Oh, Berlusconi

So the Italians are blaming each other for failing to predict earthquakes.

Much like alchemy and the hunt for lead-to-gold conversion, it's an impossible feat.  The nature of tectonics is one of mystery, not so much in the mechanics of plate movement, but more so the exact nature of what triggers the stored energy to release.

Plate tectonics is one of those subjects that I can absolutely see the appeal in studying.  I am a self confessed nerd, and playing with computer simulations while trekking around the world with laptops and sensors appeals to me.  The whole being imprisoned thing, not so much.

I find it incredible that we learn in school, around the age of fourteen, that earthquakes cannot be predicted.  We also learn that usually, but not always, tremors are a form of stress relieving quake that lessen the chance of a major earthquake occurring imminently.  Of course this doesn't always hold true and the only fact relating to earthquake prediction is that there is no accurate system for prediction.

I find it incredible because the entire Italian government was absent for that rudimentary lesson.  I find it incredible that a petition of five thousand scientists (not lay people) is ignored.

But then I find it incredible that global warming is attributed entirely to people, when I learned in school that we're still leaving an ice-age.  Ten thousand years is a long time for you or me, but not so much as a blink on the face of a planet.  Everyone has collectively forgotten about that fact, too.  Wilful ignorance.

The common factor behind both of these facts is money.  The government needs a scapegoat to keep Berlusconi in power and money, and Al Gore; well he certainly doesn't need any more money.  P.s He failed to gain the presidency of a country who elected George Bush twice.  That ruins any credibility he pertains to have.

While 'people like money,' is hardly a newsworthy headline, there have been some other developments in the world at large.  Primarily sporting, and largely due to rugby.

The non-sporting news that I found most interesting, aside from this fabrication (which I include for the insightful comment of a certain '3d,' in the comments section 4 posts down) - is this article from the BBC.  Showing that genetics is a dish best served cold, it proves that the world is can be a bizarre place.

I would like to think, however, that most people see the opposite as being true.  The fact their skin colour being different is in the news, shows that genetic quirks are very much the exception.  You are not unique, I am not unique, nor will your children be, or their children.  Stop pretending to be special, people!  (Hint: you're not.)

This fantastic invention is definitely in the 'why didn't I think of that,' category.  At least it would be, if we lived in a slum.  Then again, they have far more pressing things to worry about, so I suppose it's not really in that category at all.

I think fifty or sixty watts might be pushing it; then again it's literally impossible to tell with a camera what the exact impact is.  It would have been nice if the reporters did a direct comparison using the same sensitivity (or moving picture equivalent) but what can you expect, this is generic BBC reporting at its finest.

Well done to the designer for making it public domain.  It would be somewhat difficult to patent, but I'm sure an american would have found a way.

Graphene is a real technology, at last.  The single layer graphite material is touted as being the new magic material that will bring us kicking and screaming into the 25th century, today!

Childish tag lines aside, this new material is said to be a superconductor, among other things.  Currently superconductors are composed of elements that normally exist in a gaseous form, being cooled (or super-cooled, as the media like to super/extreme everything) to exceedingly cold temperatures.  They form liquids, which do not have a measurable resistance.  They are extremely useful for making magnets.  Not the kind of magnet to hold stuff to your fridge, but the kind of magnet to hold your fridge to stuff.

The reason they can't just turn the magnet off?  The superconducting part.  Once a current is passed through the superconductor, assuming it's a closed loop, it will just keep circulating until natural decay sets in.  You could warm the superconducting liquid up, but that would be like filling a bottle with water, sealing it and then heating it up.  If you can't imagine what this would do, go try it now.  Preferably in a microwave.

For the full effect, go take out a loan for five million dollars and set fire to it.



Graphene is also super-strong, super-flexible, super awesome!  It was only invented (I don't say discovered because it's a material in the same way that polyester is, and must be manufactured) in 2004, so this kind of turnaround, from invention to implementation is unheard of in this day and age.  I would assume a product of this potential would require at least a decade of cancer testing.

As an aside:

Skip to 2 minutes in this video.  Magnetic field strength decreases or increases with the square of distance - so the closer it gets, the less likely you will ever remove it.  Conversely, in the first video, the chair is easily removed once a wedge between it and the machine has been forced in.  The three extra centimetres mean the force felt by the chair is substantially weaker.  As the man drags the chair further away, it is subject to exponentially decreasing forces.

I don't know what this graph is for, but it demonstrates the principle.  There would only be one sector in the perfect example, but I'm too lazy to google that.

Similar to the graph above.  The high point is right next to the machine, the low point is in another country.

Alas I am running out of time to finish this post, so will postpone the rugby analysis.  I will however say well done to ireland, a country who have chronically under-performed in the past decade, finally made their mark. Unfortunately they might have only one big game in them, and should they make it to the other big hitters in the quarters or semis, might struggle.

They obviously played well however, and I won't begrudge them that.  Once again, well done.