Archive for November, 2009
Large Hadron Collider sets new power world record
Nov 30th
(PhysOrg.com) — CERN’s Large Hadron Collider has today become the world’s highest energy particle accelerator, having accelerated its twin beams of protons to an energy of 1.18 TeV in the early hours of the morning. This exceeds the previous world record of 0.98 TeV, which had been held by the US Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory’s Tevatron collider since 2001. It marks another important milestone on the road to first physics at the LHC in 2010.
via Large Hadron Collider sets new power world record (Physorg.com)
The Faith Instinct by Nicholas Wade
Nov 30th
Just read this short review of “The Faith Instinct” by Nicholas Wade on the New Scientist website. I find the idea of “The Evolution of Faith” a very interesting one, a very obvious one, and it might be a great addition to the current ongoing discussion between religion and science. I wonder why no one has ever brought up this point when debating the issue of evolution vs. religion/creationism. It’s now on my reading list.
On the origin of gods – CultureLab – New Scientist
Eid al-Adha and the Hajj, 2009
Nov 29th
Muslim pilgrims pray inside the Grand mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Some great photography of the yearly pilgrimage.
Via Eid al-Adha and the Hajj, 2009 – The Big Picture – Boston.com.
Moon – Classic SciFi
Nov 29th
I first read about this movie earlier this year, in an article from the NYT and right away I knew I had to see this film. Living in the Netherlands it’s sometimes difficult to figure out when a movie is opening, since the studios still won’t release them on the same date worldwide. So I forgot about it, till I stumbled across another article about the movie (forgot the source) and right away I went to see it.
It’s classic scifi. I don’t want to spoil the plot, since I myself love watching movies without knowing the plot. Don’t watch the trailer, just go and rent it if you like 2001 – A Space Odyssey, Alien or Blade Runner.
Moon (2008) – Directed by Duncan Jones, lead played by Sam Rockwell (IMDB)
Facebook Design Refresh Coming
Nov 28th
Here we go, get ready for another round of grumbling masses having a hard time adapting to change. Facebook is revamping its design. You can check out some screenshots on the French site below.
I do like the new elements, the clearer navigation in the left column, the icons in the main nav bar. The only thing I don’t agree with is the location of the search field. IMHO it should be in the right upper corner and have the main nav items reside where the search field resides now. That way all the nav is located in the same general area, making it more obvious and more efficient (less eye/mouse movements to navigate).
Facebook : des captures d’un renouvellement de l’interface ? – PC INpact.
Twitter-Charity Interviews a Complete List
Nov 27th
Interesting to see how charity organizations use Twitter to further their cause
Twitter-Charity Interviews a Complete List @ TechnicaVita
Hans Rosling: Asia’s rise — how and when | Video on TED.com
Nov 27th
Great TED video
Hans Rosling was a young guest student in India when he first realized that Asia had all the capacities to reclaim its place as the world’s dominant economic force. At TEDIndia, he graphs global economic growth since 1858 and predicts the exact date that India and China will outstrip the US.
Hans Rosling: Asia’s rise — how and when | Video on TED.com.
Web 3.0 – Are We There Yet?
Nov 27th
Great post by Vanessa Miemis about what’s next for the web on the social level. Hope to be able to post some material on the media front soon as well.
I wrote a post a few days ago, Is Twitter a Complex Adaptive System?, that proposed the idea that Twitter may be evolving into an entity of sorts, a collective intelligence. I’ve come across some new posts that are amplifying that meme, and I just want to keep the thoughtstream going.
Semantic Research World Standards
Nov 27th
European researchers have created new tools for semantic technology development which are helping to set the next generation of official standards. The tools also unblock some key bottlenecks in semantic technology.