No Dark Knight's Flying "Bat" For The U.S. Military

'Dark Knight Rises' crew members lifted up what is allegedly a flying bat mobile in the Financial District to shoot a scene for the Batman movie on Sunday. John Taggart for New York Daily News

US Military Shoots Down Dark Knight's Flying "Bat" Idea -- Live Science

When the Dark Knight rises to defend Gotham once more, he literally takes to the skies in a flying vehicle known simply as the Bat. The new nonlethal weapon in Batman's arsenal can hover like a helicopter and pull off aerial maneuvers worthy of "Top Gun" fighter jets — a combination that may seem almost too good to be true.

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My Comment: I understand .... it's just too far fetch.

The Legal Battle That Could Decide How Much Your Next Phone Costs

Photo: The Samsung Galaxy S II

The Legal Battle That Could Decide How Much Your Next Phone Costs: Apple Takes On Samsung As Billion Dollar Court Case Finally Gets Underway -- Daily Mail

* Apple vs Samsung begins in earnest today following legal scuffles across the world

* Jury of ten ready to listen to arguments in trial which is expected to run for four weeks

* Experts say verdict could affect evolution of smartphone market

Today should see the opening shots fired as the billion-dollar Apple v Samsung patent case gets underway in a San Jose courtroom.

The two bitter rivals are arguing over a cluster of phone patents, each alleging that the other is infringing on intellectual property as they vie for top place in the smartphone wars.

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My Comment: Steve Jobs always wanted this battle .... it is a shame that he is not around to see it.

Can Certain Types Of Chilli Be Used As A Biological Weapon?

Dr Anuj Baruah, who cultivates the bhut jolokia chilli, holds a vial containing oily red capcaisin at his lab in Kherti, Assam.

Chilli Used By Indian Army In Weaponry Is Hot Property For Poor Farmers -- The Guardian

Military's demand for bhut jolokia, once the world's hottest chilli, is offering thousands of Assam farmers a way out of poverty.

"Look at this," said Dr Anuj Baruah, holding up a vial containing a few drops of rusty red liquid. "With this I could make you senseless." His nose started twitching; his eyes watered. "Oh dear. I think I may have got some on my fingers," he said, looking remarkably unconcerned that his skin had touched something the Indian government has developed into a biological weapon.

"I know what happens. Your brain starts to not work properly, you become restless … " He scurried off, returning a few minutes later after washing a particularly pungent strain of bhut jolokia chilli concentrate off his hands on his farm-cum-chilli research lab in the north-east Indian state of Assam.

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My Comment: Hmmmm .... I am intrigued .... I love hot and spicy food .... and I love chilli.

On A Sinking Ship It Is Everyman (Not Woman) For Himself

A scene from the 1997 film 'Titanic' directed by James Cameron Photo: Reuters

Every Man For Himself On Sinking Ships -- The Telegraph

As torrents of freezing water gushed onto the Titanic, its male passengers selflessly shepherded women and children to the few available lifeboats in what was described as a typically British act of chivalry.

But although their gallantry was hailed as an example of a moral code shared by all mariners, a new study suggests the situation on board the Titanic, where female survivors outnumbered men three to one, was something of an exception.

Although convention dictates that men should step aside and put "women and children first", history shows that the male attitude is better summed up as "every man for himself".

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My Comment: And then we have stories like this one.

Welcome To The 'Megadrought'

Pinon Pines Near Los Alamos, New Mexico in 2002 (Left) and 2004 (Right) Courtesy Oregon State University via Flickr

The 2000-2004 North American Drought Was The Worst In 800 Years -- Popular Science

Welcome to the 'megadrought'.

An analysis of past climate data published yesterday in the journal Nature Geoscience paints a less-than-rosy picture for the U.S., Mexico, and Canada in the 21st century. The 2000-2004 dry spell was the worst drought in the region in 800 years, the researchers claim, and before the century is over we’ll look back on those days as the wetter end of a much larger hydroclimate shift. Dry conditions will become the “new normal.” They invoked the word “megadrought.”

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My Comment: Dry conditions becoming the “new normal” .... not a comforting thought if you live on the plains.

Brain Structures Are Different For Those With Excellent Autobiographical Memory

UC Irvine scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10. (Credit: © James Steidl / Fotolia)

Brains Are Different In People With Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2012) — UC Irvine scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10.

The phenomenon of highly superior autobiographical memory -- first documented in 2006 by UCI neurobiologist James McGaugh and colleagues in a woman identified as "AJ" -- has been profiled on CBS's "60 Minutes" and in hundreds of other media outlets. But a new paper in the peer-reviewed journal Neurobiology of Learning & Memory's July issue offers the first scientific findings about nearly a dozen people with this uncanny ability.

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Rare Mercedes Supercar With 7.3litre Engine Going To Auction

This rare 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR could fetch up to £1 million in an auction later this month

Rare Mercedes Supercar With 7.3litre Engine And Just 1,335 Miles On The Clock Set To Fetch £1m At Auction -- Daily Mail

A supercar described as being one of the brashest Mercedes ever built is expected to sell for £1million when it is auctioned later this month.

The 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR will appear at RM Auctions’ Monterey sale in California on August 17 with the hammer expected to go down at around the £1 million mark.

It is a limited edition race car for the road, boasts one of the German company’s boldest designs.

This particular model, which has done just 1,335 miles, was the first of 25 road cars built by Mercedes.

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My Comment: A 1998 car with only 1,335 miles on it .... it's owner obviously did not want to drive it.

