Triangular Blue Diamond Expected to Draw $15 Million

Photo credit: Christie's Images LTD.

From Discovery News:

The auction house, Christie's will soon be offering a two-stone ring featuring an extremely rare triangular-shaped blue diamond paired with a white diamond on a gold band. The auction for the BVLGARI diamonds could bring a cool $15 million.

The 10.95-carat blue diamond is the largest of its kind ever to come to auction, according to Christie's.

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Ancient Viral Invasion Shaped Human Genome

Scientists have discovered that viruses that "invaded" the human genome millions of years ago have changed the way genes get turned on and off in human embryonic stem cells. (Credit: iStockphoto/Martin McCarthy)

From Science Daily:

ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2010) — Scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), a biomedical research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and their colleagues from the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and Princeton University have recently discovered that viruses that 'invaded' the human genome millions of years ago have changed the way genes get turned on and off in human embryonic stem (ES) cells.

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Vampire Books Like 'Twilight' May Be Altering Teen Minds

The cover of "Twilight," a young-adult vampire novel by Stephenie Meyer. Credit: Little, Brown

From Live Science:

It's a potentially sucky situation. The vampire craze in teen literature – exemplified by the "Twilight" book series – could be affecting the dynamic workings of the teenage brain in ways scientists don't yet understand.

"We don't know exactly how literature affects the brain, but we know that it does," said Maria Nikolajeva, a Cambridge University professor of literature. "Some new findings have identified spots in the brain that respond to literature and art."

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Researcher: Narcissism's Alive And Well On Facebook

From The CBS:

How many times have you logged onto Facebook only to find that (fill in the name here) has updated their page for the upteenth time with yet another entirely forgettable, wonder of me moment?

It would be easy to assume from the anecdotal evidence that a legion of insufferable narcissists has found the perfect sounding board. But maybe it's not just your impression.

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Huge Growth At UKs Largest Wind Farm

Image: Generating capacity at Whitelee will increase by more than two thirds

From The BBC:

A massive expansion is to take place at Europe's largest onshore wind farm, which is situated in East Renfrewshire.

ScottishPower Renewables is to add another 75 turbines to Whitelee wind farm on Eaglesham Moor by 2012.

This will bring the number of turbines on site to 215 - raising electricity generating capacity by two thirds.

The 140 turbines currently at the wind farm, to the south of Glasgow, can produce enough electricity to power 180,000 homes.

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With China Clamping Down On Rare-Earth Metals, Japanese Manufacturers Devise Clever Alternatives

Rare-Earths China produces the vast majority of the world's rare-earth oxides. Wikimedia Commons

From Popular Science:

If necessity is the mother of invention, maybe China is the wicked stepmother. In an effort to thwart Chinese restrictions on rare-earth metal exports, Japanese manufacturers have developed technology that can make motors without them.

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Finding A Bargain Feels As Good As Sex

Photo: Eddie Mulholland

From The Telegraph:

Retail therapy is often said to make up for a poor love life – and now new research has shown why.

A study has discovered that shoppers get the same level of emotional excitement from special offers as they do from sexual arousal.

Researchers have found that bargains make us so deliriously happy that the brain is turned on to the same level excitement that it gets from sex.

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Age Of Terminators Comes A Step Closer As Scientists Invent 'E-Skin' That Could Give Robots A Sense Of Touch

Photo: An artist's illustration of an artificial e-skin covering a hand. The finished product would give incredible touch and sensitivity

From The Daily Mail:

Scientists have developed a pressure-sensitive electronic skin which could one day be used to restore touch to patients who have prosthetic limbs.

The material, dubbed e-skin, is made from semiconductor nanowires made from silicon.

More sinister, however, is the prospect of the invention lending robots the ability to adapt the amount of roce needed to hold and manipulate objects.

