After teasing us last September with the news that Einstein might have been wrong, scientists reported on Wednesday the face of physics as we know it is not changing. It appears a faulty cable connection created an erroneous reading of tiny neutrino particles traveling 60 nanoseconds faster than light.
I'm a bit disappointed to learn the way we thought the world worked isn't changing (as in E really does equal MC 2 and Einstein had it right all along). Maybe the physicists over at CERN should have done a better job of keeping the lab rats from gnawing on sensitive technical equipment (just kidding)!
Yet just when I thought my imaginings of a new paradigm for the universe was going to be destroyed by such a mundane thing as a bum cable, a report on Friday restored a little of my previous excitement. It seems the faulty wiring could actually have made the original readings wrong in the opposite direction and the particles may have been traveling faster than the faster-than-the-speed-of-light readings.
Say what? So maybe Einstein was wrong and I might still have the pleasure of seeing a major scientific shift in my lifetime. Oh cruel physics...stop toying with my fragile emotions and get some definitive results already!
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, September 23, 2011
"Questions of science"*
BIG NEWS today regarding the very fundamentals of physics and how the universe works. This latest mind-blowing development comes not from the Large Hadron Collider, but from OPERA (Osciallation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus...yeah, I know...huh?). It turns out Einstein might have been wrong...that's right, Einstein might have been wrong.
Scientists at the CERN physics lab just announced that subatomic particles called neutrinos were observed to be traveling faster than the speed of sound. So that whole E=mc 2 thing may need to be rethought because it is based on the the theory that it is impossible for any particle with mass to accelerate at or above the speed of sound. BAZINGA (as Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory would say)!
But you may want to wait a little longer before you tell that iconic Einstein poster hanging above your bed, "You just got served!" Before scientists call the measurements true (even though the 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of sound the neutrinos traveled is above the 10 nanosecond margin of error), they want to verify with independent tests.
Tune into the CERN live webcast, which I thought was supposed to take place at 16:00:00 (Europe/Zurich) today, but I think that time has already passed and the webcast doesn't seem to be up. I'll keep checking back to the page for the latest.
*Coldplay
Scientists at the CERN physics lab just announced that subatomic particles called neutrinos were observed to be traveling faster than the speed of sound. So that whole E=mc 2 thing may need to be rethought because it is based on the the theory that it is impossible for any particle with mass to accelerate at or above the speed of sound. BAZINGA (as Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory would say)!
But you may want to wait a little longer before you tell that iconic Einstein poster hanging above your bed, "You just got served!" Before scientists call the measurements true (even though the 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of sound the neutrinos traveled is above the 10 nanosecond margin of error), they want to verify with independent tests.
Tune into the CERN live webcast, which I thought was supposed to take place at 16:00:00 (Europe/Zurich) today, but I think that time has already passed and the webcast doesn't seem to be up. I'll keep checking back to the page for the latest.
*Coldplay
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
"It all started with the big bang"*
I have good news (unfortunately not related to my attempts at being a published novelist...all in due time, my precious)! The Large Hadron Collider is back from hiatus and has created primordial matter. Seriously, this is very exciting news!
Just a little over a month ago, the LHC set a record when it started smashing tiny particles together at 10 million collisions per second. Well, it has now smashed its own smashing record and is now running at 100 million collisions per second (muuhaaahaaa...that's evil scientist laugh...duh!).
This super smashing power is what has led to the creation of primordial matter, a super dense form of matter called a quark-gluon plasma. In fact, the only thing believed to be denser than this primordial matter is a black hole (and we sure don't want the LHC to create that). Scientists also believe that this substance is what the universe was made of right after the big bang.
As for the elusive (and still theoretical) Higgs boson (a.k.a. the god Particle), which is thought to be the most fundamental of all particles and the clue to the mysteries of the universe, that hasn't been discovered yet. If it does exist, it may be discovered as early as some time this summer. If it doesn't exist, it will take until the end of 2012 to confirm that.
