Links for 02-12-2006
DLE on book promotion again, dark matter, what economists agree on, birth of an island, juicing the brain…
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“Since so many people seem to be interested in my blog entry on How I Promoted My Book, I thought I’d post a few more random thoughts and suggestions about book promotion here.” DLE shares more wisdom.
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2 – Pixar Quiz“Q: On 1995 computer hardware, the average frame of Toy Story took two hours to render. A decade later on 2005 hardware, how many hours did the average frame of Cars require to render?”
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“The scope of what we don’t know is phenomenal. Dark matter calls into question our understanding of mass, and demands that we explain how the visible objects in the universe achieve the configurations they do.”
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“They like the free market, don’t they?” They sure do. Never thought I’d hear myself agreeing with economists, but there’s a first time for everything.
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“To the fear mongerers among the literati, the Internet is a threat to the paperbound book. It’s an electronic playground where copyrighted material can be exchanged among anonymous readers, destroying the profit-motive for writing and publishing.”
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“Samples taken from the Tagish Lake meteorite, discovered in 2000, have revealed evidence of organic matter that predates our Sun and Solar System…”
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“A strangely persistent patch of frozen water is among the features imaged by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in the first few days since it started its main phase of science observations.”
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“Something rarely seen… The volcanic birth of a new island and a surreal aftermath: a sea of floating stones (pumice), and a yacht making its way over (seemingly) the rocky plain.” A weird and wonderful world this is.
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“Although for centuries astonishing and terrifying advances have been made in the technology of conflict, soldiers are basically the same. They must eat, sleep, discern friend from foe, heal when wounded, and so forth.”
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10 – The Brick TestamentKey stories from the Bible – illustrated with Lego. I’m not entirely sure if this is supposed to be a spoof or not, but it’s bloody hilarious anyway.
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“Super-adhesives that imitate Gecko feet have been in the lab for some time; now super-adhesives mimicking beetle feet are also being developed.” Ain’t nature marvellous?
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“Researchers, with foreign scientists’ technical assistance, had cloned a small wild pig species as well as long-tailed macaques and rhesus monkeys … However, most of the cloned animals had survived no longer than 60 days…”
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“Even if Second Life is sustainable in a business sense, it’s worth pointing out that the nearly 4,000 servers currently running the virtual world suck up an awful lot of real-world electricity.” There’s a new angle.
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Since South Korea lacks the technology to successfully put a man into space, they are hiring out the Russians to do it for them, all the while taking their first baby step towards the stars.
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“Scientists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed a unique space elevator for lunar and Martian missions.” More of a tethered slingshot, but still an interesting idea.
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