Alab Boyle reports that researchers are learning more about where earworms live, and how they work. Not enough yet to get rid of them, though.
Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind
Alab Boyle reports that researchers are learning more about where earworms live, and how they work. Not enough yet to get rid of them, though.
A Modern Wonder
Michael Jennings has a nice photo essay about the new viaduct in France:
The materials from which this bridge has been built are vastly stronger than anything that existed even 20 years ago. I have said this before, but this is in my mind the defining characteristic of modern post materials revolution structural engineering. Structures are then, flimsy. They almost look like spider webs. The defining characteristic of industrial age engineering was bulk. But now we are in this virtuous circle of stronger and lighter materials allowing a much thinner deck, allowing the other parts of the bridge to be lighter and less substantial too, allowing still more economies elsewhere, and a rapidly dropping cost of projects like this.
That will be a characteristic of a space elevator as well, if it’s built.
There Must Be Something Else On
I didn’t watch Dan’s last broadcast (following my pattern for the past twenty-plus years).
I thought that low ratings would be the fittest ending to his ignoble career.
Visualization
Jack Benny used to say about a fellow comedian that “nobody knew what a cramp looked like until Fred Allen was born.” Well, along those lines, Jeff Foust can now point at a physical instantiation of a budgetary earmark.
Heap Big Wampum
Apparently, copyright violation, academic fraud, resume padding, and vile mindless leftist rants calling for the overthrow of the US government are healthy activities for one’s bank account, at least if you’re employed by the University of Colorado:
CU’s buyout offer will be in the “$3-$5 million range – possibly higher”
Hmmmm…not a bad payoff for Chief Pants-On-Fire.
If CU is seeing their out-of-state admissions fall now, just wait until the news of this gets out. Not to mention what may happen to alumni donations.
The link also links to a story about a professor who they have managed to release, with no buyout. But that was different–it was apparently because he’s a (presumably untenured) Christian. Can’t have that.
[Update about 12:45 PM EST]
The Pirate Ballerina site seems to be down, for those wondering why the link was dead. But it was a link to a story at the Rockey Mountain News.
Gunga Dumb
Definitely Not Pro-Life
Virginia Postrel usefully points out (once again) the bifurcation of the anti-cloning activists’ agenda.
Mighty Mouse
Phil Bowermaster has some interesting thoughts about making mice smart.
Dominoes
A lot of nostalgic lefty anti-war types have been warning us for years that Iraq was going to be just like Vietnam. Claudia Rossett says that they may be right. But they won’t be as happy about it as they think they will.
It kind of reminds me of an old joke that a USC grad told me, back when their football program was in the doldrums in the eighties. He said that his nightly prayer had been that USC would have a basketball program as good as its football program. And he finally got his wish.
Heh.