tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32473064766758387432024-02-08T00:54:19.404-05:00Nuggets of NugacityMTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-74043975524224577942009-05-23T15:39:00.003-04:002009-05-23T15:46:39.394-04:00Obama's Hypocrisy<div style="text-align: justify;">Obama attacks Bush administration policy, describing it as <span style="font-style: italic;">ad hoc</span>, then describes how he will create a system that allows for the "prolonged detention" of terrorists without trial. I have to say I'm a little surprised.<br /></div><object height="332" width="410"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1uuWVHT1WUY&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1uuWVHT1WUY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="332" width="410"></embed></object>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-39723331980849177432009-05-22T17:49:00.003-04:002009-05-22T17:59:37.921-04:00<p style="text-align: justify;">Thomas Friedman on how to sell a carbon tax (from his NYT Op-Ed column, "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/opinion/26friedman.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">Moore's Law and the Law of More</a>"):<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">Have no doubt: From right-wing tea parties to coal states to manufacturers, there is going to be a no-holds-barred campaign to kill any carbon price signal, including cap and trade. A vast army of lobbyists is already working against it. Only President Obama can blunt this. Only he has the platform for framing and elevating the issue properly and taking it to the American people with the passion and clarity needed to move the country. It will take more than one speech.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Here’s one way to start: “My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you about a new economic law. You’ve heard of Moore’s Law in information technology. I’d like to speak to you about the ‘Law of More’ in energy technology. Americans, Indians, Chinese, Africans, we all want more — more comfort in our homes, more mobility in our lives, more technologies with which to innovate. But there is only one way all 6.3 billion of us can have more and not make this an unlivable planet, and that is by living our lives and running our businesses in more sustainable ways and properly accounting for it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">“Right now we’re paying a huge price — a tax — for everyone trying to achieve more in an unsustainable way. But the ‘More Tax’ is not imposed by the U.S. government. It is a tax imposed by the market and will continue rising indefinitely as more and more people want more and more stuff. It will steadily drive up gasoline prices, home heating prices and factory electricity prices. But because this ‘More Tax’ is set by the market and not the government, many opponents contend that there’s nothing to be done: ‘Oh, $4.50 a gallon gasoline — that’s just the market at work. We can’t do anything about that.’ And then all that tax money out of your pocket goes to enrich oil companies and petro-dictators.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">“My proposal is that today we fix a durable price on carbon-based fossil fuels, but set it to begin only in 2011, after we’re out of this recession. Every home builder, air-conditioning manufacturer, gasoline refiner, carmaker will know that it’s coming and will, I believe, immediately look for ways to profit from and invest in more energy efficient systems. Yes, the cost of gasoline or kilowatt hours will rise in the short term. But in the long term, your actual bills and expenses will go down because your car, appliances and factory will become steadily more productive and give you more power for less energy.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> “I call it the ‘Carbon Tax Cut.’ You won’t receive the dividend in the first week or month, but you will get it soon, and it will be a permanent tax cut, a gift that will keep on giving.</p><div style="text-align: justify;">“So those are our choices, folks — an escalating ‘More Tax’ forever, premised on immediate gratification and short-term thinking, or a ‘Carbon Tax Cut’ forever, which is exactly what you’ll get from establishing a carbon price signal that shapes the market in favor of American interests and not those of our adversaries and competitors. If you’re with me, write your member of Congress and senator today.” </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-30846586642365937422009-05-22T17:25:00.005-04:002009-05-22T17:54:27.669-04:00Focus<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4IQLtTNYTOrxb8ib7lQToCAaALLnNDx6dHkpF9q9KHBjgZdwGgx8IJf9WevE2NdhRc5uOfUxUVyvBEOmFXjRVoJKQ6Uk7EzZ1GnhjcKoywDIYOEaiCDJewRgHRSc4duk4loakrjv89pk/s1600-h/Concentration.