…plants had eyes? There’s a weird version of a natural history film showing just that. The film has been made by 1st Avenue Machine – a computer graphics company working in the field of advertising.
(hat tip to BoingBoing)
Year: 2005
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Who Owns The Root?
In the Unix operating system, the Root user is the equivalent of god, with absolute power over every aspect of the system, including all other users.There’s a somewhat similar concept in the Internet itself – there’s a bunch of servers – the root servers – that dictate Internet addresses, and how the numerical addresses are mapped to domain names such as www.google.com or www.bbc.co.uk.Up until now, these servers have been very firmly under the control of the US government. Not surprisingly, since the Internet has its origins in a US military network project. Equally not surprisingly, now that the Internet is a global phenomenon, other governments have started voicing concerns about the degree of control that the US has over the Internet. Those voices have gradually been getting louder, until now it seems as though some sort of inter-goverment body is likely, according to this report in yesterday’s Guardian.Personally, I would prefer to see the political governance of the Internet invested in some form of UN-related body. Naturally, some people see that as a very bad thing, but then, Mandy Rice-Davies Applies… -
2005 Ig Nobel Prizes
The 2005 Ig Nobel prizes have just been announced. As well as some interesting research on penguins’ pressurized poo pellets (go here for more details), I see that the inventor of Neuticles has also been honoured. I wrote about these back in June, when I observed that their success probably plays more upon the human owners’ feelings of inadequacy than any emotion felt by the animal in question.Oh, and talking of feelings of inadequacy, one wonders about the writer of this piece of fanmail to the organisers of the Ig Nobel Awards ceremony… -
Don’t Eat This
We were visiting a friend this week, and she pointed out this mushroom growing outside her house. It’s Amanita muscaria – Fly Agaric – a highly poisonous mushroom. The toxins in it attack the central nervous system producing intoxication, hallucination and a euphoria similar to drunkenness. The poison will stay in the system for several months, even though the symptoms generally only last 12 hours.
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500 Million Years in 51 Seconds
That’s the new Guinness ad: noitulovE (Evolution backwards). Despite the inaccuracies (e.g. we ain’t descended from flying squirrels) it’s a tour de force. -
It Never Rains…
…but it pours. If you thought that the depressing news around the Avian Flu virus wasn’t worrying enough, here comes news that a bunch of scientists have recreated the 1918 Spanish Flu virus – one of the deadliest ever to emerge. And it that wasn’t bad enough, it appears as though the genetic sequence of the virus is being made available online. Oh, great, now any competent mad molecular biologist can recreate the plot of Twelve Monkeys for real.The thing to remember about scientists is that they’re just fallible humans like the rest of us. A white coat does not guarantee intelligence and wisdom. -
Not To Worry You…
…but I can’t help returning to the topic of Avian Flu again. Thanks to PZ Meyers over at Pharyngula, I refer you to some excellent posts on the matter by Tara Smith. Start with this one. Sweet dreams… -
RIP, Ronnie
Ronnie Barker has died. Damn. A comic actor of the highest calibre, who also wrote much of his material. As the obituary in The Guardian points out: There was always a hint of unpredictable bleakness, or even menace, behind Barker’s toothy forensic accountant’s smile. Things were never quite what they appeared to be…Talking of which, one of the other obituaries in The Guardian today was for M. Scott Peck. Bizarre in the extreme, and merely serves to confirm my prejudice against psychiatrists and gurus. -
H is for Hero
Thanks to Nosemonkey, I’ve now been alerted to the blogging of Mr. H. He maintains two blogs at the moment: Giornale Nuovo and Curiosities of Literature. Both are the artistic and literary equivalents of Cabinets of Curiosities. Fabulous stuff – how am I going to find the time to keep up with all this? -
Phase 2 Complete
Yesterday we completed phase 2 of the House project – we signed the Koopovereenkomst – the draft contract to buy the house that we’ve found. The signed contract now goes to a notary, who will draw up the formal papers, and do a few other bits of work (for which, no doubt, he will expect to be handsomely rewarded).Champagne was drunk last night.Our current house is on the market, and the first viewers turn up at the weekend. Fingers and toes are crossed. -
But Y’Are, Blanche, Y’Are!
