme School Board regular meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. November 9 by board president, Ben Hellmann. (Tyndall Tribune & Register, SD)
Super-fast Quantum Computer Gets Ever Closer: Quantum Particles Pinned Down Nov 10, 2009
The research was funded by NWO and the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM). Adapted from materials provided by. (Science Daily)
Carnage at General Motors Nov 10, 2009
" Given the political risks Obama took in canceling the missile program -- a step widely condemned by Republicans in Washington -- Moscow's quick dismissal of U.S. pleas for cooperation on the Iranian enrichment matter can only be interpreted as a further sign of waning American influence. 4. Exactly the same inference can be drawn from a high-level meeting in Beijing on Oct. 15 between Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Iran's first vice president, Mohammed Reza Rahimi. "The Sino-Iran... (Salon)
Robotics team still seeks donations Nov 10, 2009
We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. (Wahpeton Daily News, ND)
Being neighbour with aliens? Nov 10, 2009
"Anyway, no matter what it is, I will continue to study it after retirement.". "After all, it's different here from western UFO lovers who can get money from the govern-ment to do research. "We have to spend our own money on it. (Xinhuanet, China)
A chuckle instead of a laugh: Fairytale Fights reviewed Nov 10, 2009
The problem is that it's a joke that gets old pretty quick, no matter how many ways you spin it, and the action stops being entertaining within a few levels. Things start to feel pretty repetitive after a couple of hours: there's no real gameplay difference between the four protagonists, there isn't a huge variety of enemy types, boss battles are pretty unimaginative, and some of the platforming sections are so intentionally difficult that it feels like the developers were just trying to slow... (Ars Technica)
Field of Dreams Nov 9, 2009
IU football - and baseball, for that matter - had to make do with the resources available on campus, and they were far from opulent. The programs had to perform on what was little more than a glorified pasture, a multi-purpose area that wasn't exactly respected by students and faculty for being a pristine place of athletic glory. (Indiana Sports -- Rivals.com)
Bird beats big bang with bit of baguette Nov 9, 2009
Physicists hoped to prove the existence of the Higgs boson, or God particle, which gives matter in the universe its mass. But the LHC, which when running will collide protons travelling at 99. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
Seeking the cellphone future, in Kampala Nov 8, 2009
The following day, Russian Prime Minister said that the threat of sanctions was "premature." Given the political risks Obama took in canceling the missile program -- a step widely condemned by Republicans in Washington -- Moscow's quick dismissal of U.S. pleas for cooperation on the Iranian enrichment matter can only be interpreted as a further sign of waning American influence ... It's increasingly clear that other powers -- even our closest allies -- are increasingly pursuing independent... (Salon)
Is Dr. Drew's sexual healing bad for you? Nov 8, 2009
George can ask rude questions and treat selfishness as a matter of principle and exalt his personal preferences to the status of widely held standards shared only by sane, thoughtful, right-thinking individuals, and it works, because Jason Alexander whispers and mumbles and states things matter-of-factly and, well, he's a great comedic actor. Larry David, as oddly lovable as he is, is terrible at playing Larry David. (Salon)
Beyond the Multiplex Nov 7, 2009
Why Disney turned Harvey Weinstein's legendary indie empire into a zombie slave -- and why it doesn't much matter By ... "Antichrist" is overcrowded with amazing ideas and images, but its plot -- a Pacific Northwest couple lose their child and spiral into violence and madness -- is so hackneyed it virtually doesn't exist and definitely doesn't matter. (Salon)
Powerful Laser Sheds Light On Fast Ignition And High Energy Density Physics Nov 6, 2009
The OMEGA Extended Performance (EP) Laser Facility at the University of Rochester s Laboratory for Laser Energetics conducts ultrahigh-intensity laser-matter interactions research and integrated advanced-ignition experiments. (Credit: Image courtesy of American Physical Society). (Science Daily)
Rapid Supernova: New Class Of Exploding Star? Nov 6, 2009
Novas occur when matter -- primarily hydrogen -- falls onto a star and accumulates in a shell that can flare up as brief thermonuclear explosions. SN 2002bj is a "super" nova, generating about 1,000 times the energy of a standard nova, he said. (Science Daily)
