How High IS It?
Nepal hopes to put disputes (mainly between it and China) about the actual height of Mount Everest to rest (sorry!) by remeasuring it using the latest technology. The question is, Can there ever be a final measurement, since the Indian and Eurasian plates continue to converge?: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17191400
Who Was Here First?
European-style stone tools unearthed at various sites along the East Coast suggest that people from Western Europe came here at the height of the Ice Age ~ 10,000 years before people from Siberia crossed the Bering Strait to this continent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-evidence-suggests-stone-age-hunters-from-europe-discovered-america-7447152.html
Define 'Comedy'
What a find! An interactive site in which one can explore to one's heart's content the three worlds (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso) of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. Magnifico!: http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/
Good Dog
This article is from 2008, but it's interesting nonetheless, detailing as it does how dogs have developed a sense of right and wrong from their many years of being our constant companions: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3350010/Dogs-have-a-sense-of-right-and-wrong.html
Sooo Fly, Vocal Fry
You know how so many sentences end in question marks these days? Well, that's, like, a vocal trend that started with young women and moved up, down, and across the ranks from there? And it's not the only one? You know, we, like, totally owe these speaking fads to girl culture?: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/science/young-women-often-trendsetters-in-vocal-patterns.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general
See Siku
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| Soren Koch of Hilmer and Koch Photography |
I Believe I Know
It is “the only true theory of consciousness,” says neuroscientist Christof Koch about Giulio Tononi’s hypothesis based on a set of mathematical equations: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/338663/title/Enriched_with_Information
Truth Be Told
Mrs. O'Leary's cow did not cause the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, shaving does not cause terminal hair to grow back thicker or darker, and Wow! Wikipedia actually has a List of Common Misconceptions!: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions
(This being Wikipedia, of course, one should probably independently verify whichever nuggets intrigue one most before getting too excited, though they all refer back to sources.)
(This being Wikipedia, of course, one should probably independently verify whichever nuggets intrigue one most before getting too excited, though they all refer back to sources.)
Wind Whisperer
A new kind of wind turbine claims to be quieter and able to generate power from less wind: http://www.treehugger.com/wind-technology/new-wind-turbine-design-generate-power-low-winds.html
App(ropriate)
Path, Pinterest, Flat Stanley, and more ~ the BBC reviews some new and not-so-new-but-updated apps and sites (story and video): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9699198.stm
Stemming Bad Breath
Halitosis, as it turns out, may have its benefits. Researchers at the Nippon Dental University found that the gas responsible for foul breath, hydrogen sulphide, increased the number of stem cells that turned into liver cells: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17158088
Pretty, Sharp
Artist Brusspup duplicated a photograph (of a girlfriend? if so, my guess is he was well rewarded!) with five colors of pushpins (15,000 of them, to be exact) on a bulletin board (video): http://www.youtube.com/user/brusspup?feature=watch
What Will Chanel Do Now?
The edict was handed down from on high, and now the French have banned the use of the word "mademoiselle" ("miss") from their official forms and documents, which begs the question, Will Chanel keep it as the name of its perfume?: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/world/europe/france-drops-mademoiselle-from-official-use.html
Follow the Money
The trend in Chinese immigration, long from the countryside to the cities (and we're talking about millions of people here), is changing (video): http://www.economist.com/node/21548111
Flowers From the Past
A flowering plant was grown from 32,000-year-old seeds found near the icy banks of a river in Siberia ~ and it's delicate and lovely: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/02/120221-oldest-seeds-regenerated-plants-science/
The Girl Who Would Be Gaga
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| photo by Malgorzata Saniewska |
The Amazing Emily and Her Dad
In his topsy-turvy office, UCSC professor emeritus David Cope has spent years perfecting a software that allows computers to create algorithmic compositions in the style of classical composers, Bach, for example. The resulting works can fool even experts (story and audio): http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture/triumph-of-the-cyborg-composer-8507/
http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/thinking-creatively-just-add-milk-39972/
A new study shows that doing everyday things in reverse, or at least in a different, order can stimulate creative thinking.
Up the Down Staircase
(OK, here's the link you can click on to get there right away: http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/thinking-creatively-just-add-milk-39972/ )
4+2+4=A Good Night's Sleep?