The Beginning Of Bioelectronics

Healthcare: Into The Cortex -- Financial Times

Scientific advances on the brain promise to transform the pharmaceutical industry.

Imagine a pharmaceutical company 20 or 30 years from now. Moving beyond conventional drugs that interact biochemically with the body, it will have built a big “bioelectronics” business that treats disease through electrical signalling in the brain and elsewhere.

Neurological problems, from stroke and epilepsy to depression, will be treated through electronic implants into the brain rather than pills or injections. Even diabetes and obesity will be attacked in ways that seem like science fiction today, by sending electrical signals to malfunctioning cells.

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My Comment: An implant inside my brain .... not a comforting thought.

The X-47B Stealth Drone Up Close And Personal

Exclusive Pics: The Navy’s Unmanned, Autonomous ‘UFO’ -- Danger Room

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland — If you saw it in person, you’d probably think it was a UFO, too.

That’s what happened when the Navy trucked its batwing-shaped drone of the future from California to its new testing bed here in Maryland. Across the country, 911 switchboards lit up with reports that mysterious trucks were hauling a spaceship. In truth, it was a demonstration model for something the Navy desperately wants: to launch an armed, spying, stealthy drone from an aircraft carrier, one of the hardest maneuvers in aviation, conducted with the click of a mouse. But up close, you can see why people freaked out.

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More News On The X-47B

U.S. Navy reveals deadly stealth plane mistaken for UFO on Washington D.C. highway -- Daily Mail
The X-47B Stealth Drone Will Now Be Flying Over The East Coast -- Business Insider
X-47B unmanned aircraft gets its Pax River wings -- Gizmag
Navy's X-47B UCAV in Debut Flight at Pax -- Ares/Aviation Week

China Aims For The Moon

China To Attempt First Moon Landing -- The Telegraph

China will next year attempt to land an exploratory craft on the moon for the first time, state media reported, in the latest project in its ambitious space programme.

China's third lunar probe will blast off in the second half of 2013, the state Xinhua news agency reported late on Monday. Other reports said it would land and transmit back a survey of the moon's surface.

If successful, the landing would be China's first on the lunar surface and mark a new milestone in its space development. It is part of a project to orbit, land on and return from the moon, Xinhua said.

China said in its last white paper on space it was working towards landing a man on the moon, although it has not given a time frame.

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My Comment: They are being aggressive in their space program .... reminds me of what NASA was like 40 years ago.

Where Do Olympians Go When The Olympics End

Growing ranks of Olympians are choosing to run off with the circus when their bodies no longer allow them to compete. For former gymnasts, divers and synchronized swimmers, Cirque du Soleil is offering many a chance to show off their skills.

The Guy In The Clown Nose? He's An Olympian -- Wall Street Journal

Terry Bartlett is a world-class gymnast who leapt, tumbled and swung for the glory of Great Britain in three Olympic Games.

Today, he is also a world-class clown. Ten times a week, he dons a red nose and floppy shoes to elicit chuckles at "O," a Las Vegas water-themed circus run by Cirque du Soleil.

"It's better than having a real job," says the 48-year-old Bartlett.

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My Comment: This is one of the many reasons why I love living in Montreal .... Cirque Soleil has a top in the old Port where many of these performances are held.

The Hunt For HMS Hood's Bell

Free: Mr Allen offered the Octopus for the expedition at no cost to the government

The Hunt For HMS Hood's Bell: Billionaire Offers To Fund Recovery So That It Can Be A Memorial To 1,415 Crew Who Drowned When Warship Was Sunk By The Bismarck In 1941 -- Daily Mail

A US billionaire has offered to lead an operation to recover the bell of the sunken battle cruiser HMS Hood, which was sunk in 1941 and killed 1,415 men, for free.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said US philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G Allen has offered his private yacht be used in the search to recover the bell at no cost to it.

HMS Hood, which was a state-of-the-art vessel for its time, is the largest Royal Navy vessel to have been sunk, causing the biggest loss of life suffered by any single British warship.

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My Comment: Kudos to Paul Allen for doing this.

US Intelligence: Poverty Will Be Eliminated By 2030

US Intelligence Predicts Poverty Plummet By 2030 -- CBS News

ASPEN, Colo. — Poverty across the planet will be virtually eliminated by 2030, with a rising middle class of some two billion people pushing for more rights and demanding more resources, the chief of the top U.S. intelligence analysis shop said Saturday.

If current trends continue, the 1 billion people who live on less than a dollar a day now will drop to half that number in roughly two decades, Christoper Kojm said.

"We see the rise of the global middle class going from one to two billion," Kojm said, in a preview of the National Intelligence Council's global forecast offered at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

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My Comment: I am skeptical .... but it is also true that wealth creation is spreading in many parts of the world. The National Intelligence Council's website is here.

The Summer Olympics: 1896 vs. 2012

Summer Olympics: 1896 vs. 2012 -- Discovery News

With 116 years separating the first moden Olympics from this year's games, there are bound to be some noticeable changes between the two. Aside from archived photos of the Olympics, one of clearest windows into the first modern Olympics held in 1896 is from G. S. Robertson in an essay titled, "An Englishman at the first modern Olympics" (via Longform.org).

Robertson's account of the 1896 paints a picture of an Olympics in its infancy that, while grappling with the challenges of hosting an international competition without the benefits of modern telecommunications or transporation, still manages to capture what would be described in later generations as the Olympic spirit.

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My Comment: The Olympics have certainly changed over the years.

