If you've noticed, the last few posts have come from a tech blog called Boing Boing. I found it on a list of 50 best tech blogs, and I have to say that I've kind of come to like it. This particular blog posts a lot more science related stories than other tech blogs. And let's be honest, I really don't care about technology. I do care about science on the other hand. So, I guess Boing Boing is a good fit for me.
Anyway, my post this week again comes from Boing Boing. And again it has to do with science...but this time it's physics, not biology. This particular story just made me laugh, so I decided to talk about it a little bit. Here's the link: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/20/euthanasia-coaster-a.html
Alright, I don't know much about physics, so I don't know if this roller coaster would ACTUALLY kill someone, but it would be pretty hilarious if it did...hypothetically, of course. I guess what really got me is the fact that there's someone out there who decided to design a roller coaster that, as the article says, "with elegance and euphoria" actually kills its riders. I just keep asking myself, "Why?" But, you know there are stranger things that have come out of the human brain. Let's just hope roller coaster designers (?) don't get any crazy ideas.
The Near-Death Coaster! You'll get so close to death you'll see the pearly gates!
I don't know.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
I'm kind of want to read this book.
Yes, this is another post about science, not technology. Oh well. Being someone who studies anthropology and biology, I'm obviously interested in evolution. Actually, I'm extremely interested in evolution. I'm also extremely interested in the evolution-creationism debate that's still going on in high schools across the country. When I read about arguments that are posed by creationists to disprove evolution I find myself getting very, very angry. It's clear that evolution education in many parts of this country is lacking. People simply don't understand how it works, even though it's a painfully simple process. That being said, I encourage everyone to better educate themselves before making outlandish claims.
As I'm sure you can imagine, I'm also a fan of anyone out there who tries to make the concept of evolution easier for people to understand. It's a basic principle in biology, but also one of the most important. The book "Written in Bone" by Brian Switek is a new book that explains the evolution of evolution. It goes through the entire history of evolutionary thought, including all the things they got right and all the things they got wrong.
I think this is an excellent way to present the theory of evolution to those who know little about it. Some arguments that arise from creationists are ones that science as already rejected, it's just that nobody keeps up the scientific world enough to realize it. By presenting the entire history of the theory, Switek shows people all of the things science got wrong, but then shows what it did to correct itself. And that's what science is all about. Seeking new knowledge. I hope there are people out there who read books like these and educate themselves. Understand how science and evolution work. By educating ourselves we can educate others.
Here's the link to the review of Switek's new book: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/12/read-this-written-in.html
As I'm sure you can imagine, I'm also a fan of anyone out there who tries to make the concept of evolution easier for people to understand. It's a basic principle in biology, but also one of the most important. The book "Written in Bone" by Brian Switek is a new book that explains the evolution of evolution. It goes through the entire history of evolutionary thought, including all the things they got right and all the things they got wrong.
I think this is an excellent way to present the theory of evolution to those who know little about it. Some arguments that arise from creationists are ones that science as already rejected, it's just that nobody keeps up the scientific world enough to realize it. By presenting the entire history of the theory, Switek shows people all of the things science got wrong, but then shows what it did to correct itself. And that's what science is all about. Seeking new knowledge. I hope there are people out there who read books like these and educate themselves. Understand how science and evolution work. By educating ourselves we can educate others.
Here's the link to the review of Switek's new book: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/12/read-this-written-in.html
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Exploring the Unexplored
Just yesterday, Virgin Group teamed up with an explorer, a submarine designer, and Google to launch Virgin Oceanic. This project is an attempt to explore one of the last frontiers on Planet Earth, the bottom of the oceans, places where no people have ever been or even ever seen before. Here's the link to the blog post, complete with a video with dramatic music and pictures of the project: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/05/sir-richard-branson.html
I find this absolutely fascinating. First because of how little we know about that part of the world, and second, because of how difficult this task really is. We discover new species from the deep sea all the time. With every new and deeper dive someone makes, a world of unknowns become known. Just as the post describes, the surface of the moon has had more human visitors and is better studied than the deep sea. The post also includes a post from Sir Richard Branson, which states that only 10% of all the lifeforms living on Earth are known to us at this time. Leaving 90% under the water, unexplored. This is craziness to me!
The second thing I wanted to say about this project is how difficult it will be to design a craft that will be able to operate (with people inside) at such great depths. This is a huge technological advance. The post states that at the greatest depths of the oceans, the pressure is greater than 1000 atmospheres. One small part of the craft is under 13,000 million pounds of pressure alone! The ability to create something that can withstand that kind of pressure safely enough to hold people is extraordinary. But with this little bit of technology, so much can be learned about our planet that no one knows, and with that knowledge, hopefully we'll be able to better protect our oceans and the rest of our planet.
