The question of hurricanes and their relationship to climate change ("global warming") has come up a few times recently, so I'm making a few notes here:
Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years,
(abstract) from Nature.
The links between hurricanes and climate change,
from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
It certainly looks like the models of cyclone strength as related to sea surface temperature are well developed and useful in predicting future trends. I personally think they provide enough support for a causal link meme, namely "these storms are getting worse because of global warming", even if that meme gets oversimplified in transmission.
It looks like the field of nanotubes in the 21st century is looking as fertile as that of plastics in the 20th. The latest breakthrough is nanotube sheets, super-strong super-thin sheets with a whole list of promising applications. (Think space elevator, but that's just one of them.)
I'm surprised I haven't mentioned the Greasecar before, but another project goes one louder: Greasebus. I like the idea of tooling around powered by other peoples' waste products.
...at least according to Pat Robertson.
The New York Times' Frank Rich has written a compelling opinion piece called The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan, with specific emphasis on the (hopefully continued) failure of the Bush administration to contain growing dissent against the occupation of Iraq.
To take my mind of the latest depressing Shuttle news, I followed a Google Ad to the Moon Landing Hoax page. Since "they faked the moon landing" is a running joke at the office, I figured it would be worth a chuckle. Unfortunately, the assertions were so rhetorical and so easily debunked that it was unsatisfying. (And the really compelling evidence? "Buy my movie and I'll show you." Feh.)
If you decide to watch the intro, here's a hint: think about speed and mass instead of distance. The Shuttle flies at 17,000 mph and carries tons more payload than Apollo did. Now spot the fallacy.
(Realized this requires a log-in. To see it, put in YetiCat as username and meowmeow as password)
I can't even make up something as ludicrous as Kidsbeer. Of course, I was a big fan of bubble gum cigarettes as a kid, so I probably shouldn't throw stones.
My current desktop background is a large, beautiful photo of the ISS soaring over the Earth, taken by the crew of Discovery. I love the photo, but one aspect of it bugs me: where is it? There are definitely enough landmarks to figure that out (a river, a bay, an atoll off the coast), but the lack of any scale or orientation has made it a real toughie.
Does anyone have an idea where it is? Backing up your claim with a Google Maps URL would be ideal.
May the Designer bless the wisdom that is The Onion.
Meanwhile, back in the police state...
Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at airports throughout the U.S. because their names are the same as or similar to those of possible terrorists on the government's "no-fly list."
I don't have to make this stuff up, folks.
So, what do you do when you witness a hit-and-run? Leave a note? Curse under your breath? Snap a photo and print posters for the whole neighborhood? A little luck and a little technology helped Derek Powazek go straight for the posters, and I personally hope this is a prelude to a transparent society.
I found this today. I had no idea it was possible, but perhaps we'll work this into the Radcliffs' visit to Michigan this fall!
p.s. Yes, I know, but it's fun to pretend.... (and it's not April, so I couldn't use the April Foolishness category)
Our friends at Wikipedia have a full entry on this New Religious Movement. There is information I didn't know, and it's absolutely fascinating. Here it is!
Check out buyblue.org. It keeps track of the political donations of various corporations, helping consumers spend their money at places that support rather than oppose their liberal politics. Not that anyone here would be interested....
p.s. vague sense that this may have been posted before... am I hallucinating?
I was hoping to let it go without comment, but the latest insinuation that Intelligent Design has merit astounds me. Not that it comes from the President, but rather that it caused me to agree with a Charles Krauthammer opinion piece. I'm shocked.
Well, look what popped up when I did an iTunes google search: iTunes iSbogus . Seems there's an alternative to alternative (corporate) rock. ;)