Hopefully, we will know all this before the world ends on December 21, 2012. That is unless it ends on October 21, 2011. Then I hope we find the Higgs boson before then. It would be such a shame for the world to end before we discover the secrets of the universe (and before I get a book deal!).
*Barenaked Ladies
Just a little over a month ago, the LHC set a record when it started smashing tiny particles together at 10 million collisions per second. Well, it has now smashed its own smashing record and is now running at 100 million collisions per second (muuhaaahaaa...that's evil scientist laugh...duh!).
This super smashing power is what has led to the creation of primordial matter, a super dense form of matter called a quark-gluon plasma. In fact, the only thing believed to be denser than this primordial matter is a black hole (and we sure don't want the LHC to create that). Scientists also believe that this substance is what the universe was made of right after the big bang.
As for the elusive (and still theoretical) Higgs boson (a.k.a. the god Particle), which is thought to be the most fundamental of all particles and the clue to the mysteries of the universe, that hasn't been discovered yet. If it does exist, it may be discovered as early as some time this summer. If it doesn't exist, it will take until the end of 2012 to confirm that.
Hopefully, we will know all this before the world ends on December 21, 2012. That is unless it ends on October 21, 2011. Then I hope we find the Higgs boson before then. It would be such a shame for the world to end before we discover the secrets of the universe (and before I get a book deal!).
*Barenaked Ladies
Monday, January 31, 2011
"Black hole sun, won't you come"*
As some of you may know, I've been following the process of the Large Hadron Collider and scientists quest to find the so-called God Particle. This giant particle smasher is currently on hiatus, but is scheduled to be up and running very soon. One hazard of this project is that it has the potential to open up a black hole that swallows up Earth (clearly, this did not happen in its first run!).
I haven't been able to get black holes our of my mind since then. I happened to see a billboard for a special exhibit called Black Holes: Space Warps & Time Twists at the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Perfect for an in-depth exploration, right? Well, not exactly. The exhibit was fun, which makes sense because it was geared towards kids and teens, but it wasn't super informative.
Making my Explorer's card was fun. I picked the name "Mini Seeker" because I liked the Harry Potter reference and added a picture of a pizza onto the card. (I could've taken a picture of my face, but no one wants to see that!) The exhibits were interactive and interesting. Still, there wasn't that ah-ha factor that really made me feel like the visit was worthwhile.
That was until I wandered into one of those video areas with those really uncomfortable wooden benches (seriously, the inventor of those should be swallowed up by a black hole). But this video informed me that not everything that gets close to a black hole gets sucked in. I know, you're saying, "Wait a minute. I thought a black hole was like a vacuum and once stuff went in, it never came back out."
That's what I thought, and it is basically true. Once you're in black hole, there's no coming out (and no one knows what happens on the other end of the hole...alternate universe perhaps?). However, matter that is in the process of being sucked into a black hole doesn't immediately fall in (especially because as you get closer to a black hole, time actually slows down...very heady stuff here).
Before the matter is sucked in past the event horizon, it circles around the hole in a disk, and the pieces of matter are all bumping into each other. Some of that matter and lots of gas (okay, no flatulence jokes please) shoot out as a jet that moves at close to the speed of sound. The video below actually does a really nice job of describing this phenomenon.
As more research is done about black holes, scientists are finding that black holes are probably important in the creation of galaxies and the case maybe that every galaxy contains one at its center. Forget the Seven Wonder of the World. That's small beans compared to the awesome mystery and power of black holes.
*Soundgarden
I haven't been able to get black holes our of my mind since then. I happened to see a billboard for a special exhibit called Black Holes: Space Warps & Time Twists at the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Perfect for an in-depth exploration, right? Well, not exactly. The exhibit was fun, which makes sense because it was geared towards kids and teens, but it wasn't super informative.
Making my Explorer's card was fun. I picked the name "Mini Seeker" because I liked the Harry Potter reference and added a picture of a pizza onto the card. (I could've taken a picture of my face, but no one wants to see that!) The exhibits were interactive and interesting. Still, there wasn't that ah-ha factor that really made me feel like the visit was worthwhile.
