Not that anybody who reads this really cares, but I’ve decided to stop using the word “nanotechnology.” 2003, some might even say that 2002, could be thought of as the year that nanotechnology broke into the mainstream. 2003 could also be the year that nanotechnology got continously redefined into meaninglessness. The informed, of which I [...]
A relative gave me a ball tally clock for Christmas and now my office percolates to the rattle of steel balls marking the advance of time. It sort of sounds like the servomotors inside a video cassette player or sheet printer and it reminds me of what the really old iron must of sounded like [...]
I’ve commented on this before but Bush’s recent big promises for piloted missions to the moon and mars prompts me to comment again. This is going to take so long, cost so much money and yeild so little permanency, that the governments of Earth may as well focus on a much grander and longer term [...]
C. elegans, a roundworm famous in genetics and histology studies, and perhaps the most thoroughly understood multicelluar organism known to science, has taught us a lot about life extension. Recent research has found that by adjusting the genes of C. elegans to inhibit insulin signaling and to remove the worm’s reproductive system multiples the worm’s [...]
When California passed its low-emission vehicle laws, I made a prediction: US auto makers would whine and drag their feet and then look really stupid as European and Asian car companies roared ahead with the necessary technology at competitive prices. Japanese hybrid cars are selling like gangbusters.
A solipsist, to oversimplify, is the ultimate skeptic. To a solipsist, empiricism is bogus. An independent reality cannot be logically proved to exist, and even the past could be an illusion that merely accounts for the present state of mind of the observer. The only thing a solipsist is certain of is personal subjective experience–I [...]
Very disturbing news in weapons research yesterday–something that could blur the line between conventional and nuclear weapons–nuclear isomer weapons.
Using a process called thermal depolymerization, a pilot project in Philadelphia turns garbage (Ground up computers, old tires, animal carcasses and sewage.) into oil. The company that built the plant has managed to recreate and greatly accelerate the natural processes that convert minerals and organic matter into oil. Said company claims this will extend the [...]
Found an interesting thread on Slash today about human versus robotic space exploration. As I have mentioned, I’ve always favored robots. It’s simple economics: Robots give you far more science for far less money. This will always be true.
Genetic engineering, at least in the States and in the developing world (Where they are forced to buy from whoever is cheapest, namely the States.), has conquered agriculture. Now it seems ready to invade that small specialization of agriculture, the pet industry. This has outraged some people. They worry that modified, fluorescent fish will escape [...]