"We are not one-dimensional creationists" claims Nigel McQuoid in today’s Guardian. He’s the director of schools at the Emmanuel Schools Foundation – a faith-based organisation.He’s aggrieved because he thinks his organisation is being tarred with the creationist brush, and he believes the label is unfair. He writes:The individual beliefs of our teachers and students may vary, as in any school, between the atheist and the believer, but the commitment to rigorous, critical thinking is prized, as is the sanctity of personal, free and informed choice.All very praiseworthy stuff (although that word "choice" tends to make my hackles rise when used in the free market sense – but that’s a rant for another day). But, warming to his theme, Nigel then writes:So exactly what do we say about how the world began? Put simply, we teach that there are many views of how we came into being, and from which we might derive meaning and purpose for our lives. Many would applaud such openness in philosophy or RE, but something very strange seems to happen when anyone suggests that debate should ever creep into the science classroom.Er, excuse me? Who ever suggested that debate has no place in science? The whole point about science is that it is based on evidence that has been carefully tested through the scientific method – and that includes debate about the truthfulness of the evidence. Steady on, Nigel, I think you’re getting carried away a bit here.Even though the national curriculum for science encourages students to recognise controversy (behold, citing Darwinism as their single example!), Darwin’s own modern high priests fight tooth and nail to leave him untouched and unquestioned.
Sorry, Nigel, you’ve just blown it. There is plenty of controversy in evolutionary theory, but it’s controversy that rages around scientific evidence, not faith-based positions. You’ve just given yourself away. So, you think you’re not a one-dimensional creationist? Y’are, Blanche, y’are…
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Robert Sabuda
When I’m in a good bookshop, I usually have a peek in the Children’s section at the Pop-up books. Paper engineering fascinates me, and over the years I’ve built up a small collection (60-odd) of such books. In the 1970s and 1980s, Jan Pienkowski was the paper engineer to watch out for – his Haunted House was the book that got me started. I see it’s just been reissued – may it bring pleasure to a new generation of young readers.These days, though, the name of Robert Sabuda is the one to watch. I think he’s one of the best in the field at the moment. His Wizard of Oz and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are masterpieces. His latest, Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs, created with his partner Matthew Reinhart, is also a prime example of paper engineering at its best.Sabuda also has an excellent web site that is packed full of information, including a gallery of other paper engineers and pop-ups. Well worth visiting. -
Child Distress Flares
Sometimes, I feel I’m on the same wavelength as Charlie Brooker. The good thing about not having children of one’s own is that when one does borrow them to indulge oneself in the role of jolly uncle, one does so safe and secure in the knowledge that one simply returns them if they become tiresome. 🙂 -
Wine With Curry
I like both wine and curry. It is possible to combine them. There’s an upcoming webcast chat featuring Charles Metcalfe and his suggestions. As the chat is being sponsored by Alsace wines, you won’t be surprised to find that Alsace wines feature prominently in his suggestions. To broaden it out a bit, Hugh Johnson suggests medium-sweet white, very cold: Orvieto Abboccato, South African Chenin Blanc, Indian sparkling, cava or non-vintage champagne. If you want to go to the other extreme and emphasise the heat, try a Barolo or Barbaresco, or other deep-flavoured red. -
Strange Bedfellows
Reading that Arnie has vetoed the bill reminds me of the US telephone company offering cheap long distance calls to people who oppose same-sex marriages. Feministe has the link here – a recording of Eugene Mirman talking to the operator. Give it a listen – it’s worth it. And if you’ve ever wished that you could combine your hatred of homosexuals with a low-cost long distance calling plan, United American Technologies is the telephone company for you. -
Aibo Evolves
Sony’s electronic dog robot, Aibo, has just had a software upgrade. The press release proudly informs us that Aibo can now blog its own photo diary. Well, I know that “on the Internet nobody knows you’re a dog“, but isn’t this going just a bit too far?Seriously, I have tried to interest Martin in the idea that Aibo’s running costs will be a lot lower than having a real, live, messy dog, but somehow it just doesn’t appeal to him. I mean, think of it – no more bills from the vet, no food bills (Aibo’s consumption of electricity is cheaper than dogfood), no having to take the dog out for a walk in all weathers. It seems just so logical to me. Perhaps I’m not quite human myself. -
Better Late Than Never
Dutch Railways has finally got around to issuing an apology over its role in deporting 100,000 Jews from the Netherlands to the Nazi death camps in WWII.
Geoff Coupe's Blog 