Clipmarks |

Sex, lies and some existential questions.. :-)

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:51:28 GMT

clipped by: Bluewhale
clipper's remarks: So many orchids treat their pollinators so nastily, with false promises of food and sex or the occasional dunking of insect visitors into bucket-shaped petals full of liquid, that naturalists have puzzled over the relationship for more than a century.

Darwin was so consumed by the odd interactions that after “The Origin of Species,” his next book was an entire volume on the subject, “The Various Contrivances by Which Orchids Are Fertilized by Insects.”

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Sexually deceptive orchids, as biologists have long known, look and can even smell so much like a female insect that males will try to mate with the flower in a sometimes vigorous process that can result in pollination

. But scientists now report that the tongue orchids of Australia are such thoroughly convincing mimics of female wasps that males not only try to mate with them, but they actually do mate with them — to the point of ejaculation.

The discovery that orchids can induce such an extreme response is more than just bizarre natural history, because biologists have always assumed that the sexual misrepresentations of orchids were harmless to the duped males, no more than a comical exercise in frustration.

“If males waste all their sperm on orchids,” Ms. Gaskett asked, “what have they got to offer a real female?”

why, scientists asked, would orchids do such an evolutionarily foolish thing? Why would a flower evolve to compromise the ability of its pollinator to reproduce?

Tags: evolution, orchids, sex

Thought control: it's the computer world's latest game plan

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:44:22 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: “This is the tip of the iceberg for what is possible,” said Tan Le, another of Emotiv's co-founders, during a recent press demonstration. “There will be a convergence of gesture-based technology and the brain as a new interface - the Holy Grail is the mind.”

Clip Source: technology.timesonline.co.uk

First came the joystick. Then came the motion-sensing Wii remote. Now get ready for another radical and rather unsettling leap in video games technology: thought control.

Satoru Iwata, the president and chief executive of Nintendo - which is expected to sell about 25million units of its successful Wii video games console this financial year - has no doubts about the next gaming boom. “As soon as we think something in our brain, it will appear within a video game,” he told The Times in an exclusive interview.

“You'll probably need to wear some kind of hat or helmet or something.”

As far-fetched as it sounds, Mr Iwata's claim - which brings to mind the plot of Craig Thomas's bestselling 1977 novel Firefox, about a mind-reading Soviet fighter aircraft - is already coming true: the world's first thought-controlled game is expected to be launched by the Sydney company Emotiv by the end of this year.

Tags: gaming, neuroscience, mind, emotiv

What the World Eats (1)

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:06:29 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: What's on family dinner tables in fifteen different homes around the globe
see also What the World Eats (2)

http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/633A2B98-B0BE-4C2D-B5C7-19507606A388/

Clip Source: www.time.com

What the World Eats

What's on family dinner tables in fifteen different homes around the globe?

from the book "Hungry Planet"

Clip Source: www.time.com

Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo

Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Family recipe: Potato soup with cabbage

Clip Source: www.time.com

Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City

Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25
Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips

Clip Source: www.time.com

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina

Food expenditure for one week: $341.98
Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken

Clip Source: www.time.com

Bhutan

Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork

Clip Source: www.time.com

Chad

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat

For Invictus

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:24:08 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Just in case the image is blocked, the date is July 19th. The comic is Argyle Sweater.

Clip Source: www.chron.com

Tags: humor, invictus, love the calendar title

Snag Films -The Documentary Widget

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:05:16 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: Many of the most prominent documentary filmmakers are participating not only by having their films distributed via SnagFilms, but by engaging with their audience through blogs and offering special “bonus” material, as well as suggesting nonprofit organizations that viewers motivated by these films can link to and support via charitable contributions, volunteering or spreading the word.

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Snag Films lanuches in beta today with 250 films available for immediate streamed playback, requiring no software downloads. Snag's founders hope that it will spawn millions of virtual movie theaters streaming documentaries. Independent documentary films are experiencing a creative boom, yet theatrical distribution channels have gone bust, Snag may solve the bottleneck in distribution for quality documentaries that has left many great films unable to reach their potential audience or to provide a viable financial return. It also offers established media companies with deep libraries a way of getting “long-tail” documentaries out of the vaults and before a worldwide, on-demand audience.