Meet Kuratas, The Million Dollar Robot Which Weighs Four Tons

Rush hour: If you have grown weary of a traditional commute Kuratas is fully functioning on the road - but will not get you to work any faster as its top speed barely hits 7 mph

Dial Carefully! Meet Kuratas, The Million Dollar Robot Which Weighs Four Tons, Shoots When You Smile And Is Controlled By iPhone -- Daily Mail

* Robot unveiled in Japan today will go on sale for £900,000
* Kuratas can be controlled by motion sensor technology in the one-man cockpit or through any phone with a 3G connection
* As well as auto targeting your enemy it is easy for those looking for sweet vengeance - the robot's heavy artillery fires 6,000 bullet per minute when the pilot smiles

A Japanese electronics company has unveiled a 13ft super-robot which can be controlled by an iPhone.

But be careful with the jokes if you are on the phone to the pilot as the robot, made by Suidobashi Heavy Industry in Tokyo, brings a whole new meaning to ‘trigger-happy’.

'Kuratas' is fitted with a futuristic weapons system, including a gatling gun capable of shooting 6,000 BB bullets a minute, which fires when the pilot smiles.

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My Comment: The Japanese and their robots always make me smile.

Rare 1955 Aston Martin To Be Auctioned

Pricey: This very rare Aston Martin is expected to set a staggering £2.5 million when it goes under the hammer next month

Rare 1955 Aston Martin May Sell For £2.5MILLION To Become One Of The Most Expensive British Cars Ever Sold -- Daily Mail

* The stunning Aston Martin DB3S is one of just 21 built by the iconic British sports car maker
* Classic car enthusiasts regard the orange Aston Martin as 'one of the most attractive and elegantly designed sports racing cars of the post war period'

It is a car which is synonymous with British culture and was even adored by James Bond.

But despite its unique and glowing reputation, the price-tag of this rare Aston Martin still comes as something of a shock.

This bright orange version of the luxury car has been described by experts as a 'masterpiece' and is expected to fetch a staggering £2.5 million when it goes under the hammer next month.

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My Comment: The car and it's color scheme makes this a perfect match.

Facebook Smartphone To Be Released In 2013

Facebook concept design (Source: cdn.pocket-lint.com)

Facebook Smartphone To Be Released In Mid 2013 -- Daily Tech

Facebook will build it with HTC and use its own operating system.

Facebook is set to team up with HTC and join the smartphone arena with its own device as soon as mid 2013.

The new smartphone will be made in joint with HTC and will offer Facebook's own version of a mobile operating system. Some have speculated that Facebook may use a version of the Android mobile operating system, since it can be modified, but that part is unclear for now.

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My Comment: Many Facebook users use a phone to update or check their page .... so the logic is .... why not a Facebook phone. What is my take .... it looks like Facebook is reaching.

Ocean's Carbon Capture Secrets Becoming Known

Making waves: The Southern Ocean(Source: British Antarctic Survey)

Ocean's Deep Carbon Secrets Revealed -- ABC News (Australia)

New light has been shed on the Southern Ocean's ability to store carbon through an international study that pinpoints where carbon capture is most efficient.

The finding by Australian and British researchers also shows absorption of carbon is not uniform and is slower than previously thought.

The Southern Ocean is a particularly important oceanic carbon sink as it absorbs more than 40 per cent of the CO2 that is sequestered by the oceans.

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No Police Surveillance Policy Change At Skype

Skype Denies Police Surveillance Policy Change -- BBC

Microsoft's online message, phone and video chat service Skype has denied making changes to its system "in order to provide law officers greater access" to its members' conversations.

It follows reports suggesting infrastructure upgrades had made it easier to hand on users' chat data.

Skype has now posted a blog saying the changes were made solely to improve user experience and reliability.

But it added it would pass on messages to law enforcement when "appropriate".

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My Comment: But everyone now knows that the technology exists to make it possible .... a fact that Skype will never be able to discount. And while the focus is on police agencies .... no one is discussing what the intelligence agencies are doing.

Rome's Colosseum Is Now Leaning

Rome's ancient Colosseum is seen from a helicopter, in this August 12, 2004 file photo. The ancient Colosseum of Rome, where gladiators fought for their lives, is slanting about 40 cm (16 inches) lower on the south side than on the north, and authorities are investigating whether it needs urgent repairs. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi/File

First Pisa, Now Rome's Colosseum - It's Leaning -- Yahoo News/Reuters

ROME (Reuters) - The ancient Colosseum of Rome, where gladiators fought for their lives, is slanting about 40 cm (16 inches) lower on the south side than on the north, and authorities are investigating whether it needs urgent repairs.

Experts first noticed the incline about a year ago and have been monitoring it for the past few months, Rossella Rea, director at the 2,000-year-old monument, said in an article published in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Sunday.

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My Comment: the roman Colosseum has been standing for a long time .... so it should not surprise us if it is due for some repairs.

American Flags Are Still Standing On The Moon

Still there: The flag planted by Apollo 17 astronauts in December 1972 -- the last manned mission to the moon -- is seen here in this image taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

New NASA Photos Reveal American Flags Planted During Moon Landings Proudly Yet Wave FOUR DECADES After Last Apollo Mission -- Daily Mail

Four decades after the last astronauts landed on the moon and planted an American flag in lunar soil, scientists wondered: 'Does that star spangled banner yet wave?'

Finally new images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) have given proof in the night, that the flags are, indeed, still there.

