The world after people Feb 4, 2008
Life Without People was a History Channel production similar to the book The World Without Us, both of which discussed the idea of what earth would be like if people magically (or tragically) disappeared.  The encouraging thing is that plants and animals would likely take over relatively quickly, most of which would happen without even a second thought as to where all the humans went.  At least we didn't screw things up so bad that they can't be undone.  The interesting thing is that most, if not all, man-made "things" (buildings, bridges, cars, houses, books, computers, etc.) will likely pass away after a while (maybe a few thousand years) without even a shred of evidence that they ever existed in the first place. #science
Buoyancy Nov 21, 2007
This just in: 
Buoyant Force On Area Object Equal To Weight Of Water Displaced
An area object partially immersed in a liquid was buoyed upward Tuesday by a force equal to the weight of the liquid displaced by that object, witnesses at the scene reported. According to sources, opposing forces acted against gravity during the displacement. In addition, though the object reportedly seemed lighter, it only appeared weightless due to the fact that the density of the liquid surrounding it was only slightly greater than that of the object. As of press time, the object is still maintaining positive buoyancy.
Reminds me of this. #science
Adrenaline pills Nov 2, 2007
Why doesn't somebody manufacture adrenaline pills?  They'd be the perfect pain killer, stimulant, and Superman-creator.  Whenever I have adrenaline coursing through my veins, I feel like a god-man, incapable of experiencing pain or being stopped.  It's really quite dangerous.  And quite good. #science
Nuclear power (1) Oct 16, 2007
Nuclear power in a nutshell: 
  1. Place a chunk of radioactive material (usually uranium) in water.
  2. Stand back as the radioactive material decays, creating heat.
  3. Use the heat to boil water.
  4. Use the steam produced to spin a turbine (the same thing used to generate hydroelectric power and, in a sense, wind power).
  5. Use the turbine to generate electricity.
That's pretty much it.  Safety precautions and waste disposal make things a bit more complicated, but that's essentially the process of nuclear power generation used in pretty much every nuclear power plant on earth. 

Optional steps: 
  1. Replace all instances of the word "nuclear" with the non-word "nucular".
  2. Instruct otherwise smart people and world leaders to do the same.
#science
Electromagnetic radiation (1) Oct 16, 2007
The same thing that enables us to talk on our cell phones is the thing that enables us to get sunburn.  It's also the thing that powers FM radio, Bluetooth, WiFi, satellite TV, GPS, microwave ovens, medical X-rays, and visible light.  It's all done by electromagnetic radiation. #science
Polymer destruction Aug 20, 2007
Polymers, such as plastic shopping bags and plastic water bottles, are probably among the most numerous products in landfills.  In addition to filling garbage dumps, these products wind up on the sides of roads and in oceans, where they will dwell for most of eternity.  The problem with polymers is that they don't decay over time.  A wooden table will eventually degrade and rot given enough time.  Banana peels and apple cores will break down, leaving nothing.  Cardboard boxes, newspapers, magazines, and cigarette butts will likely break down into smaller and smaller components until there's next to nothing left.  But plastics stick around forever.  No amount of time, water, wear, or natural heat will cause a plastic to cease to exist. 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an area in the Pacific Ocean, twice the size of Texas, absolutely full of floating plastic garbage.  It's located in an area where different ocean currents and pressure systems cause the water to basically form a giant swirling vortex.  A witness describes it:  "It began with a line of plastic bags ghosting the surface, followed by an ugly tangle of junk: nets and ropes and bottles, motor-oil jugs and cracked bath toys, a mangled tarp. Tires. A traffic cone."  He goes on to say, "Except for the small amount that's been incinerated--and it's a very small amount--every bit of plastic ever made still exists." 

Update:  There's one in the Atlantic Ocean too.