The new service features award-winning titles from some of the greatest names in documentary film production and distribution, including PBS, National Geographic, United Nations, Sundance Preserve, IndiePix, Peter Jennings Productions, Arts Alliance America, ITVS, Koch Lorber Films, and many others.

Tags: films, documentary, web, internet, streaming

Dust Storms In Sahara Desert Sustain Life In Atlantic Ocean

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:02:07 GMT

clipped by: Mohir

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Research at the University of Liverpool has found how Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Working aboard research vessels in the Atlantic, scientists mapped the distribution of nutrients including phosphorous and nitrogen and investigated how organisms such as phytoplankton are sustained in areas with low nutrient levels.

They found that plants are able to grow in these regions because they are able to take advantage of iron minerals in Saharan dust storms. This allows them to use organic or ‘recycled’ material from dead or decaying plants when nutrients such as phosphorous – an essential component of DNA – in the ocean are low.

“These findings are important because plant life cycles are essential in maintaining the balance of gases in our atmosphere. In looking at how plants survive in this area, we have shown how the Atlantic is able to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the growth of photosynthesising plants.”

Tags: ecology, shara, life, atlantic

Scientists find why we need to re-read a page

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:36:14 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: According to a study the brain needs a specific chemical in order to concentrate properly.

Clip Source: www.mostphotos.com

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Scientists have discovered why people sometimes need to re-read a page. According to a study the brain needs a specific chemical in order to concentrate properly.

The researchers found brain cells need the neurochemical called acetylcholine to send signals around the nervous system. When it is not present it causes lapses in concentration.

The research will help scientists unlock the secrets of how the brain works, and could provide a significant breakthrough in the development of treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and attention deficit disorder.

Scientists at Newcastle University and University College London found Macaque monkeys paid better attention to tasks when the chemical was present.

Professor Alex Thiele, who led the research, said: "For the first time we have been able to precisely identify the mechanism by which the brain implements a state of attention and increases awareness for important tasks.

1998: Syphilis Genome Sequenced; 2008: Syphilis on the Rise

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:00:41 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: Incidence is up among women, African-Americans and, most prominently, gay men, who account for 64 percent of the more than 12,000 people diagnosed last year with either primary or secondary syphilis infections. Primary infections appear as ulcers or shankers on the genitals, anus or mouth; secondary infections result in rashes on the foot's sole or the palm of the hand as well as hair loss and lesions on or around the genitalia.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

A decade ago, this week, scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the Institute for Genomic Research announced they had decoded the genetic information inside Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes the sexually transmitted disease (STD) syphilis.

At the time, Penelope Hitchcock, the chief of the sexually transmitted disease branch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), hailed the work as critical to developing better drugs. NIAID director Anthony Fauci added the genome would boost efforts to develop a preventative vaccine.

Syphilis wouldn't have us to kick around anymore. Right?

Flash forward one decade: There are no new wonder drugs—penicillin injections are still the primary treatment and cure of the rarely fatal illness. Meanwhile, the rate of reported cases of syphilis in the U.S. rose for the seventh consecutive year—up 12 percent between 2006 and 2007

Tags: health, dna, syphilis

Addicted to "clipmarks" in vacation.. :)

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:31:13 GMT

clipped by: einbar

Clip Source: www.mostphotos.com

Thumbnail watch rethinks the watch entirely

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:45:10 GMT

clipped by: Bluewhale
clipper's remarks: Time at your finger tips.

Clip Source: dvice.com

Watches may be going out of style a bit due to the fact that most people carry around cellphones that can tell time just as well, but that doesn't mean Timex is going to stop trying to come up with new reasons for you to give them money. In fact, they just had a design contest to help them come up with forward-thinking watch ideas.

This Nail Watch entry is, well, interesting. It's designed to slip over your thumbnail, letting you tell the time just by glancing down at your hand.

You can light it up or change the mode by pressing down on the end of your thumbnail. I'm not sure what magical technologies would have to be used to create this, nor do I know how it stays on your thumbnail, but I do know that this is certainly unlike any watch I've ever seen. Whether or not it'll ever actually exist is another question entirely.

Tags: future design

Tibetan Flags Banned at Olympics

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:11:15 GMT

clipped by: einbar

Clip Source: www.time.com

Tibetan flags will be banned from all Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong under rules aimed at heading off political propaganda and protests inside competition venues, organizers said Friday.

