So I wasn't initially sure as to what I was gonna post today, at first. It was a big day for science as several articles on black holes popped up, and then there was the dig at Stonehenge to finally try to figure it out.

But in the end, I had to go another direction. Back to technology. I love it. I love watching the direction our society is moving in with regards to advanced technology. This next beauty is from the Boys and Girls from MIT. Her name is GLaDOS and she would love to share some cake with you. Just kidding! Her name is Nexi. Nexi is the latest plaything from those wacky MIT guys. This one is hoped to be able to sit and interact with humans to figure out how best to integrate. She is Mobile, Dexterous and Social. I'll tell you what, I really wouldn't mind being in the test group for this project. I can sit the Nexi right next to my Apuripoko. But I digress. This is truly one of the most expressive robots I've ever seen. It makes me wonder though. Ever read I, Robot? The original, not the book based on the movie based on the book. Whatever happened to the square headed, clearly not human, robots that were supposed to come first? Looks like we are wanting to hope straight to human-like, right out the gate, when we get a real working humanoid. However... I'm still waiting for Synthetic rights. It's coming and you all know it.

Thoughts! Go!

As a passing thought, if anyone out there wants to get their favorite, hatted blogger a gift, this little cutie will do the trick. Or this convenient solar paneled recliner, I mean generator.

Mistakes, mecha, and machine guns

Whoops is all that can be said by New York Governor Eliot Spitzer can say this week. Long time opponent of games like Grand Theft Auto, and no doubt Mass Effect, for their blatant rewards of sex to children, was linked to a prostitution ring. Way to go there buddy. But a two faced politician? Surely not. At least the good governor is not a complete freak... like someone who would steal 1,300 pieces of women's underwear. Moving on.

So, two pieces of big news today for anyone looking skyward. In our first bit of news, we find that Canada has sent up their addition to the international space station, giant robotic arms! Ooookay. You see, this is something I would have expected from the masters of giant robos. But no, Japan has something else in mind to contribute to the international space station. Kibo was launched into space this week proving once again that the Japanese can do it bigger and better than the rest of us.

And finally, in today's news, I have a great big WTF. What you see here is someone who made a concept piece. It is a flash light that with a flick unfolds into a semi-auto mini rifle. Okay, now I completely remember when I was a kid I could look at ANYTHING and tell you how you would turn it into a James Bond-esque hidden weapon, but THIS just goes above and beyond. After all, that phase of my life ended when I was 9. Oh, sure, they SAY that they won't be making this for production... for now anyway. However, with just a brief look at this video, I'll bet you I could recreate this little number, given the right time and parts. I love advances in the future, but I'm sorry, THAT shit is scary. Walk away from the toy box, kiddies, daddy's been hiding his mini uzi in with the building blocks.

High flyers and high feelings

Oook ook. Those trained monkey's working for the TSA strike again. Nothing as horrific as contaminating medical supplies needed by a kid, but one again technology has got the better of them. How do these guys even run the scanning equipment they use? Why are they not jumping up and down on the magic display moving table and beating the evil display box with sticks? Anyway, this time around a Mac book Air baffles these baboons (I mean buffoons). Surely a computer can't be that small. It must be actually be a giant blade used for hacking a plane in half. Good call there, boys. Keeping the unfriendly skies just a little safer.

Will Superman ever cease to amaze? Each year it seems the boy in blue is a little cooler than the year before. Today I find out that he is so advanced that his staple power of x-rays... they are just t-rays... only cooler!

