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The Epic of Gilgamesh - the oldest written story on Earth

Fri, 30 May 2008 02:21:14 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

The Epic of Gilgamesh is, perhaps, the oldest written story on Earth. It comes to us from Ancient Sumeria, and was originally written on 12 clay tablets in cunieform script. It is about the adventures of the historical King of Uruk (somewhere between 2750 and 2500 BCE).

Clip Source: evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com

Clip Source: www.ancienttexts.org

Supreme over other kings, lordly in appearance,
he is the hero, born of Uruk, the goring wild bull.
He walks out in front, the leader,
and walks at the rear, trusted by his companions.
Mighty net, protector of his people,
raging flood-wave who destroys even walls of stone!

Clip Source: www.allaboutarchaeology.org

Clip Source: www.ancienttexts.org

It was he who opened the mountain passes,
who dug wells on the flank of the mountain.
It was he who crossed the ocean, the vast seas, to the rising sun,
who explored the world regions, seeking life.
It was he who reached by his own sheer strength Utanapishtim, the Faraway,
who restored the sanctuaries (or: cities) that the Flood had destroyed!

Clip Source: www.aina.org

Clip Source: www.ancienttexts.org

beautiful, handsomest of men,
... perfect

Bikini-clad women make men impatient

Sat, 31 May 2008 01:26:16 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Sorry, no pictures!

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Images of sexy women tend to whet men's sexual appetite. But stimulating new research in the Journal of Consumer Research says there's more than meets the eye. A recent study shows that men who watched sexy videos or handled lingerie sought immediate gratification—even when they were making decisions about money, soda, and candy.

Authors Bram Van den Bergh, Siegfried DeWitte, and Luk Warlop (KULeuven, Belgium) found that the desire for immediate rewards increased in men who touched bras, looked at pictures of beautiful women, or watched video clips of young women in bikinis running through a park.

"It seems that sexual appetite causes a greater urgency to consume anything rewarding," the authors suggest. Thus, the activation of sexual desire appears to spill over into other brain systems involved in reward-seeking behaviors, even the cognitive desire for money.

"After they touched a bra, men are more likely to be content with a smaller immediate monetary reward,"

Tags: sex, men

Writing Good for You

Sat, 31 May 2008 07:37:38 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphere has taken off. Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

Most likely, writing activates a cluster of neurological pathways, and several researchers are committed to uncovering them.

blogging might trigger dopamine release, similar to stimulants like music, running and looking at art.

Tags: expressive writing

Solar power from space and global domination

Sat, 31 May 2008 04:47:38 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: Could solar satellites in space prove to be an alternative to oil? I don't know, but it sure is going to be interesting to find out.

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

"The country that takes the lead on space solar power will be the energy-exporting country for the entire planet for the next few hundred years," Miller said.

Russia, China, the European Union and India, according to the Pentagon report, are interested in the concept. And Japan, which has been pouring millions of dollars into space power studies for decades, is working toward testing a small-scale demonstration in the near future.

"We could see the first operational power satellite in about the 2020 time frame if we act now," he said.

Tags: solar, space, alternative energy, oil

5500 year old plaza found in Peru

Thu, 29 May 2008 14:58:22 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: Ground breaking discoveries began to come one after another in Peru. History textbooks need to be changed.

Clip Source: www.pretorianews.co.za

Lima - A ceremonial plaza built 5 500 years ago has been discovered in Peru, and archaeologists involved in the dig said on Monday carbon dating shows it is one of the oldest structures ever found in the Americas.

A team of Peruvian and German archaeologists uncovered the circular plaza, which was hidden beneath another piece of architecture at the ruins known as Sechin Bajo, in Casma, 229 miles north of Lima, the capital. Friezes depicting a warrior with a knife and trophies were found near the plaza.

"It's an impressive find; the scientific and archaeology communities are very happy," said Cesar Perez, the scientist at Peru's National Institute of Culture who supervised the project. "This could redesign the history of the country."

Prior to the discovery at Sechin Bajo, archaeologists considered the ancient Peruvian citadel of Caral to be one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, at about 5 000 years.