I find this absolutely fascinating. First because of how little we know about that part of the world, and second, because of how difficult this task really is. We discover new species from the deep sea all the time. With every new and deeper dive someone makes, a world of unknowns become known. Just as the post describes, the surface of the moon has had more human visitors and is better studied than the deep sea. The post also includes a post from Sir Richard Branson, which states that only 10% of all the lifeforms living on Earth are known to us at this time. Leaving 90% under the water, unexplored. This is craziness to me!
The second thing I wanted to say about this project is how difficult it will be to design a craft that will be able to operate (with people inside) at such great depths. This is a huge technological advance. The post states that at the greatest depths of the oceans, the pressure is greater than 1000 atmospheres. One small part of the craft is under 13,000 million pounds of pressure alone! The ability to create something that can withstand that kind of pressure safely enough to hold people is extraordinary. But with this little bit of technology, so much can be learned about our planet that no one knows, and with that knowledge, hopefully we'll be able to better protect our oceans and the rest of our planet.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sometimes making things simpler can be so incredibly easy.
I found a video for this application called Divvy on Boing Boing. It works for Mac and Windows and it's so incredibly simple. But still kind of cool. Here's the link: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/28/divvy-an-ocd-suffere.html
And the video by itself is below.
It's basically just as application to resize windows so they fit perfectly together on your computer screen. The blog post calls it the OCD sufferer's delight, which I would have to agree with. For me, this application would really come in handy. I don't actually have OCD, but I consider myself close enough. There are so many times when I'm trying to type and look at a webpage at the same time (or when jstor won't let me copy and paste) and this application could really help.
These are the types of advances I usually like to see. That sounds awful, but I'm NOT a technological person, so most of the stuff on these tech blogs I either don't care about or just don't understand. Applications like Divvy that make something I already have to do all the time a little simpler with an easy-to-use format make me happy. Unlike blogs posts titled "Researchers manage 448Gbps on commercial hardware, coming soonish to a trunk near you" or "German students make life-sized VR Fruit Ninja, declare war on digital produce." Come on...
Divvy Screencast from Mizage on Vimeo.
And the video by itself is below.
It's basically just as application to resize windows so they fit perfectly together on your computer screen. The blog post calls it the OCD sufferer's delight, which I would have to agree with. For me, this application would really come in handy. I don't actually have OCD, but I consider myself close enough. There are so many times when I'm trying to type and look at a webpage at the same time (or when jstor won't let me copy and paste) and this application could really help.
These are the types of advances I usually like to see. That sounds awful, but I'm NOT a technological person, so most of the stuff on these tech blogs I either don't care about or just don't understand. Applications like Divvy that make something I already have to do all the time a little simpler with an easy-to-use format make me happy. Unlike blogs posts titled "Researchers manage 448Gbps on commercial hardware, coming soonish to a trunk near you" or "German students make life-sized VR Fruit Ninja, declare war on digital produce." Come on...
Divvy Screencast from Mizage on Vimeo.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Technology and Wildlife
Article link: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/animal-camera-trap-gallery/?utm_source=UniBulCEO&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&pid=1124
This article discusses a project done by the Smithsonian Institute, called Smithsonian Wild, that set out to gain information on our more elusive creatures living in the wild. The best way to study these creatures is by using camera traps, which have been used for a long time, but are actually advancing quite a bit technologically. The article mentions that these traps can cost anywhere from $200-$600, which means they must be pretty special. A lot of people might think that camera traps are simply cameras with motion detection, but some of the new traps on the market today can do much more than that. As the article mentions, the traps used in this particular project actually detect specific heat signatures of animals and only snap pictures when those are recognized. Oh, and they're weatherproof, which is pretty important for cameras that sit outside all the time.
This technology reminds me of the mammalogy class I took last semester, where we had to come up with a fake research and grant proposal. In this assignment we had to have detailed notes about the types of equipment we would need to use to track or capture our species of choice. Everyone in the class proposed that they would need camera traps in order to learn about their specie's behavior and home range. So, clearly these devices are extremely important to wildlife biologists. The proposed camera traps were also technologically advanced, as were other types of devices. For example, a researcher could also buy a seismic trap that records minute movements on the earth's surface, then matches those movements to certain herds of animals within a few miles radius. Another device that helps track behavior and movements of elusive animals.
