Commentary

Science News

I figure I’ve fallen away from actually writing in this blog, but I’m going to get back into it. Specifically, I’m going to talk today about a few articles that came to me through discovery news yesterday.

  • New Device to Clear Land Mines: A scientist, Massoud Hassani, invented a 50$ solar & wind powered device that can trigger land mines without human specialists. Very cool, and very needed device. [SOURCE]
  • Biodiversity Lack Fingered in Increased Allergies: This year has been bonkers for allergies, and studies are suggesting that the lack of biodiversity near human habitation is actually increasing people’s sensitivity to allergens. [SOURCE]
  • Camera “Traps” Cross River Gorilla: The Cross River Gorilla is the rarest subspecies. With only 250 known individuals in the wild, this species is rarely observed or studied, so the video captured by a camera trap is priceless to researchers. [SOURCE]

The future of assisted living?

The following quote comes from a recent blog post by one Scott Adams, of Dilbert Fame. I can’t swear I loved everything he said either valid or entertaining, but I loved the line displayed below.

The genius part of my idea involves locating the elder care facility next to an animal rescue facility. It’s the perfect symbiotic relationship. Both the old people and the animals want company. They can have each other all day long.

NEWS: Hybrid Shark

Given that I’m all out of D&D stuff to write about until we game again next week (silly DM and his silly need for a break) I’ve scoured recent news articles that I care about. What I ended up finding was an article from Discovery News on 3 January 2012 by Amy Coopes.

Shark Hybrids have never been observed in the wild (and as most shark species don’t reproduce well in captivity even now, during the hybridization craze of the 50’s they were not victimized like Lions, Tigers, Jaguars and a pile of other species). Until now. A wild-bred example was discovered by Jess Morgan, who declared it to be “evolution in action”.

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Candlelight Service

I will admit that I don’t remember a ton of the sermon from last night’s Candlelight Service. mainly because I was distracted by Linnea’s adorableness the whole time. Right before the service started my Father-in-law, Norm, came over to where we were all sitting because she was fussing. Matt, Linnea’s father, said the following:

She’s just crying because she found out her Grandpa wears a dress.

Note of the uninitiated, but Lutheran Pastors still wear the fancy flowing vestments.

Big Question: Will we Talk to Animals

Discovery News is currently running a series of articles about the “Big questions for 2012”. On the 15th of December, the big question was “Will we talk to the animals?”.

If I could pick a superpower, this would be my superpower.

Studies have already shown that dolphins and humans use the same mechanics to create sound (Ie: the blowhole functions shockingly like a larynx). Studies indicate that children, in particular, are keyed in to understand dog barks (though I’m a part of this club, still. I can identify different types of barks from my dogs, and associate those with the correct meaning much as a parent works out what different sounding crys from their infants mean). Strides have also been made with our closest relatives, the Bonobos, in understanding how their vocalizations communicate information about the food they eat.

Jennifer Viegas, who wrote the original article goes so far as to speculate that their might be a primitive communication method that lies under the surface in all mammals, including linking to an article about the subject from 2006.

I hope this gets worked out in 2012. Nature won’t give me a superpower. I’d love to be able to buy the one I’ve always wanted…

Kitsu Got a Kindle

As of the 18th I acquired a Kindle Touch 3G (with special offers) for Christmas from my father.

So far I’ve enjoyed the device, finishing up a book I had started on the iPad’s Kindle App on it, and the whispersync between devices has worked phenomenally. I’m really liking the eink screen, and find it easier to read from for long periods than an LCD like the iPad.

It charged quickly, and the user interface came to me (though I am a techy type person) very very easily. I figure there will be followup comments as I adapt and develop a closer relationship with the device, but we shall see. Nothing like being able to bring your entire digital library on vacation without a fight, though. And once summer dawn’s again I’ll really put the eink to the test in full sun, I promise.

Invisibility Cloak: A Reality?

Just when you thought you’d heard or seen everything, the invisibility cloak is on its way to reality. That’s right… Reported by Tracy Staedter of Discovery News on 5 October 2011 a team from the University of Texas at Dallas have created a carbon nanotube float that visually hides objects, as shown in the video below.

Kitsu’s Afternoon “News”: Grab Bag

  • YOUNG BONOBO SHOWS SIGNS OF AUTISM 22 September 2011: Evidence that Mental Health issues are not uniquely human are brought to light by Teco, a Bonobo, who was born by a well known and exceptionally intelligent sire. Signs suggest something similar to autism spectrum disorders, but as the sample group is small, most evidence is anecdotal at this time.
  • ARMSTRONG TO NASA: YOU’RE EMBARRASSING 22 September 2011: Space flight pioneers Neil Armstrong and Eugene Cernan urge NASA to shape up.
  • TITANIC NECKLACE STOLEN FROM AMUSEMENT PARK 22 September 2011: A lovely gold necklace once owned by Titanic 1st class passenger Eleanor Elkins Widener was stolen from the Titanic – The Exhibition show at Copenhagen’s Tivoli gardens.
  • IS SINGLE-SEX SCHOOLING EFFECTIVE? 22 September 2011: A review by the journal Science refutes the 2004 governmental move to loosen restrictions on sex-based discrimination in schools to cater to the claims that girls and boys learn differently.
  • ANGRY FISH INHABIT MOST HOME AQUARIUMS 23 September 2011: Comparative behavioral studies show the effects of environment on fish. Cramped, barren environments yield aggressive, nasty fishes.