Stunning Photo of Saturn Backlit By the Sun

clipped from www.edge.org SATURN BACKLIT BY THE SUN Steven Pinker One of these days, Edge may want to run this photo, which planetary scientist Carolyn Porco, leader of the Imaging Team for the Cassini mission to Saturn, showed us at the TED Conference: Saturn backlit by the sun, with the Earth appearing as a tiny dot in upper left (shown in the inset blowup). It is not only perhaps the most stunning photograph ever taken, but the fact that it has not appeared on the cover of Time, New York Times, etc., is a sign of our culture's indifference to science. This is truly awe-inspiring — not just visually beautiful, but a mind-boggling technical achievement, and a way to depict the finiteness and fragility of the planet in a way that we haven’t experienced since the famous "Earthrise" photo from the Apollo program in the late 1960s. — Steve Pinker

Criminal Animal-Rights Activists: Terrorists?

If the action of the person was driven by the desire to intimidate others with the threat of physical harm, is that not terrorism?

Yet, not one of these actions have resulted in the physical harm of anybody.

Yet.

clipped from www.nature.com Equating animal-rights activism with terrorism increases the penalties for offenders and will please many of their victims. But it is not in the interests of science. Terrorist is not a word you throw around lightly. And it is certainly not a word you apply to anyone with whom you would like to have a civil conversation. They are criminals, to be sure. Their arson cost millions of dollars and destroyed scientific work in progress. But although some of their more knuckleheaded actions could easily have accidentally hurt someone, their ethos was to damage property, never to hurt or kill. many people have personally felt terrified by the actions of the most extreme. But 'terrorist' is a word so debased and loaded by political use that, if it has any meaning at all, it is counterproductive. We should avoid building an unbreachable wall between criminal activists and their victims We must all speak more objectively and calmly.

Darwin Sceptic: 'views cost tenure'

clipped from www.nature.com He's a young astronomer with dozens of articles in top journals; he has made an important discovery in the field of extrasolar planets; and he is a proponent of intelligent design, the idea that an intelligent force has shaped the Universe. It's that last fact that Guillermo Gonzalez thinks has cost him his tenure at Iowa State University. But other researchers think that the department's decision was entirely justified. "I would have voted to deny him tenure," says Robert Park, a physicist at the University of Maryland in College Park. "He has established that he does not understand the scientific process." The 43-year-old astronomer is also a deeply religious evangelical Christian, and his faith has shaped his views on science. "The Universe is designed for scientific discovery." But Park says that a researcher's views on intelligent design cannot be divorced from the tenure decision. But not all scientists agree. "intelligent design was not a major or even a big factor in this decision."

If I Had My Life to Live Over

by Erma Bombeck

clipped from www.ookingdom.com I would have talked less and listened more. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television, and more while watching life. There would have been more “I love you’s.” More “I’m sorry’s.” But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it… live it… and never give it back. Stop sweating the small stuff. Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who’s doing what. And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, as well as spiritually. Life is too short to let it pass you by. We only have one shot at this and then it’s gone.

'Childhood Origins of Adult Resistance to Science'

clipped from www.sciencemag.org Resistance to certain scientific ideas derives in large part from assumptions and biases that can be demonstrated experimentally in young children and that may persist into adulthood. In particular, both adults and children resist acquiring scientific information that clashes with common-sense intuitions about the physical and psychological domains. Additionally, when learning information from other people, both adults and children are sensitive to the trustworthiness of the source of that information. Resistance to science, then, is particularly exaggerated in societies where nonscientific ideologies have the advantages of being both grounded in common sense and transmitted by trustworthy sources.

'The New Synthesis in Moral Psychology'

...

clipped from www.sciencemag.org People are selfish, yet morally motivated. Morality is universal, yet culturally variable. Such apparent contradictions are dissolving as research from many disciplines converges on a few shared principles, including the importance of moral intuitions, the socially functional (rather than truth-seeking) nature of moral thinking, and the coevolution of moral minds with cultural practices and institutions that create diverse moral communities. I propose a fourth principle to guide future research: Morality is about more than harm and fairness. More research is needed on the collective and religious parts of the moral domain, such as loyalty, authority, and spiritual purity.

