“This is coming whether we like it or not…It’s not how do we stop the tidal wave. It’s how do we manage it.” The Village Voice laments the creation of Combat Zones That See, or CTS. Smile, you’ll be on camera.
Category: Science
Paths of the Dead.
Nobel-prize winner and former NIH head Harold Varmus discusses 28 Days Later. I thought the virus angle was just a clever way of setting up the existence of zombies, but ok.
Not just for Trekkies anymore.
After a decade in the dark, SETI finally gets some ‘spec from NASA.
Death of the Party.
More good news on the gaming tip – Apparently, gamers aren’t only more spatially aware, they’re social multitaskers, too. All this validation for gamers is going to end up getting me in trouble…the last thing I need right now is another Civ binge.
Pac-Man, Lay off the Dots.
An Albany congressman proposes a “fat tax” on junk food, video games, and TV commercials to combat NY’s growing obesity rate. Thinking outside the box, I suppose, but where would this end? There are very few items in American life these days that don’t contribute to obesity, so it seems a bit harsh to pin the blame on Grand Theft Auto.
Another DUI?
According to Fortune (via the Segway website), “using a Segway is so intuitive that it feels as though the thing has somehow been plugged into your central nervous system.” Dan Bricklin adds, “The Segway is incredibly stable, whether
standing still or moving.” So, of course, Dubya manages to flip one almost immediately. I could extend the metaphor, but I think it speaks for itself, no?
Spiders and Bots.
Two stories from the Welcome to the Future dept: NASA and the European Space Agency send dueling rovers to Mars in search of life, while scientists perfect gecko tape technology to create real-life “Spiderman” gloves. There’s a few origin stories in here somewhere.
Better Living through Death.
Meant to blog this last week but forgot: FPS games increase brainpower. Experienced players of these games are 30 percent to 50 percent better than nonplayers at taking in everything that happens around them…They identify objects in their peripheral vision, perceiving numerous objects without having to count them, switch attention rapidly and track many items at once. Glad to hear my endless logged hours of Day of Defeat have not gone to waste. And considering I rented Enter the Matrix over the weekend and spent an unhealthy amount of time beating it, I must be operating on a Zen plane right now.
A Chill Wind Blows.
Rumors grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear…In a bid to stop the spread of SARS, the World Health Organization encourages travelers to stay out of Toronto. (I’m supposed to go there for a wedding in July, and as of right now I’m inclined to take my chances.) Perhaps it’s partly because of the post-Iraq news void, but it’s starting to look like SARS has the potential to be the 1918 influenza epidemic all over again.
X Gonna Give it to Ya.
Aircraft designer Burt Rutan unveils SpaceShipOne, a rocket plane designed to make private space tourism affordable. The design could garner him the X Prize, to be awarded to the first privately funded manned space flight. If it works like it’s supposed to, I expect Rutan will make a good deal more than $10 million.