All but one of the six flags left by American astronauts remain standing, according to an analysis of the shadows they cast on the surface of the moon.

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Ten Of The Best Classic Cars

The Morgan 4/4

Ten Of The Best Classic Cars - Invest In A Stylish Motor From Under £1,000 -- Daily Mail

Classic cars have a huge fan base in the UK as they offer an alternative to the common modern-day motors that populate our roads, and for many they hold a prestigious and nostalgic value.

When it comes to purchasing a classic car, many believe that it will be out of their price range. However, owning a vintage motor doesn’t have to break the bank.

Classic cars are worth a second look, especially if you keep your annual mileage low.

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My Comment: I am the skeptical of the prices that are quoted .... but those are great classic cars.

How Science Can Be Used To Predict Which Olympic Events Will Be The Most Exciting To Watch

How Science Predicts Which Olympic Events Will Be The Most Exciting To Watch -- Popular Science

You can't watch everything, so let an analysis of physics data guide you to this summer's most competitive events.

The Olympics represent something very special in the culture of sport, but from a viewing perspective they are a logistical nightmare. Multiple events play out at the same time, forcing you to pick and choose between your favorite events. Where will the next dazzling, record-breaking performance take place? Will someone rob Usain Bolt of his 100-meter record? Will there be a Kerri Strug moment in the gym? There's no way to to tune into the Games with absolute certainty that you'll see something historic, but Steve Haake thinks you can increase your chances. Science can tell us where we’re most likely to see the closest competitions or record-breaking performances, and where we’re least likely to see anything exciting at all.

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My Comment: Women's beach volleyball is where all the action is. :)

The Physics of Fire Walking

The Physics of Firewalking -- io9

Last Thursday, close to two dozen participants at a motivational seminar hosted by Tony Robbins suffered burns on their feet, while attempting to tromp across lanes of red-hot coals. So what did these burn victims do wrong?

The Associated Press reports that most of those injured sustained second- and even third-degree burns, but event organizers have since released a statement claiming that 6,000 attendees walked across the coals that day and emerged from the embers unscathed. Educate yourself on the physics of firewalking — here's what you need to know to keep from getting burned.

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My Comment: Making sure that your feet are wet is an additional precaution to prevent serious burns.

Free Internet For 7 Years From Google

Google Is Now America’s Most Awesome ISP -- Geek Mom

Kansas City is about half an hour from my house, taunting me with fast download speeds.

After a summer of waiting, Google finally emerged with details on their new Kansas City Fiber network. The price for Google Internet starts at free. That’s right, for the $300 installation fee, Google will give you free Internet at “today’s speeds” for at least 7 years. If you’re used to thinking of these speeds as fast, take a gander at this comparison and then imagine seven years of technology innovation.

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My Comment: Where can I sign up?

The Rimac Concept One Electric Supercar

Only 88 Rimac Concept Ones will be made, costing $1 million apiece

Rimac $1 Million Electric Supercar Debuts -- The Telegraph

Rimac's $1 million, 190mph Concept One electric supercar is heading to London.

The Rimac Concept One electric supercar makes its debut at the Salon Privé supercar show and concours d'élégance, which takes place from September 5 to 7 at Syon Park in west London.

Only 88 of the Croatian cars will be produced, each costing $1 million. The team behind the Rimac Concept One includes former Pinifarina designers and leatherworkers from Bulgarian company Vilner, among others.

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My Comment: The car definitely has a sleek design.

Printing Weapons At Home

3-D Printed Gun. HaveBlue

A Working Assault Rifle Made With a 3-D Printer -- Popular Science

Making weapons at home just got much easier.

Get ready. It's now possible to print weapons at home.

An amateur gunsmith, operating under the handle of "HaveBlue" (incidentally, "Have Blue" is the codename that was used for the prototype stealth fighter that became the Lockheed F-117), announced recently in online forums that he had successfully printed a serviceable .22 caliber pistol.

Despite predictions of disaster, the pistol worked. It successfully fired 200 rounds in testing.

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My Comment: I had to do a double-take when I first read this story. But you cannot help but be impressed with the realization that as the tech gets better .... and better materials are developed (and used) to make these products more stronger and durable .... anything then becomes possible.

Building A UK Flagship

(Click on Image to Enlarge)
'Lust for adventure': An artist's impression of the proposed UK flagship, which is gathering growing support from senior ministers

Flagship Shows The Nation's Lust For Adventure: Ministers Salute Mail's Plan For Iconic Vessel -- Daily Mail

* Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Education Secretary Michael Gove among MPs behind privately-funded project

Crucially, the 650ft, four-masted UK Flagship will not be funded by taxpayers’ money, instead drawing on donations from businesses, philanthropists and the public.

Mr Clegg said: ‘This is directly in line with Britain’s proud naval tradition which stretches back hundreds of years. Our country has always been at the forefront of trade, exploration and scientific research and the UK Flagship can help us to continue to be so.

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My Comment: Impressive .... and at 650 ft .... a big boat.

Incan Mummy Frozen After Human Sacrifice Still Has Infection In Lungs After 500 Years

Maiden of the mountain: A 500-year-old frozen Incan mummy known as was suffering from a bacterial infection when she died - and being able to 'diagnose' the disease could lead to new insights into diseases of the past

Incan Mummy Frozen After Human Sacrifice Still Has Infection In Lungs After 500 Years - Giving New Insight Into Diseases Of The Past -- Daily Mail

* First time infection has been diagnosed in ancient body
* New technique could be used to study diseases such as Spanish flu
* Could be used to prevent re-emergence of deadly diseases of past
* Study on 500-year-old mummy frozen on Argentinean volcano

A 500-year-old frozen Incan mummy known as 'The Maiden' was suffering from a bacterial infection when she died - and being able to 'diagnose' the disease could lead to new insights into diseases of the past.

