Category: Science

Summer is coming.

Insect-like Robots
Very cool, and also little weird. Like every movie with a robot insect secretly watching someone.

47 Words That Might Not Exist
Ok, to be accurate, the book they were originally found in might not exist. Or at least the poor folks at the Oxford English Dictionary can’t find the book. It’s called “Meanderings on Memory”, published around 1859 and it appears to be the source of around 47 words in the English language. If, that is, it actually exists.

Island for Sale
In Scotland, mind you, one of the Summer Isles. It’s inhabited, so you’ll have neighbors, and it does have features (e.g. a post office and a cafe).

What Ancient Statues Really Looked Like
A little ultraviolet light and we can see that the ancient Greeks and Romans had …. really bad taste. Seriously, take a look. Scientists and art historians have used ultraviolet light to find what paints were used to cover those classic statues we all just assumed always looked like that. And it turns out that they were often a little … garish.

80,000 Applicants, 4 Positions, 1 Job: Mars
So remember that Mars One project I linked to in a previous Geek Review? No? Well, to sum up, there’s a Dutch company that plans on creating a permanent human settlement on Mars in 2023. They’re picking their permanent Mars residents out of a giant pool of online applicants, and they plan on making the selection process of the Final Four into a reality show to pay for the whole expedition. It’s so crazy, it just might work. Anyway, here’s an article talking about it, with a new version of the Mars One intro video.

Glow-in-the-Dark Trees
Really. Several enterprising scientists have a Kickstarter campaign going to fund glowing trees that will replace street lights. All the energy will come from regular old photosynthesis. Yes, we’re in the future now.

Their Kickstarter campaign:
Them answering questions on Reddit:

The Periodic Table Song
No, not the Animiacs. Didn’t they do a periodic table song? No? Well, I’m including their version of the Nations of the World song anyway. Also, damn! I’d forgotten how crazy that Animaniacs song is.

Nations of the World (Animaniacs):

Amazing Subway Stations
And the reason this article is in the Geek Review? Because half these places, which are “just” subway stations or train stations, resemble some retro future come to life. Check out the 1970s retro future, the 1980s retro future and the steampunk retro look.

Science-Fair Teenager Invents Super-Capacitor
It can lead to being able to charge a cell phone in 20-30 seconds, or an electric car in 30 minutes. Kids these days!

Plant Entombed in Ice Comes Alive
From the “wasn’t this an episode of the X-Files?” uh, files, scientists found a plant encased in ice during the Little Ice Age (about 400 years ago), and got it growing again. How neat is that? At least until they unearth the Killer Plant.

You Think That’s a Big Ship?
Nope, this one is. It’s the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller, the largest ship in the world, at least it will be once it sets sail. It’s capable of carrying 18,000 20-foot shipping containers. Yeah, that’s a lot.

Warm Up the Cloning Tanks!
Scientists poked a frozen mammoth corpse and got viscous blood! Yup, it’s just a matter of time.

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com

by JB Sanders

Spring?

More 3D-printing a Moon Base
I know, I just linked to a story about this. The difference here is two-fold. The folks here are a rival team with a better plan. First, they’re architects, so they’re taking the idea of 3D-printing buildings and running with it. Second, they have an idea to use microwaves to fuse the moon dust, which would mean the 3D printers sent to the moon wouldn’t even need binding agents. It’s a cheaper and more energy-efficient method. They think they can have the first module complete in two weeks, once their setup reaches the moon.

Video Game Charts Brain
Scientists are trying to map the connections between neurons in the brain, and to do so they’ve made their neural maps into a game. Players help work out the connections between neurons, expanding the map. They’re also helping the artificial intelligence behind the mapping program learn more about mapping.

It’s a 3D-Printed Dress
No, really! And it’s got this very 1940’s glamor vibe mixed with a sort of scifi nod.

Lord British Needs 1 Million Dollars*
Richard Garriott, creator of Ultima Online, is looking to repeat his success with a new massively multi-player online game. One of the reasons he says they’re kick-starting it (rather than just shelling out the moola himself) is so that the public has a say in how the game is built. Or maybe he’s just cheap.

* To get the full effect, you need to use a cheesy voice and a pinky finger.

