This Just In - Ellie The Dog is Still Cute

 

She's not a little puppy any more, but she's still The World's Cutest Dog. By the way, I took this photo with a Sony Alpha DSLR that I bought to take to Alaska next month. Looks like a winner. Click on the photo for a larger version.

John Stewart On Cheney

ISS As Seen From The Ground

Not bad for some students, although the 25" instrument they used did have an "adaptive optics" feature, warping the mirror to compensate for atmospheric distortion.

Designer Vaginas Grown In Lab

I've been very busy at work; busy at home; exhausted from fighting rush hour traffic in the near constant rain that has hovered over North Texas for weeks.

That's the only way I can explain missing a story of this significance.

An Italian doctor has reconstructed vaginas for two women born with a rare congenital deformation, using their own cells to build vaginal tissue in the lab for the first time.

Professor Cinzia Marchese of University Sapienza in Rome says a 28-year-old woman who underwent the first such operation a year ago now has a healthy vagina.

"She has got married and is living a normal life," says Marchese, a professor of clinical pathology and biotechnology whose study is published in the journal Human Reproduction.

The second operation was on a 17-year-old girl. The researchers took cells by biopsy from where her vagina should be and say the cells should grow in the lab to provide mucosal tissue, from which to 'build' a new vagina.

Mucosal tissue is found inside the vagina, the mouth and elsewhere in the body and has important attributes distinct from ordinary skin.

The two women have a condition called Mayer-von Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, or MRKHS for short, which affects an estimated one in 4000 to 5000 female infants.

Tropical Sunset In My Backyard

Tropical Sunset In My Backyard, originally uploaded by Astroroach.

Ron Paul On Iran

Is Iran as dangerous as some are saying?

In April 2006, on the floor of the US House of Representatives, Ron Paul made strong case for a policy of non-intervention and the many unintended consequences resulting from intervention, and argues that Iran is not the threat it's being made out to be.

There are some who may not agree strongly with any of my arguments, and instead believe the propaganda: Iran and her President, Mahmoud Almadinjad, are thoroughly irresponsible and have threatened to destroy Israel. So all measures must be taken to prevent Iran from getting nukes-- thus the campaign to intimidate and confront Iran.

First, Iran doesn’t have a nuke and is nowhere close to getting one, according to the CIA. If they did have one, using it would guarantee almost instantaneous annihilation by Israel and the United States. Hysterical fear of Iran is way out of proportion to reality. With a policy of containment, we stood down and won the Cold War against the Soviets and their 30,000 nuclear weapons and missiles. If you’re looking for a real kook with a bomb to worry about, North Korea would be high on the list. Yet we negotiate with Kim Jong Il. Pakistan has nukes and was a close ally of the Taliban up until 9/11. Pakistan was never inspected by the IAEA as to their military capability. Yet we not only talk to her, we provide economic assistance-- though someday Musharraf may well be overthrown and a pro-al Qaeda government put in place. We have been nearly obsessed with talking about regime change in Iran, while ignoring Pakistan and North Korea. It makes no sense and it’s a very costly and dangerous policy.

The conclusion we should derive from this is simple: It’s in our best interest to pursue a foreign policy of non-intervention. A strict interpretation of the Constitution mandates it. The moral imperative of not imposing our will on others, no matter how well intentioned, is a powerful argument for minding our own business. The principle of self-determination should be respected.

Well, I'm all for allowing self-determination, unless that self-determination is to point a gun at my head. So let's look at his argument point by point:

1. Iran doesn't have a nuke, and if they do have one, they wouldn't use it out of fear of retribution.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Almadinjad has an Apocalyptic mindset and an outlook that if it's the will of Allah they are annihilated, so be it. If it is not His will, they won't be.

2. We won the Cold War with a policy of containment.

Yes, but that containment was achieved using the very interventionist methods he decries, such as CIA and British assistance in putting the Shah in power in 1953. In the name of "containment" the US made deals with many despicable dictators. It may have helped win the Cold War, but in retrospect I think it was bad policy responsible for many of the problems we're having now. I don't want the US to bribe other nations to achieve "containment" of Iran.

3. We negotiate with North Korea and actually support Pakistan. Why are we so worried about Iran?

The difference is that North Korea and Pakistan already have nukes, which significantly complicates things. Still, treating them differently is a bad idea. The Iranians are learning the lesson that having a nuke means you can tell the US to kiss your ass, providing even more motivation to join the nuclear club.

If we do nothing, they will have nukes, but so do many other nations. To me, the question of Iran boils down to this: Will they use them offensively?

I don't think fear of retribution will disuade Iran from using nukes; I don't think "containment" will prevent their development; and I don't think regime change or involvement in their internal affairs is wise (in that I agree with Mr. Paul). Preemptive strikes would cause the least death and destruction but is unacceptable politically - the entire world would be against us.

