US Navy Is Developing 'Intelligent' Uniforms

One of the U.S. military's many attempts to design a uniform of the future. Photo: RDECOM

New Navy Uniform Could Monitor Sailors’ Pee for Signs of Nuclear Attack -- The Danger Room

The military’s uniforms will probably never be runway ready. But in the future, a soldier’s threads might very well be quite a bit sharper.

As in, more intelligent. At least if the Office of Naval Research gets its way. On ONR’s latest call for research proposals, the organization is asking for uniforms to be capable of measuring soldiers’ vital signs, detecting the location and severity of their bullet wounds and even transmitting their location to medical personnel via GPS sensors implanted into clothing fabric.

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My Comment: I expect the fruits of this research to one day also show up in regular clothing.

Earth's Glaciers Are 'Out Of Wack'

The retreat of McCall Glacier in North Alaska. The left panel is 1958; the right panel is 2003

World's Glaciers 'Out Of Balance' -- BBC

Earth's glaciers are seriously out of balance with the global climate and are already on their way to losing almost 40% of their volume.

That is the assessment of scientists after studying a representative group of 144 small and large glaciers around the world.

Their figure assumes no further warming of the climate.

However, if temperatures continue to rise as models predict, the wastage will be even higher, the team says.

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Your Next Password Could Be Your Brain

Forget fingerprints and eye scans, your next password could be your brain (Source: Petrovich9/iStockphoto)

Your Brain Could Become Your Password -- ABC Science

When it comes to high-tech passwords, there are fingerprint scanners for computers and facial recognition programs for closed-circuit cameras, and retinal scans are a mainstay of the movies.

Now researchers are looking beyond those technologies to using brain scans and heartbeats to identify people in ways that can't be faked.

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Ecstacy May "Reset" The Body Clock

The research is the first to look at the impact of a single low dose of the drug (Source: iStockphoto)

One Hit Of Ecstasy 'Resets Body Clock' -- ABC News (Australia)

Just one or two pills of ecstasy can reset your body clock and have lasting effects on your ability to sleep peacefully, new research suggest.

Rowan Ogeil, of Monash University, and colleagues, report their findings in a recent issue of Psychopharmacology.

"Of course ecstasy affects your sleep because it's a stimulant," says Ogeil, who did the research as part of a recently completed PhD, under the supervision of Dr Jillian Broadbear. "But we've shown is it has lasting effects and that the body clock is involved."

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My Comment: One more reason to stay away from drugs.

The History Of The Zipper Revealed

Google Honors Gideon Sundback: Father Of The Zipper -- Christian Science Monitor

Gideon Sundback is certainly the inventor of the modern 'zipper.' Except Sundback didn't invent the name.

Except, Sundback didn't invent the zipper. He invented the "Hookless No. 1" in 1914.

And as radically brilliant and enduring as his design may be, it wasn't until the 1920s, when B.F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio bought a bunch of "Hookless No. 2s" did the "zipper" make it's debut.

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My Comment: The zipper has gone a long way since it's invention in 1914.

Can Organic Food Feed The World?

Organic market in Vienna. (Credit: © Tupungato / Fotolia)

Can Organic Food Feed the World? New Study Sheds Light On Debate Over Organic Vs. Conventional Agriculture -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2012) — Can organic agriculture feed the world? Although organic techniques may not be able to do the job alone, they do have an important role to play in feeding a growing global population while minimizing environmental damage, according to researchers at McGill University and the University of Minnesota.

A new study published in Nature concludes that crop yields from organic farming are generally lower than from conventional agriculture. That is particularly true for cereals, which are staples of the human diet -- yet the yield gap is much less significant for certain crops, and under certain growing conditions, according to the researchers.

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Female Space Explorers (Infographic)

17 Equations That Changed the World

How 17 Equations Changed The World -- Brain Pickings

What Descartes has to do with C. P. Snow and the second law of thermodynamics.

When legendary theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking was setting out to release A Brief History of Time, one of the most influential science books in modern history, his publishers admonished him that every equation included would halve the book’s sales. Undeterred, he dared include E = mc², even though cutting it out would have allegedly sold another 10 million copies. The anecdote captures the extent of our culture’s distaste for, if not fear of, equations. And yet, argues mathematician Ian Stewart in In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World, equations have held remarkable power in facilitating humanity’s progress and, as such, call for rudimentary understanding as a form of our most basic literacy.

