Archive for the 'Off Topic' Category
Los Angeles Worst City In U.S. For Gridlock
March 6th, 2014I left Southern California just over eight years ago and even after all of this time living in rural New Zealand, driving on empty roads at 5 or 6 PM still feels incredibly strange to me. Empty or nearly empty beaches in summer is another very weird and wonderful thing. Wow. You have to make […]
Goodbye Academia
March 4th, 2014Via: Yes, Another Science Blog: As a postdoctoral researcher at MIT, I am not even back to earning what I did ten years ago as a junior programmer with no skills or domain-specific knowledge. In a commercial setting, my compensation would have kept pace with my knowledge and skills, but in academia, there seems to […]
‘Magic Formula of Physics Moves Every Kind of Animal on Earth’
February 25th, 2014Via: Houston Chronicle: A magic formula of physics is propelling animals across the planet, from birds and sharks to jellyfish, according to a new discovery by researchers at Texas A&M Univeristy. While people struggle with fixed-wing aircraft and solid propellors, animals triumph with flexible wings, fins and tails and now we know that despite their […]
Some Words in Voynich Manuscript Deciphered
February 20th, 2014Via: BBC: A breakthrough has been made in attempts to decipher a mysterious 600-year-old manuscript written in an unknown language, it has been claimed. The Voynich Manuscript, carbon-dated to the 1400s, was rediscovered in 1912, but has defied codebreakers since. Now, Bedfordshire University’s Stephen Bax says he has deciphered 10 words, which could lead to […]
The Mysterious Web That Connects All Galaxies In The Universe
January 22nd, 2014Via: Business Insider: For the first time, astronomers were able to see a string of hot gas known as a filament that is thought to be part of the mysterious underlying structure that dictates the layout of all the stars and galaxies in our universe. Scientists believe that matter in the universe is arranged into […]
Off Topic: Connection from Water Heater to Thermostat
December 30th, 2013How about a little home improvement mystery to break up the steady flow of nightmares and doom? Alrighty then! The thermostat on our hot water cylinder fried itself yesterday morning. There are a few reasons why I’m baffled by this: 1. This is the second time that this has happened. When it happened the first […]
Manned Fly-By Mission to Mars in 2017?
November 20th, 2013Via: Washington Post: Billionaire Dennis Tito, tired of being told that we can’t send humans to Mars just yet, on Wednesday revealed his scheme for launching two astronauts to the red planet as early as December 2017. Dubbed “Inspiration Mars,” the fly-by mission would exploit a rare alignment of Earth and Mars that minimizes the […]
Kickstarter: Heirloom Chemistry Set
November 12th, 2013Treasure ahead. Via: Kickstarter: This is the chemistry set you always wanted as a kid but either didn’t get it or you got stuck with some cheap plastic wannabe.
How to Get an A- in Organic Chemistry
November 2nd, 2013I mainly liked her description of organic chemistry, which made me laugh, but I was shocked to learn that she’s my age and has small children. Having children has easily lowered my IQ 20 points and I feel lucky to be able to function at all. However, even when I was still sharp, before baby […]
New Baby Smell
October 3rd, 2013haha. Becky and I thought that we were just imaging this. Via: New York Times: Nature provides plenty of reasons for parents to adore their newborns. The giant eyes, the adorable coos, the flawless skin. But in the days following the birth of my son in May, it was his fresh, slightly sweet and immensely […]