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4IQLtTNYTOrxb8ib7lQToCAaALLnNDx6dHkpF9q9KHBjgZdwGgx8IJf9WevE2NdhRc5uOfUxUVyvBEOmFXjRVoJKQ6Uk7EzZ1GnhjcKoywDIYOEaiCDJewRgHRSc4duk4loakrjv89pk/s400/Concentration.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338764936327853602" border="0" /></a>Here's a tidbit from John Tierney's NYT Findings column, "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tier.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss" target="ns">Ear Plugs to Lasers - The Science of Concentration</a>":<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">...<br />When something bright or novel flashes, it tends to automatically win the competition for the brain’s attention, but that involuntary bottom-up impulse can be voluntarily overridden through a top-down process that Dr. Desimone calls “biased competition.” He and colleagues have found that neurons in the prefrontal cortex — the brain’s planning center — start oscillating in unison and send signals directing the visual cortex to heed something else.<br />...<br />“It takes a lot of your prefrontal brain power to force yourself not to process a strong input like a television commercial,” said Dr. Desimone, the director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at M.I.T. “If you’re trying to read a book at the same time, you may not have the resources left to focus on the words.”<br />...<br /></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Here are some tips from the author of "<a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594202100,00.html" title="“Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life“" target="ns">Rapt,</a>” a guide to the science of paying attention, Winifred Gallagher. </div><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">Ms. Gallagher advocates meditation to increase your focus, but she says there are also simpler ways to put the lessons of attention researchers to use. Once she learned how hard it was for the brain to avoid paying attention to sounds, particularly other people’s voices, she began carrying ear plugs with her. When you’re trapped in a noisy subway car or a taxi with a TV that won’t turn off, she says you have to build your own “stimulus shelter.” </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> She recommends starting your work day concentrating on your most important task for 90 minutes. At that point your prefrontal cortex probably needs a rest, and you can answer e-mail, return phone calls and sip caffeine (which does help attention) before focusing again. But until that first break, don’t get distracted by anything else, because it can take the brain 20 minutes to do the equivalent of rebooting after an interruption. (For more advice, go to <a href="http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/is-information-overload-really-getting-worse-and-more-questions-about-attention/" target="ns">nytimes.com/tierneylab</a>.)</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"></p>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-7047488470064820142009-05-22T16:43:00.003-04:002009-05-22T16:51:39.603-04:00Why is the FBI So Stubborn???<object width="410" height="249"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ir8e2bXrHRo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ir8e2bXrHRo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="410" height="249"></embed></object>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-6273767811448790772009-05-21T17:09:00.004-04:002009-05-22T17:01:43.829-04:00Happyhour Gene Determines Sensitivity to Alcohol<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyVYKXtKBsWkcMF2ckh3YJBB6NAii0fs0OCxt5SL3_-ekJXfHlI6RC_eI2xV7aXo4FCTqo79_M54qHNYKoF4GiCD0kcupDlGauD7G5l9lw-N6GxdAJEP_k8i2CBBcJDixQ1_uPCqs3C0q/s1600-h/beerpour.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyVYKXtKBsWkcMF2ckh3YJBB6NAii0fs0OCxt5SL3_-ekJXfHlI6RC_eI2xV7aXo4FCTqo79_M54qHNYKoF4GiCD0kcupDlGauD7G5l9lw-N6GxdAJEP_k8i2CBBcJDixQ1_uPCqs3C0q/s400/beerpour.