Archive for November, 2009
Turn Off Your Brain and Watch the World End in ‘2012′
Lauren Davis writes on io9.com:
Roland Emmerich’s 2012 is jammed with every cliche and trope ever found in a Hollywood disaster movie, while giving the Earth an over-the-top pummeling. It’s a reasonably fun flick at times, if you don’t think about it … at all.
It seems that once Roland Emmerich was done assembling all the CG components for destroying the world and gathering a full complement of “Hey, it’s that guy!” actors, he realized 2012 had no script, and decided to cull characters and situations from every other disaster movie ever made. Despite its massive scale of destruction, 2012 will be familiar to anyone whose seen any movie about an earthquake, volcano, aquatic disaster, or celestial body striking the Earth.
2012 follows the parallel stories of several characters at the end of the world. John Cusack plays the sort of fellow John Cusack always plays, though this time he’s also a struggling writer whose only novel…
Did Meteors Cause Life On Earth?
David Shiga writes on New Scientist:
Life may have been built on a foundation of cyanide formed in the fiery wakes of asteroids plunging through Earth’s atmosphere, high-speed impact experiments suggest.
Earth was probably not born with much in the way of organic material – the complex molecules containing carbon that life requires. It formed too close to the sun for such compounds to condense from the swirling primordial disc of gas and dust.
One possibility is that organic matter formed on Earth after the planet coalesced, for example in chemical reactions induced by lightning arcing through the atmosphere, as experiments by Stanley Miller at the University of Chicago in the 1950s suggestedMovie Camera. But the chemical reactions in this process could happen only in an early atmosphere full of methane and hydrogen, and later studies of the ancient geological record have suggested that was unlikely.
Others have suggested the building blocks came from…
Suicides in U.S. Army Are on Track to Reach New High
Tony Capaccio reports for Bloomberg:
The number of suicides among active- duty U.S. Army troops this year reached 133 in October, 18 more than in the same period last year and putting the service within reach of a new annual high.
The 133 reported suicides, including the National Guard and Reserves, between January and October compared with 115 during the same period in 2008 when the service recorded 140 by year’s end, an annual record, the Army said in a statement.
The rate of suicide within the Army last year was 20.2 per 100,000 personnel, exceeding for the first time the age-adjusted rate in the civilian population, which was 19.2, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The institute has paired with the Army to undertake the biggest study ever of suicide and behavioral health among military personnel.
The Army has taken extra steps in the past year to prevent suicides as the…
Why We Think It’s OK to Cheat and Steal (Sometimes)
Behavioral economist Dan Ariely studies the bugs in our moral code: the hidden reasons we think it’s OK to cheat or steal (sometimes). Clever studies help make his point that we’re predictably irrational — and can be influenced in ways we can’t grasp.
Are Earth’s Oceans Made Of Extraterrestrial Material?
From Science Daily:
Contrary to preconceived notions, the atmosphere and the oceans were perhaps not formed from vapors emitted during intense volcanism at the dawning of our planet. Francis Albarède of the Laboratoire des Sciences de la Terre (CNRS / ENS Lyon / Université Claude Bernard) suggests that water was not part of the Earth’s initial inventory but stems from the turbulence caused in the outer Solar System by giant planets. Ice-covered asteroids thus reached the Earth around one hundred million years after the birth of the planets.
The Earth’s water could therefore be extraterrestrial, have arrived late in its accretion history, and its presence could have facilitated plate tectonics even before life appeared. The conclusions of the study carried out by Albarède feature in an article published on the 29 October 2009 in the journal Nature.
Space agencies have got the message: wherever there is life there has to be water. Around…
Everything You Wanted to Know About 2012 But Were Afraid to Ask
December 21, 2012 is the end date of the sophisticated Long Count Calendar created by the ancient Maya in Central America. But is it a doomsday that is foretold in the Mayan calendar, the Chinese oracle of the I Ching or in an Internet-based prophetic software program? Is there any truth to these doomsday prophecies? Some theorists believe that on that date, the Earth will experience unprecedented, cataclysmic disasters ranging from massive earthquakes and tsunamis to nuclear reactor meltdowns, while yet others see a coming renewal, a rebirth of consciousness.
To help sort out the information, Gary Baddeley, the writer/producer of 2012: Science or Superstition and president of The Disinformation Company will present the current schools of thought and answer questions from a public not certain if they should prepare for survival or something else entirely.
On the day that Roland Emmerich’s mega-budget disaster film 2012 opens nationally, discover the truth about the “End of Days”…
NASA Finds “Significant” Water on Earth’s Moon
From (CNN):
NASA has discovered water on the moon, based on data from the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, that plunged into the moon last month, the principal investigator for LCROSS said Friday.