That was until I wandered into one of those video areas with those really uncomfortable wooden benches (seriously, the inventor of those should be swallowed up by a black hole). But this video informed me that not everything that gets close to a black hole gets sucked in. I know, you're saying, "Wait a minute. I thought a black hole was like a vacuum and once stuff went in, it never came back out."
That's what I thought, and it is basically true. Once you're in black hole, there's no coming out (and no one knows what happens on the other end of the hole...alternate universe perhaps?). However, matter that is in the process of being sucked into a black hole doesn't immediately fall in (especially because as you get closer to a black hole, time actually slows down...very heady stuff here).
Before the matter is sucked in past the event horizon, it circles around the hole in a disk, and the pieces of matter are all bumping into each other. Some of that matter and lots of gas (okay, no flatulence jokes please) shoot out as a jet that moves at close to the speed of sound. The video below actually does a really nice job of describing this phenomenon.
As more research is done about black holes, scientists are finding that black holes are probably important in the creation of galaxies and the case maybe that every galaxy contains one at its center. Forget the Seven Wonder of the World. That's small beans compared to the awesome mystery and power of black holes.
*Soundgarden
Monday, November 15, 2010
"It's The End Of The World As We Know It"*
It's about time for an update on my favorite science project, the Large Hadron Collider. Seeing as we're all still here, I don't think I need to tell you that it hasn't opened up a black hole. Phew!
Actually, the LHC has been working so well that scientists have started smashing lead ions together instead of just plain-old protons. What does this mean? Basically, smashing lead ions at super speeds creates tiny Big Bangs that will shed some light on what happened immediately after the Universe was created by the big Big Bang. (Something you've all been dying to know about!)
Aside from the fact the the LHC studies very, very, very, very, very small particles, everything else about this project is big: the price tag ($10 billion), the number of countries involved (34), the temperatures created by the collisions (a million times hotter than the sun), the speed the particles move (just slightly below the speed of light), etc...
Scientists have not found the elusive Higgs boson (a.k.a. the God Particle) yet, but once they start smashing protons again in February, they hope that by the end of 2011 they will have proof that this particle exists.
Aside from unlocking the great mysteries of the Universe, the LHC could find additional dimensions beyond the four known ones. (What happened to the good old days when there were only three dimensions?)
*R.E.M.
Actually, the LHC has been working so well that scientists have started smashing lead ions together instead of just plain-old protons. What does this mean? Basically, smashing lead ions at super speeds creates tiny Big Bangs that will shed some light on what happened immediately after the Universe was created by the big Big Bang. (Something you've all been dying to know about!)
Aside from the fact the the LHC studies very, very, very, very, very small particles, everything else about this project is big: the price tag ($10 billion), the number of countries involved (34), the temperatures created by the collisions (a million times hotter than the sun), the speed the particles move (just slightly below the speed of light), etc...
Scientists have not found the elusive Higgs boson (a.k.a. the God Particle) yet, but once they start smashing protons again in February, they hope that by the end of 2011 they will have proof that this particle exists.
Aside from unlocking the great mysteries of the Universe, the LHC could find additional dimensions beyond the four known ones. (What happened to the good old days when there were only three dimensions?)
*R.E.M.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
"Flying at the speed of sound"*
Today we celebrate! Scientists at the underground site of the Large Hadron Collider on the Swiss-French border cheered earlier today when the largest atom collider set a record by colliding particles three times faster than ever before. (This occasion was also worthy of celebrating because a. the collider didn't break and b. it didn't create a world-destroying black hole!)
For those of you who follow my blog (all three of you!), you may remember that I've been keeping my eye on this experiment. Crashing together subatomic particles is risky business and the project has been plagued with controversy since it started, including an accidental death, mechanical problems, and even a theory that scientists from the future are sabotaging the collider. But with today's success we can look to the future.
An energy level of 7 trillion electron volts (TeV) was observed during the event. This seems like a big number, but when you consider that an ant can easily produce as much kinetic energy as 1 TeV, it's actually a small amount of energy. So what's the big deal, right? The big deal is that the particles in the collider are infinitesimally smaller than an ant, so when 7 TeV is applied to colliding particles (3.5 TeV per particle), they move almost as fast as the speed of light (note: not the speed of sound as the lyric in the title states!).
