A Blind Man Drives to Taco Bell

Google ran a test of their self-driving Prius in the San Francisco Bay area, during which a blind man 'drove' to a Taco Bell and went through the drive-in lane.  The excursion was legal, though carefully orchestrated.

Being able to get to Taco Bell at any cost seems like an excellent step forward for mankind and technology...

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/03/googles-autonomous-prius-drives-blind-man-to-taco-bell/

Places You Can't See on Google Maps

The images for Google Earth and Google Maps come from a wide range of sources, and those sources have to abide by the laws of the land - including blurring or otherwise obscuring certain places from digital satellite imagery.  Some of the blocked sites are dams, power plants, airports, and military bases.  All residences of the Dutch Royal Family are blurred, plus some spots that we have no idea why they have been covered up, like a large area in the Siberian tundra:


Here is a link to a few of the images:

http://mashable.com/2012/03/20/google-maps-censored/#542851-The-Royal-Residence-The-Netherlands

Neanderthal Sailors

Humans have been sailing since 50,000 years ago, but it now looks like Neanderthals were able to set sail 100,000 years ago. Their tools were discovered on some Greek islands. At first it was thought that the sea level must have been low enough back then to allow land passage, but now scientists have determined that even though the sea level was much lower, it was not low enough to let Neanderthals get to those islands without a boat.

In and Out Burger

I am in line here (in Las Vegas) next to a couple from Minnesota who just got married - she is wearing her wedding dress. This is their first stop.

This company is doing something right...

Red Wine & Superconductivity

Researchers in Japan have discovered that red wine turns iron compounds into superconductors (materials that can pass electricity with no loss, generally at extremely low temperatures).  It started when iron materials became superconductive after being immersed in liquid, but certain liquids worked better.  They tested sake, whiskey, white wine, red wine, and more (how come my science experiments were never like that?).

Red wine contains tartaric acid, which is what does it.  Gamay wine is the most efficient.  Here is a chart of what works best:

What is Life Really Like Inside Iran These Days

An Israeli newspaper interviewed several 'ordinary' Iranian citizens and revealed a fascinating look from the inside.  You hear that the currency is depreciating rapidly and people are scared.  There is a feeling that if Assad of Syria falls, protests will erupt once again inside Iran.

It's an interesting read.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4206671,00.html

Move Over, WORDS WITH FRIENDS

There's a new game out called Draw Something.  Instead of coming up with a Word for your friend to guess, you need to - you guessed it - draw something, Pictionary style.  It is apparently simple to use and quite addicting.  Nearly 9 million new players signed up this past week alone.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/03/draw_something_the_amazingly_addictive_guess_my_sketch_game.html

How Much Do You Trust Your GPS?

Last week, three Japanese tourists in Australia were headed for a day trip to North Stradbroke Island. The GPS told them to drive right across the bay. It was low tide, so they were able to make it about 50 yards. 

They later said that if the car had been Japanese instead of Korean, it would have made it all the way!

Viking Mice

A DNA study of common house mice in Iceland and Greenland (go ahead, ask why scientists conducted such a study) revealed that these mice originally came from Norway.  Apparently they stowed away on Viking ships.

Mailing a Coconut

If you use a marker to write an address on a coconut and affix the proper postage, the  US Postal Service  will deliver it.  In fact, the Hoolehua post office in Hawaii processes about 3,000 coconut postcards per year.

In fact the USPS will try to deliver anything as long as it does not pose a risk.  According to National Geographic, people have mailed messages on pumpkins, flip-flops, driftwood, and sand-filled bottles.

Be creative!

Cheers is FILMED in Front of a Live Studio Audience

One thing that set the show Cheers apart was that it was filmed, as opposed to videotaped.  Film gives a very different look than tape (try to imagine M*A*S*H in video instead of film), but it is also much more expensive to produce.

In the beginning, however Cheers fared horribly in the ratings (dead last) and was losing money.  The studio suggested the change to videotape in order to cut expenses, and a test scene was shot.  What they saw on screen was that all of the warmth and character of the set was lost!  Thankfully, the experiment ended right there.