Anthony Colaprete said at the start of his comments to reporters, “Indeed, yes, we found water.”
“The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon,” NASA said in a written statement…
[continues at (CNN)]
Darpa: Freeze Soldiers to Save Injured Brains
From Wired:
The Pentagon’s mad science division has a new way to deal with the 70,000+ troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injury: freeze ‘em.
Darpa, the military’s far-out research arm, is looking for research projects that would create a “therapeutic hypothermia device” to prevent traumatic brain injuries from causing permanent molecular damage to the brain. The idea is based on successful studies that used cortical cooling to treat survivors of strokes and cardiac arrest. According to Darpa’s solicitation, cooling down the brain after trauma can offer “dramatic neuroprotection” that will prevent long-term harm to cognition and motor skills.
So far, Darpa-funded studies suggest that traumatic brain injuries are caused by repeated exposure to blasts, specifically the “supersonic wave” of highly-pressurized air they emit. Within a fraction of a second after impact, brain cells, tissues and blood vessels are stretched, torn and distorted. Over the hours, days and months that follow, altered brain processes create a snowball effect of damage…
Cheltenham 2012 Website becomes Hollywood Sensation
Bruce Fenton, the subject of this great article at ThisisGloucestershire, is a long time supporter of all things Disinfo and creator of 2012Rising.com. Keep up the great work Bruce!
Bruce Fenton has long been a prophet of doom – and now Hollywood has caught on.
As the latest end-of-the-world blockbuster 2012 hits movie screens today, the 32-year-old says he will be first through the cinema doors.
Bruce, from Cheltenham, claims to runs the UK’s most popular website dedicated to the cataclysmic Mayan prophecy from which the film takes its story.
The estate agent has spent the past 10 years researching the Mesoamerican culture, which predicts the earth will undergo a series of powerful transformations on December 21 or 23 of that year.
The forecast is based on what’s thought to be the end-date of the Mayan Long Count calendar – 5,125 years after it was drawn-up.
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Bruce, who lives in Clarence Street, has been running…
McDonald’s In Guantanamo Bay
Did you know there’s a McDonald’s In Guantanamo Bay? It’s true. They’re currently hiring for the position of assistant manager. Notice how the listing avoids referring to Guantanamo by name, instead calling it “the United States Naval base in Cuba.” Apparently, no special security clearance is need for the job, just a desire to “Enjoy the perks.”
Get Raped, Lose Your Health Insurance
CNN’s Anderson Cooper talks to a woman who was dropped by her health insurance company after suffering an attack in which she was drugged and raped. It’s because she now needs therapy and antiretroviral medicine (as a precaution to prevent any possible HIV infection), and insurance companies don’t like paying for those.
Why Are More Americans Smoking?
Surprising news from the Centers for Disease Control, reported in U.S. News & World Report:
After decades of progress, the number of Americans who smoke hasn’t budged over the last five years and actually rose slightly from 2007 to 2008, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Over the longer term, smoking rates have declined. From 1998 to 2008, the percentage of smokers in the United States dropped from 24.1 to 20.6 percent.
However, the report notes that “during the past five years, rates have shown virtually no change,” and in fact the percentage of Americans who smoke has begun to creep up again, rising from 19.8 percent in 2007 to 20.6 percent in 2008.
Many experts blame the turnaround on recent cutbacks in funding for state tobacco-control programs, which had proven successful.
“Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., and we know what…
Friday The 13th Extra Freaky
NEW ORLEANS (Wireless Flash) — Today (Nov. 13) is going to be an extra freaky Friday the 13th.
This is the third Friday the 13th in 2009 — a strangely high number of bad luck days to have in one year — and paranormal researcher Gina Lanier suspects it spells disaster.
Though it’s hard to say what will actually happen, she recommends wearing a talisman or carrying holy water all day to avoid any mishaps.
The 13th might mean bad luck for folks walking by ladders or black cats, but witches have an opportunity for fun. Lanier says today is a great day to “gather a coven” of witches — which requires 13 spell casters — to practice good or malevolent magic, depending on what they’re into.
She also says it’s prime time to sacrifice an animal because of the mystical significance of the day. The paranormal world will also be abuzz. Lanier expects more…
British Proposal Calls For Orwellian Personal Carbon Allowances
Britain’s broadsheet the Telegraph reports on a controversial proposal:
Everyone in Britain should have an annual carbon ration and be penalised if they use too much fuel, the head of the Environment Agency will say.
