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[Cancer]
When Good Cells go Bad. Let's hope our current generation of kids will be the last to see cancer as a major disease. Money doesn't cure cancer, but clever and intelligent research might. http://www.curecancer.org.au/
And Lyn, please stay well. You know why.
[Beam me up Scotty.. Deutschland uber alles Klingonen]
Ten years ago Deutsche Welle went online with the launch of the first Web site for a German public broadcaster. Since then DW-WORLD has developed into an internationally recognized source of journalistic excellence in 30 different languages. For its anniversary, Deutsche Welle is expanding to new worlds by introducing a 31st language -- Klingon.
http://klingon.dw-world.de/english/index.php
Quote du jour
--------------------
Never been lonely
Never been lied to
Never had to scuffle in fear
Nothing denied to
Born at the instant
The church bells chime
And the whole world whispering
Born at the right time
(Born at the Right time. Paul Simon)
[Magic eye]
the optical invention previously posted had me thinking. "Magic Eye" pictures seem to contain more information than 2D pictures, in the same size space. Part of the extra "infomation" appears to be related to making better use of the way the brain and sensory system process some sorts of data.
This sounds like there may be ways to make use of that approach, to store less data to evoke a sensation (which is after all the end reason for having data). The hard bit would be ensuring that the sensation is uniform across people. As one of the more public examples I can give with a personal focus is: if someone wanted to convey to me the concept of a small English village, they could use pages of descriptions of the appearance, photos of typical villages, film, video, etc etc. Or, they could just provide the smelll of coal fires. that smell evokes the entire emotional and physical scene in 2 seconds, every time. Trouble is it evokes an entirely different image in other people, and nothing in some ("what's that awful burning smell?")
[Clever optics]
"A specially shaped camera lens and processing method to ensure images are always in focus has been developed.
Physicist Dr Andy Harvey said it was a "simple system with a simple lens" which uses an optical encoder so that no information in images is lost."
This is very very clever. It does not require the traditional optical process of forming an image on a surface, which is subject to the twin evils of focus and depth of field. Medical applications are obvious, as well as consumer.
Now playing: My Mistake: Split Enz
Subways.
Sometimes the world of education seems like being underground in a subway. That's one weird world: it has its own sense of safety but an underlying stifling oppression that hangs in the air.
Its sumamrised nicely in It's Hard to be a Saint in the City (c) Bruce Springsteen 1972
And the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead
As the tracks clack out the rhythm their eyes fixed straight ahead
They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread
But it's too hot in these tunnels you can get hit up by the heat
You get up to get out at your next stop but they push you back down in your seat
Your heart starts beatin' faster as you struggle to your feet
Then you're outa that hole and back up on the street
And them South Side sisters sure look pretty
The cripple on the corner cries out "Nickels for your pity"
And them downtown boys sure talk gritty
It's so hard to be a saint in the city