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Nobel Physicist: Building Hubble's Heir In Deep Space

(Image: NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham/Emmett Given)

From New Scientist:

When the James Webb Space Telescope unfurls its mirror a million and a half kilometres out in space four years from now, it will be the culmination of nearly two decades of planning by John Mather. He tells Anil Ananthaswamy about the challenges of building an heir to the stunningly successful Hubble Space Telescope

Why do we need the James Webb Space Telescope, when Hubble is still up there?

The short answer is that Hubble has tantalised us by showing us signs of things that would be really exciting to know about, but are just beyond its reach.

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Video Games: The Skills From Zapping ’Em

From The Economist:

Playing fast-action video games helps decision-making.

THE relentless march of technology into everyday life has always given rise to debate about whether it is a good or a bad thing. Some believe that the internet and computer software are making humans more stupid or shallow. But others argue that computer programs in the form of video games can make people smarter or improve specific skills, such as spatial awareness. Indeed, an entire industry has emerged to help people “train” or improve their brains.

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Sugar's Power Over Humans Traced

More than half of the American population is overdosing on sugar. Click here for a list of the top five things you didn't know about sugar. Hemera

From Discovery News:

Sugar may be a rich source of empty calories, but there's more to the story.

Sugar is the enemy, according to a growing body of research, and not just because it rots our teeth and adds padding to our thighs.

The real danger is fructose -- a main ingredient in table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and fruit -- that actually gets into our cells and alters metabolism.

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Oh, That’s Gotta Hurt – Obama Denies Solar Panels

From Watts Up With That?

It has been said that Obama is the worst president since Jimmy Carter, perhaps now in the eyes of 350.org supporters, he’s “worse than we thought”. Carter was the first to put solar panels on the White House. Being nothing more than an icon, they didn’t last.

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Glasperlenspiel: Scientists Propose New Test for Gravity

A beam of laser light (red) should be able to cause a glass bead of approximately 300 nanometers in diameter to levitate, and the floating bead would be exquisitely sensitive to the effects of gravity. Moving a large heavy object (gold) to within a few nanometers of the bead could allow the team to test the effects of gravity at very short distances. (Credit: K. Talbott/NIST)

From Science Daily:

ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2010) — A new experiment proposed by physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may allow researchers to test the effects of gravity with unprecedented precision at very short distances -- a scale at which exotic new details of gravity's behavior may be detectable.

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Why Do Teens Hurt Themselves? The Science Of Self-Injury

From Live Science:

Over the last couple decades, more young people appear to be pulling out razor blades and lighters in order to injure themselves, according to anecdotal reports from counselors. Their intent is not to die, just to inflict harm, a behavior known as non-suicidal self-injury.

A recent study on the mental health of college students, presented in August at the American Psychological Association Meeting, found empirical evidence to document these observations. The results show that at one university, the rate of non-suicidal self-injury doubled from 1997 to 2007.

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YouTube Tests Live Streaming

From CBS News:

Long-Awaited Experiment Signals New Media Push by YouTube and Corporate Parent Google.

(AP) YouTube is making its long expected foray into live streaming by launching an experimental trial with four new media partners.

The new live streaming platform will be previewed in a two-day trial beginning Monday, but is expected to later grow considerably across the Google Inc.-owned website.

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Sensitive Touch For 'Robot Skin'

Photo: The "skins" match human skin's ability to sense tiny pressure changes quickly.

From The BBC:

"Artificial skin" that could bring a sensitive touch to robots and prosthetic limbs, has been shown off.

The materials, which can sense pressure as sensitively and quickly as human skin, have been outlined by two groups reporting in Nature Materials.

The skins are arrays of small pressure sensors that convert tiny changes in pressure into electrical signals.

The arrays are built into or under flexible rubber sheets that could be stretched into a variety of shapes.

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Alien Oceans Could Be Detected By Telescopes

Image: The reflection of light or "glint" could reveal the existence of Earth-like planets.

From The BBC:

The next generation of telescopes could reveal the presence of oceans on planets outside our Solar System.

