17 entries related to Science — Most recent at top.
P.W. Singer and his very excellent TED presentation on new robotics in warfare. The conflict has balanced from one form to its other robotic equivalent, yet the rules relationships and targets between enemies are yet still the same. These new robots are wired for war, can we then say we’re not? •
The Black Belt: How Soil Types Determined the 2008 Election in the Deep South. Through history, everything is linked: the late Cretaceous (85 millions years ago) with tropical seas over most of the southern states, to deposits, to rich black soils, to labor-intensive cotton production, to slavery, to civil war, to black demographics, to Obama. •
Youtube: How camera lenses are made. OMG, no wonder que ça coûte cher! Et on ne parle même pas encore des composantes électroniques! •
Xéroux m’informe que Theo Jansen, le néerlandais qui s’amuse à fabriquer des immenses bêtes de plages qui marchent, s’en vient faire un tour en ville mercredi soir à Concordia. Il ignaugura les Defiant Imagination Lecture Series présenté par la faculté des Beaux-Arts. “This dynamic lecture series brings together innovators of the critical imagination to explore the role of art in contemporary society.” Tu le veux là? Jansen a également présenté ses projets à TED. •
“Researchers at Purdue University have created a simulation that uses scientific principles to study in detail what likely happened when a commercial airliner crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower on Sept. 11, 2001.“ Incredibly detailed animation with different angle shots of the impact, fuel leakage, fire, explosion, dust, glass and its impact of the structural components of the tower. •
Le matin, je m’instruis: Animation expliquant les étapes de construction du viaduc du Millau, qui, en passant, fait plus de 2,4 km de long et 343m de haut (20m de plus que la tour Eiffel). La logique d’assemblage de grandes construction de la sorte me fait toujours penser à mes Legos. (Merci Nathanael) •
Love at First Byte. A great article on programmer Donald Knuth, writer of the book The Art of Programming. He will, through the publishing of his book, be brought to program and built today’s typesetting systems. The best quote: “I wouldn’t have wanted to write The Art of Computer Programming if it was going to look ugly.” (merci Hugo) •
The Price of a Gallon: 47 liquids compared. From tap water to cobra venom passing through human blood and Chanel 5 parfume. •
Êtes vous déjà demandé à quoi ressemblait une imprimante 3D et ce qui en sortait? Le plus fous ces ces assemblages fonctionnels sont “imprimés” tels quels, chacune des pièces engagées les unes dans les autres mais restant indépendantes (ce n’est pas une sculpture fixe). Comment ça marche. •
Flight patterns. Uses data from the US federal administration to create animations of flight patterns and density. •
2009: A Space Odyssey. A virtual tour onboard the Virgin Galactic spaceship. “Passengers won’t be taking off in SpaceShipTwo until the summer of 2009 (at the earliest).” Moi qui pensais avoir 60 ans quand ce genre de truc serait disponible. •
Snoil is a university project using ferrofluid and electromagnets to simulate and play the classic arcade game Snake. Don’t worry, he shows and explains how it all works. •
Astronomy pic of the day: Comet between fireworks and lightning on sandy beach in Perth, Australia. •
Youtube: Metalosis Maligna is a new “disabling disease which affects patients who have been fittedwith medical implants. Sourcing from such implants a wild metal growth ultimately transforms human patients into mechanical looking construction.” (merci Eric G.) •