Clip Source: www.time.com

The crackdown guidelines apply to flags representing countries and regions without athletes in the events. Demonstrations, as well as any "propaganda" appearing on banners, clothing or other accessories, won't be allowed either

Organizers said violators will be kicked out.

"I think most people who come to these events would hope nobody is allowed to spoil the fun and the purpose of the games," John Breen, security coordinator for the equestrian events, said at a news conference in Hong Kong.

Sir Winston Churchill, Quote about Nazis

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:55:32 GMT

clipped by: sahara

Clip Source: quotes.liberty-tree.ca

The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist.

Tags: totalitarian, government, habeus corpus

Almonds boost weight loss

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:59:11 GMT

clipped by: Fast T friend
clipper's remarks: According to Wien, “The weight-loss benefits of eating almonds came as something of a surprise, since the study was originally designed to evaluate the cholesterol-lowering effects of almonds. As it turned out, the dieters who ate almonds lost more weight than would be expected if they were taking prescription diet pills.”

Clip Source: www.gvnews.com

If you're searching for a snack food that can help you lose weight and gain health, almonds are an excellent choice. For years, many dieters have shied away from nuts, largely because of their high fat and calorie content.

Lead investigator Michelle Wien, Dr.P.H., R.D., found that when she asked volunteers to include raw or roasted almonds in their calorie-restricted diets, their weight-loss efforts were dramatically accelerated.

The study included 65 overweight and obese adults who were placed on one of two diets designed to promote weight loss. The caloric value and protein content of the two diets were equivalent, but only one included a 3-ounce serving of almonds daily.

After 24 weeks, the two groups showed a striking difference in their weight-loss patterns. The almond-eating group lost 62 percent more weight and 56 percent more body fat than the nut-free group. The almond-eaters also experienced significantly greater reductions in waist circumference and blood pressure.

Tags: diet, almonds, fat, lose

French future car scrunches down for the perfect parking job

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:40:32 GMT

clipped by: Bluewhale
clipper's remarks: Cool

Clip Source: dvice.com

Meet the curious "M.01," otherwise known as the Car for Paris 2030.

It's described by its designer Ashley Chichocki as exploring "what is really necessary in a vehicle," and as such it addresses a major issue that cities are facing even today: parking.

The M.01 is made of elastic fabrics stretched over a pneumatic framework. When it's in motion, the two-seater car spreads out, giving its passengers more room. After everyone's out, the car contracts in on itself for easy, ultra compact parking that'll also allow several M.01s to stack against one another.

Clip Source: dvice.com

Tags: cars, future design, parking

10 Most Amazing Ghost Towns

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:35:51 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Go to site for information blurbs.

Some of these have been clipped before, but certainly not all

Clip Source: www.oddee.com

10 Most Amazing Ghost Towns

Kolmanskop is a ghost town in southern Namibia, a few kilometres inland from the port of Lüderitz. In 1908, Luederitz was plunged into diamond fever and people rushed into the Namib desert hoping to make an easy fortune. Within two years, a town, complete with a casino, school, hospital and exclusive residential buildings, was established in the barren sandy desert. But shortly after the drop in diamond sales after the First World War, the beginning of the end started. During the 1950's the town was deserted and the dunes began to reclaim what was always theirs.

PRYPIAT (Ukraine): Chernobyl workers' home

Prypiat is an abandoned city in the Zone of alienation in northern Ukraine. It was home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers, abandoned in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster. Its population had been around 50,000 prior to the accident.

Clipmarks |

Sex, lies and some existential questions.. :-)

Thought control: it's the computer world's latest game plan

What the World Eats (1)

For Invictus

Snag Films -The Documentary Widget

Dust Storms In Sahara Desert Sustain Life In Atlantic Ocean

Scientists find why we need to re-read a page

1998: Syphilis Genome Sequenced; 2008: Syphilis on the Rise

Addicted to "clipmarks" in vacation.. :)

Thumbnail watch rethinks the watch entirely

Tibetan Flags Banned at Olympics

Sir Winston Churchill, Quote about Nazis

Almonds boost weight loss

French future car scrunches down for the perfect parking job

10 Most Amazing Ghost Towns

10 Most Amazing Ghost Towns

PRYPIAT (Ukraine): Chernobyl workers' home

KADYKCHAN (Russia): memories of the Soviet Union