Texas School Board Set to Vote on Evolution

Texas School Board Set to Vote on Challenge to Evolution - WSJ.com

Wow... maybe there is hope after all... [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Fusion projects

Fusion projects hang in limbo - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com

We're not spending nearly enough in this area.... [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Use of brain scans in courts

Wow.. this is incredible.... actually it's NOT credible which is the point.
Reminds me of the Star Trek episode where Kirk is convicted based on "infallible" computer evidence. Or a few others where they had a high tech lie detector in trials. But this seems to go further than just detecting a lie. This seems to suggest that a brain scan can read what a person remembers.. chilling....

India's use of brain scans in courts dismays critics - International Herald Tribune [This Post Continues after the jump...]

US Might have to Abandon the ISS to the Russians

This is sad... we're caught in between the shuttle and Orion. I hope Congress extends the shuttle flights. We have more stuff to fly and it would fill in the Gap... but it'll cost a lot... so... who knows what will happen..



floridatoday.com | The Flame Trench | Florida Today's Space Team Blog [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Baby Dies, Comes Back to Life

Miracle or explained medical phenomenon?

I think this is why "belief" is so hard in the modern world. Even when we can't fully explain something, we pretend we can.

FOXNews.com - Baby Who Fell Into River Dies, Comes Back to Life - Health News [This Post Continues after the jump...]

School Silencing Dr. Gray Over Global-Warming Views

Where's the uproar about "Academic Freedom" ?

oh...wait.. that only applies if you are liberal...

FOXNews.com - Hurricane Expert: School Silencing Me Over Global-Warming Views - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Establishing the Vision for Space Exploration

Good reading for any NASA fan or space buff....

Establishing the Vision for Space Exploration | SpaceRef - Your Space Reference [This Post Continues after the jump...]

What Will Life Be Like in the Year 2008?

What Will Life Be Like in the Year 2008?

The really interesting part of this is HOW MUCH they were RIGHT... Except for vactiooning in orbit, domed cities and automatic cars, the parts about computers and TV is pretty close to what we actually have (except for the user interface). [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Climate facts to warm to

Interesting.... very Interesting.... and convenient truths...

Climate facts to warm to | The Australian [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Shroud of Turin debate rekindled

It's interesting how this never goes away....

The interesting thing about this to me is how SCIENCE can't really ever conclude anything in absolut finality. No matter what tests are done, they will always be done by people, and people can make mistakes. The test results will aways be open to "interpretation" and different people will come to different conclusions given the same data.

This proves my contention that SCIENCE can never settle a debate. There is no such thing as a SCIENTIFIC CONCLUSION. Science is a tool used by many people to reach their own conclusion, but any conclusion is by definition a subjective opinion of the person making the conclusion, therefore it can't be considered an "objective" conclusion.

And that's the problem with Science. It can never go the final step. It can never reach a conclusion independent of science-ISTS or the people using science.

Whether it's the Shroud or Turin, Global Warming, Evolution, or Abortion, SCIENCE is powerless to solve the issue.

Shroud of Turin debate rekindled - TODAY: People - MSNBC.com [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Space: ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Blasts Off Tomorrow

This is going to be neat...
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=27279



Space: ESA's Autonomous Space Truck Blasts Off Tomorrow [This Post Continues after the jump...]

US Satellite Shot - Needed for Safety or a Weapons Test?

Well Russia says it's just a veiled weapons test. But has a NASA engineer that has at least heard the word "hydrazine" before today, I think there is room for concern. I was surprised what survived from Challenger, video tapes with data still on them, science experiment data, and other things all survived. This Satellite failed days after launch, so it's tanks are FULL and reasonably could be a hazard to anyone near an impact site.

But that doesn't mean it won't be a great weapons test also!! And if it really has happened like the US says, it is a great SHORT NOTICE test of a weapons system. An excellent opportunity not to be passed up.

Plus, it is very different from China's recent test. First, we are telling everyone beforehand. Second, this satellite is days away from reentering the atmosphere - therefore it is much lower than other operational satellites and the debris will be in the same low orbit and not harm any other satellite. The debris will also re-enter the atmosphere in a few days or weeks. The Chinese satellite was not functioning but in a normal orbit, it's debris caused lots of problems with other operating satellites.