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Last Fragments From 'Magical' Egyptian 'Book Of The Dead' From 1420 BC Found

Fragments of the missing parts of the manuscript have been discovered by renowned Egyptologist Dr John Taylor - potentially ending a search that has lasted a century

Last Fragments From 'Magical' Egyptian 'Book Of The Dead' From 1420 BC Found - After Century-Long Search By Archaeologists -- Daily Mail

* 'Last' pages of manuscript found after century-long hunt
* Egyptologist says he is 'floored' by discovery
* Papyrus book of spells supposed to guide spirits to land of dead

The last missing pages from a supposedly 'magical' Book of the Dead from an Egyptian priest, Amenhotep, have been found after a century-long search - in a museum in Queensland.

British Museum Egyptologist Dr John Taylor said he was 'floored' by the discovery of the 100 fragments.

It's the end of a worldwide search by archaeologists for the papyrus scroll - which supposedly contains spells to guide spirits into the afterlife.

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My Comment: One has to give credit to these academics. Even with the Egyptian revolution and political unrest continuing .... they are still doing their work.

The Ultimate Luxury Car

Secure: There is also the option of armour-plating for those high profile oligarchs or even politicians around the world who believe they need security

How's That For A Way To Travel: Luxury Limousine Comes Fitted Out With Drinks Cabinet, Computer System And Even An Exercise Bike -- Daily Mail

For most of us, taking a trip in the car means missing out on certain luxuries which we enjoy at home.

However, for anyone wealthy enough to own this luxury limousine, that needs not be the case.

The opulent vehicle comes fitted out with a number of incredible features, including a built-in exercise bike which can be used whilst sitting back in one of the leather seats.

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My Comment: If I was to have someone chauffeur me around .... especially for trips of one hour or more .... this vehicle would be perfect.

Unique And Rare Diamond Up For Sale

Rare Royal Diamond Up For Sale -- The Telegraph

An extremely rare, aristocratic Beau Sancy diamond, which has passed through the royal families of France, England, Prussia and the Netherlands' House of Orange, is to go up for auction at Sotheby's.

The stone, a 35-carat modified 'pear double rose cut' diamond belonging to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia and head of the former ruling dynasty of the German empire, is expected to fetch betweem $2m (£1.24m) and $4m (£2.47m).

Chairman of Sotheby's jewellery in Europe and the Middle East, David Bennett, who sold a pink diamond for $46.2m (£28.5m) in 2010 which was a record for any jewel at auction, said estimating the value of a stone like the Beau Sancy was difficult given its rarity.

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My Comment: The history of diamond goes back 500 years .... the stories that it can tell.

The Power And Reach Of Apple

Steve Jobs

Latest Record Results Show Apple a Bigger Global Power Than Most Nations -- Daily Beast

The tech behemoth is not just a cool computer/phone/tablet company, but a multibillion-dollar ecosystem and society with more influence and clout than most countries.

Yet again, Apple announced record sales and earnings. Yet again, its “Jobs report” stood in stark contrast to the monthly official jobs report. For the past four years, as the U.S. economy has stumbled, Apple has soared. As millions have lost jobs or stayed underemployed, Apple has sold more phones, iPads, and computers than most thought possible. While its success certainly has come at the expense of competitors such as Research in Motion (maker of the BlackBerry) and Nokia, it has generated tens of billions in revenue and sold tens of millions of devices by reaching new customers and not simply taking market share. And it has seen its most dramatic success during one of the worst economic slumps in the developed world.

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My Comment: Steve Jobs would have been proud.

How To Get Free Wi-Fi Almost Anywhere

How To Get Free Wi-Fi Almost Anywhere -- Upgrade Your Life

You work in your car; you practically live in it. And when you need to maximize the mobile office otherwise known as the front seat, sometimes you need to access Wi-Fi without schlepping all your papers and gear into a cafe. But how can you tap into the best signal from the parking lot? Plenty of tools can help with this road warrior's dilemma, including the big issue — finding Wi-Fi.