I have a prediction:  In the somewhat near future, the highest-paid job, the most sought-after applicant, and the Nobel prize winner will have something in common:  They'll invent a method of polymer destruction.  It would be even better if the inventor came up with a way to use the destroyed polymer for some sort of good, like energy generation or something like it.  I have two suggestions for the would-be inventor: 
  1. Perhaps try the sun.  That giant ball of fire in the sky puts out quite a bit of heat.  Maybe we can load up a giant missile with tons and tons of plastic garbage and shoot it into the sun, where it'll spontaneously vaporize and probably cause no harm to humans.  That might be a bit expensive though.
  2. Perhaps try a volcano.  Volcanoes pump out tons of heat, and their liquid magma will probably melt anything you put in it.  I can't verify the toxicity of the resulting smoke and soot, but chances are it would be bad.
#science
Science of gay Jul 13, 2007
A few quick interesting facts about gay people: 
  1. They have a 50% greater chance of being left-handed or ambidextrous than straight men or women.
  2. About 23% have counterclockwise hair whorls (a.k.a. toilet [technical term]), compared to 8% in the general population.
  3. The index fingers of most gay men are longer than their ring fingers, and for most women they are the same length or shorter.  Straight men and lesbians tend to have reversed ratios.
(via Neatorama) #science
Feline genetics May 3, 2007
Living with my two cats is an ongoing lesson in genetics and psychology and the idea of nature vs. nurture.  The cats are brother and sister from the same littler, adopted at the same time, and raised the same way.  But the differences are striking: 
  1. Dilbert (the boy) bites and scratches people.  Nemo (the girl) is known as "the nice one".
  2. Dilbert eats his toy mice after he plays with them (cloth, plastic, and all).  Nemo plays for a few minutes and gets bored.
  3. Dilbert eats anything and everything.  Nemo sniffs it and walks away.
  4. Dilbert sometimes sits up at night to eat the bugs that come crawling out from under the stove (we have a seasonal cricket problem).  Nemo plays with the bugs for a few minutes and gets bored.
  5. Dilbert sometimes walks around the house at night meowing.  Nemo goes to bed early.
  6. Dilbert attacks Nemo.  Nemo screams and cries.
  7. Dilbert chases neighborhood cats to either (a) kill them or (b) mate with them.  Nemo runs away.
If they came from different parents, I could understand.  If they were raised in entirely different environments, I could understand.  The only real difference is that Dilbert is male and Nemo is female.  (Dilbert had a leg injury when he was younger, and the vet visits, shots, and force-fed medicine might have something to do with his behavior, but I contend he was vicious before all this.)  They're both neutered/fixed.  They're both well-fed.  They're both showed love and affection.  So why the huge differences?  I guess the answer is genetics. #science
Small wind turbines Apr 5, 2007
Lucien Gambarota is an Italian inventor who came up with a way to harness wind power without the need for large, expensive turbines.  His MotorWind turbines consist of several 25 cm plastic fans linked together to generate power from as little as 2 m/s (4.5 mph) winds.  This CNN article has more info.  Similar to my idea for small scale electrical generation.  (via Neatorama) #science
Personal electric generation (2) Mar 19, 2007
I just came up with a theory:  I think the solution to every problem in the world is to invent and employ personal electric generators.  The basic idea would be to utilize the energy humans normally spend to freely generate electricity that could be used to power homes, cars, and devices, and maybe even sell back to electric companies at a profit.  Think about it:  We humans go to extreme lengths to expend energy.  We each spend hundreds and thousands of dollars per year for gym memberships and workout equipment that enable us to spend our energy with the benefit of making our muscles strong and/or last longer.  What if, instead of spending money on these things (and also money to electrically power these things), we used the energy we would normally spend in a workout to power some sort of energy collecting device?  Think "giant hamster wheel".  What's a treadmill, stair-climber, or elliptical machine except a simple belt and pulley system?  But instead of having an electric motor provide power to make the belt move and in turn force the human to move, the human could provide the power to make the belt move and in turn power the motor.  Or what about a punching bag?  [Warning:  Science content follows]  It seems like a relatively simple idea to make a device that would generate heat by compressing a gas when a certain force is applied.  That's how every internal combustion engine in every car on earth works (except the engine produces work instead of heat when the gas is compressed; similar idea though).  If a human provides the force (punch or kick), the device could easily compress the gas and provide heat output, which could be used to heat a house or refrigerate food (same process, opposite direction). 

Partial list of problems this would solve or at least slightly diminish:  High energy prices, depletion of fossil fuels, problems in/with the Middle East, most current wars and conflicts, global warming (including but not limited to ice cap melting, water level rising, destruction of arctic habitats, increased frequency and strength of natural disasters, eventual annihilation of all mankind). #science