Russia: US Satellite Shot a Weapons Test

As a side thought, wouldn't it be GREAT if this satellite wasn't a "failed" imaging satellite at all? Maybe it was launched just to be a target. They could even have some control over it and have picked the time for this test. If this becomes a conspiracy theory I want credit for mentioning it first!! (I haven't read this anywhere else, but I'm sure others have thought of it or even written about it, but I should get some credit for starting an unfounded rumor, and my NASA credentials might even give it an unfounded air of plausibility.)

Anyways, I would hope our military could pull something like this off, I mean all the alien technology has to be good for something. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Florida Lawmaker: Evolution should be ‘theory’

Sounds good to me...

The only thing constant about evolution is that the theory itself keeps evolving. No matter what the data shows, no matter what new information is found, the theory of evolution changes so that it is always "true to the best of our knowledge" at any given time.

This makes it impossible to ever disprove, thus it is kind of pointless as a scientific theory. If they had to rename the theory every time it changed, we would see just how volatile it is, but they don't.

Evolution is NOT a specific scientific theory. It is a broad IDEA that all life today is related to common ancestors of the past, all the way back to one common ancestor (typically some sort of goo). This idea should be taught, but other ideas should also be presented.

Lawmaker: Evolution should be ‘theory’ | floridatoday.com | Serving Brevard County and Florida’s Space Coast [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Spiders on Mercury

First there were "humanoid" bigfoot like animals on mars, now SPIDERS! on Mercury (I hate spiders..)


Messenger's Pictures From Mercury Surprise Scientists - washingtonpost.com [This Post Continues after the jump...]

First U.S. Satellite's Souvenirs Still Circles the Earth

We were a little late, but Explorer I actually did real Science and is STILL in orbit today.

Sputnik just beeped and fell back to earth a few months later (although I don't know the exact length of time)

SPACE.com -- 50 Years Later: First U.S. Satellite's Souvenirs Still Circle the Earth [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Engineers have a 'terrorist mindset'

Well, I'm certainly am inclined to take a conservative and religious position on things...and according to most democrats, my views are "extreme"... but I would hardly call myself a terrorist...

EETimes.com - Holy War! Researchers say EEs have a 'terrorist mindset'

PDF paper here Engineers of Jihad [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Pictures of Near-Miss Asteroid

Here's TU24.. It will pass "near by" today about 40% further out than the moon. That's pretty close in solar system terms, but I vaguely remember hearing of one that comes closer than the moon. Still there is no chance of this hitting us anytime, unless some evil scientist fires a freaking shark mounted laser at it and changes it's orbit....


FOXNews.com - First Blurry Pictures of Near-Miss Asteroid Released - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Photo Shows Humanoid on Mars ?

It looks a little like BIG FOOT to me... except it's only a few inches tall...and it's a rock...


FOXNews.com - NASA Photo Shows Humanoid Figure on Mars - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Where Are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow?

Not one of my usual topics, but one I found interesting.

I think we need to realize that there are two classes of computer programmers now, the ones like me that program a small tool to get a specific job done, like analyzing a data stream, or displaying data in human readable formats, and then the programmers that do all the "behind the scenes" work.

It's kind of interesting that as things get EASIER for me, they actually get HARDER for the real programmers developing all the tools.

STSC CrossTalk - Computer Science Education: Where Are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow? - Jan 2008


*** UPDATE ***

Who Killed the Software Engineer? (Hint: It Happened in College)

To sum up Dewar’s argument: today’s college computer science programs aren’t rigorous enough, and don’t promote in-depth thinking and problem solving. Instead, in an effort to boost enrollment, CS programs focus on easily accessible curricula, and so fail to prepare students to compete with their international peers.

[This Post Continues after the jump...]

Researchers create beating heart in lab | Science Blog

WOW... all I can say is WOW...

Cells from a Rat embryo or newborn were used here, but the idea is that cells from an adult rat could be used without killing the adult rat. The same adult rat would then get the new heart.
(well, the REAL idea is to do this on humans, but you know what I mean....)

Researchers create beating heart in lab | Science Blog [This Post Continues after the jump...]