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My Comment: Great video at the link. Watch it.

An Incredible Video On How Humans Have Transformed Earth

How Humans Have Transformed Earth: Incredible Video Illuminates Every Road, Shipping Route And Flight Path -- Daily Mail

* Three per cent of the planet's land surface is under tarmac - an area the size of India
From space Earth looks completely untouched.

However, it's deceptive, as a new video shows in mesmerising fashion.

'Anthropocene' demonstrates just how much the planet has been transformed by humans by illuminating every road, shipping route and flight path.

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My Comment: And we are still transforming it.

The 2012 Beijing Auto Show Is A Hit

Photo: Lamborghini

It’s China In Charge At The Beijing Auto Show -- Autopia

As China's automotive market continues to expand, carmakers the world over are hoping to cash in. Nowhere is that more apparent than at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, which features everything from first cars for urban dwellers to ostentatious rides for the showiest tycoons – plus a smattering of hybrids and EVs.

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My Comment: China is the next 'Big' market. This car show is juts showing it's growing clout.

What Causes 'Brain Freeze'

Cause Of Brain Freeze Revealed -- Live Science

Most people have likely experienced brain freeze — the debilitating, instantaneous pain in the temples after eating something frozen — but researchers didn't really understand what causes it, until now.

Previous studies have found that migraine sufferers are actually more likely to get brain freeze than people who don't get migraines. Because of this, the researchers thought the two might share some kind of common mechanism or cause, so they decided to use brain freeze to study migraines.

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Fifty Years of Kicks - Motorcycle Documentary (full-length)

Study: $16B - Estimated Costs of “Dirty Bomb” Attack In LA

Downtown Los Angeles from the sky. A recent study out of USC has found that if a "dirty bomb" was dropped on downtown the economical damage of long-term psychological effects would exceed the cost of short-term clean-up by $15 billion. feculent_figure/Flickr

Costs of 'Dirty Bomb' Attack In Los Angeles -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2012) — A dirty bomb attack centered on downtown Los Angeles' financial district could severely impact the region's economy to the tune of nearly $16 billion, fueled primarily by psychological effects that could persist for a decade.

The study, published by a team of internationally recognized economists and decision scientists in the current issue of Risk Analysis, monetized the effects of fear and risk perception and incorporated them into a state-of-the-art macroeconomic model.

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My Comment: My gut tells me that the costs will be greater than $16 billion.

Should Facebook And Twitter Be Monitored For Terrorists?

Monitoring Twitter And Facebook Could Foil Terrorists -- The Telegraph

The security services need to make greater use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter to track criminals and terrorists, the former head of GCHQ has said.

Sir David Omand said there was increasing use of social media to communicate and that the police and MI5 need to make use of the technology to keep suspects under surveillance.

If they failed to do so, there was a danger that such websites could become a “secret space” where criminals, paedophiles and terrorists could communicate unhindered, he said.

However, Sir David said the Government had to make it clear in what circumstances they would hack into an individual’s account.

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More News On The Former Head Of GCHQ Calling For Monitoring Facebook And Twitter

'We must be allowed to spy on Facebook and Twitter', says former Whitehall intelligence chief -- Daily Mail
Former spy chief calls for laws on online snooping -- The Guardian
Former GCHQ head calls for greater surveillance of Facebook and Twitter -- The Independent

My Comment: On the day that the former head of Britain's GCHQ calls for monitoring of social media sites, reports are leaked out that Al Qaeda is seeking cyber-attack skills. Is this a coincidence .... who knows.

Mind-Controlled Robot Unveiled

The robot that can be controlled by the brainwaves of a paraplegic person wearing an electrode-fitted cap Photo: Alain Herzog / EPFL

Mind-Controlled Robot For Paraplegics Unveiled -- The Telegraph

A robot that can be controlled by the brainwaves of a paraplegic person wearing an electrode-fitted cap has been unveiled.

A paralysed man at a hospital in the Swiss town of Sion demonstrated the device, sending a mental command to a computer in his room, which transmitted it to another computer that moved a small robot 37 miles away in Lausanne.

The system was developed by Jose Millan, a professor at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne who specialises in non-invasive interfaces between machines and the brain.

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