A mix of tech and not

Tech posts will be less frequent over the next couple of weeks as conference paper deadlines loom large.

Source: BBC News Extracted from Warren Ellis's blog. SkyNet 5A, part of Britain's secure military communication system, is now in orbit. Expect terminator robots soon.

Source: Slate Extracted from Rick Mercer's Blog. This is not technology, but an interesting article, especially recent discussion on ms_danson's journal about helping (without asking first) and being helpful (asking if assistance is required). The article explores Bush's apparent focus on extracting a proper level of "gratitude" from countries in which they intervene. This is the political equivalent of "helping", then getting all pissy because they aren't being thanked for their efforts. The article states that this has the appearance of "Lord" Bush annoyed that serf-like nations do not bestow upon him the proper level of gratitude. In one writer's words, "Gratitude is something you give to somebody who's superior. It's very different from, say, appreciation, which is something that equals give each other."

Source: PhysOrg The sediment in the bottom of a Turkish lake may provide our best snapshot of climate changes over the past 500,000 years. Every summer, limestone and pollen combine to form a pale, inch-thick sediment that can be used to estimate the prevailing weather conditions in ancient Turkey. In the winter, the limestone ceases to fall, being replaced with a dark clay sediment. A core sample of the sediment with its clearly-marked rings could provide an accurate climate record going back to the time of the Neanderthal. Preliminary investigations have shown that climate change can be "rapid" in from a geological perspective, taking as little as 10 years.

Source: Space.com Texans tend to think big, and Bill Stone is thinking really big. Moon-sized. He is part of a company that plans to send a manned mission to the moon to determine if they can mine it for fuel that can be used in spacecraft. If this proves to be the case, they would process it there and ship to to low-Earth orbit where it can be used to refuel spacecraft. It is expected that fuel obtained in this manner would cost 1/10th of the equivalent shipped from Earth. They would hope to be "open for business" by 2015.

Source: Reuters A team of US researchers have shown that exercise is linked to the generation of new brain cells in the dentate gyrus of rats. This portion of the hippocampus is known to begin degrading in humans at around the age of 30, and is important for memory formation. Just one more reason to cultivate a lifestyle that includes plenty of exercise, particularly as you get older.