The discovery could help defend against new illnesses - or the re-emergence of diseases of the past.

The mummy was suffering from an illness similar to tuberculosis when she was sacrificed on the Argentinian volcano Llullaillaco, 22,100 feet above sea level.

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My Comment: This is the first time that an illness has been diagnosed in an ancient body .... now that is impressive.

An Aids Cure?

Two More Men With HIV Now Virus-Free. Is This A Cure? -- NBC

Two men unlucky enough to get both HIV and cancer have been seemingly cleared of the virus, raising hope that science may yet find a way to cure for the infection that causes AIDS, 30 years into the epidemic.

The researchers are cautious in declaring the two men cured, but more than two years after receiving bone marrow transplants, HIV can't be detected anywhere in their bodies. These two new cases are reminiscent of the so-called "Berlin patient," the only person known to have been cured of infection from the human immunodeficiency virus.

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My Comment: They are getting there .... albeit slowly.

Captain Morgan's Treasure

The Underwater Archaeologists Searching For Captain Morgan -- Popular Science

Off the coast of Panama, a team of archaeologists uncovers a ship that may have belonged to one of the most famous pirates who ever lived.

So this is what a pirate's sword feels like.

I wrap my hands around the straight iron blade. It's probably a 17th-century rapier, I'm told, but it'd hard to know for sure. The handle is missing, and though I can see and feel its fuller groove, a layer of sea shells and some sort of hardened concretion cover the blade's finer details. "That's either calcium carbonate or coralline," Texas State University archaeologist Fritz Hanselmann tells me as he takes the blade and places it in a makeshift holder his crew had just MacGyvered from a metal CD rack, rebar, and scraps of a yoga mat.

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My Comment: Not a story about rum .... but definitely a story about a rum company helping to boost it's brand.

Attack Of The Vampire Sun!

Vampire star! New research using data from ESO¿s Very Large Telescope has revealed close binaries transfer mass from one star to another, a kind of stellar vampirism depicted in this artist's impression

Attack Of The Vampire Sun! Astronomers Spot Binary System Where One Star Sucks The Life Out Of Another -- Daily Mail

The Universe is a diverse place, and many stars are quite unlike the Sun.

Now an international team has used the Very Large Telescope in Chile to study what are known as O-type stars, which have very high temperature, mass and brightness.

These stars have short and violent lives and play a key role in the evolution of galaxies. They are also linked to extreme phenomena such as 'vampire stars', where a smaller companion star sucks matter off the surface of its larger neighbour.

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Absorbent Paint Could Soak Up Chemical Weapons

U.S. Army M1A1 Abrams tank. U.S. Army via Wikimedia Commons

Absorbent Paint Could Soak Up Chemical Weapons, Protecting Vehicle Occupants From Deadly Gas -- Popular Science

Syria’s regime announced for the first time this week that it has chemical weapons, and stands ready to use them if attacked. A new type of paint could potentially guard against it, protecting tanks and armored vehicles with a special chemical-absorbing topcoat.

Scientists at the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, like a British DARPA, worked with a company called AkzoNobel to develop the paint. It contains super absorbent silica gel, the same stuff that comes in those little bead-packets inside new shoeboxes and bags. The material can absorb chemicals, like maybe nerve gas, before they could reach a vehicle’s interior.

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My Comment: A simple but effective counter-measure. This is smart.

There Goes The Paperwork As Tablets Now Rule In The White House

President Obama Wants Smartphones, Tablets To Improve Intel Monitoring -- Aol Defense

WASHINGTON: When the Presidential Daily Briefing occurs, a top intelligence official traditionally hands the president a folder with a sheaf of paper inside. The president may read what's inside or have it presented by the intelligence official. Then comes question time, when the chief executive and commander in chief can ask how reliable a source is or question the assumptions of an analysis he's just read.

But that will change. The president and his top officials want and will get a single mobile device allowing them to access highly classified and unclassified data wherever they are. The early fruits of the intelligence community's early efforts to do that are visible in the photo above. It shows President Obama in the Oval Office on January 31 using a technically neutered tablet as part of the Presidential Daily Briefing.

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My Comment: I still prefer paper .... but digital is what the young (including this President) now want.

How The Next Great Pandemic Will Be Spread

When Contagion Strikes, It's Honolulu You Should Avoid -- The Guardian

MIT researchers have analysed which airport hubs would be key to spreading a virulent disease, with some surprising results

When the next outbreak of Sars or Swine flu hits, New York's John F Kennedy airport and Los Angeles's airports will likely be the key spreaders of disease, according to a new study. But while the influence of these super-hubs may not come as much of a surprise, the third most outbreak-friendly airport in the states is far smaller, and far less obvious – Honolulu International.

In a paper published Monday in the journal PLoS One, a team of researchers from MIT outlined a new computer model that predicts how the 40 largest American airports may contribute to the diffusion of contagious disease within the first few days of a potential epidemic.

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My Comment: Scary stuff when you think of the worst case scenario.

iPhone 5 In Production

iPhone 5 mockup.
(Credit: Overdrive Design)

iPhone 5 Production BeginsIin Shanghai, Says Report -- CNet

Pegatron has begun production of the iPhone 5, adding to the growing number of reports claiming that iPhone production lines are humming.

iPhone 5 production reports are rolling in from Asia with more frequency. This time, a Taipei-based report claims that Pegatron has started making the next iPhone.