Just one more ill to blame on the Industrial Revolution: Historians and scientists now agree that four hours of sleep followed by one or two hours awake and then a second four hours of sleep seems to be the norm for humans ~ and that's how it was until the mid-1800s: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783
The Principal Peter
A rare interview with Professor Peter Higgs ~ yes, he of boson fame ~ on the occasion of his receiving the 2011 Edinburgh Award (story and video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17161692
Mennonite Women in Mexico
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| Eunice Adorno |
Kids' Classics, Computerized
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| Barbie Photo Fashion Doll Mattel |
Monopoly, Barbie, Hot Wheels, even Laser Tag are all being updated for the computer generation. Press a button on Barbie Photo Fashion's belt, for example, to take a picture that appears on her T-shirt (pretty cool, that). And how does Laser Tag compete? It's on the iPhone, of course!: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/business/barbie-monopoly-and-hot-wheels-for-ipad-generations.html?hpw
Boy on a Roll
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| Matt Rainey for the New York Times |
Kamron Doyle, 14, gave some of the best bowlers in the Professional Bowlers Association's national United States Open cause for pause: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/sports/bowling-with-worlds-best-then-rejoining-8th-grade.html
Art To Come
From The Exorcist on stage to John Cage's 100th birthday, a preview of some of the arts and culture events to come in L.A.: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-looking-ahead-arts-culture-2012-pictures,0,2575434.photogallery
Mechanized Music Madness
Who knew our friends the machines could serenade us with such a toe-tapping beat? (video): http://vimeo.com/9800754
Hey, Hey, We're the Zappas!
I had no idea Frank Zappa (of the Mothers of Invention) and Mike Nesmith (of the Monkees) even knew each other, much less that they were friends, but it makes sense. Both were pretty smart, even though they followed practically opposing paths in their art. (BTW, did you know that Nesmith's mom invented Wite-Out?) (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNJy-OgCzB0&feature=player_embedded
A Scrid of Info for Youse
It's the Dictionary of Regional American English, y'all! ("Y'all" is one of the best regionalisms ever and deserving of national status, IMHO.) The project is finally finished, 50 years after it began: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/books/dictionary-of-american-regional-english-reaches-last-volume.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all%3Fsrc%3Dtp&smid=fb-share
A, B, C, D, iPad
The use of iPads in a kindergarten classroom improved the literacy-test scores of the children who were part of a study, according to an Apple blog: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/02/20/study-ipads-improve-kindergarten-literacy-scores/
Google-Colored Glasses
Google Goggles (n.): smart glasses that will stream Internet information for the wearer "based on preferences, location and Google's information," according to Google: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-google-x-smart-glasses-heads-up-display-augmented-reality-rumor-20120222,0,653228.story
Frère Jacques Would Approve
If you already speak English, why learn another language? And if you want to, which should it be? Answers to both questions, albeit not necessarily ones everyone would agree with (OK, OK, ... with which everyone would agree!), are here: http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/robert-lane-greene/which-best-language-learn
Mountains and Mist
Photographer Sebastião Salgado photographed the mountains of Ethiopia, where life continues as it has for generations, in black and white: http://moreintelligentlife.com/gallery/salgados-ethiopia-0
Duck, Duck, Rabbit
The easier it is for you to flip between duck and rabbit in this drawing, the more creative you probably are: http://www.spring.org.uk/2012/01/duckrabbit-illusion-provides-a-simple-test-of-creativity.php
Cinema Vivant ~ Feb. 25
8 p.m., Silent movies accompanied by live gypsy swing music from Hot Club of San Francisco; Beckman Auditorium, Caltech, Pasadena. $10 (youth)/$20.
Is Seeing Believing?
The best optical illusions of 2011, as judged by the Neural Correlate Society (I still can't find the man and woman kissing!): http://illusioncontest.neuralcorrelate.com/2011/
Practice Makes Perfect Fun
March 6-8 are, in this order, World Spelling Day, World Maths Day, and World Science Day, when you can play against people from all over the world. Sign up, and you can practice now: http://www.worldmathsday.com/
It's Got Your Number
The future of your health is in your hands (it's your phone): http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/technology/personaltech/monitoring-your-health-with-mobile-devices.html?_r=1&hpw
That's Nice
Research is showing that there is a biological reason for pro-social behavior not only in humans but in higher primates, elephants, and mice, among others, which undercuts the long-popular theory that humans are basically aggressive and competitive (and thanks to Kris for finding this article): http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/02/201222023301844664.html
Got iPhone?
From giving Siri an Australian accent to accessing the camera in two moves, here are 21 tips to help you enjoy your iPhone (even more): http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Tech-Culture/2012/0202/20-iPhone-tips-and-tricks-everyone-should-know/Don-t-call-me-Shirley
CO2 Up, pH Down
As CO2 levels in our atmosphere rise, the pH level of the ocean declines, which means the water becomes more corrosive. Two new studies of life surrounding CO2 seeps in the ocean floor give us a preview of what that may mean: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/338581/description/Carbon_dioxide_breaking_down_marine_ecosystems_ and http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/337677/title/Rising_carbon_dioxide_confuses_brain_signaling_in_fish
One and Only
In 1950, according to the Census Bureau, the percent of U.S. households that consisted of one person living alone was 9.3. In 2000, that number was 26 ~ about 27.2 million Americans. In his new book, "Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone," NYU sociology professor Eric Klinenberg talks about the many factors that have contributed to that change: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/02/qa-eric-klinenberg
For more on the topic: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/garden/the-freedom-and-perils-of-living-alone.html?_r=1
For more on the topic: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/garden/the-freedom-and-perils-of-living-alone.html?_r=1
Conscious Consciousness
There has been progress made in an area that many might call the true final frontier ~ the human mind's consciousness of itself and its abilities: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/338083/title/Demystifying_the_Mind
Bastion of Babel
The talking dictionary project is recording the last native speakers of endangered languages (story and audio): http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/02/pictures/120217-talking-dictionaries-vanishing-languages-science-hear-audio/
The Edison Quiz
Apparently, Thomas Edison gave a knowledge test to all applicants for employment. Would you be part of the 7% who scored 90% or better?: https://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/117252
Get Out of Town!