Marijuana: Where there is no smoke...

clipped from www.nature.com Vaporizing cannabis leaves instead of burning them can release the drug's active ingredient just as effectively — while avoiding the harmful toxins inhaled through smoking the drug, according to a pilot study. The active ingredient in cannabis leaves is in oils on the surface of leaf 'hairs'. The potential benefits of marijuana include pain relief for multiple-sclerosis sufferers, a treatment for glaucoma, as an appetite stimulant for AIDS patients and an anti-nausea agent for people on chemotherapy. Rather than smoking, some use the leaves to make tea or cakes for consumption. But this means that the active agents are metabolized by the liver rather than entering the bloodstream unaltered. the pace of research has been slow, partly because there is only one source of research-approved marijuana in the United States the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) which critics accuse of dictating research along a political agenda.

MS Font maker

clipped from www.metacafe.com Hidden Program In Windows XP Go to Start > Run > and type in eudcedit - this will open up a font editor - allowing you to design your own custom fonts and characters to be used in things like MS Word. MS Microsoft Word Font Character Hidden Secret Program Windows XP Tags:

The World without America

I found this paragraph of particular interest:

The United States created an environment in which inventive minds had access to easy credit, a willing market and the freedom to dream and create without fear of prosecution or recrimination.

Is this still true? And what s missing form this description? The openness to outsiders that also made America attractive. This, we know has changed.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk I am happy to report to you that the Oxford Union, in its infinite wisdom, has allowed America to continue existing. After a raucous debate in front of a packed house, the motion - "this House regrets the Founding of America" - was overwhelmingly squashed. But what music would we be listening to on our iPods? Would it be German marching songs or Russian ballads? Would we even have an iPod? So much for iPods... what about ideas? How different would the world be without the Bill of Rights? What about Thomas Jefferson? The list goes on and on (and I apologise for any omissions): Thomas Edison, who had 1,093 patents for inventions in his name; Henry Ford; the Wright brothers; Bill Gates; the Boeing corporation; Desperate Housewives; The Sopranos and, of course, SpongeBob SquarePants. The United States created an environment in which inventive minds had access to easy credit, a willing market and the freedom to dream and create without fear of prosecution or recrimination.

Life in the fast lane 'speeds up'

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk The pace of life for city dwellers is literally getting faster, a new British-led study suggests. People are walking 10% more quickly than a decade ago, according to research in 32 cities across the globe. Thousands of pedestrians were secretly timed in city centres with Singapore's residents found to be the most swift, followed by Copenhagen and Madrid. FASTEST CITIES 1. Singapore; 10.55s 2. Copenhagen (Denmark); 10.82s 3. Madrid (Spain); 10.89s 4. Guangzhou (China): 10.94s 5. Dublin (Ireland); 11.03s 6. Curitiba (Brazil); 11.13s 7. Berlin (Germany); 11.16s 8. New York (USA); 12.00s 9. Utrecht (Holland); 12.04s 10. Vienna (Austria); 12.06s Time in seconds to cover 60ft (0.02km) Source: British Council New York was ranked 8th, while London was outside the top 10. The Middle East tended to have the slowest pace of life.

What is Denialism?

Here is a take on a politically charged word, "denialism". I have coem out against using the word before due to its charged nature. I'm still not using it but maybe I'll put myself a little closer to the fence than I used to be.

clipped from scienceblogs.com Denialism is the employment of rhetorical tactics to give the appearance of argument or legitimate debate, when in actuality there is none. These false arguments are used when one has few or no facts to support one's viewpoint against a scientific consensus or against overwhelming evidence to the contrary. They are effective in distracting from actual useful debate using emotionally appealing, but ultimately empty and illogical assertions. Examples of common topics in which denialists employ their tactics include: Creationism/Intelligent Design, Global Warming denialism, Holocaust denial, HIV/AIDS denialism, 9/11 conspiracies, Tobacco Carcinogenecity denialism (the first organized corporate campaign), anti-vaccination/mercury autism denialism and anti-animal testing/animal rights extremist denialism. Denialism spans the ideological spectrum, and is about tactics rather than politics or partisanship.