Tags: archaeology, south america, peru, sechin bajo, science

Top 10 New Species Announced

Fri, 30 May 2008 17:48:38 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Follow the links for further info and better pictures

Clip Source: www.species.asu.edu

Each year the IISE announces a list of the Top 10 New Species for the preceding calendar year. The Top 10 new species described in 2007, announced on May 23, 2008, are listed below with links to additional details about each species.

1. A Sleeper Ray with a Name that Sucks

2. 75-Million Year Old Giant Duck-billed Dinosaur

3. Shocking Pink Millipede

4. Rare Frog Off the Shelf

5. One of the Most Venomous Snakes in the World

6. Fruit Bat Crosses the Line

7. New Fun Guy on Campus?

8. Jellyfish Named After Its Victim

9. Life Imitates Art: “Dim” Rhinoceros beetle

10. Michelin Man™ Plant

Tags: life, animals, new species, taxonomy

Snowflake Photography Reveals Nature's Symmetry

Sat, 31 May 2008 01:10:11 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

WHITE SNOW:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

EXOTIC COLORS:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

COLUMNS AND NEEDLES:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

CAPPED COLUMNS:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

STELLAR DENDRITES:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

SECTORED PLATES:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

EXCEPTIONAL SYMMETRY:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

BRANCHING AND SIDE BRANCHING:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

MONSTER CRYSTAL:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

THREE-SIDED MYSTERY:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

A REGAL SNOWFLAKE:

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

NO TWO ALIKE:

Tags: snow, nature, photography

Cosmic Quest

Sat, 31 May 2008 00:10:07 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.firstscience.com

There have been three great revolutions which have shaped our view of the heavens and our place in the Cosmos – and we are currently living through the turmoil of the third period of astronomical breakthrough.

Revolution Number One: The Greek Geeks

the Greeks analysed what they saw in the sky. These philosopher-mathematicians were the first true scientists

Eratosthenes managed to measure the circumference of the Earth, while Hipparchus charted the positions of nearly 1000 stars

Clip Source: firstscience.ds5701.dedicated.turbodns.co.uk

Revolution Number Two: Dethroning the Earth

Copernicus

realised that things would be much better if it was assumed that the Earth travelled around the Sun, rather then vice-versa

The scene was now set for astronomy to change forever.

Clip Source: firstscience.ds5701.dedicated.turbodns.co.uk

Revolution Number Three: The Violent Universe

our Universe, far from being a calm haven, is a seething cauldron of unimagined energy and destruction

Stanley Hey deserves to be called the father of radio astronomy.

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Listen to the latest edition

Listen again to episodes broadcast

last week

Is Tooth Cleaning a Scam?

Fri, 30 May 2008 15:58:36 GMT

clipped by: shunyax
clipper's remarks: .....And let me be clear that I’m not calling into question the value of brushing and flossing your teeth, or visiting your dentist regularly to check for cavities, as well as other potential problems). But it’s food for thought.

Clip Source: freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com

Is Tooth Cleaning a Scam?

By Ian Ayres

I began to wonder if there was such a thing as “evidence-based dentistry.”

Thank God for Google. It turns out there is an entire journal called “Evidence Based Dentistry.” And in just a few minutes, I was looking at a formal Cochrane review titled “Insufficient evidence to understand effect of routine scaling and polishing.”

The review looked for evidence to answer two related questions:

The first is, do scale and polish procedures [having your teeth cleaned] lead to any difference in periodontal health compared with no scale and polish? Second, does the interval between these scale and polishing procedures make any difference?

[T]he authors of the only study that found differences in gingivitis scores (at 6, 12 and 22 months) deemed those differences clinically irrelevant….

The next time your dentist asks you to make an appointment to have your teeth cleaned, you might reasonably ask, “Why?”

Soundflavor, the IMDB of music?

Sat, 31 May 2008 08:43:36 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Soundflavor has relaunched as a consumer-friendly database of song information that will provide users with a one-stop-shop for song information, videos, and recommendations in an attempt to create an IMDB-like solution for music.

