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Assorted science articles and images
Apr. 7th, 2008 03:34 pmIf you're gay and (sort of) married in the US, don't move to Utah - Minolta drops a man's partner from their company medical benefits policy after moving from New Jersey (where they could register as a couple) to Idaho (where they couldn't). His partner was taking medication for depression and asthma, triggered by being in one of the towers during 9/11 and now must pay for an additional insurance policy, increasing their monthly living expenses by $650(US). The ACLU is working to have him reinstated in the company policy. Found on Rick Mercer's blog.
Spin-doctoring electrons using nanotubes - A doctoral student at the Neils Bohr Institute has confirmed that the spin of a single electron can be controlled electronically if the electron is trapped in a carbon nanotube placed between magnetic electrodes. Changing the potential across the tube changes the electron's spin. The discovery could eventually be used to create transistor-based magnetic memory, so far considered only a theoretics possibility.
Facebook Scrabble faces competition - RealNetworks, that holds an international license to distribute Scrabble electronically, has introduced a Scrabble application for Facebook to compete with Scrabulous. The application, however, is only available to those people registered as NOT living in either Canada or the US. RealNetworks is currently in negotiations with the Agarwalla brothers who developed the popular Scrabulous application.
Instant Messaging and the Introverted Personality - An interesting article in which one writer postulates that Introverts are less likely to use Instant Messaging, Twitter, and similar "always on" applications extensively, why this may be so, and how extroverts can handle this. Found on Slashdot.
Famous people as AD&D Characters - Wired magazine postulates how 9 celebrities could be configured as AD&D characters (Steve Jobs as a Paladin?). Found on Slashdot.
( 10 images under the cut )
Spin-doctoring electrons using nanotubes - A doctoral student at the Neils Bohr Institute has confirmed that the spin of a single electron can be controlled electronically if the electron is trapped in a carbon nanotube placed between magnetic electrodes. Changing the potential across the tube changes the electron's spin. The discovery could eventually be used to create transistor-based magnetic memory, so far considered only a theoretics possibility.
Facebook Scrabble faces competition - RealNetworks, that holds an international license to distribute Scrabble electronically, has introduced a Scrabble application for Facebook to compete with Scrabulous. The application, however, is only available to those people registered as NOT living in either Canada or the US. RealNetworks is currently in negotiations with the Agarwalla brothers who developed the popular Scrabulous application.
Instant Messaging and the Introverted Personality - An interesting article in which one writer postulates that Introverts are less likely to use Instant Messaging, Twitter, and similar "always on" applications extensively, why this may be so, and how extroverts can handle this. Found on Slashdot.
Famous people as AD&D Characters - Wired magazine postulates how 9 celebrities could be configured as AD&D characters (Steve Jobs as a Paladin?). Found on Slashdot.
( 10 images under the cut )