about life, the universe, and everything
(via APOD: 2013 March 6 - Tardigrade in Moss)
Is this an alien? Probably not, but of all the animals on Earth, the tardigrade might be the best candidate. That’s because tardigrades are known to be able to go for decades without food or water, to survive temperatures from near absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, to survive pressures from near zero to well above that on ocean floors, and to survive direct exposure to dangerous radiations.
posted @ 08:01 AM EST
The entries from “Nothing Is Perfect” are being merged into this Tumblr blog, which I plan to move to ‘http://nothingisperfect.dolben.org/’. Though I created a Python script (relying on tumblpy) to automate the process of adding the old entries, it will take some time to complete as apparently there is a posting rate limit applied to apps.
For those wanting likewise to create some Python script to interact with Tumblr, I recommend using a script posted on gist to walk through the protocol of getting the necessary authorization codes without setting up a callback handler. Note that where the script asks for the PIN, enter the oauth_verifier, appearing in your web browser address field after you grant access, appended to the callback URL you gave when you registered your app.
posted @ 09:15 AM EST
The latest xkcd cartoon is of a type I’ve always liked, ever since I thought of it. Mine, from back in the day, (if I remember Pascal syntax correctly) follows.
program life; begin while alive do something end.
posted @ 08:02 AM EDT
FIFA: The World Cup Should Be Played on Natural Grass | Coworker
Incredibly, FIFA plans to have matches, including the final, in the next Women’s World Cup played on artificial turf. Sign a petition to demand play on natural grass.
posted @ 12:24 PM EDT
“The simple idea of nothing, a concept that even toddlers can understand, proved surprisingly difficult for the scientists to pin down, with some of them questioning whether such a thing as nothing exists at all.”
posted @ 08:34 AM EDT
Has Physics Made Philosophy and Religion Obsolete? - Ross Andersen - The Atlantic
From last year, an interview of Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist and Director of the Origins Institute at Arizona State University, author of A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing
posted @ 09:30 AM EDT
40 years after the famous “Blue Marble” picture showed the world what our planet looks like from afar in gorgeous detail, NASA released this updated version, shot by the Suomi NPP satellite.
posted @ 03:41 PM EDT
This essay by Mark O'Brien, published in 1990, became the basis for the 2012 movie The Sessions.
posted @ 09:20 AM EDT
Note that the linear regression (in red) gives a trend of nearly one day earlier per decade.
posted @ 01:55 PM EDT