Scientists hope to eventually discover more about dark matter and the Higgs boson (or God Particle). If experiments go as planned (which they haven't so far...and they almost never do), this collider could smash open (literally) new discoveries in the world of physics. Ah, what great material for science-fiction writers everywhere!
*Coldplay
For those of you who follow my blog (all three of you!), you may remember that I've been keeping my eye on this experiment. Crashing together subatomic particles is risky business and the project has been plagued with controversy since it started, including an accidental death, mechanical problems, and even a theory that scientists from the future are sabotaging the collider. But with today's success we can look to the future.
An energy level of 7 trillion electron volts (TeV) was observed during the event. This seems like a big number, but when you consider that an ant can easily produce as much kinetic energy as 1 TeV, it's actually a small amount of energy. So what's the big deal, right? The big deal is that the particles in the collider are infinitesimally smaller than an ant, so when 7 TeV is applied to colliding particles (3.5 TeV per particle), they move almost as fast as the speed of light (note: not the speed of sound as the lyric in the title states!).
Scientists hope to eventually discover more about dark matter and the Higgs boson (or God Particle). If experiments go as planned (which they haven't so far...and they almost never do), this collider could smash open (literally) new discoveries in the world of physics. Ah, what great material for science-fiction writers everywhere!
*Coldplay
Monday, November 16, 2009
"Will the Future Blame Us"*
Stephen Colbert reminded me about a very important scientific project that has once again been making headlines. You may remember my post about the Higgs boson or God Particle, which is what supposedly gives all objects mass.
In a recent clip from Mr. Colbert's show, he discussed how the future may be sabotaging the discovery of the Higgs boson. (Here's a blog post from Stephen Soldz that I also found interesting.)
My hats off to Bech Nielsen and Masao Ninomiya for daring to think of an idea so worthy of fiction. That would be so awesome if something was sent from the future to keep scientists from discovering this particle. I think we all should write a short story about someone or something visiting us from the future to prevent some catastrophic (or maybe a not-so-catastophic) event. Please share if you do write something.
*Our Lady Peace
In a recent clip from Mr. Colbert's show, he discussed how the future may be sabotaging the discovery of the Higgs boson. (Here's a blog post from Stephen Soldz that I also found interesting.)
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Big Bang Theory | ||||
| ||||
My hats off to Bech Nielsen and Masao Ninomiya for daring to think of an idea so worthy of fiction. That would be so awesome if something was sent from the future to keep scientists from discovering this particle. I think we all should write a short story about someone or something visiting us from the future to prevent some catastrophic (or maybe a not-so-catastophic) event. Please share if you do write something.
*Our Lady Peace
Thursday, April 2, 2009
"Oh, oh, listen to the music, all the time"*
While I was in New York City, I had some time to wander around (okay, hobble around...curse my stupid medial meniscus!). I was in the mood for a cannoli, so I hopped on the subway (thank you hopstop.com) and headed to Veneiro's Bakery. There seems to be a lot of debate about where to get a good cannoli in Manhattan, but I'm not really that picky. Honestly, can a cannoli really be bad?
I bought six mini cannolis and a little kiwi tart-thingy. The tart reminded me of one of the desserts my husband and I had eaten at the beach barbecue buffet in Tahiti. Ahhh, Tahiti. Just thinking of it makes me so relaxed...
Oh, sorry, was I talking about something...oh, right, cannolis. So I took my pastries and headed back in the direction of the subway station. I passed a church that had a bunch of benches in front of it. Its gates were open and a sign said that the church didn't close until 1:00 a.m., so I found a nice spot to sit and enjoy the weather.
I didn't think to check what the name of the church was, but I managed to locate it later on google maps with their street view option. (It's scary how easy it is to see real street views on that website. Is nothing private anymore?) I was at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery.