The Taiwan-based manufacturer has begun production of a new version of the iPhone at its factory in Shanghai, according to Digitimes, citing "industry sources in Taiwan."

This follows a week-earlier report claiming basically the same thing -- though that report did not specify the manufacturer.

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My Comment: It looks very sleek.

Are Dolphins Math Geniuses?

Dolphins May Be Maths Geniuses -- ABC News (Australia)

Dolphins may use complex nonlinear maths when hunting, according to a new study that suggests they could be far more skilled than was ever thought possible before.

Inspiration for the new study, published in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society A, came after lead author Tim Leighton watched an episode of the Discovery Channel's Blue Planet series and saw dolphins blowing multiple tiny bubbles around prey as they hunted.

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My Comment: They have been around longer than modern man .... it looks like they have their act together.

Invasion Of The Super-Yachts For The London Olympics

Octopus, the £130m super-yacht of Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, enters South Dock in the Canary Wharf the weekend before the games begin.

Invasion Of The Super-Yachts: They've Got Swimming Pools, Helipads And Even A Mini-Submarine. How The World's Mega-Rich Are Turning London Into A Floating Olympic Playground -- Daily Mail

This could be Monaco, or an exclusive resort on the Med as the world’s most lavish superyachts jostle for space. Their perfectly scrubbed decks bristle with security guards, while hot tubs bubble and helipads wink at the sky.

This is the playground of billionaires, oligarchs and A-list celebs. There are rumours that Roman Abramovich’s sumptuous $1billion boat will arrive tomorrow.

At 557ft, the Russian tycoon’s Eclipse is the largest private yacht in the world. It has two swimming pools, two helipads, a dedicated disco hall, 30 cabins, a cinema, a mini-submarine, and even its own missile defence system. Abramovich’s master suite is armour-plated and protected by bullet-proof windows and a laser system designed to dazzle long-lens photographers.

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My Comment: I know that this is not a science story .... but I love beautiful yachts. Here is an easy prediction .... the best Olympic parties will be on these yachts.

The Ultimate Space Station Video?

The world below: Time-lapse photographer Knate Myers painstakingly stuck together thousands of still images from the Space Station to create perhaps the most beautiful video ever captured from the orbiting craft

Is This The Ultimate Space Station Video? Fan Compiles Thousands Of Time-Lapse Shots Into Haunting Tour Over Our World, 240 Miles Up -- Daily Mail

Time-lapse photographer Knate Myers painstakingly stuck together thousands of still images from the Space Station to create perhaps the most beautiful video ever captured from the orbiting craft.

The images capture the world hurtling past beneath and the stars forming kaleidoscopes as the Space Station tumbles past.

'All credit goes to the crews on board the ISS,' says Myers, a photographer from Albuquerque.

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My Comment: Beautiful.

First American Woman In Space, Sally Ride Dies At 61

Astronaut Sally Ride monitors control panels from the pilot's chair on the flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger during her historic space mission in 1983. Floating in front of her is a flight procedures notebook. Ride died on Monday after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Nasa/Reuters

First American Woman In Space, Sally Ride, Dies At 61 -- MSNBC

Former astronaut loses 17-month battle against cancer; hailed as role model.

The first American woman to go into space, Sally Ride, died Monday after a 17-month battle against pancreatic cancer, her company said.

Ride made history in 1983 as a crew member on the space shuttle Challenger, breaking the gender barrier for U.S. spaceflight. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963, but it took another 20 years for NASA to follow suit.

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More News On The Death Of Sally Ride

Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, dies at 61 after battling cancer -- Daily Mail
Sally Ride, first American woman to fly in space, dies of cancer at age 61 -- Washington Post
Sally Ride, first American woman in space, dies -- CNet
Sally Ride, Trailblazing Astronaut, Dies at 61 -- New York Times
Astronaut Sally Ride 'broke barriers with grace and professionalism,' says NASA -- Christian Science Monitor
Sally Ride Dead; First American Woman in Space Was 61 -- ABC News
Sally Ride, the first US woman in space, dies aged 61 -- BBC

The Heroic Story Of Four Navy SEAL 'Musclemen' Who Brought Apollo 11 Astronauts Home

Tall order: Navy SEAL John Wolfram, center, was supposed to lasso a high-tech bucking bronco and attach an underwater parachute - called a sea anchor - to stop the drifting capsule

The Extraordinary Untold Story Of Four Navy SEAL 'Musclemen' Who Brought Apollo 11 Astronauts Home -- Daily Mail

When thinking back to the Apollo 11 mission, the things that immediately come to mind are Neil Armstrong’s inspiring first words broadcast from the moon and the lasting image of the crew planting a U.S. flag on the dusty lunar surface.

However, very few people nowadays remember a four-person team of courageous Navy SEALs who had made the astronauts’ safe return possible 43 years ago.

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My Comment: They must have been in fantastic shape to do what they did.

Who Really Invented The Internet?

Xerox PARC headquarters.

Who Really Invented The Internet? -- Gordon Crovitz, Wall Street Journal

Contrary to legend, it wasn't the federal government, and the Internet had nothing to do with maintaining communications during a war.

A telling moment in the presidential race came recently when Barack Obama said: "If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen." He justified elevating bureaucrats over entrepreneurs by referring to bridges and roads, adding: "The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all companies could make money off the Internet."

