Science! – Page 2

Tardigrades – new insights into their legendary toughness

September 21, 2016September 21, 2016 No Comments

These things fascinate me, they’re unbelievably tough: Tardigrades — also known as “water bears” — are microscopic animals that can live through almost anything: 30 years in a freezer, rapid dehydration, boiling and freezing temperatures, massive doses of radiation, baths in organic solvents, and a trip to open space. Today, scientists sequencing their genome have […]

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Environment Science!

Oh shit: Greenland is melting much faster than scientists expected.

April 14, 2016 No Comments

Way faster. Source: Greenland is melting much faster than scientists expected.

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Computing Technology

Tux at 24

August 25, 2015 No Comments

“Happy Birthday, Linux!”, announced slashdot today. I’ve been a user for a long time, my first direct experience of Linux was with a tiny district that shipped on four floppy disks, which even back in 1996 (I think, maybe 1997) was tight. I still remember being amazed that it could read from floppy while doing […]

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Computing Department of Slightly Pointless Retro

The Mahler Project

March 30, 2015March 30, 2015 No Comments

A short documentary about an event inspired by a one liner in the original ZX Spectrum BASIC handbook. The challenge was to program in the entirety of Mahler’s First Symphony on the ZX Spectrum using Sinclair Basic. Evidently the original challenge wasn’t thought out – there isn’t enough room in a Speccy’s memory to hold […]

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Oddities People Science!

An odd exchange, in which Mr. Grimes is accused

November 24, 2014 No Comments

I saw a most odd exchange on twitter the other night. I was surprised at some of the statements, and to be frank, I’d thought that perhaps some drink had been taken, as they say. Dr. Grimes, one of the participants, took the time to Storify the exchange. Read on – ” Remember that time […]

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Computing History Internets

First (ARPANet) Post!

October 30, 2014 No Comments

“Lo.” Inauspicious, perhaps, but then an infant’s first word generally is. Besides, no one on Professor Leonard Kleinrock’s 40-person team suspected that they were starting a revolution of global proportions on Oct. 29, 1969. That was the day Kleinrock and a student assistant, Charley Kline ’70, M.S. ’71, Ph.D. ’80 sent the first “host-to-host” message […]

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Computing

When the simple (sounding) is impossible (maybe)

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 No Comments

As Randall says, “In the 60s, Marvin Minsky assigned a couple of undergrads to spend the summer programming a computer to use a camera to identify objects in a scene. He figured they'd have the problem solved by the end of the summer. Half a century later, we're still working on it.”

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Cycling Environment Films Science!

London air pollution: which mode of transport has the highest exposure? – video | Environment | The Guardian

September 2, 2014March 25, 2015 No Comments

The answer surprised me, anyway. Worth a look – London air pollution: which mode of transport has the highest exposure? – video | Environment | The Guardian.

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Oddities Science! Space

Hyperion is a really weird moon

July 5, 2014 No Comments

Phil Plait over on Bad Astronomer has a lovely selection of the best pictures from Cassini’s 10 years at Saturn. By far my favourite is the, well, frankly bizarre moon Hyperion. It looks like a well-used oasis sponge. It also has a chaotic rotation, and is the only moon in the system that isn’t tidally […]

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Science!

Autism and the Agitator – The cost

April 23, 2014April 23, 2014 No Comments

Frank Bruni calls out Jenny McCarthy and the anti-vax campaigns in the NYT: There’s also this: How much time did physicians and public officials waste trying to neutralize the junk in which McCarthy trafficked? As Fred Volkmar, a professor at Yale University’s medical school, said to me, “It diverts people from what’s really important, which […]

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Who?

Murf

Tardigrades – new insights into their legendary toughness

Oh shit: Greenland is melting much faster than scientists expected.

Tux at 24

The Mahler Project

An odd exchange, in which Mr. Grimes is accused

First (ARPANet) Post!

When the simple (sounding) is impossible (maybe)

London air pollution: which mode of transport has the highest exposure? – video | Environment | The Guardian

Hyperion is a really weird moon

Autism and the Agitator – The cost

Category: Science!