Non-Newtonian Fluid on a Speaker Cone
This video will either freak you out, or give you great ideas for special effects, depending on your temperament. It’s just cornstarch and water in a 2:1 ratio (forming oobleck), plus a little blue food coloring. But add in a little stirring and an ultrasonic sound source, and boy howdy do you have some creepy action.

3D Printed Jewelry
It’s not “coming soon”, it’s “happening now”. Still a little high-end, but it looks like it could lead to an interesting trend. Personalized unique jewelry indeed!

The Un-Discovered Country
No, not the future. In this case, it’s islands that are supposed to be there – but aren’t. Including one near Australia that was supposed to be larger than Manhattan, but now has been determined to not only not exist, but to have never existed. Really.

Around the World — On Solar Power
The creators of the Solar Impulse plan on flying their entirely-solar-powered airplane around the world by 2015. It’s capable of flying day and night (on stored power). It has the wingspan of a Boeing 747, mostly to accommodate more solar cells.

Settle Mars!
There was a rumor running around that the Mars One Project (those folks planning to build a commercial settlement on Mars) was accepting applications for Mars Settlers — but no. They are going to be soon, and they reveal a few of the qualifications you’ll need to be signed on. Chief among them, of course, is being prepared to move to Mars permanently. It’s a one-way trip.

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com

By JB Sanders

Winter, winter

3D-printed Moon Base
For real! The machines would be shipped by rocket to the moon, and would then use the material of the moon itself to construct buildings.

Future Secret Lair for Sale
The RAF (Royal Air Force) is selling their Neatishead radar base. It’s a nice little 25-acre plot with high-security fence, rail access, underground bunker and tennis court.

Watery Purple Spheres — Origin Unknown
Is it a fungus? Slime mold? Alien monster eggs? No one knows!

Fish Brain on X-Ray
Well, not exactly x-ray, but something to see the fish brain in action while the fish observes prey. Plus how often are you going to see a fish brain in action? You know, unless you actually go fishing.

3D-printed Robohand
Guys in separate parts of the globe design a prosthetic hand for a 5-year-old boy born without fingers on one hand. The crazy part? They do it while in opposite sides of the globe, over the internet, and the robotic hand is then printed on a 3D printer. More than that, they share the design and blueprints for the hand online for free, for anyone to use. So, first instance of cyberware shared over the net and printed out. We’re living the scifi!

Richard the Third’s Skeleton Found — and Verified
A skeleton with deformities and wounds similar to Richard III’s found under a parking lot. In order to really pin that down, they took DNA from the skeleton, and compared it to a direct descendent of Richard’s via Anne of York. It’s a match!

Futurama vs the Transhumanists
I’m not sure I can explain the difference as well as this video can, plus it’s another PBS Idea Channel thing. After having listened to it, I’m also not sure whose future I want more. Maybe neither?

The Universe is a Big Old Bubble Bath
And other mind-blowing analogies from physicist Michio Kaku. Also find out how a universe can be created for free.

Oldest Undeciphered Written Text Close to Being Figured Out
It’s clay tablets and proto-Elamite, a middle-eastern language from the Bronze Age. They’ve cooked up their own crazy setup to take pictures of the tablets with light from multiple angles, so that even shallow marks on the tablets can be seen clearly. And it doesn’t help that apparently the scribe made several mistakes in the text.

How One Historian Uncovered the Story of the First Computer
What computer, you ask? Colossus. The one used at Bletchley Park to decode the Enigma machine.

Virtual Slide Rule
Is it using a new technology to emulate an old and now obsolete one? Yes. But it’s still cool.
(Tip of the hat to Alex for this one.)

Life Found in Antarctica
And no, it’s not penguins. Scientists have discovered organisms in a sub-glacial lake that has been isolated from the rest of Earth’s biosphere for millions of years. A lake trapped under ice since before the continents looked the way they do. And as Fark put it: these folks have obviously never seen a John Carpenter movie.

More Bionics Advances: Rat 6th Sense Through Brain Implant
These wacky scientists in North Carolina fitted rats with infrared sensing devices, and then ran tests. Turns out the rats used it like it was a special vision.

Packaging-Free Goods
So this designer, as a final college project, decides to see what happens when packaged goods have no packaging. See the fascinating results. Be sure to click on each picture to see the resulting prototypes.