Detecting water on Earth-like planets offers the tantalising prospect they could sustain life.

Scientists hope the reflection of light, or "glint", from mirror-like ocean surfaces could be picked up by a US space telescope set for launch in 2014.

The research by US astronomers has been published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Remembering 9/11 -- Complete List Of Links, Tributes, Videos, Pictures And Resources

COMPLETE LIST OF 9/11 RESOURCES, TRIBUTES, VIDEOS AND LINKS

9/11 TIMELINE

Day of 9/11 Timeline – An excellent illustrated and detailed Timeline by Paul Thomas
The 9/11 Report -- A graphic adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón
NYT Accounts From Different Floors In WTC


MEMORIALS – REMEMBERING THE FALLEN

C N N Memorial – Victims of 911
CNN’s Memorial List of 9/11 Victims
Cantor Fitzgerald Families Memorial
Arlington Cemetary
Department of Defense Memorial Page
USA Today: Flight 93 Victims
USA Today: Names of Victims on the Airplanes


WEB SITES DEDICATED TO 9/11

911 Commission – Official Website
911 Digital Archive
911 Internet Archive
911 Investigations
911 Photos And Videos
911 By The Numbers – New York Magazine
America’s Day Of Terror – B B C News
CNN Special -- 911
Library Of Congress – 911
Musarium Photo: America Attacked
New York City Damage Report – From C N N
New York City Fire Department Dispatch Tapes 911
Open Directory – 9/11 Web Sites
September 11, 2001 – Wikipedia
September 11, 2001 Archive Of Screenshots of Online News Sites
September 11, 2001 Newspaper Archives
September 11 News.com
Times Magazine Coverage of 911
W C B S – T. V. New York – Special On 911


THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECHES

September 11 Address to the Nation
September 20 Address to Joint Session of Congress and the Nation
November 10 Speech To The U.N.
Timeline and links to Bush speeches and pictures


LINKS TO 9/11 IN PICTURES

Attack On America Images – A number of links and a Bookyards favorite
Black Day – Images From 9/11
Bill Biggart's Final Exposures -- His body and camera were found at Ground Zero
9/11 Images
9/11 Pictures
9/11 Research
9/11 Memorial
Photos From Musarium
September 11News.com
The Twin Towers, Before and After
Shattered
A startling deck of high-resolution photos of the WTC site, most of which I do not remember seeing before.
World Trade Center Explosion


VIDEO CLIPS AND MEMORIALS ON 9/11

Bookyards 911 Time Line (25 videos)
Bookyards 911 General Collection of Videos (19 videos)
Bookyards Video Tributes On 911 (6 videos)
9/11 Video Tribute – A Fast Zoom In From Space To Ground Zero
A Video Memorial. From Brain Terminal
America Attacked – Video Memorial
An excellent video memorial from YouTube
Chris Macke Photography -- Video From The Top Of The WTC (a video memorial
CNN Video Archive Of September 11, 2007
Twin Tower Videos
Free 9/11 Videos And Documentaries
The Building Of The Towers -- A Video Clip
File 13: Paper Evidence -- Blue Man Group presents some of the burnt, torn papers—typical of office work—that were found in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, after the 9/11 attacks.
YouTube – 9/11 Videos


LAST WORDS OF A TERRORIST
Mohamed Atta’s Four Page Letter

Google's Home Page On September 11, 2001 At 11:54 AM EST

Click Image To Enlarge

Report: Apple Developing iPad Rev With Camera/FaceTime

From The Mac Observer:

Apple is in the advance testing stage of a rev for the iPad that includes a front-facing camera and support for FaceTime, according to a report from AppleInsider. The company is planning on releasing the device as early as the 1st quarter of 2011, a more aggressive schedule than the yearly update schedule for other iOS devices, and there are some execs in Cupertino who want to release the new version in time for the Holiday shopping season this year.

Read more ....