It's an urban legend that the government launched the Internet. The myth is that the Pentagon created the Internet to keep its communications lines up even in a nuclear strike. The truth is a more interesting story about how innovation happens—and about how hard it is to build successful technology companies even once the government gets out of the way.

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My Comment: I recall reading in the 1980s an autobiography on Steve Jobs where he was boasting that many of his ideas (the use of the mouse, the mac, ethernet, etc.) .... all came came from Xerox Parc. As for Darpa's contribution to the internet .... they did a lot and have been credited for it .... but it is Xerox Parc that did the heavy lifting.

Drug-Resistant HIV Increasing In Sub-Saharan Africa

Monitoring of patients helps in detecting drug resistance

Drug-Resistant HIV 'On Increase' In Sub-Saharan Africa -- BBC

Drug-resistant HIV has been increasing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade, according to experts writing in the Lancet.

Studies on 26,000 untreated HIV-positive people in developing countries were reviewed by the team.

They said resistance could build up if people fail to stick to drug regimes, and because monitoring could be poor.

A UK HIV organisation said resistance was a serious problem in Africa where alternative treatments were lacking.

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My Comment: People failing to stick to drug regimes is probably the number one cause.

Watch The Entire Firefly 10 Year Reunion Panel

My Comment: 10 years already .... wow.

Clever Shark

Watch A Clever Shark Suck Heaps Of Fish Right Out Of A Fisherman’s Net -- io9

Why go to all the trouble of chasing down schools of tasty fish when fishermen have conveniently gathered them up inside one location? This bold shark decides to help itself to a a stolen snack, sucked right out of a fisherman's net.

Mark Erdmann of Conservation International discovered that whale sharks in Indonesia's Cendrawasih Bay have taken to swimming about the fishermen's lift nets and have figured out how to suck the silverside baitfish right out of the holes. The fishermen don't typically kill the sharks, deeming them to be good luck, but they are looking to design new nets that the sharks can't use as an all-you-can-eat buffet. [via Neatorama]

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A Future Military Plane?

Batman’s Got A Brand New Plane -- Popular Mechanics

Batman’s fleet of incredible vehicles gets a new addition in The Dark Knight Rises: A plane called the Bat. Production designer Nathan Crowley and special effects coordinator Chris Corbould talk about using real-life military vehicles as inspiration and how they made the Bat fly.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies begin in the director’s garage. "We always get into a film by designing the vehicle," production designer Nathan Crowley says. For The Dark Knight Rises, out July 20, Nolan wanted Batman to add an aircraft to his fleet. "I like jump jets and Chris likes the Osprey," Crowley says. "So we said, okay, let’s try and mix the two and make the craft look like the Batmobile."

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My Comment: A future military plane .... no .... just in our dreams.

Could Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Cause UV Damage To Your Skin?

CFL Bulb. Wikimedia Commons

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Could Cause Ultraviolet Damage to Skin -- Popular Science

We know CFL bulbs are world-changingly efficient, producing the same level of light as their incandescent parents while using a quarter of the energy. But they're still a relatively new device, and few long-term studies have been carried out on them. One of the most recent, a new report from a team at Stony Brook, suggests CFLs might cause damage to skin by releasing UV rays.

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My Comment: Personally .... I hate CFBs. My eyes do not like the light. As to what long-term studies may reveal .... do not be surprised if more abnormalities are discovered.

Amazing New Pictures Show Nasa's Enterprise Space Shuttle In Its New Home

Space Shuttle Enterprise is the centrepiece of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum's new Space Shuttle Pavilion

The End Of A Very Long Journey: Amazing New Pictures Show Nasa's Enterprise Space Shuttle In Its New Home As It Finally Goes On Public Display In New York -- Daily Mail

It has flown over Manhattan on a jumbo jet, floated down the Hudson river on a barge and even had a close up view of the Statue of Liberty.

From today, the space shuttle Enterprise, a prototype created in 1976, is finally becoming a New York attraction itself.

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum has installed the space shuttle on the runway of the aircraft carrier "Intrepid," a museum facility docked at a pier on Manhattan's West Side.

From today, the public will finally be able to see Nasa's prototype shuttle up close for the first time inside a specially constructed inflatable dome.

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My Comment: I rather se these shuttles flying .... but such is the state of NASA today .... in short ... in a museum.

A Look At One Of The World's Top Cyber Sleuths

Eugene Kaspersky

Russia’s Top Cyber Sleuth Foils US Spies, Helps Kremlin Pals -- Danger Room

It’s early February in Cancun, Mexico. A group of 60 or so financial analysts, reporters, diplomats, and cybersecurity specialists shake off the previous night’s tequila and file into a ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. At the front of the room, a giant screen shows a globe targeted by crosshairs. Cancun is in the center of the bull’s-eye.

A ruddy-faced, unshaven man bounds onstage. Wearing a wrinkled white polo shirt with a pair of red sunglasses perched on his head, he looks more like a beach bum who’s lost his way than a business executive. In fact, he’s one of Russia’s richest men—the CEO of what is arguably the most important Internet security company in the world. His name is Eugene Kaspersky, and he paid for almost everyone in the audience to come here. “Buenos dias,” he says in a throaty Russian accent, as he apologizes for missing the previous night’s boozy activities. Over the past 72 hours, Kaspersky explains, he flew from Mexico to Germany and back to take part in another conference. “Kissinger, McCain, presidents, government ministers” were all there, he says. “I have panel. Left of me, minister of defense of Italy. Right of me, former head of CIA. I’m like, ‘Whoa, colleagues.’”