How Just a Few Boston Drivers are Messing It Up for Everyone (in Boston)
Ok, realistically, Boston drivers mess it up for everyone on the road near them. But in this case, scientists used anonymous cell phone tracking information to analyze the traffic patterns around the greater Boston area. What they found is kind of interesting. The drivers from just a few areas cause most of the traffic jams, because of their use of a small number of over-capacity feeder roads.

The Next Generation of Batteries Won’t Be Batteries
They’ll be super-capacitors. Just watch the movie.

3D Pen
It’s a pen-like device that let’s you create 3D doodles. Yup — you write on the air. It’s a kickstarted project at the moment. Check out their intro video.

Derelict Cruise Ship: The Stories Just Write Themselves
So an ice-hardened cruise ship, largely used in Arctic and Antarctic adventure packages, is seized for debts in Newfoundland. It remains docked for two years until finally a company purchases it, and has it towed to the Dominican Republic. Only part way there it breaks the tow line in heavy seas. Fast forward a month later, and another ship sights the derelict. They get it under control, tow it to international waters and set it loose again. It’s now floating on the currents of the Atlantic. Destination: no one knows.

Wikipedia entry

The Newest Hari Seldon?
So this historian takes a very wide view of history, the last 15,000 years or so and from the trends he’s seen, has some interesting (and sometimes heart-stopping) predictions for the future of Earth.

And if you aren’t familiar with who Hari Seldon is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Seldon

3D Printed Car
How could I not link this? It’s “strong as steel, half the weight and nearing production”. Also, it looks totally scifi. The designers plan on driving the prototype (once it’s finished) from San Francisco to New York on 10 gallons of fuel, preferably pure ethanol (the car is a hybrid diesel and electric). Good grief!

Titanic Being Rebuilt
Some billionaire got it in his head to rebuild the Titanic, so he is. It’ll be the “Titanic II” and although it’ll be a faithful remake, it will have a few modern touches (like air conditioning).

Transparent 3D Computer
Which is interesting, particularly the induced 3D view through a transparent screen. However, keep reading the article for what other things the inventor is working on. Sounds like this guy will be running a Fortune 100 company in ten years, or inventing the next generation of computer. Oh, wait.

4D Printed Objects
Not a typo. Apparently some scientists at MIT are developing self-assembling objects — ones that change after being 3D-printed. Just add water!

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com

By JB Sanders

And the apocalypse just rolls on by…

Heavy Metal — Old School
Anyone remember the old Heavy Metal magazine? Chock full of busty art, heavy-muscled heroes and aliens? Kind of psychedelic, back in the days when they meant that quite literally. No? Yes? Either way, check out some of the magazine’s great covers over the years. Special bonus: they had an HP Lovecraft issue (yes, with semi-realistic-looking mind-shattering monsters).

1970’s Covers

1980’s Covers

The Once and Future Mars
It’s firmly in the category of “artist’s rendering”, but it’s still wicked cool. See Mars as if it had an Earth-like atmosphere.

Digital Globe
It’s a villain-lair must-have, or an essential item in your Orbital Control Center: the digital globe. Interactive, capable of displaying any information you want up there digitally. You want earthquake zones? Sure. You want political divisions? Got that. You want to just change it up and show the Moon? No problem. Everyone is going to want one of these.

3D Printer Pranks
Keep this comic in your “for future reference” file, and pull it out when 3D printers go mainstream. Some really amusing (and Evil) pranks in there (also some pretty adult ones, so watch it).

Whistle It!
Did you know there’s a whole language entirely composed of whistling sounds? Or that it can travel up to 2 miles because of it’s acoustic properties? No? Me neither.

A Light Powered by Gravity!
It’s actually a device meant to replace the kerosene lamp in developing countries — still widely in use, and responsible for respiratory problems, fires and increased poverty (kerosene isn’t cheap). You hang the Gravity Lamp, fill it’s bag with rocks or sand, and get about 30 minutes of light as the bag drops. Brilliant!

Scifi Writers Start Your Star Engines
Astronomers and researchers have discovered that a giant burst of gamma rays hit Medieval Earth after the results of a giant cosmic event (either two black holes colliding or two neutron stars). The event occurred sometime in either 774 AD and 775 AD. What effect might it have had? All sorts of possibilities!

Space Travel Will Make You a Better Person
Really. Plus, all sorts of geeky space race references, some Contact (the movie) and a little Adventure Time.