I had a book, my kiwi tart, and a cannoli. I had brought my iPod with me, but I found I didn't need it. Now, I've noticed that a lot of my peers--and sadly those from a younger generation--are permanently attached to their music players. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPod. But it has a place and a time.
On this particular occasion, I didn't need it. I had the music of the city to listen to. Someone was playing a harmonica. That I couldn't see this person made it even better. It was music from nowhere, or maybe it was from everywhere. There was the constant chatter of the street: engines, horns, shouts. The shuffle of families, artists, wanderers coming and going. The soft coo of those rats-with-wings (also known as pigeons).
At some point the harmonica's music stopped, but I didn't even notice because a guitar picked up right in its place. Then a young woman came and sat a little ways in front of me. She was on her phone. Her tone was serious, angry, sad. "You're just like lawyer. Always lying...I just can't keep doing this with you."
She soon left and a young couple took her place. They didn't talk much because they were sharing a serving of what looked like fried clams. Still, the crunch of the Styrofoam container, their soft chewing and little murmurs reached my ears. The church bells tolled, reminding me I had a critique appointment and a bum knee that made travel in the city a slow process.
Alas, I had lingered long enough with my music. It was time to go find a new song.
*Doobie Brothers
I bought six mini cannolis and a little kiwi tart-thingy. The tart reminded me of one of the desserts my husband and I had eaten at the beach barbecue buffet in Tahiti. Ahhh, Tahiti. Just thinking of it makes me so relaxed...
Oh, sorry, was I talking about something...oh, right, cannolis. So I took my pastries and headed back in the direction of the subway station. I passed a church that had a bunch of benches in front of it. Its gates were open and a sign said that the church didn't close until 1:00 a.m., so I found a nice spot to sit and enjoy the weather.
I didn't think to check what the name of the church was, but I managed to locate it later on google maps with their street view option. (It's scary how easy it is to see real street views on that website. Is nothing private anymore?) I was at St. Mark's Church in the Bowery.
I had a book, my kiwi tart, and a cannoli. I had brought my iPod with me, but I found I didn't need it. Now, I've noticed that a lot of my peers--and sadly those from a younger generation--are permanently attached to their music players. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPod. But it has a place and a time.
On this particular occasion, I didn't need it. I had the music of the city to listen to. Someone was playing a harmonica. That I couldn't see this person made it even better. It was music from nowhere, or maybe it was from everywhere. There was the constant chatter of the street: engines, horns, shouts. The shuffle of families, artists, wanderers coming and going. The soft coo of those rats-with-wings (also known as pigeons).
At some point the harmonica's music stopped, but I didn't even notice because a guitar picked up right in its place. Then a young woman came and sat a little ways in front of me. She was on her phone. Her tone was serious, angry, sad. "You're just like lawyer. Always lying...I just can't keep doing this with you."
She soon left and a young couple took her place. They didn't talk much because they were sharing a serving of what looked like fried clams. Still, the crunch of the Styrofoam container, their soft chewing and little murmurs reached my ears. The church bells tolled, reminding me I had a critique appointment and a bum knee that made travel in the city a slow process.
Alas, I had lingered long enough with my music. It was time to go find a new song.
*Doobie Brothers
Saturday, February 28, 2009
"Bet you feel small, it happens to us all"*
My post on the Higgs boson or God particle discussed things that are really small, so here's some thoughts that take you to somewhere really big. These big thoughts made me feel really small and certainly gave me a totally new perspective.
A couple of years ago, I was in NYC for a writing conference. My husband came with me and we went down a day early to check out the city. We decided to visit the American Museum of Natural History. Neither of us had been there since we were kids. Actually, it was a lot more fun to go as adults. We could look at whatever we wanted (and skip anything we didn't feel like looking at), we didn't have to fill out any kind of worksheets or anything, and no chaperones.
There was one particular exhibit that really blew my mind, one I still think about today. The Scales of the Universe looks pretty flashy with the giant model planets that hang from the ceiling and the enormous Hayden Sphere, but the meat-and-bones of the exhibit is based on a simple power of ten scale.
