Our early 21st century civilization is in trouble. We need not go beyond the world food economy to see this. Over the last few decades we have created a food production bubble—one based on environmental trends that cannot be sustained, including overpumping aquifers, overplowing land, and overloading the atmosphere with carbon dioxide.
Continue reading… “When Will the Food Bubble Burst?”
Superconductors behave like most metals; they conduct electricity. They do so, however, with a twist. All metal has some resistance to the flow of electricity. But when the temperature drops, superconductors get less and less resistant (and therefore more conductive). When they reach very low temperatures, their resistance drops to zero.
Yoshihiko Takano and other researchers at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan were in the process of creating a certain kind of superconductor by putting a compound in hot water and soaking it for hours. They also soaked the compound in a mixture of water and ethanol. It appears the process was going well, because the scientists decided to have a little party. The party included sake, whisky, various wines, shochu, and beer. At a certain point, the researchers decided to try soaking the compound in the many, many liquors they had on hand and seeing how they compared to the more conventional soaking liquids…
Continue reading… “Drunk Scientists Pour Wine on Superconductors and Make an Incredible Discovery”
The first baby boomers will turn 65 in 2011, but is this generation truly ready to leave the workforce?
“Baby boomer” is the name given to the generation born in a “baby boom” following World War II, between 1946 and 1964. There are about 78 million in all, which is 26 percent of the population. Those turning 65 this year will be eligible for Medicare, and full retirement in 2012.
Continue reading… “First Baby Boomers Turn 65 in 2011, But Are They Ready for Retirement?”
Snow, snow everywhere…almost.
After big snow and ice events in the Southeast, Plains, and Midwest this week, 49 out of the 50 states currently have snow on the ground – yes, even Hawaii, where snow falls in Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea all winter…
Continue reading… “Snow Present in 49 of the 50 U.S. States”
Christopher Maag of Credit dot com wrote about a spoof site called the redatory Lending Association, which makes fun of those payday lenders that make big profits gouging the working poor.
Name the companies that set the standards for social media use in business. Nothing coming to mind immediately? Me neither.
Telligent, an enterprise collaboration software company, believes that some day the same answer will immediately occur to both of us.
“We think that if you give [leaders in corporate social media use] a little more time, you won’t even have to do research,” says Cecilia Edwards, Telligent’s senior director of strategy. “This stuff is going to start rolling off of your tongue…some of these leaders will start being known as the definitive world-class leaders. They’re going to start setting the norms in industry for how to do this well.”
Continue reading… “Create a World-Class Online Community for Your Business”
These incredible ‘inksploding’ liquid artworks are the brainchild of a British artist who blends her work with cutting-edge science. The images, which have been compared to visions of alien worlds, have been produced by Pery Burge.
She has devoted many hours to perfecting her technique, since she began exploring ink in water forms in 2006, having abandoned painting because she developed repetitive strain injury from traditional brushwork.
Continue reading… “British Artist Creates Stunning ‘Inksplosions’”
Hungry for a grasshopper taco? Well, probably not. But the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) thinks it is time for an end to the “Eewww!” response to the thought of eating insects. The FAO reports that there are more than1000 edible insect species. Insects can provide protein in the diet at a much lower environmental cost than traditional livestock, such as cows, pigs, or sheep.
Continue reading… “Is Eating Insects the Answer to Reducing our Food Footprint?”
Mouser Williams collects sand from different parts of the world. He photographs his samples using a macro lens to get up close and personal, labeling their composition. This lovely sample is called Star Sand…
Continue reading… “Become a Collector of Sand”
Archaeologists have announced the discovery of the world’s oldest winemaking facility. The winery was found in an Armenian cave near the village of Areni -the same cave where the oldest shoe ever was found last year. Carbon dating shows that the winery dates back 6,100 years!
In September 2010 archaeologists completed excavations of a large, 2-foot-deep (60-centimeter-deep) vat buried next to a shallow, 3.5-foot-long (1-meter-long) basin made of hard-packed clay with elevated edges…
Who is terrorizing who here?
The WikiLeaks Twitter account has just posted a press release calling for American politicians and media personalities to stop advocating the assassination of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Along with this release comes a handy website, PeopleOKWithMurderingAssange dot com, that gives startling quotations along with the name of the speaker. Each quotation is followed by a link showing the greater context of the often violent and disturbing words.
The site shows a new name and quotation every time you refresh the page; so far, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and many others, including government and military figures, radio hosts, newspaper columnists and TV news reporters, are featured on the site…
Continue reading… “WikiLeaks to U.S. Politicians & Media: “Stop Inciting Assange’s Murder””
The tracking system laws that make it inconvenient to buy cold medicine have not slowed down the meth trade one bit. In fact, they’ve created a new “sub-criminal culture,” says an agent with the DEA.
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.
