Father Time

It's "time for some campaignin'"

2008-09-02T16:10:00.001-04:00

Try JibJab Sendables� eCards today!

Google enters the browser wars today

2008-09-02T14:10:00.002-04:00

Google Chrome is the newest entry to the list of browsers, and from the full description available in comic book form, it's a very different browser from what we've seen before, with a cleaner interface, designed for fast and secure execution, and of course open source. It sounds like what you'd expect a Google browser to look like! Visit www.google.com/chrome to download and start exploring.

Cellular extreme makeover

2008-08-29T09:57:00.001-04:00

According to Harvard biologists, a new technique could offer alternative to drugs and stem cell therapies for treating chronic diseases and afflictions without the controversy of using embryonic stem cells. Sounds extremely promising for the future of medicine.

A surprising find about magnesium sulfate

2008-08-27T23:51:00.001-04:00

The amazing results of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health show that ordinary Epsom salts reduce the chance of cerebral palsy in premature newborns by 50%.

Congrats to Facebook

2008-08-26T22:34:00.001-04:00

An entry from their blog today:

We hit a big milestone today -- 100 million people around the world are now using Facebook. This is a really gratifying moment for us because it means a lot that you have decided that Facebook is a good, trusted place for you to share your lives with your friends. So we just wanted to take this moment to say, "thanks."

We spend all our time here trying to build the best possible product that enables you to share and stay connected, so the fact that we're growing so quickly all over the world is very rewarding. Thanks for all your support and stay tuned for more great things in the future.

Animating the human face

2008-08-26T22:03:00.001-04:00

The science/art of animating human facial expressions has made some recent advances, as demonstrated in the video clip embedded on this page. It looks more realistic than anything I've seen to date, though it still makes me do double-takes. There's something still not quite right in the details, but it's definitely getting closer. Interesting stuff.

California dreamin'

2008-08-25T00:32:00.002-04:00

We traveled with friends Susan & Mike and Marge & Frank to the San Francisco area last week and crammed in lots of fun side trips and activities; it had been at least 15 years since Veronica and I had visited northern California. Here's a mini-slide show album:

To see the full-sized pictures and 30-second video clips, use the Slideshow button on this page. You can override the speed of the slideshow by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to go forward or backward.

The video clips are about 30 seconds eash, and should start playing automatically when you reach them in the show.

Press the Escape key to exit the slide show.

Think we already know all there is to know?

2008-08-20T01:30:00.001-04:00

Perhaps it would be best to review these ten greatest Solar System mysteries to review just a little bit of what we still do not know, in just the field of astronomy.

Space Shuttle launch recorded from passing airliner

2008-08-15T07:38:00.001-04:00

OK, so this guy should never apply for a job as a TV reporter, but he and his camera were in the right place at the right time to capture an unusual perspective of a shuttle launch in this video clip. [Thanks, Rob!]

Our annual 4-H visit

2008-08-14T22:59:00.001-04:00

We always enjoy visiting our county's 4-H Fair; here are some photos from earlier this evening.

Remembering the Fallen

2008-08-13T18:23:00.001-04:00

Compassion is an art, as this video clip aptly demonstrates.

Still more info...

2008-08-12T20:34:00.002-04:00

...on the recent MIT discovery on splitting water without expensive catalysts. This article describes some related materials research, to replace the use of platinum in the fuel cell equation, to keep the ultimate price even lower.

Hubble's 100,000th orbit

2008-08-11T22:16:00.001-04:00

To commemorate the Hubble Space Telescope's completion of its 100,000th orbit of Earth this morning, scientists aimed it at this dazzling region of celestial birth and renewal near the star cluster NGC 2074. More info about that spectacular photograph can be found on this page.

Thinking out of the shell

2008-08-08T16:31:00.000-04:00

Mars Snackfood U.S. has introduced M&M�s Premiums, for serious chocoloate lovers.

�We�ve actually changed the recipe of M&M�s as America and the world knows it,� said Ryan Bowling, a spokesman for Mars Snackfood U.S. �This is a whole new recipe, both visually and to its taste as well.�

The candies themselves are fatter and less uniform than traditional M&M�s. More radically, these M&M�s have no candy shell � just a shiny topcoat with a marbleized, almost metallic-looking finish in bright colors.

There are five flavors � mint chocolate, mocha, triple chocolate, raspberry almond and chocolate almond � sold in a 6-ounce package for $3.99. Instead of lying in a rectangular brown bag, M&M�s Premiums sit in an upright cardboard box with a clear window that shows off the candy.

"Energy nirvana"

2008-08-06T16:56:00.001-04:00

Here's more on the recent solar power storage breakthrough announcement: a Computerworld article and a video clip with MIT researcher Daniel Nocera.

50th Anniversary of NASA

2008-08-05T07:24:00.000-04:00

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the space act that created NASA. They're celebrating, and we acknowledge the countless accomplishments and discoveries they've brought us.

So many places to visit...

2008-08-04T14:45:00.001-04:00

My Beautiful America is a short video compilation of scenery from all around the 50 states -- very well done. Getting that travel itch again!

How to Sing Puppies to Sleep

2008-07-31T21:15:00.001-04:00

Check out this very cute video clip.

H2Oin the news

2008-07-31T21:10:00.001-04:00

It's official! At a NASA news conference today, it was confirmed that there is honest-to-goodness water on the planet Mars. Finding the stuff on the first planet we searched hard for it is good news for those who have wondered how widespread the building blocks of life were in the universe.

Meanwhile, back on the Mother Planet, MIT scientists may have hit on the Holy Grail for cheaply separating the H from the O, so cheaply that the method could be used on a household basis, eliminating the need for an electrical grid hookup altogether.Thanks, Mace!

By recombining the molecules with a standard fuel cell, the O2 and H2 could then be used to generate energy on demand.

White House reverses experts on Yellowstone policy

2008-07-29T14:50:00.001-04:00

Once again, the scientists are overruled. Why bother even having any experts on anything, since the administration always knows best anyway? Just tell all the scientists to take a 6 month vacation until after Inauguration Day. </soapbox>

The story of Christian the Lion

2008-07-27T12:35:00.002-04:00

Check out this amazing video of a lion in the African wild being reunited with the people who rescued him from a cage years earlier. Snopes.com has the background story on this page, if you want to learn more about it.

NASA discovers what makes the Northern Lights dance

2008-07-24T15:35:00.001-04:00

We had the privilege of seeing a fantastic show of the Northern Lights while vacationing in Iceland a few years ago. Now, scientists report that they understand what makes them tick.

The world's first OLED TV

2008-07-23T00:27:00.001-04:00

Still expensive, but has a high wow factor!

"produces a contrast ratio of 1,000,000 to 1--the highest available and 100 times greater than the industry average. While typical LCDs have a response time between 4 and 8 milliseconds, this superior unit redraws pictures in less than 0.01 milliseconds"

Ultimate perspective

2008-07-20T21:18:00.000-04:00

Here's something that none of us have ever seen before: the moon passing in front of the Earth, as seen from one of our spacecraft 31 million miles away!

How many adults can squeeze into a Smart Car?

2008-07-19T21:09:00.000-04:00

Would you believe fifteen?!