Okay, for the main body of my blog today. There is a blog that I pick up courtesy of the BBC. In it, a person of disability rants and raves. First off, kudos to them for finding a constructive outlet. However, I must say, that I am often incredibly put off by this person's outlook on life. Now, not sharing their disability, I could not possibly understand what they go through on a daily basis. This I understand and accept. Which is why I will not try to imply that this person is wrong in any of their views or beliefs. However, today I read an article by them that had me rather distressed. The article, focusing on how to be content since we can't really be happy, made me think about myself and those around me. To me, the notion that we can't truly be happy because life conspires against us, so we might as well be content, is a crock. To be more specific, and graffic, a crock of shit that has been steeping and boiling all week long. It is as repugant to me as that.
After all, why shouldn't we be happy? Is there some unwritten law that says only a small percentage of humans can be happy? So what if we only have rights and not privilages? Can we not still be happy in those rights?
Now I don't mean to sound either shallow or dilusioned. I'm not saying that we should all lower our standards so that we can be completely happy where we are. I'm also not saying that everyone in the world, so long as they go with a positive attitude, will be overnight millionares without a care in the world and all their dreams come true. Here is what I am saying.
Why should you be content with being content? That is static. Press on, press forward. Change and evolve. WORK for what makes you happy. Find the things that make you happy and keep them close. When you find yourself becoming just content, find something else that makes you happy and work for it. If you like learning, go get another degree. Yeah, it's hard and will cost money, but if it makes you happy, work for it. Enjoy writing? Write a book. So it isn't published the first time and it took you a year to slog through it. Big deal. Get back up, refine it, try to publish through someone else. Does being outside make you happy? Find a job that puts you out there. It might not make enough money to give you a bunch of luxuries, but that's why it's something you work for. But why ever just be content?
I see no reason to. I want to be happy, and I plan to work for it.

Anomalous

Got three news posts to throw around, all of them center around strange anomalies.

First on the list, you ever wonder how rush hour always turns into a parking lot, even though there are all these people trying to get home fast? Japanese scientist have done an experiment that shows this strange automotive reaction on tape. Things start fine, but then a "shockwave" of back up can quickly and easily be seen, traveling at about 20 KPH backwards.

Guys, ever wonder how this wanker got the good looking girl? Apparently the women love the toxic dump. Don't believe me. Well, mother nature seems to be backing me up. It seems that a certain chemical has been finding it's way into worms, that have been finding their way into Starlings. These toxic starlings, in turn, have been mutating to having better, longer songs. In starling terms, that means "Hey babe, come get some." I always knew I should have let myself fall into that vat in the Chemical plant. Read on.

And finally, space anomalies. There is something out there in space that is slowing down space craft enough to get people to pay attention. Can't say I really followed all of this one, but it was a fun read.

So, a gnomeling walks into a bar...

Hey everyone, so this is sort of a cop out post. I'll admit it when it happens. But I'll also give my reasons.
First of all, I've recently added new content that I read everyday. I'm expanding my global view. This is pushing my daily news post count up into the mid to high 400's. Second, for some reason this weekend either my computer or my internet connection (or both) was moving at a snail's pace and I was not able to keep up with the 2000+ news articles that came in over this weekend while I was busy with a LAN and D&D.
So, I have a quick few items to pass along, but for the most part, my news went unread. So, I issue a challenge to any of you who actually read my blog. What did I miss this weekend? Fill me in on some news. Go to the comments section and fill a guy in on what went on in the world while he had his head buried in different ones.

As for what I have to pass on. First off, some presidential candidates show their mental prowess in the field of science this week. McCain passes on the gem of wisdom that injections cause autism. Obama, alternately, takes loftier subjects and aims for the stars, impressing a knowledge of the benefits of encouraging a space program, instead of suffocating it.

And finally, in exciting news, I'll get my glasses soon!

Someone froze Noah's Nuts

Well, technically, they are seeds.
Here is an article that has come to my attention several times this week. I hadn't been ignoring it so much as not really putting much stock in what it was about. Yet, when I am bombarded by the same thing over and over for a full week, well even I will stand up and take note. So, here is the quick and dirty on what we have going on. The location is the Norwegian Island of Svalbard. Don't know where that is? Get a globe, find the northern regions of Greenland, head east. That large island sitting about 75 north, almost on 15 east... see it? That's Svalbard, sitting a mere 600 miles from the North Pole. The what is a giant vault that serves just one purpose. Find, collect, and store as much of the plant life data, in the form of seeds, that we can gather from around the world for the purpose of protecting int for the future.
A veritable stationary Noah's ark or vegetation has been constructed in this sub-arctic island. The structure sits 500 feet below the permafrost, designed to weather all weather, earthquakes and bomb blasts, with a security system on par with most missle silos. Aptly named the Global Seed Vault, hopes to stop the growing shortage of bio-diversity. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that three quarters of the worlds bio-diversity has been lost in the last century. A staggering number. This undertaking is hoping to protect the knowledge stored in other, more vulnerable seed banks, as those in countries like Iraq have been destroyed due to conflict in the nation. All in all, I find this a bold undertaking that I whole-heartedly believe in.
But what's your opinion, dear readers? One single seed bank? Is this a good idea? Are they going overkill here? I'd love to hear your feedback.