Lord Smith of Finsbury believes that implementing individual carbon allowances for every person will be the most effective way of meeting the targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
It would involve people being issued with a unique number which they would hand over when purchasing products that contribute to their carbon footprint, such as fuel, airline tickets and electricity.
Like with a bank account, a statement would be sent out each month to help people keep track of what they are using. If their “carbon account” hits zero, they would have to pay to get more credits. Those who are frugal with their carbon usage will be able to sell their unused credits and make a profit.
Lord Smith will call…
Is The Movie 2012 Denigrating Mayan Science?
As the science fiction movie 2012 opens Friday, a science writer challenges the idea that it’s harmless “disaster porn”.
The film’s writers are arguing that millions of people believe the final day of the Mayan calendar — December 21, 2012 — will bring “some kind of shift in society, or a shift in spirit,” which this article calls “blithe cultural arrogance and staggering anthropological ignorance.”
And it interviews BoingBoing blogger Xeni Jardin, who knows Mayans through her work with a Guatemalan nonprofit. She calls it a parody of Mayan culture, and describes explaining to a laughing Mayan priest what the movie cost to film. (The priest’s response? “Well, that’s gringos for you…”)
The author suggests a better response — “that we step up to our social responsibilities and engage passionately with the issues of our age” — but he ends with a warning for 2012 of his own.
“Placing our faith in wet-brained ravings…
World Gold Supply Runs Out
I’m not sure I really believe this, but the Telegraph is one of the more serious UK newspapers:
Global gold production is in terminal decline despite record prices and Herculean efforts by mining companies to discover fresh sources of ore in remote spots, according to the world’s top producer Barrick Gold.
Aaron Regent, president of the Canadian gold giant, said that global output has been falling by roughly 1m ounces a year since the start of the decade. Total mine supply has dropped by 10pc as ore quality erodes, implying that the roaring bull market of the last eight years may have further to run.
“There is a strong case to be made that we are already at ‘peak gold’,” he told The Daily Telegraph at the RBC’s annual gold conference in London.
“Production peaked around 2000 and it has been in decline ever since, and we forecast that decline to continue. It is…
EyeWriter Source Code Released To The Public
This technology is pretty incredible. via wooster collective
The Eyewriter from Evan Roth on Vimeo.
Members of Free Art and Technology (FAT), OpenFrameworks, the Graffiti Research Lab, and The Ebeling Group communities have teamed-up with a legendary LA graffiti writer, publisher and activist, named Tony Quan, aka TEMPTONE. Tony was diagnosed with ALS in 2003, a disease which has left him almost completely physically paralyzed… except for his eyes. This international team is working together to create a low-cost, open source eye-tracking system that will allow ALS patients to draw using just their eyes. The long-term goal is to create a professional/social network of software developers, hardware hackers, urban projection artists and ALS patients from around the world who are using local materials and open source research to creatively connect and make eye art.
This week the team behind the EyeWriter project released all the Source code, free software, DIY instructions, and eye tags by Tempt1 to the public at eyewriter.org
Feds Charge $522K for FOIA Request
From Wired:
The Treasury Department wants more than $500,000 to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request, a fee an attorney on the case suggested Tuesday might be one of the largest bills of its kind.
“I have not seen one that has been larger,” said Noah Wood, a Missouri attorney suing the government to comply with his nearly four-year-old FOIA request.
The Treasury Department, Wood said, is “downright telling us where we can stick it.”
Wood wants the government to produce documents he hopes show where are perhaps millions of dollars of once-frozen assets of a former Libyan-backed company in the United States, which Wood says owes his law firm legal fees. To that end, he is suing the government (.pdf) to comply with the FOIA request and to reduce the bill.
Still, the government wants Wood to pay $522,886 for the records. The original tab was more than $26,000, but after some revisions…
Sometimes Twittering Sh*t Your Dad Says Gets You A TV Deal
MG Siegler writes on TechCrunch:
Back in August, we wrote about Shit My Dad Says, the Twitter account of a 28-year-old guy named Justin who literally just tweeted out things his dad said. At the time, he already had over 100,000 followers on Twitter, now he has over 700,000. And now he just landed a TV deal.
Yes, you read that right. A 20-something just landed a TV deal thanks to his Twitter account. Again, not a website, not a book (though there is a book in the works too), just a Twitter account.
The TV industry blog The Live Feed reports that CBS is working with Justin (whose last name is Halpern) to create the show along with Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick. Halpern will write it along with another writer, Patrick Schumacker. Warner Brothers will produce it.
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