Web Robin

Star Wars reality

An article in the Science section of today's Washington Examiner earns another in a long line of "It's finally coming!" cheers from old Star Trek and Star Wars lovers as sci-fi fantasy ideas continue to become reality. The usable 3-D imaging discussed here could really have SO many applications beyond just simply fun (not bad, though), that it stirs the thinking into a whirl just to realize that it will be available widely before the newest generations of our families get their driver's licenses. [Wait...will they be Operator's licenses then - hover craft, etc?]
See this link for more: "See me, Obi-Wan Kenobi: Scientists report progress toward live, 3-D video a la `Star Wars'

See the article here. 

Solar eclipse video

Here's a video from NASA and the Exploratorium that's really fun to watch, both for the scientific explanation and the excitement of the crowd.

The World's Weirdest Liquids

Want to walk on water?
What if you stretch something, and it gets thicker?

More geekiness here:
New Scientist Technology: The Stuff of Dreams

Or, just enjoy the below video.

Some Clock!

The following URL was sent to me by a friend who noted, "This is some clock!"  I agree.  Enjoy!

http://home.tiscali.nl/annejan/swf/timeline.swf

the Biology of Love

Check out the TED Talks Video Podcast from February 2006. Here's the description: Helen Fisher is an anthropologist with Rutgers University, specializing in gender differences and the evolution of human emotions. Her most recent book is"Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love." In this wide-ranging talk, she outlines the bio-chemical foundations of love (and lust), and discusses the natural talents of women, and their new significance in the modern world.

One part of her talk I thought was really interesting, and which brought the most applause, was about anti-depressants and her concerns that the over-use of these drugs may actually lead to a decrease in romantic love and attachment in our society.

If you don't have a video iPod, you can still download the speech and watch it on your computer. This speech is 24 minutes long.

How Long Are You Staying?

The attached site is from the CDC, showing the life expectancy of individuals from various countries.  Note that we, the US, are listed as 25^th among the countries listed.  At first I was a bit surprised, considering that I mostly associate with healthy, non-smoking, not-morbidly-obese White individuals with health payment plans.  I suspect their life-expectancy is among the highest in the world.  So, I have to assume this statistic includes all US individuals, including portions of our society where violence is more prevalent, smokers, drinkers, and those who are not as health conscious as most of us, and/or with less access to health care.  It gives me pause to contemplate, and I thought you might be intrigued by it, too.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5522a6.htm

Science Saturday: Half-Ton Visitor from Outer Space Discovered In Kansas

Western Kansas has featured some of the largest meteorites discovered in the nation, two of which rank among the heaviest by weight worldwide. This week, a professional meteorite hunter (yes, that's a job), used advanced tools to find a meteorite measuring 1,400 pounds, buried seven feet underground.

As some news coverage says, the meteorite is classified as an "oriented pallasite." Pallasites are a type of meteorite that has olivine crystals embedded in iron-nickel alloy. And the fact that it is oriented, meaning it fell through the Earth's atmosphere without spinning and formed a conical or bullet shape as its surface melted, makes it rare.

The discoverer knew it was a meteorite immediately, saying it could make first-graders drool with excitement, but in the process of searching, he ran across hundreds of pounds of junk, including wrenches, horseshoes, broken plows and wagon wheels.

Related Links:
In Kansas, Meteorite Hunter Finds a Gem
1,400-Pound Meteorite Found in Kansas

is that like "furlongs per fortnight"?

This picture is of the "Cat's Eye Nebula. I was scanning the Apple site today after scheduling a phone conference and got distracted by a report of a new Imax movie made of Hubble telescope images and using Apple software.

In a sidebar, the telescope is credited with being accurate to "7/1000th of an arcsecond, or about the width of a human hair seen at a distance of 1 mile."

That's incomprehensible!

By the way, "furlongs per fortnight" is a snail's pace. (old physics joke)