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338390442621396818" border="0" /></a>From <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/" target="ns">NewScientist</a>:<br /><p style="text-align: justify;" class="infuse"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>A newly identified <a class="infusionLink" omd="zodJump('http://widgets.zibb.com/images/_jump.gif?tag=InfusionJS&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Ftopic%2Fgenetics&gsid=gene&entitytypeid=kw&lid=http://www.newscientist.com/topic/genetics&title=gene&intref=infusion&variantName=gene&zodid=96')" alt="gene" href="http://www.newscientist.com/topic/genetics">gene</a> called <i>happyhour</i> makes fruit flies sensitive to booze. Drugs that mimic the effects of the gene may offer a new treatment against <a class="infusionLink" omd="zodJump('http://widgets.zibb.com/images/_jump.gif?tag=InfusionJS&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Ftopic%2Fdrugs-alcohol&gsid=alcohol&entitytypeid=kw&lid=http://www.newscientist.com/topic/drugs-alcohol&title=alcohol&intref=infusion&variantName=alcohol&zodid=96')" alt="alcohol" href="http://www.newscientist.com/topic/drugs-alcohol">alcohol</a> abuse, researchers say. <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17178-happyhour-gene-may-help-put-boozers-off-their-drink.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news" target="ns">Read more...</a></blockquote></div><p></p>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-85192111868177785642009-05-21T16:53:00.004-04:002009-05-21T17:00:17.337-04:00Goals Are More Important Than Help<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="date">From </span><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com"target="ns"><span class="date">ScienceDaily</span></a><span class="date">:</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="date"></span><blockquote>Helping middle school students with their homework may not be the best way to get them on the honor roll. But telling them how important academic performance is to their future job prospects and providing specific strategies to study and learn might clinch the grades, according to a research review. <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519134711.htm"target="ns">Read more...</a><br /></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">This was certainly true for me, and I think it applies for all ages.</div></div></div>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-83238443953911667062009-05-21T16:26:00.002-04:002009-05-21T16:30:51.113-04:00Mockingbirds Can Remember Threatening PeopleFrom <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/">NewScientist</a>:<br /><object id="flashObj" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="348" width="410"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/2227271001?isVid=1&publisherID=981571807"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=23625542001&playerID=2227271001&domain=embed&"><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com"><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/2227271001?isVid=1&publisherID=981571807" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=23625542001&playerID=2227271001&domain=embed&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" swliveconnect="true" allowscriptaccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="348" width="410"></embed></object>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-44777732198438537842009-05-21T15:57:00.003-04:002009-05-21T16:18:40.608-04:00Top Ten Tornado VideosHere are my favorites:<br /><object width="410" height="332"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/auYHb7-E4iw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/auYHb7-E4iw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="410" height="332"></embed></object><br /><object width="410" height="332"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DNL7ASvl4k4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DNL7ASvl4k4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="410" height="332"></embed></object><br /><object width="410" height="332"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zYe5NsxeB6M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zYe5NsxeB6M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="410" height="332"></embed></object><br /><object width="410" height="332"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/43VoMesUd2Q&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/43VoMesUd2Q&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="410" height="332"></embed></object><br />check them all <a href="http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/top-10-tornado-videos">here</a>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-29801861328351535222009-05-08T21:54:00.005-04:002009-05-08T22:02:05.851-04:00Terreform: Growing