Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Alien vs Predator

Scary picture

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Wacky Playgrounds

Now here’s some people doing something creative with playground designs. Maybe today’s kids won’t have it so bad after all. 

How To Stop Time

Not as useful as it is on Heroes.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Happy Holidays

Enjoy your Holiday. Drive Safely. And stay away from the egg nog. That stuff is nasty.

SAIKYO ROBO DAIOJA

Okay, this one is really goofy. Yet I loved the theme song and still do. Yes it’s very cheesy, but it’s a good kind of cheese!

I barely remember what the show was like. It’s yet another show where a bunch of teenagers pilot pieces of a giant robot that fit together to kick other giant robot (or monster) ass. You have to admit those Sergent Pepper style outfits are fly.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

The Power Of a Single Brain Cell

While there is still so much scientists don’t understand about the human brain, they are learning some fascinating things by testing a single cell.

There could be enough computing ability in just one brain cell to allow humans and animals to feel, a study suggests.

The brain has 100 billion neurons but scientists had thought they needed to join forces in larger networks to produce thoughts and sensations.

The Dutch and German study, published in Nature, found that stimulating just one rat neuron could deliver the sensation of touch.

One UK expert said this was the first time this had been measured in mammals.

Glen Beck Interviews Ron Paul

If you missed this you really owe it to yourself to watch it. While I disagree with Paul on a number of points, I agree with him on a lot more. In this first part, Beck really asks some good questions and lets Paul answer them. The problem with the way Paul is presented in the debates and on a lot of other shows, he doesn’t get to say much. Instead, TV pundits try to make him look bad or ask insulting questions. He usually handles himself well, but we need a better forum for candidates to speak to us. The fact is, we’re getting candidates rammed down our throats as “the leaders”. It’s absurd when someone like Hillary, whom no one seems to like, is presented as a “sure thing”. (Well, not so much at the moment. But the media like to create a horse race.)

I know a lot of conservatives and fellow bloggers are up in arms over Ron Paul. Personally, I don’t consider him a threat. Some of his positions would be a big mistake, like an immediate withdrawal from the Middle East. But in a many other areas, he brings up some serious issues that need our attention. He addresses some of them in this interview.

Both parties are not serving the people. They have become tools of lobbyists and special interests. Some of them show a blatant disregard for their constituents. I almost feel sorry for the Democrats to have such poor leaders, but as Ben Franklin once said people get the government they deserve. We need to clear the decks and put some fresh faces with fresh insight in.

Ron Paul may not be a fresh face, but he’s a breath of fresh air. I’m still rooting for Fred Thompson, but I would have no problem voting for Paul if he managed to win the nomination somehow.

PS: It seems some are trying to link Paul with neo-nazis because he took a picture with some. From what I’ve read this is mudslinging. Paul was at an event and some people wanted their picture taken with him. They later turned out to be neo-nazis. But they didn’t wear anything that indicated what they were, so unless Paul knew them, he was just doing what any politician would do on the campaign trail. More well moneyed candidates have staff that can screen and filter people, but the Clintons and the Bushes have both shaken hands with all sorts of riff raff on the fund raising trail. It’s almost unavoidable. (In the Clinton’s case it seems par for the course.)

Baxinger

I always got a kick out of these credits and I love the theme song. Many Giant Robot animes seemed interchangeable to me. They were designed to sell toys. But I have to admit I loved the credit sequences and the music was often pretty good. Tomorrow I’ll throw something more retro at you. 

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Nanowire Batteries

As I’ve been saying, carbon nano-filaments are the plastic of the 21st century. Many technologies that will revolutionize this era will incorporate this discovery. This represents an important leap.

Stanford researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to reinvent the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, iPods, video cameras, cell phones, and countless other devices.

The new version, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion, known as Li-ion, batteries. A laptop that now runs on battery for two hours could operate for 20 hours, a boon to ocean-hopping business travelers.

“It’s not a small improvement,” Cui said. “It’s a revolutionary development.”

I suspect they will take it much farther than this in time. But a 20 hour laptop battery is music to my ears. 

Heart Warming Story of the Day

A trainer helps a man to lose 400 pounds and doesn’t even charge him. It gets better. Read the whole thing.

Stories like this show there are people out there who selflessly help others. One person can change other people’s lives for the better. And if more of us tried lending a hand to our neighbors, there would be a lot less problems in the world.

Watch the video after the jump.