The chances of that asteroid hitting Mars on January 30, 2008 have increased from 1 in 75 to about 1 in 25. Watch out below!

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I believe I forgot to post this hilarious bit from XKCD.

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A selection of science-related...tattoos.

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The second voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle started today in 1836.

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Some interesting bits about the bone trade.

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Planetes #01 (Tokyopop, 2003). Planetes #02 (Tokyopop, 2003). Planetes #03 (Tokyopop, 2004). Planetes #04a (Tokyopop, 2004). Planetes #04b (Tokyopop, 2004), Makoto Yukimura.

Combined review can now be found here.

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Looks like we've finally found the Giant Rat of Sumatra!

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A professor of physics is finding fame on the internet. (Sounds like he's a fantastic teacher. Alas, at my alma mater, they went for "world-class research" not boring stuff like teaching ability. Being a good teacher was a sure-fire indication that you would not be recommended for a tenured position!)

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You look out at the stars and galaxies with your backyard telescope and you ponder how peaceful the universe is. It's easy to overlook test runs of planet-destroying weapons or bad driving on the galactic scale.

Posted by: Fred Kiesche at 11:59 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A recently discovered asteroid has a 1 in 75 chance of hitting Mars on January 30, 2008. Aside from any photo-op interest, there are a couple of interesting things that could come out of a actual strike. The flash could be examined by orbiting telescopes. It would be interesting to see what an impact would do to Mars, in terms of any climate change. And, the resulting crater might be a interesting place for a future probe to explore (almost like having a drill go into the planet).

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The Astronomy Picture of the Day site has chosen their best astronomical pictures for the year 2007.

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How would you like to have to deal with this much information at once?

I'd be willing to bet this is partly for show. Most of the screens probably only track a single stock, so this is more a "time saving device" so you don't need to flip between windows on a single screen. I'm willing to bet that there are studies out there that show how much information you can handle under stress...too many active windows would probably mean indecision rather than decisive action.

(And yes, this came out of some work-related research. So I can post while I'm at work!)

Posted by: Fred Kiesche at 02:14 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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An article implies that Robert A. Heinlein's influence is declining. The evidence? That the literati don't take him seriously anymore. Is being compared to Heinlein a help or hindrance to a new science fiction writer? One such writer speaks up (and to be honest, the main reason I picked up John Scalzi's books was because of the comparison to Heinlein!)

Looks like it is time to trot out this 1980 essay by Spider Robinson again! more...

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Expedition: Being An Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D. Voyage to Darwin IV; Wayne Barlowe (Workman Publishing, 1990, ISBN 0-89480-629-7, cover by Wayne Barlowe).

The review is now found here.

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