Grief, cancer, Nietzsche and Santa Nov 6, 2009
" That patrimony may have something to do with what appears to be a mixed response here. "A Christmas Tale" lacks the Hitchcock-style femme fatale of (played by Devos) or that film's elements of Hitchcockian thriller. Rather than supplying the holiday healing suggested by the title, Desplechin (and co-writer Emmanuel Bourdieu) have constructed a tale as emotionally challenging, fragmentary and unresolved as family life itself. At the press conference after the film, Desplechin said he always... (Salon)
Electron Self-injection Into An Evolving Plasma Bubble Nov 6, 2009
5, 2009) Particle accelerators are among the largest and most expensive scientific instruments. Thirty years ago, theorists John Dawson and Toshiki Tajima proposed an idea for making them thousands of times smaller: surf the particles on plasma waves driven by short intense laser pulses. (Science Daily)
Quantum gas microscope offers glimpse of quirky ultracold atoms Nov 5, 2009
"We expect that our technique, which bridges the gap between earlier microscopic and macroscopic approaches to the study of quantum systems, will help in quantum simulations of condensed matter systems, and also find applications in quantum information processing." ... Confining a quantum gas -- such as a BoseEinstein condensate -- in such an optically generated lattice creates a system that can be used to model complex phenomena in condensed-matter physics, such as superfluidity ... Until now,... (EurekAlert!)
'Life After Death: The Evidence' Nov 5, 2009
And both sides in the afterlife debate suffer from a lack of provable evidence, a condition that doesn t seem to affect the certainty atheists display on the matter ... Near death experiences are another matter, given how scattered such accounts are across the globe -- and over history. (Human Events Online)
Trident Laser Accelerates Protons To Record Energies Nov 4, 2009
3, 2009) An international team of physicists at Los Alamos National Laboratory has succeeded in using intense laser light to accelerate protons to energies never before achieved. Using this technique, scientists can now accelerate particles to extremely high velocities that would otherwise only be possible using large accelerator facilities. (Science Daily)
How Noise Can Help Quantum Entanglement Nov 4, 2009
And not just electrons: you, too, retain a quantum bond with your loved ones that endures no matter how far apart you may be. If that sounds hopelessly romantic, the flip side is that particles are incurably promiscuous, hooking up with every other particle they meet. (Scientific American)
Emission Impossible?: Is Dark Matter Behind the Hazy Radiation at the Milky Way's Center? Nov 4, 2009
Is Dark Matter Behind the Hazy Radiation at the Milky Way's Center ... Is Dark Matter Behind the Hazy Radiation at the Milky Way's Center ... Some unknown astrophysical process, perhaps related to dark matter, may be at work. (Scientific American)
Dark Matter And Dark Energy Make Up 95 Percent Of Universe, Detailed Measurements Reveal Nov 4, 2009
These measurements of the cosmic microwave background -- a faintly glowing relic of the hot, dense, young universe -- put limits on proposed alternatives to the standard model of cosmology and provide further support for the standard cosmological model, confirming that dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of everything in existence, while ordinary matter makes up just 5 ... The researchers focused their measurements on variations in the CMB's temperature and polarization to learn about the... (Science Daily)
How Israel destroyed Syria's nuclear reactor Nov 4, 2009
" But then nothing further was heard from Asgari. The American authorities had apparently created a new identity for their high-level Iranian source. Ali-Reza Asgari had ceased to exist. The need for US support Olmert was kept apprised of the latest developments. In March 2007, three senior experts from the political, military and intelligence communities were summoned to his residence on Gaza Street in Jerusalem, where Olmert swore them to absolute secrecy. The trio was to advise him on matters... (Salon)
Shedding light on the cosmic skeleton Nov 3, 2009
"Matter is not distributed uniformly in the Universe," says Masayuki Tanaka from ESO, who led the new study. "In our cosmic vicinity, stars form in galaxies and galaxies usually form groups and clusters of galaxies. The most widely accepted cosmological theories predict that matter also clumps on a larger scale in the so-called 'cosmic web', in which galaxies, embedded in filaments stretching between voids, create a gigantic wispy structure." ... These filaments are millions of light years long... (EurekAlert!)