The only way to know for sure if Iran plans to use nukes offensively is look for the mushroom cloud. There is nothing to do but wait - and retaliate.

Dramatic Chipmunk

This gets funnier each time I watch it!

Woman Didn't Play Lottery; Devastated By Loss

Thank God there are still rational judges in the world. I shudder to think what the result of this case would have been in a US court.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: A Dutch woman who claimed she suffered emotional damages due to not winning the lottery missed the jackpot in court too.

Amsterdam District Court judges Wednesday rejected the claim of Helene de Gier, who said she was traumatized by not winning the country's National Postcode Lottery, which she didn't enter, while her neighbors did.

DARPA LANdroids

I could sure use these at the 2010 Boy Scout Jamboree. Just drop a bunch of these in an area and they'll self-organize into a self-optimizing, self-healing mesh network. If some get destroyed, they'll move around and reform.

These little robot routers don't exist yet, but DARPA is opening it up for bidders. Their hope is that these things will be very cheap and disposable.

Sounds good, but what's to keep your adversary from going around with a wi-fi detector, picking them up and sticking them in a bag?

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Hey, if one GPS unit is good, four must be better right?

Lightning On Devil's Tower

You may recall this as the alien's landing site in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".

The Choice Before Us

"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose wisely." --Woody Allen

Fast Food Ads Vs. Reality

Many more example of disconnect can be found here.

It seems odd that we simply accept that what we are delivered bears little resemblance to the images we are sold, either in fast foods or political candidates.

Crotch-Rocket Airbag

OK, let's think this through, Yamaha. You want to put an airbag on a motorcycle? OK, that's laudable. But you're going to place the airbag and it's explosive charge where? Between my legs? I don't think so. There is too much potential to seriously interfer with the ability to pass along genetic material. I'll take my chances with the handlebars.

Computerized Cindy Sheehan

A robot that has been programmed to react with various emotions to certain words. It has been programmed to automatically react with fear and disgust whenever it hears the word "president", much like I do whenever I hear "Nancy Pelosi".

This makes me wonder...when AI arrives, will they be pre-programmed with all the fears and prejudices of their creators? It sure looks that way, despite the hope of many transhumanists that the AI will be "better" than we are. I think it's more likely that the Singularity will amplify human imperfections as well as reason. Yet another reason we're not going to survive.

The "Power Pedal" Robot Suit

The parent company of Panasonic, Matsushita Electric, has developed a "wearable robot" for the lower body that provides up to seven times the strength of an unassisted human.

Of course every time I see something like this I'm instantly thinking about Robert Heinlien style powered armor, but the developers have more humane uses in mind.

Researchers from Active Link, a Matsushita venture company, worked with Ritsumeikan University to develop a prototype of the powered suit, which is set to go on sale in August at a price of 20 million yen ($167,000) each. The company plans to cut the cost to around 3.5 million yen ($30,000) by the year 2015, as they aim to create a commercial product that can help the elderly and disabled to walk.

Matsushita also believes the robot suit could play a useful role in disaster relief operations, especially if combined with the company’s previous upper body robot suit technology developed in 2005, which is designed to provide users with an extra 50 kilograms (110 lbs) of arm strength.

Glock 18

Oh yeah. Glock 18 9mm Full Auto. Come get some!

Looks like fun, but I don't know how useful it would be. Give me "one shot, one kill" anytime.

Finally, My Jet Pack Is Shipping

eBay, that little corner of the Internet I usually ignore, has a very unusual item for sale. For a cool $250,000 bucks, you can be Buck Rodgers with your very own Jet Pack (or more accurately, Rocket Belt).

Dangerous as hell? Probably, but you'd certainly have a glorious and highly publicized death - and isn't that what we all want?

Blowin' Smoke

Huge Smoke Ring Device - Watch more free videos

Logical Approach To Climate Change

Interesting Argument About Global Warming - Watch more free videos

I like this guy's style!

I won't spoil it for you...his arguement is most effective when layed out step by step. This video is about 10 minutes long but well worth your time.

Matter At 99.9997% Light Speed

Wow. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but matter traveling in a Gamma Ray Burst has now been clocked at very near the speed of light - in fact only different from the speed of light by three parts in a million.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are powerful explosions occurring in distant galaxies, that often signal the death of stars. They are so bright that, for a brief moment, they almost rival the whole Universe in luminosity. They last, however, for only a very short time, from less than a second to a few minutes. Astronomers have long known that, in order to emit such incredible power in so little time, the exploding material must be moving at a speed comparable with that of light, namely 300 000 km per second. By studying the temporal evolution of the burst luminosity, it has now been possible for the first time to precisely measure this velocity.