Swimming in the Reactor Pool
Oddly enough, not a synonym for instant painful death. Apparently, water is a pretty darn good radiation shield. Not that you should swim in one, but if you do, definitely don’t swim really low. Bonus fun for the response from an actual nuclear tech at the end of the article.

Video Games Are Now Art
That’s it, case closed, debate solved, done. That said, fun overview of some really amazing video games over the years and what makes them particularly “artful”.

Make Your Own Pulp Magazine Covers
Via the web and a really cool bit of web programming. Also, the host site sells some seriously cool t-shirts (man, I wish I was getting some advertising dollars for this plug).

How Much is Real?
In TV or movies, not nearly as much as you think. Check out these YouTube videos of various green-screen and special effects composites, even in TV shows that you wouldn’t think had them. You think Monk didn’t use any special effects? Think again!

From 2012:

From 2009:

From Game of Thrones:

The Slow-Mo Guys Pop a 6-Foot Water Balloon
These guys do some really fun videos. This one is no exception. It’s simple, it’s slow-mo, and it’s awesome.

The Kitten Setting
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the world-renown scifi author John Scalzi (Old Man’s War, Red Shirts, etc), he’s a damn fine writer. He also has a blog that he’s been regularly updating for over a decade. On it, he permits comments from readers, but moderates himself — often with ruthless efficiency. He’s very open and forthright about doing it, too. He even has a name for it: the Mallet of Loving Correction. Well, now he has another setting on his Mallet: the Kitten Setting.

I’ll let him explain:

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com

By JB Sanders

Now with more glowing lights!

Crappy Science or Awesome Gaming Resource?
You decide! Article over at Ars Technica pokes fun at a series of newspaper (web?) articles declaring the location of a Yeti cave, a Unicorn lair and a rogue Serbian vampire. The articles are serious, the “science” is not so much. Whether you’re reading for the sarcastic slap-down, or just so you have some great real-world resources for your modern urban fantasy campaign, it works either way.

Why Not Nuke a Hurricane?
Because according to NOAA, it just doesn’t work. First off, no bomb we have is big enough. Second, fallout. Third, you idiot.

Full-Sized Replica Millenium Falcon
And you’ve already clicked on the link, haven’t you? It’s a fan-made full-sized replica. Well, it will be. Right now it’s two laser cannons and a console. However, the guy has a big plot of land to build it on and a plan.

Warning: auto-playing video about it at the link.

Dr Who Timeline Chart
It’s extremely cool, although the creators follow the television show, not the Doctor’s personal timeline, which one imagines would be … difficult. See which incarnation of the Doctor battled the Daleks the most (you’ll be surprised), who fought the Master more than anyone else, and how long those companions lasted.

Scale of the Universe
From the subatomic to the Entire Universe. Zoom as far in or out as you want. Be sure to try the Sequel!, it’s animated.

Why So Slow?
Find out why the Pioneer spacecraft (both 10 and 11) are slowing down as they zip to the edge of the solar system and beyond. It’s a long science-laden tale of epic proportions, and has a nice moral: don’t throw out even the boring data.

Saved the Bridge
Meet the folks who saved the bridge set from the Next Generation Star Trek and turned it into a museum. Ok, not the original bridge, which was destroyed for the Generations movie, but one of the replicas built for a Vegas theme park. But it sure LOOKS like the original.

Internal Dressing
The US military is funding research into a foam that gets injected into the thoracic cavity (chest) of those with internal bleeding, to act as a sort of internal bandage. Neat, huh?

Package for Dr Henry Walton Jones, Jr.
So the University of Chicago gets a package addressed to a member of faculty they don’t recognize, but one of the students who works in the mail room realizes that the package is for Dr Jones. Yes, otherwise known as Indiana Jones. Inside was a hand-made replica of the Abner Ravenwood journal, from the first movie, including photos of Marion, some fake old-fashioned money, postcards, etc. No one is entirely sure who made it or exactly why (except, perhaps, for this reaction).

Update: They did figure out who made it and why. Link to the reveal at the end of the first article.

Watch Iceberg Form
The largest iceberg ever filmed breaking off from the big ice sheet that is the arctic. How big? It’s measured in cubic kilometers. The thing is practically the size of Manhattan.

Opening of Tut’s Tomb
Pictures from the opening in 1922. Handy game reference photos, if you want to do some alternate history supernatural story set in Egypt.

