Jurassic Park was a cautionary tale about genetic manipulation. Could that actually happen? Why or why not? (The fourth of five questions I may be asked tomorrow as part of a panel on DNA and ethics.) I’ve only seen the first two movies, so I can’t really comment on the technical details as presented in…
Will the human genome diminish humanity by taking the mystery out of life? (The third of five questions I may be asked tomorrow as part of a panel on DNA and ethics.) We’ve had the human genome all along; its been here all along, just like gravity existed before Newton. What’s new is the Human…
What are the potential injustices or misuses of DNA information? (The second of five questions I may be asked tomorrow as part of a panel on DNA and ethics.) According to the Human Genome Project’s website on genetic legislation, no laws have yet been passed regarding the use of genetic information in healthcare, employment, and…
Is our fate in our genes or in our stars? (The first of five questions I may be asked as part of a panel on DNA and ethics.) I’ll take “in our stars” as a metaphor for something like “determined by the cosmos,” rather than a literal reference to astrology. I don’t think the average…
On average, internet users spend three and a half hours a day on the internet compared with 2.8 hours a day watching television. | The research, which is the first to suggest the internet has overtaken the television as the most popular medium among people who have both, will provide further grist to the mill…
I have translated into rough Latin an extensive fragment of a much longer popular song. While providing a literal interlinear translation back into English for the benefit of Latin-less readers, I have, regrettably, made no attempt at rhyme or meter; alert readers will also notice that by avoiding translating the entire song, I have not…
China’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, 38, was hurled into outer space by Shenzhou-5 spacecraft at 9 a.m. Wednesday from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province. —Xinhaunet —Shenzhou-5 launch successful (China View) Similar:Russia Conspiracy Theories Trap Putin Malaysia Airlines MH17An old journalism joke suggests that, du…Current_EventsAcademic study concludes that teaching kids to touch-type can…
Now soliciting proposals for projected philosophical anthology on any aspect of The Onion, America’s leading satirical newspaper. Brief, informal proposals are welcome at this stage. Submit to Graham Harman at toolbeing@yahoo.com (deadline for initial proposals is October 31, 2003) —Philosophy and The Onion (APA) ARRGH! I have way too much to do… way, way too much…
Some 1,500 PEZ dispensers, all nestled in creative landscapes, fill the museum. | Disney PEZ sit in a 10-foot-high castle. Halloween-themed PEZ are displayed in a haunted house. And psychedelic PEZ are set beside a real Volkswagen Beetle that appears to be crashing through the wall. —PEZ museum pops up in Pennsylvania (CNN/AP) Similar:A stranger took…
Just as a shark must swim to breathe, a hard drive must be in motion to receive or return data. This air bearing technology, as it is called (pioneered at IBM in the 1950s), explains why dust and other contaminants must be kept out of the drive casing at all costs. If the heads touch…
I’ll be going to an academic setting in order to become a game programmer. What’s interesting is that just as there are film degrees (one of which I currently own) that combine the fields of literature and art with a variety of other disciplines, including physics among others, there are degrees in game creation. Places…
Missed your daily dose of Panda Cam? Don’t have the time to watch our pandas sleep? Boss expects you to do work? | Well, we have the solution right here. Our newest feature, the Daily Panda, lets you recap the daily escapades of Hua Mei, Bai Yun and Gao Gao thanks to our Panda Cam…
Here’s a suggestion that has worked for me: After leaving an employer, send your former boss and some co-workers very polite and thankful e-mails. Mention how much you enjoyed being there, knowing them, how much you learned and so forth. | Most of the time, you will get a reply. Bingo! There’s your letter of…
At the height of the Internet boom, e-books were hailed as the shining new tomorrow for publishers and paper books were heading for the scrap heap. | But the bubble has burst and electronic books are still the poor relation to the printed word with consumers preferring to turn the pages themselves when they curl…
“The entire ideology of information technology for the last 50 years has been that more information is better, that mass producing information is better,” he says. | But the net is now so much an machine with all the answers instantly, it has mutated into a “procrastination apparatus”, which spews information without much prioritisation Dr…
Many people, especially secular liberals, misunderstand the nature of religion in politics—which is, to be fair, ever shifting. To them, if it’s not about Jerry Falwell or Joe Lieberman, it’s kind of a blur. So, just in time for another religion-packed election, here is a guide to sorting through some common myths about God and…
—Facing and Fessing Up to Old Age (MetaFilter) A pleasant, if late, birthday present… a reminder on MetaFilter that I am not alone. Similar:We are cruel. We always have been. The Internet did not make us soWe didn’t start the flame war. Scandalou…CultureWhat It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the BeatlesBeyond their music itself,…
Monkeys can control a robot arm as naturally as their own limbs using only brain signals, a pioneering experiment has shown. The macaque monkeys could reach and grasp with the same precision as their own hand. —Duncan Graham-Rowe —Monkey’s brain signals control ‘third arm’ (New Scientist) Similar:Pompeii artifacts at the Carnegie Science Center The lighting was…
Without getting into the politics (other than to say I find Sept 12 to be a useful, thought-provoking piece, and exciting new genre for games), I’m not sure why Greg and some of his commenters are so vitriolically opposed to calling Sept 12 a simulation. —Simulation Aggravation (GrandTextAuto) “Sept 12” is an interactive political cartoon —…
Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U.S. public opinion on the mission sours. | And all the letters are the same….Sgt. Christopher Shelton, who signed a letter that ran in the Snohomish Herald, said Friday that his platoon sergeant had distributed the letter…