GRB's are the most energetic events since the Big Bang, but because the burst itself only lasts seconds, the key to analysis is "catching them in the act" and watching as they evolve over time. This has been accomplished by linking satellite detection of GRB events to special ground based telescopes that can quickly point to the correct spot in the sky.

Shuttle Contrail Clouds

APS Underwater Assault Rifle

Here's an interesting Russian weapon. If you look at the front end of the needle-like projectiles you'll see they don't come to a sharp point, but are blunt. This creates super-cavitation allowing the projectile to travel in a bubble of gas and giving it a range of up to 30 meters underwater! The gun can also be fired in the air if necessary.

I wonder if our SEAL teams have something similar?

Miracles Piled On Miracles

It is the year two thousand seven.

At Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis is strapping in, preparing for a flight to the International Space Station. They carry a large truss segment and solar panels which will give the station the power it needs for the European and Japanese modules which will be added later.

A live camera in the cockpit shows the astronauts. The image is sent around the world via satellite; in Colorado the satellite feed is downloaded, converted and uploaded to a DirecTV satellite; a small parabolic dish on my rooftop in Fate, Texas recieves and converts this signal, and feeds it into a Series 2 Tivo.

I take out my Treo cell phone and run the Slingbox Mobile client. Using a high-speed UMTS connection, the client connects to the router on my broadband Internet connection in Fate, which port forwards to the Slingbox connected to the Tivo. The Slingbox digitizes and streams the Tivo's output, allowing me to watch the astronauts on my phone.

Sure, I don't have a Jet Pack yet, but the 21st century is still pretty cool.

LIes, Damn Lies and Statistics

In an entertaining example of how data can be chosen and massaged to find any statistical correlation desired, RealClimate.com demonstrates that the number of Republican in the US Senate is closely tied to the Sunspot Cycle.

Some readers may scoff and suggest that in the absence of any mechanism, these powerful correlations are numerological artifacts arrived at using post hoc fallacious reasoning that have no predictive capability. That might appear to be a valid argument. However the ultimate test will of course be experimental. On the basis of these intriguing results, we propose exposing Republican senators to varying levels of cosmic rays in a basement and monitoring their electability. Any refusal by the funding agencies or ethical review panels to support this would simply be confirmation that the political science establishment are scared of what this research would imply for their so-called "consensus".

Of course RealClimate.com is lampooning critics of global warming, but I'm certain manipulation of data to obtain a desired outcome has occurred on both sides of the debate. It's human nature.

Which Candidate Is Most Like You?

With such a wide field of candidates it can be difficult to determine which one is more closely aligned with your own thoughts on key issues.

Fortunately, SpeakOut.com has solved that problem with their Vote Match Quiz. Take a short 20 question quiz, and the site will match you with the candidates whose views on the issues most closely reflect your own.

Fun and Educational!

I'm With Fred

If nothing else, Fred Thompson will insert a little more straight talk into the political discussion than we'd see otherwise, so I'm glad Fred is finally throwing his hat into the ring. The only problem is that he's getting a late start, and unfortunately when it comes to getting the message out, it's all about the money. If you'd like to help, use the widget on the sidebar to donate, or for other ways to help, click here.

NASA Island In Second Life

While I was out of town last weekend, the National Space Society held their Internation Space Development Conference - but I still could have attended the meeting in cyberspace.

DALLAS, Texas - Taking a step into the new frontier, NASA Ames Research Center, under the direction of Simon "Pete" Worden, has launched an island in Second Life, an online 3-D virtual world created, shaped, and owned by its participants.

If successful, the partnership could offer a powerful new tool to increase global participation in NASA's exploration agenda, one day allowing the public to "take part" in returning to the Moon, future missions to Mars, the asteroids and beyond-all without the need of a spacesuit.

Worden, both in avatar form-known as Simon Pete Raymaker-as well as in person, spoke Saturday at the National Space Society's (NSS) 26th annual International Space Development Conference being held here.

"We at NASA are working hard to create opportunities for what I might call participatory exploration," Worden's avatar told participants at today's panel. An avatar is an out-of-body, Internet representation of herself or himself, alive and well and working within cyberspace.

I've been exploring NASA's CoLab island and it is way cool. Nearby, "life-sized" models of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Ares 1 and Ares 5 launch vehicles can be seen, alongside models of just about any rocket anyone has ever flown, including the majestic Saturn V, being carried by the awesome Crawler from the High Bay of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). It's worth the effort to sign up for a free Second Life account and downloading their software just to see this.

If you have a Second Life account, click here to go to the Spaceport. If you don't have an account yet, click here.