Obsidian Wings

The Big Bang Theory

Guest post by Gary Farber.  Gary's home blog is Amygdala, and he invites you to read him there. 

For my final guest post at Obsidian Wings, something completely different: a roundup of some recent science, or tech, or just downright weird, sci-tech news, or that's at least news to me, as well as an item or two of the fantastic.

Green your factories with electron beam particle accelerators:

[...] While environmental applications of particle accelerators have made little progress commercially in the United States in the last 40 years, a number of countries in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are actively pursuing the technology.

In Daegu, Korea, an electron-beam accelerator in a textile factory removes toxic dyes from 10,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day. In Szczecin, Poland, the Pomorzany power station installed an electron-beam accelerator in its coal plant to simultaneously remove sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides from roughly 270,000 cubic meters of flue gas per hour. China has started to use electron beams to control air pollution, and a facility in Bulgaria is under construction. Saudi Arabia may soon follow.

All you have to do for more widespread use is ensmall them. 

[...] "We have proven that the technology works," says Andrzej Chmielewski, director of the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology in Warsaw, Poland. "The size of the accelerators can be huge, though. We need a technological breakthrough" to make accelerators smaller and easier to maintain.

But they're working on that!  With plasma wakefield acceleration and laser wakefield acceleration! 

Oh, and who do you have to thank for that?

[...] Thanks in great part to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly known as the stimulus package,

Pwned!

by hilzoy

A couple of days ago, Michael Goldfarb wrote on the John McCain blog:

"It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others."

No one could quite figure out what D&D had to do with anything. Today, Bob Mackey (LTC-ret.; currently a consultant at the National Counterterrorism Center) replies, in a post called "Cloak of Stupidity +5, or the Art of the False Political Assumption":

"It seems Mr. Goldfarb, with the blessings of his employer, has decided that anyone who plays Dungeons and Dragons is some sort of anti-social uber nerd, incapable of manly activities, such as political blogging or being shot down over Hanoi.

Well, as anyone with half a brain should know, not all D&D players live in their parents' basement. Some live upstairs.

And others, the vast majority of them, became doctors, lawyers, excelled in business, the arts, and even politics. And a more than a few of them put on the uniform and stand by the colors. And more than a few of them have come back from the very wars that men like Mr. Goldfarb have sent them covered in the colors, the same colors that are given to grieving mothers, wives, and girlfriends.

Yes, Mr. Goldfarb, I play Dungeons and Dragons. And I have, in my home, a very large box filled with medals and decorations that prove my service to this nation. Where were you, sir, when your country called? Oh yes, writing for the Weekly Standard.

While gaming geeks rallied around the flag."

Heh. Indeed.

Comment Junk

If you are still getting problems with the spam filter, let me know.  I've been trying to work with Typepad about it, and they assure me that it is doing better. 

Otherwise, open Christmastime thread. 

BSG Blogging: Exodus, Part I

by Andrew

Someone asked that I move the Galacticablogging over here. If the consensus is that this doesn't really belong at ObWi, I'll discontinue the experiment.

A week after I suggested Moore and company might have finally found their niche by changing from 'humanity on the run' to 'humanity resists the Cylons,' it appears I spoke too soon. Surprise. Last's night's episode, starting with the title, suggests that New Caprica will be only a brief way-station on the way to Earth, although I'll concede that all could changed based on what happens next week. Continued below the fold to allow readers to avoid spoilers.

Shhh...No One Knows I'm Blogging

You have to read this awesome publication (pdf file) put out by Reporters Without Borders helping folks set up anonymous weblogs and avoid censors in places where blogging can be dangerous to one's employment or even health. There's lots of info about how or why to blog, but a chapter titled "HOW TO BLOG ANONYMOUSLY" by Ethan Zuckerman (fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School), outlines the following 6 steps:

Evolving Personalized Information Construct

It's easier all the time to imagine a future where MSM organizations are irrelevant. Quality will suffer of course, but if quality were a priority for news consumers, this would look very different:

Constant reader crionna pointed me to this hypothetical scenario by which the future behemoth Googlezon (Google + Amazon) defeats the New York Times Company in a SCOTUS case that allows Googlezon (via their new product EPIC [Evolving Personalized Information Construct]) to sell the work of freelance editors (that's where you and I come in) who put their version of the truth online. EPIC then sorts through the available data and customizes the news from a multitude of sources for each reader according to their demographics, desires, network of friends, etc. The result is criticized in some quarters as a collection of trivia, much of it untrue, all of it narrow and shallow, but essentially it's what the public wants. The MSM retreats from the fight, and by 2014 The New York Times goes offline.

