Here’s a great atomic example.  Computers are better able to determine whether brain scans indicate alzheimers, compared to normal brain scans.    BBC: PC beats doctor in scan tests

First, I am pleased to announce that the Space Shuttle finally launched yesterday.  This mission is to deliver the Columbus module to the ISS.  Congratulations NASA on what appears to be a flawless launch, and congratulations to the EU for a major step.  Good news all around.  Read about it here.

The second article is in regards to SETI, a program that I’ve participated in the past.  SETI is starting to re-evaluate on whether we’re searching for ET intelligence in the best manner.  This is a great example of what science is all about.  Come up with a theory, experiment, if the results are not as predicted, re-examine, refine, and test again.  Bravo SETI.  Don’t give up.  Read more about it here.
One interesting fact from the story is that there are over 70 sextillion stars in the visible universe. Sometimes written as 7×10^22.  Let me write out what 70 sextillion looks like:

70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

Very cool.  Gosh, we’re small.

Here’s my prediction: most all of it will burn up on entry.  What is left will hit somewhere on Earth and it will be very difficult for the scientists to tell us where it actually hit.

Yes, something may fall on populated areas.  It’s very unlikely but it may happen.  Damage may occur.
I think my prediction is going to be much closer to what happens, that what CNN is leading us to believe.  Yawn.

Check out how a child turned $500 in parts and machinery into a mountain of snow fun. Click Here.

Here in Georgia, it rarely snows. It rarely gets below 32 degrees, even in winter. For the last couple of days however, it has been very cold. One morning, it was 10 degrees! For Christmas I received a compressor and a brad nail gun and a finish nail gun. Very nice. I knew that the compressor was my ticket to lots of things, including making snow.

I searched around and found SnowGuns.com and they pointed me to a T-Gun design. I didn’t have the money for a brass outfit, so I decided to make my T-gun out of PVC as a “proof of concept” design. $20 later (and $5 of that was a brass fitting to convert from my air compressor to PVC) I had a prototype. Would it work?

At 8pm at night it was already down to about 28F with no wind. My son, Griffin, and I set up the ladder, garden hose, and compressor. I got things all hooked up and tested out the compressor settings. The garden hose had some ice in the line so it took some time to express out the ice. I cranked up the compressor, got the water going, … and got some water spray. I adjusted the compressor settings between 60PSI and 35PSI. It appeared at if with that temperature that 45PSI was the right balance between water pressure, air pressure, and temperature. Before long, a small patch of snow was appearing on my grass. Very cool. Below are some pictures. We’re in a drought here so I didn’t leave it running but for 45 minutes or so.

I’ve got some tweaks to make but I’m happy with my success.

Praying for rain : Didn’t work.  Hardly a drop of rain in the last month.

Olga, you’re a pretty sight to see.  Come on over and stay a while.

http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=6943263

There’s people living in the desert. People need lots of water. Do you think it’s reasonable that those people should pay more for water than the people in Seattle, where it rains tons?

This my same argument against sending humans to the Moon and Mars. There’s no water. Heck, there’s no air. Sounds just like human thinking. Robots don’t need water, or air, just power.

Pretty soon, Atlanta will be in the same boat. Too many people, not enough water.

The culprit is a microscopic parasite called nosema ceranae said Mariano Higes, who leads a team of researchers at a government-funded apiculture centre in Guadalajara, the province east of Madrid that is the heartland of Spain’s honey industry.

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43163/story.htm

The good news is that the treatment will only cost $1.40 per hive twice per year.   Get us back our bees!