Houses<div style="text-align: justify;">The solution to our environmental problems is going to require some out of the box thinking. This is one of the most interesting ideas I have seen in quite a while (check out the website at <a href="http://www.terreform.org/"target="ns">terreform.org</a>):<br /></div><embed src="http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/1097293/mitchell_joachim_of_terraform_on_sustainable_architecture.swf" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="345" width="400"></embed>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-7764982997725446272009-04-29T15:37:00.003-04:002009-04-29T15:56:52.598-04:00Unedited Torture and Ethics Interview<div style="text-align: justify;">Take 20 minutes out of your day to watch as John Stewart ever so eloquently explains why torture is wrong and why America should be/is better than defending the use of it.<br /><br />It is a series of three clips, after one you should be directed to the next.<br /></div><embed style="display: block;" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:226121" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="autoPlay=false" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" bgcolor="#000000" height="343" width="410"></embed>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-6666883880997336472009-04-23T21:31:00.006-04:002009-04-23T21:39:33.303-04:00Earth Day Photos<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQqV6wZLrtfXGV6fLakpJmTQiXJqvoZQJg9LwCOZ-kaxgGw1P_5wWYCDTfncJe2NhdX70zhDD_aQObWmDEpYZj4YE3WrVUzLPbeLfzMBT6DYw0qQ9UVXd32UlIxM6Jj6nfPJeY_E_TMW8/s1600-h/eday_stars.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQqV6wZLrtfXGV6fLakpJmTQiXJqvoZQJg9LwCOZ-kaxgGw1P_5wWYCDTfncJe2NhdX70zhDD_aQObWmDEpYZj4YE3WrVUzLPbeLfzMBT6DYw0qQ9UVXd32UlIxM6Jj6nfPJeY_E_TMW8/s400/eday_stars.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328065656380749074" border="0" /></a>I know it was yesterday, but here are some of my favorites from <a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/04/earth_day_2009.html" target="ns">40 photos posted by the Boston Globe</a> in honor of 40 years of Earth Day.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0NNumbpz_nyeiiPxwZ5FeJPnEaYyye24YyDuySoeCSLXk_G-BGDqB-oKmAhyphenhyphen0RTjH6aGpSx4cI9kqTvMD-PxLsYgO-MhF0fi8ymLDuStwbJaHJq30-rQjbAKbXLXCIdRv1YddBviSxRy/s1600-h/eday_solar2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0NNumbpz_nyeiiPxwZ5FeJPnEaYyye24YyDuySoeCSLXk_G-BGDqB-oKmAhyphenhyphen0RTjH6aGpSx4cI9kqTvMD-PxLsYgO-MhF0fi8ymLDuStwbJaHJq30-rQjbAKbXLXCIdRv1YddBviSxRy/s400/eday_solar2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328066133868649106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__voUywa0o0wD5pWShMicOCgsosJJscOo4OFitnNSGHUG8jR0T7QnoIcLdgSESa2KYqYAbivTP1g-dUCbUkbW3Wd_-QCskBqtmo6SbwojWCw7LnOC3sbW_7gpU7hX7bBfWioWXFkaLejF/s1600-h/eday_rapeseed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__voUywa0o0wD5pWShMicOCgsosJJscOo4OFitnNSGHUG8jR0T7QnoIcLdgSESa2KYqYAbivTP1g-dUCbUkbW3Wd_-QCskBqtmo6SbwojWCw7LnOC3sbW_7gpU7hX7bBfWioWXFkaLejF/s400/eday_rapeseed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328065808677499970" border="0" /></a>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-82470077024239131972009-04-23T13:48:00.005-04:002009-04-23T14:17:41.290-04:00Could We Have Prevented HIV/AIDSAnd can we prevent the next epidemic?<br /><object width="410" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/NathanWolfe_2009-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/NathanWolfe-2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=390&vh=225&ap=0&ti=499" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="410" height="300" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/NathanWolfe_2009-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/NathanWolfe-2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=390&vh=225&ap=0&ti=499"></embed></object>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-83321537089609944952009-04-23T13:08:00.003-04:002009-04-23T14:19:28.514-04:00Rich = Green (not just money)<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrFZKcJk5Tqqs3ITDhwVHeVKNG_6At8NQyqXHUtfPWW2m4QalJtkD0fi8TkUWXMsf7FYNZXYWwyzLFp447mWZw5X9dKbVY-yXPHGNSLFEMtVPX2mYnLOmUIK7MQR7ny4ymh97AJBxGPWk/s1600-h/21tierney-500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrFZKcJk5Tqqs3ITDhwVHeVKNG_6At8NQyqXHUtfPWW2m4QalJtkD0fi8TkUWXMsf7FYNZXYWwyzLFp447mWZw5X9dKbVY-yXPHGNSLFEMtVPX2mYnLOmUIK7MQR7ny4ymh97AJBxGPWk/s400/21tierney-500.