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2012/03/another-thing-about-cheers-you-didnt.html

St. Patrick and Snakes

One of the big myths about St.Patrick is that he banished all of the snakes from Ireland.  You can travel to Ireland today,and you will not find any snakes.  Apparently, however, St. Patrick could have done the same thing in the 4th century, because snakes never existed on that island.

The snake myth was spread by monks to represent the casting out of evil paganism, while shamrocks represented the Christian Trinity.

Answer to What's Killing All the Bees?

For the past several years, honeybee colonies have been dying off in horrifying numbers. Since 2006, nearly one third of our honeybees have disappeared. In case you are wondering why this is such a big deal, consider that it is the honeybee that pollinates a significant number of our crops, including apples, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, pumpkins, carrots, avocados, and almonds. We rely on these guys.

Researches now believe that corn insecticides are the culprit. Neonicotinoid insecticides kill insects by paralyzing their nerves and are widely used because they are not too harmful to other animals. With corn, the seeds are coated in this insecticide as they are being planted in the ground. Apparently bee die-offs have been found to increase around the time of corn planting in areas where this type of insecticide is used.

Hopefully now we can find a way to grow our food without killing off the animals we need to grow our food.

Mosquitoes in the Rain

Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito in the middle of a pouring rain and wondered why the little bugger didn't get killed by the raindrops?   Do they simply avoid getting hit by them?

It turns out that mosquitoes do not avoid the raindrops.  Their mass is so minuscule compared to that of a raindrop that the mosquito is simply spun around when it gets hit.  Very little force is transferred to the bug and no damage is done.

Wasps and other larger insects, however, are forced to find shelter during a rainstorm, because the impact of the rain can hammer them hard .

http://discovermagazine.com/2012/mar/31-how-mosquitoes-survive-in-a-downpour

The Amazing Counting Horse

Starting in 1891, William von Osten gave public demonstrations of his amazing horse.  This horse, Clever Hans, could answer mathematical questions correctly every time.  If you asked it the square root of 16, it would stomp its foot 4 times.  It could spell out the answers to questions by stomping the proper number for each letter it needed to spell (1 = A, 2 = B, etc.).  This continued for many years, stupefying audiences all over Germany.

A panel decided to test the horse, and they had other questioners ask the horse mathematical problems, and once more, even without the owner or any audience in the room, Clever Hans got the right answers.

But eventually one skeptic discovered something interesting.  If the questioner stood far away from the horse, the percentage of correct answers fell.  And then he discovered that if the questioner did not know the correct answer, the horse was never able to answer correctly either.

The solution to the puzzle was that Clever Hans was picking up subtle visual clues from the questioner.  So for the square root of 16, the horse would begin counting, and when it reached 4, the questioner would give some indication - maybe a tiny tilt of the head - that this was the right answer.  But it did not matter whether or not the questioner INTENDED to tip off the horse!  Each human questioner had a tell that gave Clever Hans all he needed to know.

It makes you wonder what else animals are able to pick up from our body language..

Manhattan's High Line

Plans for the final section of Manhattan's High Line Park have been unveiled. The High Line is a public park built on old, elevated rail lines on the west side. It southern section runs from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street. The second section, which runs between West 20th and West 30th Streets, opened June 8, 2011.  The final section heads up into the rail yards around 30th St. and should open in Spring, 2014.

http://www.thehighline.org/

 

 

Encyclopaedia Britannica Ends Printing

After two and a half centuries, the most storied encyclopedia in the world is about to stop printing. In 1990 they sold 120,000 copies. In 2010 the number had dropped to just 8,000.

The set had cost $1,395, but now people can pay $70/year for online access.

For all those who complain about trusting Wikipedia, $70 a year isn't so much...

Disney Shuts Down Obesity Exhibit

Disney had partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield to develop an attraction to highlight healthy lifestyles for kids.  The exhibit included overweight villains named Snacker and Lead Bottom, who eat junk food watch too much television.