Perception trumps reality.

I see a few problems with this scenario, though. Someone will have to still collect the raw data (quotes from those on the scene, photos, etc.). If it's the freelancers (and who will the most successful of them likely be if not ex-MSM reporters?), they will still need some procedures, guidelines, etc., by which to operate, and those with the higher standards will become the most sought after, no? In other words, if one source proves to be more reliable, even though you can't necessary distinguish that person's contribution in the jumble you're fed, that person will rise in power eventually, no?

God, I hope so.

Quick Question

Someone spilled a martini into my laptop at the gallery last weekend. That person has "mysteriously" not been heard from since (just kidding, he's still screaming where I tied him up behind the brick wall in the basement...just kidding). It was an accident, and the person was genuinely sorry.

The shop said it can't be saved, but they were able to download the data. So my question: I haven't bought a laptop in 5 years. I want a PC, not a Mac...anyone have any recommendations?

Click 'n Sniff

File under "Engineers with wa-a-a-a-y too much time on their hands."

A new service being tested by Tokyo-based NTT Communications Corp. sends out smells according to data received over the Internet.

Users attach a device to their laptops that resembles a crystal ball with a nozzle. The device receives aroma data from the central server and exudes fumes from the nozzle in accordance with that reading.

NTT is considering the system as a commercial product for aromatherapy, testing incense or just plain fun.

In a test version, shown at a Tokyo electronics store this week, the crystal ball sends combinations of 36 scents — natural oils, such as eucalyptus, sandalwood and basil — as horoscope readings.

Just imagine what this could do for Internet dating. You're online, chatting with some hottie, and she/he sends you a IAM (instant aroma message) of sandlewood and musk...or, or...ah, who am I kidding...this is just dumb.

My Passed-Out Friend Here is Buying...Here's His Arm

Imagine you're out for a night of drinking. Somewhere between breakdancing in the Irish dive and being kicked out of the uppity martini lounge, you realize you've lost your wallet. No more cash, not even an ATM card...your night is over.

&-(

Fear no more, my sobrietyphobic friends; science has come to the rescue:

Imagine having a glass capsule measuring 1.3mm by 1mm, about the size of a large piece of rice injected under your skin.

Implanting microchips that emit a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) into animals has been common practice in many countries around the world, with some looking to make it a legal requirement for domestic pet owners.

The idea of having my very own microchip implanted in my body appealed. I have always been an early adopter, so why not.

Last week I headed for the bright lights of the Catalan city of Barcelona to enter the exclusive VIP Baja Beach Club.

The night club offers its VIP clients the opportunity to have a syringe-injected microchip implanted in their upper arms that not only gives them special access to VIP lounges, but also acts as a debit account from which they can pay for drinks.

It's not clear from the article if you pay upfront and then your bar/club-specific account is debited or if the chip charges against a bank card, meaning you could unwittingly party away your entire checking account. And how do you tip the bartender? Nevermind...not sure I want to know.

More Important Things in Life, Part I

Spent half the night dreaming of "brilliant" metaphors for political situations, and woke up convinced that I'm way too overworked about all of this stuff. There are political issues I'm working on for future posts, but here I want to discuss something much more important: pinewood derbys.

Pierogi, a gallery in Brooklyn, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by reinstituting their early-days tradition of what they call "Gravity Races" (but what we called "pinewood derbys" where I grew up). Hundreds of local artists submitted their concept cars, which are on display until the actual races in early October. Images of previous years (and some of the cars) can be seen here.

Yours truly made a car to congratulate my fellow gallery on their first decade (no photo yet, I'm sorry), but despite being a reasonable success aesthetically, it's a total fiasco engineeringly. I have no clue about what steps to take to help ensure it doesn't place in some humiliating place behind, say, this car.

My car, inspired by noticing how aerodynamic a tube of toothpaste is one morning, is called the Colgate Cruiser...and while I managed to make it look convincingly like the object, it's 2.2 ounces too light and the axels are virtually pointing all four directions of the compass. So, I'm begging for help...I've gotten so much conflicting advice, I'm totally confused now:

1. Where is the optimal position to add extra weight? Near the back, evenly distributed, near the front? I've heard them all. Everyone suggests digging out the bottom and using fishing sinkers...any other ideas?

2. What lubricant is best for the axels...and is sanding the axels down to as thin as they can be a good move? What about sanding down the wheels?

3. Is it better to race it thin end first (theoretically cutting through the wind) or thicker (twist-off cap) end first (theoretically working like an airplane wing)?

It's not really important that I win the races (not to world peace or the price of oil anyway), but I'd like to have a respectably showing, all the same.

Any and all advice appreciated.