Follow-up: Code Broken
That mummified pidgeon mentioned in the last Geek Review? The one with the message capsule on its leg, and a “indecipherable” coded message inside? The one found in a blocked-up chimney? Yeah, probably deciphered.

Ice Flowers
Yup, they really exist. They’re weirdo ice formations that only form in the wild under really specific conditions, i.e. no wind and temps around -2 C. They sure look cool, though.

An Invented Language, A Bizarre Hate Group, and A Treatise on Created Languages
All in the New Yorker. Although it’s a “news” piece, it feels like a text book entry on artificially created languages. Plus a Heinlein reference. Come take a look at what might be the most precise language ever created (or hell, just plain old most precise language ever, period).

Warning: long article, but worth it if you’re a language freak (er, geek).

Feats of Memory Anyone Can Do
A TED talk by Joshua Foer on feats of memory and tricks anyone can use to improve their memory. Yes, it’s all about the memory palace.

What Happens to Boiling Water When Tossed Out a Window in -41C Weather?
This wonderful video thanks to our Russian friends, that’s what.

Oldest Christmas Recordings Made Available Online
The Museum of London got 26 wax cylinders of the Wall family’s Christmas party, recorded between 1901 and 1917. They were too fragile to play (go figure, wax over 100 years old) and so went unheard until recently transferred to digital. Now anyone with web access can hear them.

Screw Cardboard, Give the Gift of Recycled Electronics
In a new entry for Geek Dad of the Year (according to fark.com), here’s a cool present for a 5-year-old.

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com

By JB Sanders

Turkey time!

What’s Your Blood Type?
It’s the new “What’s your sign?”, at least in Japan. Several popular books have promoted the idea that blood type determines personality, with about the same scientific validity as the horoscope (perhaps less!).

Necronomicon in Academia
The blasphemous (and fictional) book of the Chtulhian mythos has popped up in an odd context — review by an academic. The article is also wonderful for links to various Necronomicon-related websites, including the Miskatonic University site, and a link to the paper discussing the phenomenon of the “believers” in the Necronomicon. Yes, there is nothing so weirdly fictional that a group can’t come to believe a complete fiction is really true.

Is YouTube Making Us Smarter?
Short answer: mostly yes. Long answer: see the IDEA channel video below. Basically, if you can avoid looking at dogs riding on turtles long enough, you can find a video to teach you just about anything on YouTube. So: yes.

Because Kirlian Photography is Always Cool
Stop by to see some photographs that use high-voltage electricity to make amazing pictures of flowers. No PhotoShop used, seriously!

Balloon Bag End
File this under the crazy mis-use of balloon technology. This total fanboy has used his balloon-shaping skills (you know, like with balloon animals) to create Bag End (Lord of the Rings) in his living room. And it looks pretty good.

Fabricating Nature
Interesting start-up in Norway whose aim is to create software modeling tools that will let 3D printers duplicate nature. Rather than concentrating on surface maps or voxels, they focus on natural structures.

Top 10 Places to Survive the End of the World
Some of which have been featured in previous Geek Reviews, but bear repeating. Not sure about #10, but I guess the country (Switzerland) as a whole might be a swell spot to start with.

Pictures: Repairing the Lower Manhattan Internet
Read about, and see pictures of, the massive job which is repairing the internet in Lower Manhattan after Hurricane Sandy.

Self-Filling Water Bottle
Another win for bio-mimicry. It pulls moisture out of the air to fill it with water.

Largest Statues in the World
Quick, what’s the tallest statue in the world? You’re thinking either the Statue of Liberty (US) or the Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), right? Wrong, both counts.

Wedding Rings for Geeks
So, you’re in the marrying mood, your significant other is a geek, and you just don’t want to go with the run-of-the-mill simple gold band, right? Try one of these on for size. Included are: the Stargate portal ring, the mobius strip ring, and your choice of one of the elvish rings (there are five in the picture, but I have to assume two of them are duplicates). Plus many more.

Caldera Floor Rising in Yellowstone
You know, the one above the super-volcano. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.

Island Missing
Seriously, authorities in Australia report that an island some geologists went out to investigate is missing. And not just “global warming” underwater missing, either, but simply not there. It’s not clear that the island ever really existed.

Castle For Sale For £200,000
But don’t get your hopes too high. It’s being billed as a “unique fixer-upper opportunity”. That means ruins, boys and girls. Still, at the small asking price, you tack on another £1 million for “renovations” and you’ve got a real fine home.