Critics complained that Disney reinforced negative stereotypes about obese children.  A statement from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance said, "We're appalled to learn that Disney, a traditional hallmark of childhood happiness and joy, has fallen under the shadow of negativity and discrimination."

The exhibit is closed indefinitely.

Why Kids Hate Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are generally bitter, and children do not like bitter tastes.  Researchers now believe that this aversion to bitter and sour when we are young is a built-in survival mechanism, since most toxins are also bitter.

Mini Chameleons

4 tiny new chameleon species have been discovered in Madagascar.  It is believed that these little guys downsized in response to limited resources on an island habitat.

Cloning a Woolly Mammoth

Russian and South Korean scientists will be working together to bring back to life an extinct woolly mammoth.  They will be using genetic material from remains of an animal found within the now-melting Siberian permafrost.  Assuming they can find undamaged genetic material, they will then replace the nuclei of egg cells from an Indian elephant.

Is this really a good idea?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9139976/South-Korean-and-Russian-scientists-bid-to-clone-mammoth.html

James Cameron into The Abyss

Cameron, whose movies The Abyss and Titanic both dealt with deep sea subjects, is readying his new sub for a solo dive to the deepest place on Earth.  He will pilot the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER nearly 7 miles down to the bottom of Challenger Deep - the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench.

Although Cameron will set the record for the deepest solo dive in his high-tech craft, he will not be the first visitor to the bottom of the ocean.  Way back in 1960, the US Navy sent down two men, though because of kicked-up sediment they were not able to observe much from the depths.  This time, more than 50 years later, the plan is to spent 6 hours on the bottom.


The expedition is supported by The National Geographic Society and Rolex.

Look Up Tonight

The planets Venus and Jupiter are appearing very close to one another in the night sky this week.  Look to the west this evening and you will see them.  The brighter one is Venus.  Actually, Venus is the brightest object in our night sky, not counting the moon.  If you have a telescope, you should be able to see the 4 largest moons of Jupiter.

Bumblebees Figure Out Shortest-Path Puzzle

The age-old problem for anyone traveling to multiple points is how to find the shortest route.  Companies that transport raw materials, school districts with school buses, and delivery giants like FedEx and UPS are among those who use sophisticated computer algorithms to calculate the shortest - and therefore most efficient and least expensive - way to reach all the places they need to go.

It turns out that bumblebees are able to figure this out on their own.

Given a field of flowers, the most obvious route is to simply keep moving to the nearest flower.  But that is not generally the optimal route, or even close.  In a University of London study of 8 bees pollinating a group of flowers, it was found that after dozens of trips, the average distance flown by each bee reduced dramatically, from a total of 215 ft down to 126 ft.

Given that a bumblebee can travel up to 5 miles per trip, finding the optimal path results in a huge energy savings for the bee!

Flushing Our Water Down the Drain

In my travels to South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana last summer, I noticed that the toilets typically had two buttons for flushing.  One with a half-circle and one with a complete circle.  The half-circle button is for flushing after you pee, so it uses very little water.  The full circle is only used when a full flush is advisable.

So simple, and yet so effective.  Why don't we do that here is the USA (and everywhere)?

Plants Can Talk to Each Other?

It has been known for many years, now, that plants are able to communicate with each other.  Certain trees, for example, release chemicals into the air when under attack from parasites or under other forms of stress.  In fact, when certain plants are attacked by insects, they can release chemicals that attract other insects - which each the original invaders!

New research published this week now shows that plants also communicate with each other via their root systems.  Israeli researchers exposed garden pea plants to drought conditions.  What they found was that these plants communicated the danger to nearby plants, causing those neighboring pea plants to close their leaves, thus conserving water.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-study-shows-plants-talk-through-the-roots-1.417723

The more we learn about animal and plant behavior and interaction, the more we blur the line between human-only attributes and all other living creatures on Earth.