Science Begins At The World's Most Powerful X-ray Laser Nov 3, 2009
Currently, user-assisted commissioning is underway, with researchers conducting experiments using the Atomic, Molecular and Optical science instrument, the first of six planned instruments for the LCLS. In these first AMO experiments, researchers are using X-rays from the LCLS to gain an in-depth understanding of how the ultra-bright beam interacts with matter. Early experiments are already revealing new insights into the fundamentals of atomic physics and have successfully proven the machine's... (Science Daily)
Aliens invade, disguised as Larry David! Nov 1, 2009
George can ask rude questions and treat selfishness as a matter of principle and exalt his personal preferences to the status of widely held standards shared only by sane, thoughtful, right-thinking individuals, and it works, because Jason Alexander whispers and mumbles and states things matter-of-factly and, well, he's a great comedic actor ... It could be a simple matter of who's in the club, and who isn't By Mike Madden. (Salon)
Life is an adventure Nov 1, 2009
Garriott says there is strong interest in space travel and its only a matter of years before it will cost as little as a business class airplane ticket. Space Adventures currently has millions of cash-paid reservations for sub-orbital flights. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Best UGA outcome? Oct 31, 2009
An acceptable outcome would be, win or lose, that we stand toe-to-toe with em and smash em in the mouth on every play and that bust Saint Timothy s butt every time he handles the ball that we get an even shake from the officials (no bad calls on us and no non calls for Florida) that no matter the score Georgia fans stay put in the stands and defy any gaytor to get in your face that Urbana (is that the feminine of Urban ... Their defense is another matter ... If CMR tells recruits he will return... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Dark matter "wrecking ball" may have hit Milky Way Oct 31, 2009
Dark matter wrecking ball may have hit Milky Way - USATODAY.com ... The real explanation may be the power of an invisible wrecking ball made of dark matter a cloud of the enigmatic physics particles born in the fiery aftermath of the Big Bang and weighing as much as 10 million suns ... Left behind by this "Dark Matter Clump" cataclysm was a tilted swirl of newborn stars circling within the galaxy called the " ," which incidentally may have sent comets hurtling towards , suggests astrophysicist... (USA Today -- Tech)
> read more Oct 31, 2009
com - Homepage News - Is Fermi Seeing Dark Matter ... Is Fermi Seeing Dark Matter ... A team of Harvard researchers has upped the ante in the race to discover the true nature of dark matter. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Large Hadron Collider Back On (Universe Still Okay) Oct 30, 2009
Protons were also sent through the LHCb detector, which is designed to investigate why the Universe is made up almost entirely of matter and hardly any antimatter. The beams travelled through a quarter of the ring in total. (Fox News)
Energy Economics and Some Energy Myths for the 21st Century Oct 30, 2009
Lacking even a superficial interest in the political aspects of this and similar issues, I prefer to concentrate on the matter of resource scarcity -- or for that matter resource abundance ... But the fact of the matter is that Gen 3 is quite sufficient for the time being, at least according to the economics and finance that I have taught, and the history that I have read ... In an article dealing with these matters, David Stipp (2004) noted that perhaps the most realistic study of the political... (Energy Pulse, CO)
Does God Exist...Prove it! Oct 30, 2009
FAITH wrote on Oct 28, 2009 3:22 PM:" First let me say that the author of this has problems or wouldn't have written itThat being said, I don't have to pressure anyone into anything (that's the baby Christian way...they found and experienced something so extraordinary that they want everybody to have it too) As a Christian of many years I can tell you that your argument can't beat an experience, experience always wins. All I do is live it every day no matter who is around, no pushing... (New Iberia, LA)
