The very start of a very big bang.
Allegedly, this is a photograph of the beginning of a nuclear detonation. It was taken in 1952 during the Tumbler-Snapper tests in Nevada. At this point, the fireball is about sixty-six feet across. How was the photographer able to get a shutter speed fast enough to do it?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAIEamakLoY&hd=1[/youtube]
Google created this video that it said provides an “overview of the search terms that captivated the world this year.”
The late co-founder of Apple and a mobile phone that never materialized found their way onto the list of the 10 most popular searches at Google in 2011.
Stratolaunch
On Tuesday, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced his plan to create a company that will bring “airport-like operations” to private spaceflight –thanks to the world’s biggest aircraft.
Continue reading… “Stratolaunch vision – world’s largest aircraft will ferry passengers to space”
Optical image of flexible and stretchable thin film transistor array covering a baseball shows
the mechanical robustness of this backplane material for future plastic electronic devices.
Imprinting electronic circuitry on backplanes that are both flexible and stretchable promises to revolutionize a number of industries and make “smart devices” nearly ubiquitous. Among the applications that have been envisioned are electronic pads that could be folded away like paper, coatings that could monitor surfaces for cracks and other structural failures, medical bandages that could treat infections and food packaging that could detect spoilage. From solar cells to pacemakers to clothing, the list of smart applications for so-called “plastic electronics” is both flexible and stretchable. First, however, suitable backplanes must be mass-produced in a cost-effective way…
Continue reading… “Artificial Electronic Skin Device Capable of Detecting and Responding to Touch”
“The reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal.”
A record number of Americans are being squeezed by rising living costs. Nearly 1 in 2 have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.
Continue reading… “1 in 2 Americans are now poor or low income”
When will the spill stop?
Things just keep getting worse for Chevron. First, a deepwater drilling mishap off the coast of Brazil last month caused thousands of barrels of oil to spill into the Atlantic, which only after some dodging did Chevron take responsibility for, followed by Brazil’s petroleum agency deciding to suspend the company’s drilling rights altogether. And then there are the fines which could end up costing Chevron close to $100 million. But lo, it get’s worst yet. Today, the oil giant admitted that the situation is far from resolved as many had assumed. That’s right, the leak continues, and Chevron’s not sure when it can be stopped…
Continue reading… “Chevron admits oil leak in Brazil hasn’t stopped”
Synthetic drugs, such as K2, mimic the effects of marijuana.
Almost one in nine high school seniors have gotten high in the past year on synthetic drugs, such as “K2” or “Spice,” second only to the number of teens who have used marijuana, according to a new survey.
Continue reading… “1 in 9 teens using synthetic drugs: survey”
When employers are more flexible about how and when a job gets done, workers are healthier and happier.
A new study shows, companies that focus on results rather than face time in the office may end up with healthier employees.
Continue reading… “Workers are healthier, happier when they work a flexible schedule”
New marriages dropped 5% last year.
The number of all U.S. adults who are married has dropped to a record low 51 percent, according to a new report. If the trend continues, the institution will soon lose its majority status in American life.
“Because sounds bounce and travel in different ways, birds have to use songs that can cope with this”.
Birds living in urban areas sing at a higher pitch to reduce the impact of echoes from surrounding buildings, a study claims. Higher-pitched songs travel further in built-up areas because their echoes fade more quickly, meaning the following notes are clearer and easier to pick out.
A sign in Havre, Mont., notifies drivers of the city’s handheld cellphone ban, which took effect in October.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday called for a ban on all cellphone use by drivers saying its decision was based on a decade of investigations into distraction-related accidents, as well as growing concerns that powerful mobile devices are giving drivers even more reasons to look away from the road. This is the most far-reaching such recommendation to date.
Continue reading… “NTSB urges states ban all cellphone use by drivers”
