• Entertainment & Gaming

    Rise of the Game-Playing Machines

    By Posted on 8.8.2008 6 Comments

    The game of Go has long been a bastion of human brilliance. While computers have gotten steadily better at playing chess and poker, they've had a harder time wrapping their silicon minds around the elegant Japanese strategy game. That's why it's a big deal that a computer Go player known as MoGo beat a top-ranked human, Myungwan Kim, yesterday.

    8.9.2008 at 01:40am - Comment by JoelS

    it still needed a nine stone handicap to win. That still means that the majority of pros can beat it in an even game. It's coming along, but still a long ways from playing even with a 9P.

  • Science

    When Science and Justice Clash

    By Posted on 3.31.2008 6 Comments

    Paul Offit has written an op-ed in todays New York Times which hastens to point out what other news stories have largely misrepresented in the Hannah Poling autism lawsuit: The outcome of the court ruling does not mean the government is admitting to a causal link between childhood vaccines and the onset of autis

    3.31.2008 at 08:02pm - Comment by JoelS

    the research is correlational at best. There's just no strong evidence one way or the other. At the end of the day, vaccines are doing far more good than anything. Vaccines always carry a certain degree of risk. Also this cellular disorder could never explain the explosion in cases of autism over the last couple decades. Many of the arguments against the vaccines (when discussing autims) are based off out dated studies about vaccines that contained mercury. Critical thinking: important.

  • Technology

    The Ultimate Paper Airplane

    By Posted on 3.27.2008 7 Comments

    Japan's space agency gave it the OK. A famous astronaut says he'd get involved. They even tested a prototype in a wind tunnel. Still, it does sound nearly too off-the-wall to be true: Japanese scientists have teamed up with origami experts to design a paper airplane that could withstand re-entry and make its way from space back to Earth.

    3.27.2008 at 07:20pm - Comment by JoelS

    the real question is: will the design be released? I want to make an ultimate paper airplane.

  • The Environment

    The Great Green Hope

    By Posted on 3.19.2008 4 Comments

    It could slow carbon dioxide emissions, power cars and jets, and replace petroleum altogether. Pond scum or green slimewhatever you want to call italgae is the next great hope in the world of environmental startups.

    3.19.2008 at 03:19pm - Comment by JoelS

    Am I the only one getting Soylent Green flashbacks? This will be exciting if they can iron out the kinks.



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