This and that

[unixronin]

NASA staff have been cautioned not to comment on the upcoming global-warming-causes-instant-ice-age disaster movie from 20th Century Fox, "The Day After Tomorrow."  I'm under no such restriction, and on the basis of the information given about the film in this article, I will make the following comment:  It sounds like complete and absolute crap that would insult the intelligence of a congenitally retarded wombat with a bolt through its head.  Flash-frozen motorcades?  American refugees fleeing to Mexico to escape encroaching glaciers, in the timescale of a feature film?  Puh-LEEZE.  Joe Bob Alaric says, go rent something good instead.

At the other end of the natural-disaster scale, Cambridge scientists have studied data from more than 3,200 volcanic eruptions between 1700 and 1999, and concluded that volcanic eruptions are 18% more likely to occur between November and March than in the remaining 7 months of the year.  The cause appears to be the weight of winter snowfalls in the northern hemisphere stressing the Earth's crust, an effect large enough to be detectible by satellite instrument and ground-based GPS stations.

And on a vaguely-related subject, scientists at the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory in Bidston, UK, have discovered that global sea levels are rising faster around coastlines than in mid-ocean.  It's only 3.7mm vs. 2.8mm between 1993 and 2002, though.  Don't advertise that plot of land in Wyoming as beach-front property yet.

On a smaller scale, the Cancer Research Institute has a new insight into how cancer cells achieve immortality.  A molecule designated RAD51D appears to protect the telomeres of cancer cells.

But fear not -- researchers at the Weizmann Institure in Rehovot, Israel have developed what may be the first medical nanites.  Composed of natural and synthetic DNA, the constructs sense the presence of cancer cells and respond automatically.

On the microscale once again, Ventana Research of Tucson, Arizona has developed an environmentally-friendly way to clean and polish hard drive heads using . . . green tea?!?

And, robotics comes to the highway . . . in the form of self-positioning robotic traffic barriers.

Comments

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

Blah, New York Times registration article.

Robotic Orange Barrels! How cute!

Yay green tea!

-Ogre

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I meant to look for an alternate link for that but got distracted. Can't find anything else direct, just forum discussions ...

[darthgeek.livejournal.com]

cypherpunks/cypherpunks or slashdot/slashdot should work for NYT

[tww1fa]

Joe Bob Alaric? Complete with trailer and bolo tie? :)

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Got the trailer. :(
And I think I have a bolo tie somewhere ......

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

It's in the top drawer of the dresser against Wen's crib.