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327935953177892930" border="0" /></a>Here are two bold predictions made yesterday by John Tierney of the NYT:<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">1. There will be no green revolution in energy or anything else. No leader or law or treaty will radically change the energy sources for people and industries in the United States or other countries. No recession or depression will make a lasting change in consumers’ passions to use energy, make money and buy new technology — and that, believe it or not, is good news, because... </p><p style="text-align: justify;"> 2. The richer everyone gets, the greener the planet will be in the long run.</p></blockquote></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I strongly encourage you to read the article to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/science/earth/21tier.html"target="ns">find out more...</a><br /></p>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-13230396408444970362009-04-22T18:24:00.004-04:002009-04-22T18:39:42.865-04:00Swallowing the iPod Shuffle<div style="text-align: justify;">I recently <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/04/x-ray-of-sword-swallower.html">posted x-ray proof</a> that sword-swallowing is not a trick, so why is it so hard for this sword-swallower to swallow a tiny iPod shuffle?<br /></div><object height="270" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4277876&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4277876&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="270" width="400"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/4277876"target="ns">Can the iPod shuffle be swallowed?</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user562128"target="ns">Gizmodo</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/"target="ns">Vimeo</a>.MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-46201554303605335232009-04-21T23:31:00.004-04:002009-04-23T14:21:17.657-04:008 Secrets of SuccessMy Mom sent this to me, and now I'm sharing it with you:<br /><object height="300" width="410"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/RichardSt.John_2005-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/RichardSt.John-2005.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=390&vh=255&ap=0&ti=70"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/RichardSt.John_2005-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/RichardSt.John-2005.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=390&vh=255&ap=0&ti=70" height="300" width="410"></embed></object>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-33134553704858143632009-04-21T17:20:00.006-04:002009-04-21T17:28:03.269-04:00The Beauty of NatureCheck out these beautiful pictures:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_2HKcTzARPtALUvPdiGkx_nRU1dpoUlhMiT3fu8t7X1yVkhu7lBh1s0naz0teq6NfsC3mdl4SCsMFyZmOkrxr1pjv29XgJ7KkJlKQr8fDr7gfPYqiAiBxscpFfL8lA66BXwBJadqRSXd/s1600-h/rhodochrosite.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_2HKcTzARPtALUvPdiGkx_nRU1dpoUlhMiT3fu8t7X1yVkhu7lBh1s0naz0teq6NfsC3mdl4SCsMFyZmOkrxr1pjv29XgJ7KkJlKQr8fDr7gfPYqiAiBxscpFfL8lA66BXwBJadqRSXd/s400/rhodochrosite.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327258510716348626" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MduvsqASJiofruBMIATzP_5_zC_7gJo3SQGSUCcIAivwzOuqD7KBLM5u8-p37-N12gyXuGMU412EEMh3D4h0iHZY10HOXlkcHkuS1dWBOCV9DgcqFcGAuDziOqpiPtVTp4-c3hR9t7P-/s1600-h/malachite.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MduvsqASJiofruBMIATzP_5_zC_7gJo3SQGSUCcIAivwzOuqD7KBLM5u8-p37-N12gyXuGMU412EEMh3D4h0iHZY10HOXlkcHkuS1dWBOCV9DgcqFcGAuDziOqpiPtVTp4-c3hR9t7P-/s400/malachite.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327258454356498194" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf71xXVMfp-e_MfCmUk3MsrrU97jUaOWd4_NoPVfBhKxpWMfpnbBMTMaVyZR96SSJZ1aV6_J-jC4oM8dPK4INZdxhNjEpV_0Pk-DSz6FiLQqshl8W05CmVo1-bWADDNzHMa6qC2bpsvatK/s1600-h/agate+%28banded%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf71xXVMfp-e_MfCmUk3MsrrU97jUaOWd4_NoPVfBhKxpWMfpnbBMTMaVyZR96SSJZ1aV6_J-jC4oM8dPK4INZdxhNjEpV_0Pk-DSz6FiLQqshl8W05CmVo1-bWADDNzHMa6qC2bpsvatK/s400/agate+%28banded%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327258401278958418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaiW2aPETGstCPpi6YCVHl7Y1p88G9ZgxecQXp0xG3naDNM43uPCTEWhhLxP6GCNqyZKubBUyEePq_jK_N3-HFvE_J75MSnwSxi7vyy8SDdLW-KFf1dIKYkh5H9vrArJAcLhWXXBv2EOr_/s1600-h/sandstone-102.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaiW2aPETGstCPpi6YCVHl7Y1p88G9ZgxecQXp0xG3naDNM43uPCTEWhhLxP6GCNqyZKubBUyEePq_jK_N3-HFvE_J75MSnwSxi7vyy8SDdLW-KFf1dIKYkh5H9vrArJAcLhWXXBv2EOr_/s400/sandstone-102.