Wandering to the east
This, as you have likely guessed, is not a picture from Roundrock. Rather, it is from the Botanical Garden in St. Louis, where Libby and I spent the weekend
Whenever we go to St. Louis, we always try to spend a few hours in this garden. No matter the season, there is always something to see and enjoy there. I suppose everyone should visit the Arch at least once in their life, and the zoo there is excellent as well. And if you have children,........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 10/22/2008 10:15:09 PM)
David C. Lam Asian GardenI''m on vacation, so please accept my apologies for the brief entries. -- Daniel........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 10/22/2008 10:14:39 PM)
As Sticky as a Gecko, but Ten Times Stronger!The gecko's amazing ability to stick to surfaces and walk up walls has inspired many researchers to manufacture materials that mimic the special surface of a gecko's foot. The secret behind the gecko's ability to stick so well is a forest of pillars at the micro-/nano-scale on the underside of the gecko's foot. Because there are so many pillars so close together, they are held tightly to the surface the gecko is walking on by a molecular force........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 10/15/2008 5:29:26 PM)
Merendera montana....and another thank you to Paulo Araújo of Portugal for sharing a few of his photographs. Paulo submitted these images via this thread in the Botany Photo of the Day Submissions Forum. Much appreciated
Paulo writes
"The sight in early autumn of these stalkless flowers sprouting directly from the parched earth amidst dried-up grasses is quite wonderful. In spite of appearances, these plants do have leaves - but they will only show up........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 10/9/2008 10:07:28 PM)
Myrl: Connecting virtual lives
Old form of world wide web: We contacted people by e-mail
Web 2.0: We’re connected to each other by social networks
Myrl: Our virtual lives (avatars) are connected to each other
I’m a regular Second Life user but know there are other virtual worlds as well with many different avatars. Why not to connect them to each other? Myrl just does it
Myrl is a social gateway for virtual worlds that allows you to share your........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 10/6/2008 9:25:17 PM)
Humboldt County"From its simple title font evocative of another era to its opening and closing shots reminiscent of The Graduate to its casting of filmmaking icon Peter Bogdanovich, Humboldt County acknowledges its immodest aims early on," writes Kristi Mitsuda at indieWIRE. "Taking as their subject matter a happy, hippie hideaway in the marijuana-rich forests of Northern California, writing and directing team Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky seem to believe........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 10/6/2008 9:24:38 PM)
Homeowner perceptions in fire-prone areasMost residents in fire-prone communities surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest have taken steps to protect their homes from wildland fires, as per a U.S. Forest Service study completed this summer.
"The Experience of Community Residents in a Fire-Prone Ecosystem: A Case Study on the San Bernardino National Forest," showed about 94 percent of homeowners who participated in surveys and focus group discussions in 2007 had taken........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 9/25/2008 10:50:38 PM)
Brunsvigia josephinaeThanks again to Ruth S. for today''s write-up. Also, big thanks to J.G. in S.F.@Flickr for sharing two of his photographs with us today (original 1 | original 2 via the BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Appreciated once again
Ruth writes (touching on a topic introduced last week -- geophytes)
Geophyte (geo- or earth and -phyte or plant) is a term used to describe plants with underground storage organs. The term most people commonly use for........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 9/16/2008 9:58:31 PM)
First beam for Large Hadron ColliderAn international collaboration of researchers today sent the first beam of protons zooming at nearly the speed of light around the world's most powerful particle acceleratorthe Large Hadron Collider (LHC)located at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) invested a total $531 million in the construction of the accelerator and its detectors, which researchers........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 9/10/2008 8:46:15 PM)
Ice Age lesson predicts a faster rise in sea levelif the lessons being learned by researchers about the demise of the last great North American ice sheet are correct, estimates of global sea level rise from a melting Greenland ice sheet may be seriously underestimated.
Writing this week (Aug. 31) in the journal Nature Geoscience, a team of scientists led by University of Wisconsin-Madison geologist Anders Carlson reports that sea level rise from greenhouse-induced warming of the Greenland........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 8/31/2008 8:27:51 PM)
The Baader Meinhof hooplaIf a studio in the US knows it''s got a stinker on its hands, it simply won''t show it to critics before dumping it in theaters on a Friday evening. That used to be a rare, desperate measure, but as studios realize that audiences are now swayed more by marketing than reviews, it''s become an increasingly common practice. But it only works for a certain kind of film, a non-event movie like a B-level horror flick or a romantic comedy with a........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 8/30/2008 11:36:39 AM)
Research breeder develops drought-tolerant cornAt the end of the day, drought tolerance in corn has to equate to good yields and good quality, not just good looks, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.
Dr. Wenwei Xu, AgriLife Research corn breeder from Lubbock, is working with crosses between temperate and tropically adapted varieties of corn to find a drought-tolerant plant that performs well under reduced irrigation.
"With the continuing decline of the Ogallala Aquifer water........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 8/25/2008 10:02:57 PM)
The MultitudeWhen I speak to others about the multitude of wonderful qualities at Roundrock, my little bit of forest on the edge of the Missouri Ozarks, they always come around to the same question
Aren’t there bugs there
Well, of course there are. A little careful planning and preparation, though, and they needn’t be a problem
Yes, we have ticks in the Ozarks. They’re worst between May and September. I usually find one or two........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 8/21/2008 6:35:59 PM)
Twitter Buys SummizeThis was bound to happen sooner or later, that's my take on it. Summize is a social search engine created soley to search Twitter, why wouldn't Twitter want it. It's a great buy for Twitter, added to their site this is a great asset. Twitter needed a good search engine for their site
"The one thing that remains a mystery is the acquisition price. Twitter hasn't raised a huge amount of money and Summize had almost a........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 8/21/2008 6:24:12 PM)
Fungus helps beetles to digest hard woodA little known fungus tucked away in the gut of Asian longhorned beetles helps the insect munch through the hardest of woods as per a team of entomologists and biochemists. Scientists say the discovery could lead to innovative methods of controlling the invasive pest, and potentially offer more efficient ways of breaking down plant biomass for generating biofuels.