Sometimes backlashes are good, as in the growing reaction against our increasingly sedentary lifestyle and our children's increasing lack of contact with nature and free play. "There is a growing body of research that says getting outside regularly
is good for kids," says the director of an organization called Play England, "but that is fighting a massive zeitgeist, which says
that if you let your kid out of your sight, then they will come to
harm": http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16963807
Picture This
The best news shots of 2011, from the World Press Photo Contest: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/gallery/2012-world-press-photo
Street Chic
An installation by Austrian artist Werner Reiterer. For his series on helium, see http://www.ntimm.ca/_/helium-and-cats-werner-reiterer/
Going Down?
To announce the opening of its new thrill ride, a London mall hires an artist to paint an optical illusion in an elevator car, making it look as if its floor had crumbled away (story and video of the reactions): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101412/Alton-Towers-reveals-latest-ride--Nemesis-lift-dont-want-jump-in.html?ITO=1490
A La Mode de Chez Nous
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| The 18th Century Macaroni |
From Marie Antoinette's muslin gaulle to the Macaronis to Alexander McQueen's hooves, a tour of the more outrageous ~ and mostly intriguing ~ fashions throughout history: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16870841
A Clean Space
You know those Swiss, always neat. Now, they're turning their sights on the debris up in space, which, left unchecked, could almost certainly one day slam into the satellites we deem necessary (video): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17068279
Earth Day ~ March 31
Love Without Borders
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| The Canhs now live in Hanoi |
A Day By Any Other Name ...
Valentine's Day? It's so turn-of-the-century! How about something a little more 21st century, like Generosity Day, for example (video)?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oftICP0JQw8&feature=player_embedded#!
Insect Sushi
Would you eat bugs if they were elegantly presented and didn't look anything like bugs? Insects, say the inventors of the Ento Box, are the food of the future (and the use of the exquisite word "portmanteau" totally makes up for the typo ~ or misspelling? ~ of "tongue"!): http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679283/ento-box-the-elegant-insect-meal-of-the-future
P.S., Thanks to Tim for the title of this post ~ try to say it three times fast!
P.S., Thanks to Tim for the title of this post ~ try to say it three times fast!
Intro to Molecules
The most recently discovered molecule just may be the one that a 10-year-old accidentally created in her science class: http://now.humboldt.edu/news/not-your-average-fifth-grade-assignment/
The Long & Short (Boards) of Styrofoam
Waste to Waves ~ a California company is turning Styrofoam into surfboard blanks (story and video): http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/focus_on_solutions&id=8513587
Revenge of the Neanderthals
The sun does not revolve around the Earth, and the oldest cave paintings weren't painted by Homo sapiens sapiens: http://scitechdaily.com/caves-of-nerja-contain-earliest-human-drawings/
Notes From a Cucumber
and plays in a 2008 concert (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvqI9-eoxlI&feature=player_embedded
The Universe Song
Photos by NASA, music by Eric Idle ~ need I say more?!?: http://dingo.care2.com/cards/flash/5409/galaxy.swf
Helping Hubble
You can help the scientists by classifying the galaxies in Hubble's images: http://www.galaxyzoo.org/
Importing Pachyderms
A professor of environmental change biology suggests what Australia can do to stop its cycle of grass fires: Bring in the elephants!: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/feb/12/my-bright-idea-elephants-australia
Warm Colors
Nine of the ten warmest years since 1800 have taken place since 2000, according to NASA. A video timeline of the warming of the Earth, 1800-2011: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2011-temps.html
Desert Snow
Ski Dubai, an enclosed "winter" resort, has imported 20 penguins that will now live the pampered life in this bubble in the desert. It's a controversial move, of course: (story and video): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505363_162-57373077/desert-penguins-not-cool-say-activists/
Flying Right
Included in this rescue story is valuable information about how to save a bird that's flown into a window: http://animalrescuechase.com/rescue_showcase/story.php?id=680
The Shadow of Her Smile
Spain's Prado will send its twin painting of the Mona Lisa, thought by many experts to have been painted by a Da Vinci pupil alongside his teacher, to the Louvre for an upcoming Da Vinci exhibit: (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrqorDJUmzU
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