Electolysis Elitests

So, trying a new format today. One I'll probably be sticking to from now on. Especially since I had considered it myself, and received confirmation from several readers that they would prefer it this way. One blog, per topic, in detail. So here is the first.

I'm going to be keeping my eye on this. I see this and I see hope for humanity. The only thing I can pray is that this technology doesn't become prey to those that would profit from seeing it go away. I'm going to go ahead and place the link here and at the end of my little rant. So what exactly do we have here.
For those of you who don't know about the Hydrogen economy, let me break it down a little. Basically it is the idea of using water and the act of electrolysis, or breaking water down to its basic components of Hydrogen and Oxygen, as a means of creating power. However, with current technologies it remains a technology that is too expensive for the benefits that it bestows. Or at least it used to be. Southern California based QuantumSphere Inc. has some interesting new technology that blows the competition out of the water.
Current electrolysis technology consists of using high dollar Platinum metal to aid in the separation of water to its base elements. This makes using this method as a form of power becomes very costly. Platinum is used as the conductor of the electricity other metals run the risk of not releasing the Oxygen, but instead bonding and reacting to it. Enter QuantumSphere, who has created a nanoparticle coating that can be applied to less expensive and more reactive metals, making the act of electrolysis much simpler. They also state that, because it is a simple coating, they can easily and quickly use it to retrofit current electrolysis machines. They boast an increase of 85% efficiency and project that with some more time and effort, they can push the 96% efficiency mark. These numbers are astonishing and phenomenal. And the best part... you could make your own hydrogen right at home to power your nice, new, clean, Hydrogen-cell battery powered car. Or home generator. Are you seeing where this is going? And how far away is this technology to you and me? Closer than you may believe. To quote directly from the article, "The first commercial product inspired by QuantumSphere's technology will debut later this year: a battery using a cathode coated with the startup's nanoparticles, thereby increasing its energy density 5x over alkaline cells and boosting power by 320 percent. The first commercial nonrechargeable batteries with this increased capacity will be announced by an as-yet-unnamed major U.S. battery maker in the second half of 2008." Please, God, let it be true.
Please read the article. Don't let the technical jargon get you down, push on, read what you can. This is fascinating and NEEDS people to get behind it before it is scooped up and swept under the rug.

So, got lots to go over today. I'll try not to leave it as just a link dump, but that's basically what we have here.
First of all, we look into the world of schooling. Things are much different in school than I remember. First of all, we find that one school set up a Teenage toilet cam. And the kicker? The principal says he knows who set it up, but they won't punish them, even though they acted completely out of line. I'm sorry, but I think any teacher should be fired for pulling this crap.
Also, you all may remember how they down graded Pluto and did a bunch of other crap concerning our solar system, no containing 11 planets and dwarf planets. So that means that a new planet mnemonic is in order.
And finally it just seems that some people watch way too many movies and anime when a 39 year old man thinks he can infiltrate a school dressed like a school girl. To him I say High School is not a cosplay competition.
You may remember that a few days earlier I reported on the ruins in Peru turning out to be just a sandstone formation. Well now it seems that there are more Peruvian ruins that have popped up. Good for them for staying active in finding lost stuff. I wonder if they can next excavate my old house keys.
So... there was going to be more, but after staring at the screen for an hour... I figured this is enough. I'm off to bed. More tomorrow.

I release a general sigh of discontent, my readers, as this has been an abundant week for submissions to the Idiot of the week. A veritable smorgasborg of stupidity. Be on the look out for that on Friday as it will be a rather difficult decision this week. There will be runners up posted.

A blast from the past as archeologists discover pyrimidal structures in Peru. I'm constantly amazed by these people as I thought that by now they surely have run out of history to find and that anything else lost can only be found by the ilk of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. Happily I am wrong and look forward to finding out what new information this dig can shed on the highly unknown Vicus culture.

China has created strange bed fellows this week as a new law in place to help stimulate its own fledgling animation industry will create outlaws of two rodents of particular influence, among other cartoons. Yes, all these beloved characters will be banned from airing in China, at least during prime time.

On a far more grander scale, it appears that a new number has risen above the rabble to show its mighty head as the new universal number, greater than even the mighty 42. Yes, folks, due to several numeric manipulations, scientists have found a new large number constant popping up, and swear that this isn't numeralogy at work. Seen the movie Pi? Yeah... I have my doubts on that one, but, we'll see how this pans out.