Dark matter sleuths to design world's largest WIMP catcher Oct 30, 2009
A team of researchers led by a Case Western Reserve University physicist is planning the world's largest, most sensitive experiment to catch the stuff of dark matter, stuff that's proved way beyond invisible. The researchers are seeking WIMPs, short for weakly interacting massive particles, which aren't and don't act like atoms that comprise regular matter ... "We know there's dark matter, we just don't know what it is," said Tom Shutt, who holds the Agnar Pytte Chair of Physics at Case Western... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
EUGENE ROBINSON: Can't split difference in Afghanistan Oct 29, 2009
It doesn't matter if the step is tentative or bold. Sometimes a "war president" has to decide to start bringing the troops home. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Is Fermi Seeing Dark Matter? Oct 29, 2009
com - News from Sky & Telescope - Is Fermi Seeing Dark Matter ... Is Fermi Seeing Dark Matter ... A team of Harvard researchers has upped the ante in the race to discover the true nature of dark matter. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Looking Back Oct 29, 2009
Much interest was shown in the matter of graveling and regraveling the streets of Kalona. The local fire company was called to the Chas. (Kalona News, IA)
Melrose School Committees role, philosophy discussed at debate Oct 28, 2009
Casatelli responded that that the committee delegates instructional policy to the superintendent and other school officials as a matter of letting the experts determine what s best for students. Anyone who knows me knows I m passionate; it doesn t mean I have to take off my shoe and hammer it on the desk, she said, adding that the recent debate over the committee s public participation policy which Casatelli voted against brought respectful, but passionate debate among the committee members. (Melrose Free Press, MA)
US physicists propose astrophysics goals Oct 28, 2009
Dark energy and dark matter prove popular choices for funding ... The DOE should instead fund one massive dark-matter detector, one major dark-energy experiment and a high-energy gamma-ray detector, according to the report, which was presented on 23 October in Washington DC. ... Even in the tightest scenario, dark-matter experiments fared well both because they are relatively cheap and because there are hints that discovery of these undetected particles, which make up nearly a quarter of the... (Scientific American)
Traffic pattern, class sizes issues at Braintree High School Oct 28, 2009
In another matter, the committee tabled action of a request by social studies director Gorman Lee and teacher Colette Picard for a student trip to Russia next summer. Committee members expressed concern about security and safety and wanted more information before making a decision on the request. (Braintree Forum, MA)
Galaxy cluster smashes distance record Oct 28, 2009
2 billion light years, but astronomers need more case studies to thoroughly test cosmological models, such as the nature and prevalence of dark matter and the destiny of our Universe. The results of the research will appear in a forthcoming edition of the journal Astronomy physics. (Astronomy Now Online)
How To See a Black Hole Oct 27, 2009
Seen up close, there should also be a dark sphere at the center of that swirl of gas, where matter funnels in and never comes out ... The complication in mapping out an image of this object is that Sgr A* is changing on a regular basis, presumably as clumps of gaseous matter go a-whirling around the black hole ... Unlike earlier efforts, their model also takes into account the unseen halo of dark matter that surround the visible portion of the galaxy. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
AGU Journal highlights -- Oct. 26, 2009 Oct 27, 2009
A. Fankhauser, R. Pickering, A. Matter, and J. Kramers: Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. C. C. Raible: Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland, and Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. (EurekAlert!)