Loosing the War

“Fighting Al Qaeda involves a security side and an ideological side. The security side is successful, but the other side of combating Al Qaeda is ideological and it is not successful.”

al Qaeda's goal here is fairly clear. The present world power structure is largely built on the backs of a U.S./Saudi agreement of sorts wrt oil and investments. The weakest link is in Saudi Arabia (closer to the radicalized population) and that weakness is now being exploited. They believe if they take the present Saudi government down then they bring the U.S. down with it. Energy independence never looked so good (and the war in Iraq never looked so stupid).

clipped from www.nytimes.com RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 27 — Saudi security officials said Friday that they had broken up a vast terrorist ring, arresting 172 men who planned to blow up oil installations, attack public officials and military posts, and storm a prison to free terrorist suspects. Officials said that the suspects had trained abroad, in Somalia, Afghanistan and especially Iraq. The chaos in Iraq has fueled radical ideology among the region’s youth, while providing an environment for militants to train Some suspects had begun training to use weapons and others had been sent abroad to learn to pilot aircraft, though the authorities did not say what, specifically, the pilot training was intended for. “We have never actually said we have reached an end,” General Turki said in an interview. “We always confirm that security forces’ efforts are not enough. Not unless you really tackle the ideology that is inspiring these people in order to be involved in these activities.”

Verizon Deals

Deals you might pull off when working with Verizon sales reps.

clipped from www.lifehack.org A former sales rep for phone compaby, Verizon, got in touch with The Consumerist to help deal shoppers get the edge whilst in the store. It’s a handy 8 stepper just to make sure you’re on the same playing field as the reps. Never get a 2-year contract. Verizon reps get tons of money from new lines and certain accessories and text packages, take advantage of this. Mention the lost or stolen program to get 25% off a new phone, even if you’re under contract. If you’re on a rate plan of $59.99 or higher, you can get “a new phone (and new contract) for the discounted price after 12 months.” Insurance is a rip-off. Tell them you’ll sign up for the Unlimited Data Plan with your Treo. Reps don’t get as much money if you’re still in a contract. Ask for a loyalty credit on the phone before going to the store.

The Job Interview: Questions to ask

One of the things you should expect in a job interview is the question, "Do you have any questions?" The wrong answer is, no. Think about a time when you were truly interested in a subject or person. Someone tells you about themselves or the subject and that naturally leads to you to more questions. Usually those questions are answered by further information but not always. Within the structure of an interview questions are the means by which you show engagement and interest.


Now I know all the advice there is out there to go to these interviews and act naturally and be relaxed. Well to hell with that. It sort of like telling someone to love you, some things just cannot be forced. If you are nervous, accept that, understand how it might impact your performance and move on. Don't get hung up on trying not to be nervous, ain't going to happen.


To help out with the nervousness on the questions front one of the pieces of advice I received from my career counselor was to have a list of questions, written out, that you can refer to when the interviewer asks, "Do you have any questions?"

Now I know that sounds a little odd and, when you pull out the reams of paper, might even have an interviewer look somewhat surprised. But you can always calm any concern with the statement, "Most of my questions have been answered." So here are a few good questions to ask, and please, add some good questions of your own in the comments section, that would be most helpful.

• What is the culture like at [organization name]?
• What does a typical day look like?
• Describe the person/personality type that you might call a good fit.
• What would you say is the biggest challenge in this position [working at this organization]?

Remember you are interviewing them too. The last thing you need in your life is to wind-up working for an organization at which you feel miserable and unhappy. There is nothing worse for your health, family or wallet.

Job Interview Question of the Week

Job Interview Question of the Week: “Tell me about a time when you prioritized the elements of a complicated project.”

Book Review: Driven - On Human Nature

clipped from human-nature.com Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices From these assumptions, Lawrence and Nohria extract four basic drives that can be used to explain almost all of human behavior. As unique and individual as we each feel ourselves to be, we are also arguably more similar to all other humans than we are different from any one of them. Our common drives are as much the product of evolutionary processes as are the physical characteristics of Galapagos finches. Therefore the drives are common to all humans in all cultures, although of course culture determines how they will be expressed. The drives are described as follows: · To acquire objects and experiences that improve our status relative to others; · To establish long-term bonds with others based on reciprocity; · To learn about and make sense of our world, which is largely our own social creation; · To defend ourselves, our families and friends, our beliefs, and our resources.