The exhibits walkway starts by showing you the very small (yup, I'm talking about those good old microparticles), and each step takes you to something a little larger, and in comparison you get a little smaller, and smaller, and smaller, and smaller...And as you meander around the walkway, you learn how insignificant your life really is.
The coolest things is how the exhibit uses reference points that are easy to understand. That's where the models and the Hayden Sphere (which in relative size to the model planets represents the sun) come into play. One step might show you a tiny speck and explain that if the Hayden Sphere were (I'm totally making up this comparison; the museum website shows you real ones) say your head, this speck might be how big a single skin cell is.
That's how the exhibit does just what it says: it uses the large spheres and smaller models to scale the universe and its parts into a size that is comprehendible. Well, sort of. By the end of the walkway our own universe is so small in comparison to the object to which it's being compared that you're not even a speck within a speck within a speck...Whoa! Totally mind (well you know!).
I try to remember this scale when nine months after sending out my baby, my heart and soul on paper (a.k.a. my manuscript), I receive a brief note from an editor saying that she like my manuscript but it wasn't right for her list. It's all about keeping things in perspective...at least that's what I keep telling myself!
*The Moody Blues
A couple of years ago, I was in NYC for a writing conference. My husband came with me and we went down a day early to check out the city. We decided to visit the American Museum of Natural History. Neither of us had been there since we were kids. Actually, it was a lot more fun to go as adults. We could look at whatever we wanted (and skip anything we didn't feel like looking at), we didn't have to fill out any kind of worksheets or anything, and no chaperones.
There was one particular exhibit that really blew my mind, one I still think about today. The Scales of the Universe looks pretty flashy with the giant model planets that hang from the ceiling and the enormous Hayden Sphere, but the meat-and-bones of the exhibit is based on a simple power of ten scale.
The exhibits walkway starts by showing you the very small (yup, I'm talking about those good old microparticles), and each step takes you to something a little larger, and in comparison you get a little smaller, and smaller, and smaller, and smaller...And as you meander around the walkway, you learn how insignificant your life really is.
The coolest things is how the exhibit uses reference points that are easy to understand. That's where the models and the Hayden Sphere (which in relative size to the model planets represents the sun) come into play. One step might show you a tiny speck and explain that if the Hayden Sphere were (I'm totally making up this comparison; the museum website shows you real ones) say your head, this speck might be how big a single skin cell is.
That's how the exhibit does just what it says: it uses the large spheres and smaller models to scale the universe and its parts into a size that is comprehendible. Well, sort of. By the end of the walkway our own universe is so small in comparison to the object to which it's being compared that you're not even a speck within a speck within a speck...Whoa! Totally mind (well you know!).
I try to remember this scale when nine months after sending out my baby, my heart and soul on paper (a.k.a. my manuscript), I receive a brief note from an editor saying that she like my manuscript but it wasn't right for her list. It's all about keeping things in perspective...at least that's what I keep telling myself!
*The Moody Blues
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
"Blow Up the Outside World"*
I love when I come across a little bit of information that totally blows my mind. My brother recently made my privy to the God particle (also known as the Higgs boson). This is a tough concept to wrap your head around, but here's my not-so-scientific explanation of what the God particle is—or rather what it's hypothesized to be.
First there was the atom, which was thought to be indivisible. Then it was discovered that the atom was actually made of subatomic particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. So much for that whole indivisible theory! So these subatomic particles must be indivisible. Wrong! While scientists think the electron cannot be divided (and therefore classify it as an elementary particle), protons and neutrons are actually made of other elementary particles.
Okay, so the God particle is supposedly the most fundamental of the all the elementary particles. Scientists think that finding this God particle will help to unravel all the mysteries of the universe. They hope to discover the source of matter, i.e. how things were created.
Scientists have built the Large Hadron Collider in order to try to observe the God particle. The only problem with this device is that there is a very minute chance that it could open up a black hole or cause the Earth to implode. I guess that's the risk you take when you start smashing very volatile particles together.
