January 2010
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The Trick Is to Keep Breathing — Garbage
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How to Prevent an Asteroid Impact and Look Good... →
If a large asteroid were spotted heading straight for a populated region of Earth tomorrow, what would we be able to do about it? Not much. There’s no concrete plan to destroy or deflect a [near-Earth object (NEO)] ready to put into action on short notice. Scientists have plenty of ideas, though. Here are some of the best, rated 1-10 on the Michael Bay Explodiness Scale (BES).
Gravity...
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Nuclear Fusion Power Closer to Reality Say Two... →
For years, scientists have been trying to replicate the type of nuclear fusion that occurs naturally in stars in laboratories here on Earth in order to develop a clean and almost limitless source of energy. This week, two different research teams report significant headway in achieving inertial fusion ignition—a strategy to heat and compress a fuel that might allow scientists to harness the...
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I Put a Spell on You — Nina Simone
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State of the Union Drinking Game 2010 →
Doubtless to prevent catastrophic liver damage, Tumblr wouldn’t let me post this earlier. But I will not be deterred in my wonkish hilarity!
Every time the President mentions:
corporate greed — 1 shot of Goldschlager or Cristal, preferably sipped from the navel of a stripper
the Mass. special senate election — 1, +2 if you also were a Cosmo centerfold
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In Digital Combat, U.S. Finds No Easy Deterrent ||... →
On a Monday morning earlier this month, top Pentagon leaders gathered to simulate how they would respond to a sophisticated cyberattack aimed at paralyzing the nation’s power grids, its communications systems or its financial networks.
The results were dispiriting. The enemy had all the advantages: stealth, anonymity and unpredictability. No one could pinpoint the country from which the attack...
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Imperfect — Matt Pond
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“And all I ask is one thing, and this is, I’m asking this particularly of young...”
– Conan O’Brien (01/22/2010) (via heartwarming) (via lightedwindows)
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Richard Dawkins: the truth dogs reveal about... →
We can imagine wild wolves scavenging on a rubbish tip on the edge of a village. Most of them, fearful of men throwing stones and spears, have a very long flight distance. They sprint for the safety of the forest as soon as a human appears in the distance. But a few individuals, by genetic chance, happen to have a slightly shorter flight distance than the average. Their readiness to take...
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Exploding Debt Threatens Economic Recovery →
According to “Growth in a Time of Debt,” which was recently presented at the American Economic Association, “the sharp run up in public sector debt will likely prove one of the most enduring legacies of the 2007–2009 financial crisis in the United States and elsewhere.” The wide-ranging study looked at the debt levels of 44 countries and included data from the last 200 years in order to get a...
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Supreme Court Ruling on Hillary Movie Heralds... →
Today the Supreme Court struck a major blow for free speech by correctly holding that government cannot try to “level the political playing field” by banning corporations from making independent campaign expenditures on films, books, or even campaign signs. As Justice Kennedy said in announcing the opinion, “if the First Amendment has any force, it prohibits jailing citizens for engaging in...
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Art Expands || Momix and Target →
Dressed in brilliant red and vibrant white body suits, five Momix dancers fold, unfold and refold themselves into a swirl of origami-like patterns in “Art Expands (:60),” motion designer Eyeball’s third inspired project for Target’s “Art for All” video installation series, which is displayed on giant LED screens outside the Staples Center, in downtown Los...
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Russia's Ailing ICBM Program || IEEE Spectrum →
At the Russian Ministry of Defense, in Moscow, one could easily forgive officials for wishing that one of those explanations were correct. That’s because the reality was a glaring advertisement for what has become the greatest aerospace engineering crisis of the Russian government: the disaster-ridden (“trouble-plagued” would be an understatement) military missile called Bulava...
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“Sunshine, Lollipops, & Rainbows” by Lesley...
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Dispersion of Sound Waves in Ice Sheets || silent... →
Frozen lakes are known to give off most noise during major fluctuations in temperature: the ice expands or contracts, and the resulting tension in the ice causes cracks to appear. Due to the changes in temperature, the hours of morning and evening are usually the best times to hear these sounds. In my experience, thin ice is especially interesting for acoustic phenomena; it is more elastic and...
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The puppy cam is back! →
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