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chance20_m

Science

Robot Jellyfish Swims Just Like The Real Thing

By John Brandon Posted on 6.26.2009 12 Comments
Even though a jellyfish is 90 percent water, it moves at about 40 mph. Jellyfish use their bell -- the top portion, above the tentacles -- to create a jet that propels them through water. Now, scientists at the Chonnam National University in the Republic of Korea have built a robot that mimics the movement. The robot, using an electro-active polymer artificial muscle, retracts and expands its skirt, exerting a minimal voltage and propelling the jellybot faster than you can swim.

6.27.2009 at 01:01pm - Comment by chance20_m

Bull. That has got to be a typo. When's the last time you saw a gripping wildlife documentary where the jellyfish dramatically escapes its predator in a burst of 40mph jelly induced jet power? You didn't, and neither has anyone else. Heck, the leatherback sea turtle only goes about 21 mph, but it eats jellyfish. How is it catching them if it is only half as fast? Open sea ambush predation? Not likely. That strategy went out with the plesiosaurs.
Technology

The World's First Zero-Gravity Wedding

By John Mahoney Posted on 6.22.2009 4 Comments
Not inclined to wait for a suborbital ride on Virgin Galactic, Noah Fulmor and Erin Finnegan became the firt couple to be wed in microgravity this past weekend over the skies of south Florida.

6.27.2009 at 11:08am - Comment by chance20_m

"First of all point dexter, when you're not resisting the G pull it is zerogravity." First, it's "Poindexter", not "point dexter". Second, free fall is not zero gravity. Third, skydiving weddings are so common there are thousands of google hits, videos, and even services when you type that in the engine. I grant you it looks cool, but that's about it.
Technology

The World's First Zero-Gravity Wedding

By John Mahoney Posted on 6.22.2009 4 Comments
Not inclined to wait for a suborbital ride on Virgin Galactic, Noah Fulmor and Erin Finnegan became the firt couple to be wed in microgravity this past weekend over the skies of south Florida.

6.26.2009 at 06:40pm - Comment by chance20_m

Point of order, this isn't zero-gravity, it is free fall, and people have been married in free fall before.
Technology

Hurricane Busters

By Corey Binns Posted on 3.9.2009 12 Comments
A Category 4 hurricane approaches New Orleans, yet “When the Saints Go Marching In” continues to spill out of clubs on Bourbon Street. No one’s worried, because two F4 Phantom fighter jets have just taken off from the nearby Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base to kill the storm before it hits land.

3.9.2009 at 09:48am - Comment by chance20_m

I just don't understand how this could possibly work. The amount of energy being pumped into the hurricane by the aircraft is so miniscule compared to the overall energy, it would be like a fly trying to push over an elephant. To continue that analogy, if the elephant were balanced on the head of a needle, (in other words, in a very, very unstable position) maaaaybe I could see a fly pushing him over. But is a hurricane really that unstable? Is the eyewall that fragile? I've read of similiar proposals involving nukes, and they were dismissed for many reasons, not the least of which being that even nukes are insignificant compared to the power of a hurricane. If a nuke can't disrupt the eyewall enough to stop a hurricane, how would a couple of tiny aircraft. I also have to agree with the concern above; even if this would work, do we really want to do it? That energy has to go somewhere, it won't just disapear.
Science

Extreme Engineering: A Floating City

By Posted on 3.3.2009 12 Comments
Name: Oasis of the Seas Where: Florida Cost: $1.2 billion Estimated Completion: This year The Challenge: Build an 18-story-tall superliner with more outdoor space When the Oasis of the Seas sets sail later this year, it will claim the record for biggest passenger ship, with space for 6,300 passengers, 2,000 more than any other ship. But it will also claim the most rooms with balconies, the biggest onboard swimming pool, and the first at-sea, tree-filled, outdoor park.

2.27.2009 at 09:08pm - Comment by chance20_m

A tree filled park on a ship - because a swimming pool on a ship wasn't counter-intuitive enough. I know when I feel like a stroll through the park, I want to pay a few thousand dollars for the privilege.
Gadgets

Associated Press Not Ready for the Digital Conversion

By Sean Captain Posted on 4.2.2009 7 Comments
It's no wonder that many Americans are still confused about the conversion from analog to digital TV service, which began yesterday and is due to wrap up on June 12. Even the news media is confused. For example, an AP article on the transition included the following bit of misinformation:
In addition, many households will find that they need new antennas. Digital signals generally come in better than analog ones, but they are not received well by some older antennas.

2.18.2009 at 02:24pm - Comment by chance20_m

While you are no doubt technically correct, this is a distiction without a difference from an end-user standpoint.
Technology

SciTech Politics: The New Space Race

By Posted on 10.29.2008 3 Comments
Fifty years ago last month, NASA opened its doors. The launch of Sputnik the year before had rattled the United States’ faith in its technological superiority and pushed it to assert itself as the leader in space. In the decades since, that dominance has scarcely been challenged.

Article Rating:

11.4.2008 at 08:04am - Comment by chance20_m

Not only did the article ignore ESA, it ignored commercial spaceflight. What if the Google Lunar prize spurs a company to make it there before a government? What if Russia (or another country) buys Bigelow inflatable habitats instead of building a new space station on their own? True, it is difficult to predict how sucessful these commercial efforts will be or even if they will be sucessful at all, but if the point of the article is tension at NASA caused by competition, ignoring commercial competition is silly.
Science

One in Eight U.S. Biology Teachers Teaches Creationism

By Posted on 2.12.2009 109 Comments
The results of the first national survey of teachers about evolution in their classrooms are in. Darwin would quiver in his boots to learn that in this day and age, one in eight American biology teachers teach creationism and intelligent design as a sound alternative to his theory. In fact, 13 percent of the country’s teachers think they can run an excellent biology class without even mentioning Darwin or evolution.

5.23.2008 at 01:51pm - Comment by chance20_m

"Evolution is just a theory. It has not been proven. To teach it and only it would be near sided. America's youth should be presented a range of theories and told that the answer isn't known for certain. To lie and tell them that we fully understand the process that has lead to the world today is to do them a disservice." I believe you mean "one sided". In any event, you mischaracterize the theory completely. No credible scientist has ever stated that we completely understand the process of evolution. On the contrary, it is creationism that claims perfect knowledge of what transpired and when. I have read creationist arguments, and not one of them holds up to any scrutiny. As for teaching "all sides", science teaches the side that has the evidence to back it up. As new information comes in, theories are changed to incorporate the new data, or discarded entirely. If creationists want their beliefs to be taught in biology class, they need to make some predictions, test those predictions, and submit their findings to independant peer review. If their findings are confirmed, then they will have a leg to stand on. Until they do that, they should stop whining.