The Daily Rumpus
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From Stephen Elliott
I’ve applauded Anonymous in the past, but this is not cool. The second you start drafting people into your cause without their knowledge, you become the thing you rail against.
Hello again grizzled langurs. Glad you’re not all dead after all.
...moreCan’t help myself–I’m a sucker for high speed video of birds in flight. There are few things I find more elegant.
Russia’s Mars probe, Phobos-Grunt (not making that name up), is probably going to crash to earth on Sunday.
...moreIndependent journalists are taking to the skies, attempting to use drones to capture footage and livestream it.
Even though I’m a huge fan of tech, I’m not sure I feel this is an improvement or even a welcome development.
Scientists are trying to map electrons in action.
...moreIf you weren’t already afraid of scorpions, then you probably don’t want to hear that their exoskeleton sort of acts like one big eye.
Popular Science takes us on a tour inside Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Twenty-five bucks will soon get you a bare-bones computer capable of playing back H.264 video at 1080p.
...moreEveryone who’s been able to light their water on fire when gas companies started fracturing shale to get to natural gas just said “No shit, EPA.”
NASA scientists announced that they’ve found the closest thing to an earth orbiting a distant star.
...moreHas CERN found the Higgs Boson?
If I actually drank mixed drinks, I might be more interested in this story about the physics of mixology. But I like the flavor of the alcohol I drink.
The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear meltdown was way worse than we’ve been told.
...moreHYbrid cars not only save gas–they’re safer too. Suck on that, SUVs.
So this can potentially help you learn more effectively. But can it help me write better poems?
Watch Popular Science blow up a turkey with a deep fryer.
...moreThe first time neutrinos were measured going faster than the speed of light (something heretofore thought impossible), there were questions about the way they were measured. There’s been a second test, and it seems neutrinos might actually be faster than light.
...moreLook, up in the sky! It’s a…Russian probe crashing back to Earth.
A new robotic sportscaster–as long as he’s less irritating than Chris Berman, I’m in.
I’m shocked! Shocked! to discover the EPA has found fracking compounds in a Wyoming aquifer.
...moreInteresting piece on how psychology affects performance in the world of sports.
Birds may be using a sophisticated grammar to communicate.
Great space images via National Geographic.
Edward Tenner on why the Webb Telescope is worth it, even if it is over-budget and late.
...moreThe Ig Nobel Prizes have been awarded, and they’re awesome as usual.
Say goodbye to Tevatron.
New data on Mercury, and some great images too.
Some background on the Italian trial of six geophysicists surrounding the Aquila earthquake of 2009.
...moreRemember way back last week when I told you about seeing a supernova from your back yard? Yeah, well, astronomers want your help in studying it.
I’m always fascinated by stories like this because my Zoology professor in college was the first to make me investigate human evolutionary theory, and I started with Australopithecus afarensis.
...moreSee a supernova from your back yard.
This little piece in Wired on the discovery of the earliest known human tools in interesting not just for the discovery information, but for the way the writer breaks down how scientists pegged the date of the find.
...moreThere was a new bird species discovered in the US for the first time in 40 years. The catch? It was discovered in a museum collection. Ornithologists are still trying to find a live one in the wild.
Are you warmer than a star?
...morePhysicists have figured out a way to stop coffee rings from forming, which is a bigger deal than you might expect.
Stealing cars via text message. I expect this will appear on Leverage before too long.
I linked to photos from inside the Fukushima nuclear plant earlier today.
...moreThe TV show Cosmos is coming back, with Neil DeGrasse Tyson as host, and with Seth McFarlane as Producer.
Lost in the hubbub over the crashing stock market was the launch of Juno. Here’s what it might discover about Jupiter.
...moreIt’s starting to look like genetic structure, not mutation, is what makes us different from each other.
The case for parallel universes.
Really want to go zero-emissions on your car? Get your own solar charger.
Smallest batter ever.
...moreGIven the heat wave crushing the US lately, this piece on the link between hot weather and violence is really interesting, especially if you’re reading it from the comfort of an air-conditioned room.
National Geographic gets at the reasons behind the heat wave.
...moreSo, maybe you don’t need to force yourself to drink those eight glasses of water a day.
What can baboon males teach us about human males? (Or, what we probably could have guessed about men from reading the daily news.) Good news for Beta males: your lives are less stressful than the Alphas’.
...moreThe Stanford Alumni magazine revisits the Stanford Prison Experiment forty years later, and catches up with some of the participants.
I wonder if anyone will refer to this bear as the mitochondrial Eve of polar bears? Somehow I doubt it.
...moreSorry to do this to you with the first link. Bug’s penis makes loudest animal sound. That’s the headline. I’m not making it up.
Red wine could help counteract the negative effects of space travel.
Scientific American explores what’s in a hot dog.
...moreThat noise your dog makes? Humans had a hand in creating it.
The tougher fuel economy standards recently put in place are a start but they’re not enough to either reduce demand for oil or create substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
...moreAn Appeals Court has lifted the injunction against the National Institute of Health’s revised policy on funding stem cell research. That’s the science part of the link. The language part of the link? Part of the decision was based on the tense of the verbs used in the legislation.
...moreA discovery might make hydrogen fuel cells much cheaper.
There’s a rumor–and that’s all it is–of a Higgs boson sighting.
SpaceShip Two completed its longest glide test to date.
The Hubble Space Telescope sends the planet a rose on its 21st anniversary.
...moreI want to start today’s roundup by noting that doing this the day after April Fools is tough, because scientists have diabolical senses of humor, and I’m not generally smart enough to know when they’re yanking my chain. In other words, if I fall for a hoax here, mea culpa.
...moreMost of the links this week will deal with the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The biggest issue I have personally with nuclear power is that while things don’t often go wrong, when they do they have the ability to so wrong there’s no way to adequately describe it.
...moreNASA’s Glory satellite fails to reach orbit. It was supposed to study the effect atmospheric particles have on the climate. This is the second time this has happened which might make one wonder if Koch Industries is building the rockets for NASA.
...moreSulfuric acid doesn’t dissolve a corpse quite as quickly as the mafia claims.
From China a fossil of a walking cactus. A frigging walking cactus.
Space Shuttle Discovery launched for the final time Friday, and here are some great views of it.
...moreThe Secret Service has done a study on US assassinations, and there’s some really interesting findings available.
Here’s yet another way a hacker can use your public information against you.
How is it that the Eiffel Tower is still standing?
...moreThere’s a lunar core? I thought it was just a hunk of rock.
Ever seen a solar eclipse from space? Now you can.
The Russians are about to drill into Lake Vostok. Why is that a big deal? Because it’s been sealed off from the rest of the earth for 14 million years.
...more