Help the UK Crack This Code
So, builders in England find a dead bird up a chimney in Surrey with a capsule attached to its mummified leg. It looks like a coded message circa World War II, but after a few weeks, no one has cracked it. See the message and a video about it.

Solar System Simulator
Get a picture from any angle and any spot in the solar system (from space, anyway). It’s the JPL’s solar system simulator!

Which Bond Villain’s Plan Might Have Actually Worked?
Fascinating article exploring which of the various James Bond villains would have actually gotten away with it, you know, if wasn’t for that crazy kid in the tuxedo.

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com

By JB Sanders
And so school starts.

Easy Alternate Earth
Looking for a wild alternative Earth for some Great SciFi story you have in your head? Look no further!
Yes, it’s an xkcd What If article, but it’s all about an alternative Earth based on the simple idea: what if the Earth were rotated 90 degrees?

Missing Some Treasure?
I was doing some research, and came across a really handy GM tool. Or if you’re a thriller writer and need a handy lost treasure for your protagonists to stumble across, here you go. It’s the whole list. All known “lost” treasures. Enjoy.

The Only 25 Words You’ll Ever Need to Name Your TV Show
I’m not sure how serious this is, but take any two words from the list in this article and they will form an immediately obvious and totally viable concept for a TV show. Don’t believe me? Try it out.

See Curiosity Land on Mars — in HD
Great video, color-corrected and enhanced, of the Curiosity lander reaching the surface of Mars. The video is all real-time.

Lava Fountain — Up Close
These crazy people got themselves a mostly heat-proof suit and filmed a lava flow (fountain?) up close and personal. Great video.

The Caves Beneath Nottingham
Yes, the Robin Hood Nottingham. Apparently it’s sandstone bedrock makes it really easy, with hand tools, to dig out a cave. So everyone in the last two thousand years appears to have done that. The geek part of this is the laser-mapping the archaeologists are using to find all of the caves. Be sure to watch the movie. Also, there appears to be an upcoming enhanced-reality app for the caves — where you use the app to reveal what caves lie beneath buildings and streets by pointing your smart phone at them.

A little addition for medievalists and beer lovers, another blog on the same private tour wrote up information about Nottingham’s “beer caves“.

Hybrid Transparent Rocket Engine
Scientist builds a rocket engine with a transparent acrylic rod and some oxygen. See the rocket burn and consume the fuel (acrylic) from the inside.
Bonus: full explanation of how it was built.

Where Science and Science Fiction Meet
Neal Stephenson and the president of Arizona State University have together setup the Center for Science and Imagination, a collaboration of scientists and scifi writers to create a better tomorrow. Or something like that. All sorts of Serious Names in scifi are involved.

Einstein’s Brain
Now an iPad app. No, I’m not kidding. Stop laughing. The folks who have Einstein’s brain preserved took thousands of pictures and slides of his brain, and made it into an interactive app. Not sure it’s worth $10, but still.

Laser Pointers and the Moon
What if everyone pointed a laser pointer at the same spot on the moon? The latest xkcd What If article is up and it’s fun.

Solar Super-Charger
Sounds like a scifi thing, right? Nope. Elon Musk, the savvy CEO of Tesla Motors (and backer of SpaceX) is planning to build fast-charging (full charge in 30 minutes or so) stations all over the US. Right now, he’s got 6 stations built in California, with more to come. The idea? Stop for food and charge your car while you wait. All using solar power.

And in the Geek Dad Category
This guy, his 4-year-old son, a toy train and space. Oh, also an HD camera, a weather balloon and an old cell phone with GPS (for locating it all afterwards). This guy sends his son’s toy train into space via weather balloon, and films it from liftoff to finish.
Note: some special-effects wizardry on the toy train’s “face” for amusement (or how the Dad thought his son saw the toy train Stanley).
Warning: Some mushy content!

Leonard Nimoy on How the Vulcan Salute Got Its Start
Do you need more than the title? Go read it!

Nazi Buddha Originally from Space
You know what? I had to link this article just because of that headline, pulled shamelessly from the BBC’s website. The less sensational version of that headline goes: a statue of the buddha, recovered by a Nazi expedition in the 1930’s, was made from a meteorite that fell to Earth 15,000 years ago.

Tiny Dragons Found in Indonesia
No, really. Look, there are photos!

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com