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My Comment: Eugene Kaspersky also has a great blog .... it is here.

Artificial Jellyfish Created In Lab

The silicon jellyfish can mimic swimming movements thanks to muscle cells from rat hearts implanted onto it. Photo: Harvard University and Caltech

Artificial Jellyfish Created In Lab From Rat Cells -- The Telegraph

An artificial jellyfish which is able to swim with the help of beating heart muscle cells has been created by scientists.

The tentacled artificial creature, made from silicon, has been dubbed "Medusoid" because of its resemblance to the snake-haired character from Greek mythology whose gaze turned people to stone.

It is able to mimic the swimming movement of a jellyfish thanks to muscle cells from rat hearts which were implanted onto its silicon frame and grown into a pattern similar to the muscles of a real jellyfish.

By applying an electric current to a container of conducting liquid, the scientists demonstrated they could "shock" the muscles into contracting so that it began to move through the water.

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'Minority Report' Software Coming Soon

An employee demonstrates the use of a data glove to navigate a map on a computer screen at Los Angeles-based software company Oblong Industries' offices in Washington in June 2012. The software behind the film "Minority Report" -- where Tom Cruise speeds through video on a large screen using only hand gestures -- is making its way into the real world.

'Minority Report' Software Hits The Real World -- France24/AFP

he software behind the film "Minority Report" -- where Tom Cruise speeds through video on a large screen using only hand gestures -- is making its way into the real world.

The interface developed by scientist John Underkoffler has been commercialized by the Los Angeles firm Oblong Industries as a way to sift through massive amounts of video and other data.

And yes, the software can be used by law enforcement and intelligence services. But no, it is not the "pre-crime" detection program illustrated in the 2002 Steven Spielberg sci-fi film.

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My Comment: Just thinking of the game applications that are now possible is enough to make me salivate.

Google Wants To Fight Against International Crime Groups

'I'm Feeling Lucky': Google Turns Its Search Powers To Hunting Down The World's Most Wanted -- Daily Mail

* 'Google Ideas' think tank working with international groups
* Google technology to be used to fight crime

Google's engine is the most powerful search tool ever created - and now the Californian giant aims to use its powers for good

Instead of just finding kitten videos, Google aims to use its technologies to crack through the cyber defences of international crime.

Google is working with international crime organisations to find 'back doors' into international gangs of terrorists, drug dealers and human traffickers.

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My Comment: Google is getting ambitious. Not surprising .... Google is also short on specifics on how they are going to do this.

A New Drug To Reduce The Risk Of HIV Infection

The HIV 1 virus shown under a microscope. The US FDA has approved a drug shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection. Photograph: Institut Pasteur/AFP/Getty Images

US FDA Approves First Drug Shown To Reduce Risk Of HIV Infection -- The Guardian

Pill potentially offers powerful weapon in battle against Aids, but support group labels move 'completely reckless'

A daily pill to protect people at risk of HIV from infection has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), potentially offering a new and powerful weapon in the battle against Aids.

The pill, Truvada, will be available in the US to people at extreme risk of HIV because their partners are infected. But at $14,000 (£9,000) a year, it will be expensive – even though far cheaper than a lifetime of treatment after infection – and those without health insurance are unlikely to get it.

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My Comment: This drug is not going to be cheap.

Making Food Better Through Science

Can Science Make Food Taste Better? -- The Telegraph

Is seafood best by the sea? Do pheromones make chocolate even sweeter? And why is the food industry so keen to know the answers?

A few years ago, a trainee chef from Boston, Massachusetts, called Molly Birnbaum went for an early-morning jog. She ran past an apartment block; she can remember the smell of laundry coming out of the air vents. Then she ran across a road. But she never got to the other side; a car smashed into her. When the car’s windscreen made contact with her head, Birnbaum’s brain smacked against the side of her skull, destroying her sense of smell. That laundry would be one of the last things she would smell for years.

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My Comment: I never realized that so much that goes into flavour is smell .... but it does.

A Look At The Decay Of Detroit Through A Modified Quadrocopter With An HD Camera

Magnificent Decay: Detroit by Drone -- Autopia

Urban ruin porn has gotten so ubiquitous it’s morphed into a dedicated genre, and no other city seems to garner the attention of amateur shooters cataloging a metropolis’ decline more than Detroit. But how do you take it to the next level? Cue the drones.

YouTube user Tretch5000 took to the skies to show the beauty and blight of one of the U.S.’ former industrial hubs, flying his modified quadrocopter with an HD camera over abandoned homes and factories, the majestic Michigan Central Station and the lush grounds of Belle Isle nestled within the Detroit river.

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Here Comes The New 'And Armed' Tiny Drones

Armed Quadrotors Are Coming -- Popular Mechanics

For now, tiny drones carrying guns are just the stuff of video games. But U.S. military researchers are building such sinister devices in their labs.

A camouflage quadrotor armed with a machine gun zips around a test range, destroying targets and setting dummies ablaze.

By now, most of the nearly 11 million people who've seen the YouTube video know it's a fake. There's no armed Russian quadrotor drone; the video is a bit of CGI trickery, a viral advertisement for the next Call of Duty game. But real-life weaponized quadrotors may be a lot closer than you think, thanks to a project undertaken by Marine Corps Maj. Derek Snyder at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

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My Comment: I know that the above video is a fake .... used to market a video game .... but it gives a good idea on what can happen on future battle fields.