The operations of this project actually started last year (and, no, the Earth wasn't sucked into a black hole!), but a malfunction has since shut down further experiments. It's scheduled to begin again in the fall of 2009.
In the meantime, I'll try to get as much blogging in as I can because it would be a real bummer to be sucked into a black hole before I got all my super-important observations out to the public.
*Soundgarden
First there was the atom, which was thought to be indivisible. Then it was discovered that the atom was actually made of subatomic particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. So much for that whole indivisible theory! So these subatomic particles must be indivisible. Wrong! While scientists think the electron cannot be divided (and therefore classify it as an elementary particle), protons and neutrons are actually made of other elementary particles.
Okay, so the God particle is supposedly the most fundamental of the all the elementary particles. Scientists think that finding this God particle will help to unravel all the mysteries of the universe. They hope to discover the source of matter, i.e. how things were created.
Scientists have built the Large Hadron Collider in order to try to observe the God particle. The only problem with this device is that there is a very minute chance that it could open up a black hole or cause the Earth to implode. I guess that's the risk you take when you start smashing very volatile particles together.
The operations of this project actually started last year (and, no, the Earth wasn't sucked into a black hole!), but a malfunction has since shut down further experiments. It's scheduled to begin again in the fall of 2009.
In the meantime, I'll try to get as much blogging in as I can because it would be a real bummer to be sucked into a black hole before I got all my super-important observations out to the public.
*Soundgarden
Thursday, February 5, 2009
"It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV"*
I always chuckle when that "Viewer Discretion is Advised" warning airs at the beginning of a TV show. I can't help but think Duh! Shouldn't viewers always use discretion when watching a TV program? And can anyone really indiscriminately watch TV anyway?
Maybe if people used discretion (defined as "the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgement") in all aspects of their lives, the world would be a better place. And if someone fails to use discretion, then maybe that right should be taken away from him and we should let someone else use discretion on his behalf.
Some of my favorite programs have these warnings (Family Guy and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), but some programs that should include this warning don't. I'm not sure if this episode of How It's Made had a viewer warning, but this clip definitely should. It was very unsettling. It made me laugh, which immediately made me feel bad, and then it kind of made me want to cry! You'll just have to watch it to see what I mean.
*Seth MacFarlane
Maybe if people used discretion (defined as "the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgement") in all aspects of their lives, the world would be a better place. And if someone fails to use discretion, then maybe that right should be taken away from him and we should let someone else use discretion on his behalf.
Some of my favorite programs have these warnings (Family Guy and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), but some programs that should include this warning don't. I'm not sure if this episode of How It's Made had a viewer warning, but this clip definitely should. It was very unsettling. It made me laugh, which immediately made me feel bad, and then it kind of made me want to cry! You'll just have to watch it to see what I mean.
*Seth MacFarlane
Friday, October 10, 2008
"Are you ready for some football?"*
As I've mentioned before, I'm always interested in emerging technologies. I recently encoutered a gem in the Virtual Playbook, courtesy of EA Sports and ESPN. Previously, analysts on ESPN's NFL pre-game shows simply acted out plays on a demo field. Sadly I wasn't able to find a clip to show you (if anyone does, please post a link in the comments section!).
Now, I've always found this segment a bit amusing. Picture out-of-shape football analysts and former NFL players on a studio field (at least they had a real football) demonstrating NFL plays with the skills and speed typical of, well, out-of-shape analysts and former football players.
With the Virtual Playbook, this once technologically defunct segment has been upgraded to include analysts interacing in reality-based game scenarios involving video-game images of real football players. (See more details in this article...again, sorry about the lack of a real video.)
This technology may be able to answer such burning questions as: What if (insert name of favorite NFL quarterback) had completed that pass to (insert name of favorite NFL receiver), resulting in a touchdown for (insert name of favorite NFL team)? I know, something we were all dying to know about!
Let's hope the world of sports will continue to create technologies that allow viewers to vicariously judge the actions of professional athletes for years to come!
* Hank Williams, Jr.