SARS spurs China to act on AIDS Oct 27, 2009
From the nature of matter to that of reality itself, physicists are pondering the big questions at a 10-day physics festival in Canada. 22:26 23 October 2009 21 comments. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
Superintendent releases statement on suicide Oct 27, 2009
in fact all the research shows it makes the matter worse. People can claim they know more than the CDC and WHO about this matter but such claims are both nonsense and dangerous to our kids ... "?? For you, maybe - but please don't make the decision for every other person who may be participating. We can all think for ourselves. Posted by 24 hr guard, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, 13 hours ago Susan, Hire the guard, tell us where to send the money. Posted by Susan, a resident of... (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Atheists are good humans, too Oct 27, 2009
Our brains may well be "hard-wired' for religion. Add some cultural nurture to our evolved nature and we have the beginnings of an explanation for why so many people follow some form of religion. When it comes to choosing one particular religion over another, it seems to be largely a matter of indoctrination; the best predictor of a person's religious beliefs is the beliefs held by his or her parents. Obviously, not everybody is religious. If we do have a predisposition towards religious belief,... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Science At The Petascale: Roadrunner Results Unveiled Oct 27, 2009
ORIGINS OF THE UNSEEN UNIVERSE: Astrophysicists have created the largest-ever computer model of an expanding, accelerating universe to help scientists understand both dark matter and dark energy, two cosmic constituents that remain a mystery. THE LARGEST HIV EVOLUTIONARY TREE: Mapping Darwinian phylogenic evolutionary relationships for large numbers of Human Immunodeficiency Virus genetic sequences results in an HIV family tree that may lead researchers to new vaccine focus areas. (Science Daily)
Scientists use world's fastest supercomputer to model origins of the unseen universe Oct 27, 2009
1 of the largest-ever computer models explores dark matter and dark energy, 2 cosmic constituents that remain a mystery ... "Because the universe is expanding and at the same time accelerating, either there is a huge gap in our understanding of physics, or there is a strange new form of matter that dominates the universe 'dark energy' making up about 70 percent of it," said Habib ... "In addition, there is five times more of an unknown 'dark matter' than there is ordinary matter in the... (EurekAlert!)
Rally Master Pro on iPhone Oct 26, 2009
Controls on iPhone matter most Handling and controls in a real racing game have to be spot-on. Even the best eye candy and the most advanced physics won't make you believe you are behind the wheel of a rally racing car if the controls suck. (IGN Wireless Games)
Locals weigh in on greenbelt (239) Oct 26, 2009
Observer wrote on Oct 25, 2009 4:42 PM:" I've always believed the answer to a "greenbelt" was very simple and we will find out how Lodian's really feel about the issue. Put the matter on the ballot and see if Lodian's want to tax themselves in order to pay those property owners in the "greenbelt" for their property rights. Isn't that fair? " ... We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. (Lodi News Sentinel, CA)
New Route To Nano Self-assembly Found Oct 26, 2009
Nano-sized particles -- bits of matter a few billionths of a meter in size, or more than a hundred times smaller than the stuff of today's microtechnologies -- display highly coveted properties not found in macroscopic materials, including optical, electronic, magnetic, etc. The promise of nanotechnololgy is that exploiting these unique properties on a commercial scale could yield such "game-changers" as sustainable, clean and cheap energy, and the creation on demand of new materials with... (Science Daily)
Galileo upended science Oct 25, 2009
Some scientists say that we may be on the edge of yet another such turning point as the world's biggest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), gears up to search for a theoretical sub-atomic particle that could explain how matter acquires mass. "Dark matter" and "dark energy" deemed to account for 96 percent of the cosmos are other theorised puzzles. (iAfrica.com)
Malibu dentist aims to ban mercury amalgam fillings (3) Oct 25, 2009
As a matter of fact, I just did. Under the heading How to select a dentist, Dr. Rota introduces a checklist provided by the IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology). (Malibu Times, CA)
Malcolm Gladwell and his imitators can rest easy Oct 24, 2009
" Roger Barnsley, a Canadian psychologist, noticed something odd about the birthdays of Canadian hockey players. It did not matter whether he looked at professional players or elite junior-leaguers: 40 percent of them were born in the first trimester of the year, and 30 percent of them were born between April and June. The cutoff date for admission in Canada's youth hockey league is January 1, which allows pre-teen hockey players born in January and February to compete with kids who are as much... (Harper's Magazine)
The Right Basis for Liberty Oct 24, 2009
Some prefer to advance their agenda by pretending it doesnt exist: that social convention is not a matter of concern for those who believe in individual liberty ... To bring this analogy around to something that matters to Howley, nobody knows what percentage of the female population has been dissuaded from a career in physics because of patriarchal oppression ... Culture and society don't even matter. (The American Conservative)