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327258578915964242" border="0" /></a></div>More pictures can be found <a href="http://www.earth.uk.net/" target="ns">here</a>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-10189737715327362012009-04-21T17:02:00.005-04:002009-04-21T17:09:32.145-04:00Winners of the Green Innovation Challenge<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQr8kj3uTgYFwR1y5-cb4S703yVTyE5dSLfXxsVUCb-837aBZFSjjhUkO-NKzu59SJGXiqJEB5belnqQD6fGa4v3SPTaAB1fLDejhAhFZ_2hu7DT36w-1ihgwUiOKK5WzAXdHSNOn88PH/s1600-h/sloarcooker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQr8kj3uTgYFwR1y5-cb4S703yVTyE5dSLfXxsVUCb-837aBZFSjjhUkO-NKzu59SJGXiqJEB5belnqQD6fGa4v3SPTaAB1fLDejhAhFZ_2hu7DT36w-1ihgwUiOKK5WzAXdHSNOn88PH/s400/sloarcooker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327254663545006082" border="0" /></a>Check out <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/" target="ns">NewScientist</a>'s gallery showing the winners of an <a href="http://www.forumforthefuture.org/FT-climate-challenge" target="ns">international competition</a> to find innovations that could help combat climate change:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn16966-climate-change-challenge" target="ns">Gallery</a></b><br /></div>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-40637852772036800542009-04-21T16:55:00.001-04:002009-04-21T16:58:39.502-04:00Fraction NeuronsFrom <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/"target="ns">NewScientist</a> (full article):<br /><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">FRACTIONS may be written as the ratio of two whole numbers, but that's not how our brains process them. Instead it seems we respond to fractions directly, without processing whole numbers along the way. This suggests that kids, who often dread fractions, could be taught them more intuitively.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Previous tests have shown that specifc groups of neurons respond to different whole numbers, with the number one altering the firing patterns of different neurons than the number three. Now Simon Jacob and <a href="http://homepages.uni-tuebingen.de/andreas.nieder/" target="nsarticle">Andreas Nieder</a> of the University of Tübingen in Germany have shown that we have fraction-specific neurons too.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The pair scanned the brains of adults as they were shown a variety of different fractions - either as numerical ratios or in words. In both cases, specific groups of neurons altered their firing patterns. Crucially, control experiments showed that the volunteers weren't responding first to whole numbers, and then calculating the ratio, but were reacting to the fraction itself (<i>The Journal of Neuroscience</i>, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.0651-09.2009" target="nsarticle">DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0651-09.2009</a>).</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Fractions tend to be taught as ratios of whole numbers, but Nieder says this may not tap our neural machinery in the most constructive way, making fractions harder to grasp than they need to be.</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"></p>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-91401609899674348202009-04-21T16:52:00.000-04:002009-04-21T16:53:28.577-04:00Flying Bionic Penguins<object id="flashObj" width="410" height="346" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/2227271001?isVid=1&publisherID=981571807" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=20358143001&playerID=2227271001&domain=embed&" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/2227271001?isVid=1&publisherID=981571807" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=20358143001&playerID=2227271001&domain=embed&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="410" height="346" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-60180693185446536262009-04-21T14:08:00.008-04:002009-04-21T16:32:09.757-04:00Visualizing World Energy UseHere's a nice graphic for you to contemplate:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/sreport_graphic/energy-fuels-mg18725151500.jpg" target="ns"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO4OYen5vRhizeYFYQ4O-Rc2qXWL6xzM6betXNctg4g0A5F8c_snWtA9aT-y3y9JNDs2saR-JHxpDLRZOUqfrbtSrk_QVaYcl4rpsdo8wafQtqCVeXSFXAr4JG88xQ2EP4nN7jwI3d6bU/s400/World+Energy+Use.