The reason I decided to discuss these camera traps has to do with both their importance and their ease of use. As I've mentioned before, these devices are extremely important to wildlife biologists and it makes their job of protecting and helping elusive and often endangered species a lot easier. However, even though these traps are technologically advanced, they can still be used by anyone. As the article says, learning how to use camera traps only takes a couple hours and can even be done by children. To me, having something so important, yet also so accessible is a win-win and hopefully it will lead to greater interest in and greater protection of our endangered species in the wild.
This article discusses a project done by the Smithsonian Institute, called Smithsonian Wild, that set out to gain information on our more elusive creatures living in the wild. The best way to study these creatures is by using camera traps, which have been used for a long time, but are actually advancing quite a bit technologically. The article mentions that these traps can cost anywhere from $200-$600, which means they must be pretty special. A lot of people might think that camera traps are simply cameras with motion detection, but some of the new traps on the market today can do much more than that. As the article mentions, the traps used in this particular project actually detect specific heat signatures of animals and only snap pictures when those are recognized. Oh, and they're weatherproof, which is pretty important for cameras that sit outside all the time.
This technology reminds me of the mammalogy class I took last semester, where we had to come up with a fake research and grant proposal. In this assignment we had to have detailed notes about the types of equipment we would need to use to track or capture our species of choice. Everyone in the class proposed that they would need camera traps in order to learn about their specie's behavior and home range. So, clearly these devices are extremely important to wildlife biologists. The proposed camera traps were also technologically advanced, as were other types of devices. For example, a researcher could also buy a seismic trap that records minute movements on the earth's surface, then matches those movements to certain herds of animals within a few miles radius. Another device that helps track behavior and movements of elusive animals.
The reason I decided to discuss these camera traps has to do with both their importance and their ease of use. As I've mentioned before, these devices are extremely important to wildlife biologists and it makes their job of protecting and helping elusive and often endangered species a lot easier. However, even though these traps are technologically advanced, they can still be used by anyone. As the article says, learning how to use camera traps only takes a couple hours and can even be done by children. To me, having something so important, yet also so accessible is a win-win and hopefully it will lead to greater interest in and greater protection of our endangered species in the wild.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Birds and the Bees (which is awful comparison since their methods of reproduction are entirely different than ours)
This article isn't really that interesting (ok, maybe a little bit) but it reminded me of my ecology class today. Here's the link: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/08/extinct-invertebrate.html
This isn't really about technology at all, but as I'm sure you've all figured out by now, I don't have much interest in technology anyway. I'm a fan of biology and other things like that.
Anyway, so in ecology today we were talking about intraspecific communication, which of course involves mating, and we were discussing different forms of internal fertilization. (I hope this doesn't make anyone uncomfortable...reproducing is a fact of life and there's really nothing to be embarrassed about.) Apparently male bed bugs and some male parasitic worms just have these spikes that they stab the female's body wall with because she doesn't have a genital opening. Then, they just insert the sperm that way. Kind of violent, yeah? Oh and they can also stab other males with these things and inject a cement-like substance that breaks down their reproductive system. That's some serious male-to-male competition.
That was probably the most interesting example we talked about in class. I won't get into the spiders and salamanders...then you really will be uncomfortable. I'll leave you with a joke:
A duck walks into a bar. The bartender asks, "So, what'll it be?" The duck doesn't say anything...because it's a duck.
Yes, I have an odd sense of humor. Deal with it.
This isn't really about technology at all, but as I'm sure you've all figured out by now, I don't have much interest in technology anyway. I'm a fan of biology and other things like that.
Anyway, so in ecology today we were talking about intraspecific communication, which of course involves mating, and we were discussing different forms of internal fertilization. (I hope this doesn't make anyone uncomfortable...reproducing is a fact of life and there's really nothing to be embarrassed about.) Apparently male bed bugs and some male parasitic worms just have these spikes that they stab the female's body wall with because she doesn't have a genital opening. Then, they just insert the sperm that way. Kind of violent, yeah? Oh and they can also stab other males with these things and inject a cement-like substance that breaks down their reproductive system. That's some serious male-to-male competition.
That was probably the most interesting example we talked about in class. I won't get into the spiders and salamanders...then you really will be uncomfortable. I'll leave you with a joke:
A duck walks into a bar. The bartender asks, "So, what'll it be?" The duck doesn't say anything...because it's a duck.
Yes, I have an odd sense of humor. Deal with it.
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