Health and the Built Environment

From Science Magazine

The second example is more contemporary. Public health leaders are asserting--as had leaders 150 years earlier--that the built environment profoundly influences health. The focus this time is not urban tenements, but rather the fragmented and sprawling communities that foster car dependency, inactivity, obesity, loneliness, fossil fuel and resource consumption, and environmental pollution. Concern about the built environment's effects on health has caught fire, with joint health and urban-planning conferences and strategy sessions, pending legislation, and an increasing number of new scientific studies. Disciplines long estranged from health issues--planners and architects, environmentalists, even builders and developers--are becoming engaged. It's a good time to spread ownership of health and environment challenges. The challenges of the 21st century will require leadership and collaboration. It worked in the 19th century; it can work today.

This is an interesting take on the impact of the modern social/built environment, how they are interrelated, and the impact that their current structure has on health.

Here is a resource (The Prevention Institute) on actions taken with regard to the built environment and health and what the impact has been

There is growing recognition that the built environment -- the man-made physical structures and infrastructure of communities -- has an impact on our health. Through a series of program profiles, this project highlights examples of neighborhood-level successes in altering elements of the built environment to improve health behaviors and outcomes. Because low-income communities are more likely to be sites of hazards and less likely to be conducive to physical activity and healthy eating, profiles focus on interventions that have occurred in low-income communities and are most likely to contribute to reducing health disparities in the United States.

This is a fascinating area of research and activity. The actions of citizens and government today could well transform the built infrastructure of the nation. Possibly improving our health and repairing what I consider the broken foundation of community involvement and local and national identity.

Sleep & Memory: When & What Type

Factual and experiential memory is reinforced during "slow-wave sleep".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declarative_memory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_wave_sleep

clipped from www.sciencemag.org Sleep facilitates memory consolidation. A widely held model assumes that this is because newly encoded memories undergo covert reactivation during sleep. We cued new memories in humans during sleep by presenting an odor that had been presented as context during prior learning, and so showed that reactivation indeed causes memory consolidation during sleep. Re-exposure to the odor during slow-wave sleep (SWS) improved the retention of hippocampus-dependent declarative memories but not of hippocampus-independent procedural memories. Odor re-exposure was ineffective during rapid eye movement sleep or wakefulness or when the odor had been omitted during prior learning. Concurring with these findings, functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant hippocampal activation in response to odor re-exposure during SWS.

More Pollution Less Rain for the Hills

As air moves over mountains it cools which can lead to rain or snow. With polluted air this tendency is decreased by up to 50%. As to why... ?

clipped from www.sciencemag.org Particulate air pollution has been suggested as the cause of the recently observed decreasing trends of 10 to 25% in the ratio between hilly and upwind lowland precipitation, downwind of urban and industrial areas. We quantified the dependence of this ratio of the orographic-precipitation enhancement factor on the amounts of aerosols composed mostly of pollution in the free troposphere, based on measurements at Mt. Hua near Xi'an, in central China. The hilly precipitation can be decreased by 30 to 50% during hazy conditions, with visibility of less than 8 kilometers at the mountaintop. This trend shows the role of air pollution in the loss of significant water resources in hilly areas, which is a major problem in China and many other areas of the world.

Determine the molar mass of an unknown compound by making asolution in which lauric acid is the solvent and the unknown is the solute.After you determine the freezing point of this solution, you’ll be able to applythe following equation:

D T = i x m x K_f , where

i = the number of solute particles (in this case i= 1; for molecular, nonionizing solutes i always =1);
m = the molality of the solution;
K_f = the freezing point depression constant for lauric acid ( 3.9 ^o C/m); and
D T = the difference in the freezing points of the solvent and the solution.

Extracted from Lab Practical: Determination of the Molar Mass of an Unknown Compound