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327243311513416226" border="0" /></a>click pic to enlargeMTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-19552486108937747902009-04-21T00:08:00.003-04:002009-04-21T00:13:16.091-04:00Green Porno: SnailNow for a little fun:<br /><object id="flashObj" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="346" width="410"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/1745093298?isVid=1&publisherID=1659762906"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=9556683001&playerID=1745093298&domain=embed&"><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com"><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/1745093298?isVid=1&publisherID=1659762906" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=9556683001&playerID=1745093298&domain=embed&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" swliveconnect="true" allowscriptaccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="346" width="410"></embed></object>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-88732089367119258522009-04-20T23:59:00.003-04:002009-04-21T00:08:22.943-04:00What We Can Tell From Facial Expression<div style="text-align: justify;">I mentioned this study on how accurate our perception of a person is simply based on their picture in class today, so I figured I would direct those interested to the post, which can be found <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-on-affect-of-facial-expressions.html">here</a>. For more on the topic, check out <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/04/you-dont-even-know-what-you-like.html">You Don't Even Know What You Like</a><br /></div>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-84659809822183540192009-04-20T23:43:00.005-04:002009-04-20T23:56:22.793-04:00Corn Ethanol No Better Than Petroleum<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CE2OKUeqR7Z2TrhDjqUgQ9jl1-ndGQiksMHBkPQhfMBcIwLotA1ogKvG0ZJSByl2zSeWJgpe9iIxikvuHtlIdWwmr6fJ5xOlnw5zC2_5i8v4ZSMo_2MtK4_zjnmX_qwxCHR3APf_oTG6/s1600-h/ethanol-not-cut-emissions_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CE2OKUeqR7Z2TrhDjqUgQ9jl1-ndGQiksMHBkPQhfMBcIwLotA1ogKvG0ZJSByl2zSeWJgpe9iIxikvuHtlIdWwmr6fJ5xOlnw5zC2_5i8v4ZSMo_2MtK4_zjnmX_qwxCHR3APf_oTG6/s400/ethanol-not-cut-emissions_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326988535064292034" border="0" /></a>Here's another nugget regarding alt. energy (<a href="http://sciam.com/" target="ns">SciAm.com</a>):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ethanol-not-cut-emissions" target="ns">Corn Ethanol Will Not Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions<br /></a></div><br />I've posted on this topic before, check out <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/04/beyond-fossil-fuels.html">Beyond Fossil Fuels</a>, <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/04/duckweed-newest-alt-to-corn-ethanol.html">Duckweed</a>, <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/03/renewable-energy-to-rescue.html">Renewable Energy to the Rescue</a>, <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/03/water-vs-energy.html">Water vs. Energy</a>, <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/03/note-on-biofuels.html">A Note on Biofuels </a>and <a href="http://nugatorynuggets.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-on-alternatives-to-corn-ethanol.html">Alternative Biofuels</a>.MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-55487345316210275662009-04-20T23:30:00.005-04:002009-04-20T23:43:35.453-04:00Beyond Fossil Fuels<div style="text-align: justify;">I want to direct your attention to a series that started today on SciAm.com. I am super busy with the end of school and trying to find a job, so I don't have any time to discuss it, but check it out:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=beyond-fossil-fuels-energy" target="ns">Beyond Fossil Fuels<br /><span style="font-size:100%;">A survey of executives at companies engaged in energy alternatives to fossil fuels reveals some of the challenges facing the industry</span><br /></a></div>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3247306476675838743.post-52594392966360352622009-04-17T00:25:00.001-04:002009-04-17T00:27:06.519-04:00Roots do the Obama Remix<object width="410" height="237"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/XAsoilmEPn4H34T0XiNn7w/216/301"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/XAsoilmEPn4H34T0XiNn7w/216/301" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="410" height="237"></embed></object>MTWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398508585362508839noreply@blogger.com0