The site make it easy to find a particular song or artist. Users can browse and filter their searches by genre, decade, or even by the subject of the lyrics. After choosing a song, you are presented with a mashup of related information, including artist bios from Wikipedia, recent news headlines, store links to purchase the song, and flickr photos.

helping you to rediscover the music that you already own or that the people around

Soundflavor pulls music from your existing music collection and music shared on your local network creating interactive playlists that vary in “flavor”, or similarity, you own. In addition to that, Soundflavor will recommend new music similar to what you already own or are listening to for purchasing and building out your library.

Tags: music, database

The Baby-Jumping Festival in Spain

Sat, 31 May 2008 14:33:36 GMT

clipped by: hitchhiker08
clipper's remarks: Bizarre! Maybe they should stick to bull-fighting...its less dangerous!

Clip Source: www.wackyarchives.com

The Baby-Jumping Festival

We’re not joking, the Baby-jumping Colacho Festival is a real annual event celebrated all over Spain since the 1620s. It consists of grown men dressed as the Devil leaping over helpless babies. Why do they do this? They represent the devils that, when they jump, they take all the evil with them leaving the babies clean of evil. Here is a snapshot of one of the weirdest religious traditions

Tags: babies, ritual, custom, spain

The Dawn of Free Internet Access?

Fri, 30 May 2008 15:42:17 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

The Dawn of Free Internet Access?

It's the sort of news that ought to scare the pants off Comcast executives. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed the commission auction off a portion of the 25 megahertz spectrum with a free provision -- meaning that whoever licenses the spectrum must provide internet access to people for free.

We won't know whether the FCC will proceed with the idea (the commissioners vote on June 12), but the fact that the proposal is even up for consideration must be gratifying to the millions of Comcast and Cox victims who may pay upwards of $40 per month for shoddy broadband access and awful customer service.

A "free" broadband spectrum auction could also help spur internet adoption in the U.S., where there is still a big gaping divide between the broadband haves and have-nots.

The Future Is About Online Advertising

Sat, 31 May 2008 08:33:02 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.efluxmedia.com

We may well call this the “Internet advertising” era, if we look at IDC’s latest report on the U.S. market: online advertising is expected to double from $25.5 billion last year to $51.1 billion in 2012, the market research firm predicted on Friday.

Within the next four years, online advertising is expected to become second after direct advertising, from the fifth place it occupies today. According to IDC, the online video advertising will also increase in popularity in the United States.

Furthermore, the revenue from video advertising is expected to grow sevenfold from $500 million now to $3.8 billion within four years. We are now looking at a tendency to shift from cable TV and broadcast television classic advertising to online video advertising, IDC says.

consumers have begun to realize that as opposed to the TV, internet video allows them to watch what they want, when they want, how many times they want.

Tags: advertising, internet, video, future

Police Artist Sketch of Robbery Suspect

Sat, 31 May 2008 01:12:01 GMT

clipped by: gingembre
clipper's remarks: Oww...I had a painful encounter with a highway robber the other day. I took two five-gallon gas cans to the station to buy gas for the mower and chainsaw and nearly fainted at the cost of the ten gallons of gasoline--$53!!!

I live in northern Ontario and our gasoline is always higher than it is in the States, but this is outrageously high. There's very limited public transportation up here. I don't know how people here are going to be able to afford to get around or afford goods that must be transported here. It's scary.

I recall that some people used to argue that gasoline is still cheaper per gallon than milk, but they can't say that now. At least not where I live.

So I laughed at the sketch, but ruefully.

Clip Source: oldhorsetailsnake.blogspot.com

Tags: gasoline, humor, tragedy, robbery, cartoon

VW’s 235mpg car

Fri, 30 May 2008 00:04:52 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.inhabitat.com

TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: VW’s 235mpg car

With oil prices at $135 dollars per barrel, the pressure is on for car makers to innovate and create more fuel efficient vehicles. Volkswagen seems to be taking this task seriously with the 1L, a prototype that is capable of traveling for 235mpg using 1 gallon of gasoline, or 100km on 1L of gas. Adding to the excitement of this breakthrough is recent news that VW plans to get this concept out to market in 2010!

The car is extremely fuel efficient, each gallon of fuel will take you over 235 miles. The fuel tank holds just 1.7 gallons, making the entire travel distance capability about 400 miles per tank. It’s top speed is 120 km/h (75mph), which although isn’t too fast is a welcome trade off for the huge savings in gas consumption.