Now, I've always found this segment a bit amusing. Picture out-of-shape football analysts and former NFL players on a studio field (at least they had a real football) demonstrating NFL plays with the skills and speed typical of, well, out-of-shape analysts and former football players.
With the Virtual Playbook, this once technologically defunct segment has been upgraded to include analysts interacing in reality-based game scenarios involving video-game images of real football players. (See more details in this article...again, sorry about the lack of a real video.)
This technology may be able to answer such burning questions as: What if (insert name of favorite NFL quarterback) had completed that pass to (insert name of favorite NFL receiver), resulting in a touchdown for (insert name of favorite NFL team)? I know, something we were all dying to know about!
Let's hope the world of sports will continue to create technologies that allow viewers to vicariously judge the actions of professional athletes for years to come!
* Hank Williams, Jr.
Friday, June 13, 2008
"Well, I woke up this morning, and I got myself a beer"*
The technology that has gone into beer containers of late is quite impressive. Coors seems to be the leader in the industry. They first came out with the wide-mouth beer can in 1996. Contrary to what I thought, it was not designed to allow for faster beer chugging, but was created to give drinkers an experience that was closer to drinking beer out of a glass. Go figure. I didn't know people actually drank beer for the taste!
Earlier this year Coors introduced the venting beer can. You may have seen the commercial where a guy lets his girlfriend think that his buddy needs to emotionally vent when the guys really just want to pore over some vented beer cans (pun intended!). (I won't even digress into the absurdity of commercials like that...please, don't get me started). Like the wide-mouth can, this technology was designed to give the beer a smoother feel. Coors is also the company behind the temperature indicator on beer labels. Their signature Rocky Mountains turns from white to blue when the beer is cold enough to drink. So much for good-old common sense.
My favorite invention has to be the self-cooling beer can. This little beauty--created by a company called Tempra Technology--uses all kinds of scientific principles (vacuums, evaporation, gels, etc...) to give you the pleasure of a can that cools your beer to the perfect temperature in just three minutes. Finally, someone has found a way to save me all that time I spend waiting for my beer to cool. Maybe they'll even put a little voice recorder on the can to tell me when it's ready.
Don't worry; all you have to do is twist the base of the can. Supposedly, it's all environmentally friendly and won't contaminate the flavor of the beer (again with the whole flavor thing). I even read that you can throw the can on a fire and it won't explode! I know, what a disappointment.
Now, imagine if all this thought, creativity, and innovation were applied to something useful...say to reverse global warming or discover a new power source. Wow, we could solve all the world problems in no time! But really, who needs that...not when you have perfectly cold beer pouring out of a vented can in three minutes. Did I mention I was a wine drinker?
*The Doors
Earlier this year Coors introduced the venting beer can. You may have seen the commercial where a guy lets his girlfriend think that his buddy needs to emotionally vent when the guys really just want to pore over some vented beer cans (pun intended!). (I won't even digress into the absurdity of commercials like that...please, don't get me started). Like the wide-mouth can, this technology was designed to give the beer a smoother feel. Coors is also the company behind the temperature indicator on beer labels. Their signature Rocky Mountains turns from white to blue when the beer is cold enough to drink. So much for good-old common sense.
My favorite invention has to be the self-cooling beer can. This little beauty--created by a company called Tempra Technology--uses all kinds of scientific principles (vacuums, evaporation, gels, etc...) to give you the pleasure of a can that cools your beer to the perfect temperature in just three minutes. Finally, someone has found a way to save me all that time I spend waiting for my beer to cool. Maybe they'll even put a little voice recorder on the can to tell me when it's ready.
Don't worry; all you have to do is twist the base of the can. Supposedly, it's all environmentally friendly and won't contaminate the flavor of the beer (again with the whole flavor thing). I even read that you can throw the can on a fire and it won't explode! I know, what a disappointment.
Now, imagine if all this thought, creativity, and innovation were applied to something useful...say to reverse global warming or discover a new power source. Wow, we could solve all the world problems in no time! But really, who needs that...not when you have perfectly cold beer pouring out of a vented can in three minutes. Did I mention I was a wine drinker?
*The Doors
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