Microbes in the gut of insects are known to break down cellulose, but little........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 8/18/2008 9:02:42 PM)
Biofilms use chemical weaponsBacteria rarely come as loners; more often they grow in crowds and squat on surfaces where they form a community together. These so-called biofilms develop on any surface that bacteria can attach themselves to. The dilemma we face is that neither disinfectants and antibiotics, nor phagocytes and our immune system can destroy these biofilms. This is a particular problem in hospitals if these bacteria form a community on a catheter or implant........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/23/2008 4:49:10 PM)
Boosting Access to Clean WaterA chemical engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is part of a team that has developed a chlorine-tolerant membrane that should simplify the water desalination process, increasing access to fresh water and possibly reducing greenhouse gases.
"If we make the desalination process more efficient with better membranes, it will be less expensive to desalinate a gallon of water, which will expand the availability of clean water........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/22/2008 8:20:13 PM)
Motivations for tattoo removalIndividuals who visit dermatology clinics for tattoo removal are more likely to be women than men, and may be motivated by the social stigma associated with tattoos and negative comments by others, according to a report in the recent issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
About one-fourth of adults age 18 to 30 have a tattoo, according to background information in the article. "While the vast majority of........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/21/2008 9:44:22 PM)
Jourdan Dunn Hearts Topshop For AW08Model of the moment, Jourdan Dunn features in Topshop’s ad campaign for AW08. Alongside Karlie Kloss, Dunn works her trademark smouldering looks all while making London’s buses look super cool!........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 7/20/2008 4:18:20 PM)
Massive greenhouse gases may be released as destructionLeading world researchers convene in Brazil July 21-25 amid growing concern that evaporation and ongoing destruction of world wetlands, which hold a volume of carbon similar to that in the atmosphere today, could cause them to exhale billows of greenhouse gases.
Meeting in the city of Cuiaba on the edge of South America's vast Pantanal, the largest wetland of its kind, some 700 experts from 28 nations at the 8th INTECOL International........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/20/2008 2:52:05 PM)
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The Ultimate Historic Transport ShowPurists may disagree but I believe the most interesting classic car shows are those that include other forms of vintage transport. Perhaps the best among them is the annual Geneva Classics at PalExpo in Geneva, Switzerland. In case you're not familiar with the name, I should explain that PalExpo is the giant display hall where the Geneva Auto Show is held each year. It is superbly located adjacent to the international airport and enjoys........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 10/22/2008 10:14:58 PM)
America's China Addiction: Time to Kick It?Hats off to Richard Brubaker over at his blog, All Roads Lead to China, for pointing out this Financial Times article. If you enjoy understanding the big picture, the piece is insightful...
The author of the Financial Times article, David Piling, says that in a conversation about America's economic woes he asked a Chinese official recently if America hung itself "with Asian rope?" The Chinese official's response: "No.........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 10/16/2008 8:27:42 PM)
Buckypapers clarify electrical, optical behavior of nanotubesUsing highly uniform samples of carbon nanotubessorted by centrifuge for lengthmaterials researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made some of the most precise measurements yet of the concentrations at which delicate mats of nanotubes become transparent, conducting sheets. Their recent experiments* point up the importance of using relatively homogeneousnot overly short, but uniform in length nanotubes for........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 10/15/2008 5:21:32 PM)
Filmmaker overviews.The "filmmaker overview essay" is "an immensely useful and educational form," notes Girish, who then points to a healthy handful, only one of which has been noted before here: Jonathan Rosenbaum''s piece on Nagisa Oshima for Artforum. The occasion for that one, of course, is In the Realm of Oshima, the series co-organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Cinematheque Ontario and curated by James Quandt - whose essay on Oshima for........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 10/9/2008 10:07:51 PM)
Egg whites solve the 3-D problemThe real world is three-dimensional. That's true even in the laboratory, where researchers have to grow cells to study how they develop and what happens when their growth is abnormal.
More and more laboratories are seeking to develop three-dimensional cell culture systems that allow them to test their new techniques and drugs in a system that more closely mimics the way in which cells grow. However, a big sticking point is the cost of........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 10/7/2008 10:35:11 PM)
Ferocactus cylindraceusThanks to Ruth for both today''s write-up and photograph
Normally, television imitates life. It polishes the edges of life''s reality and makes it seem more glamorous. Well, here is an example of life imitating television, edges and all! I call this the "Homer Cactus" after Homer Simpson. I found this beauty in the Anza-Borrego desert in southern California while hiking with a group of friends. We had a great laugh
The red barrel........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 10/6/2008 9:24:19 PM)
Doppler on Wheels Deployed at Hurricane IkeThe only scientific team to successfully brave Hurricane Ike's knock-down winds and swells in Galveston was the DOW, the Doppler on Wheels mobile weather radar operated by the Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR) in Boulder, Colo.
"The DOW mission to Ike provided, for the first time, high-resolution radar data collected from the ground of the inside of a hurricane eye strengthening during landfall, and from a hurricane that directly........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 9/18/2008 9:12:26 PM)
Apparently I'm ShallowI''m going to be very honest here:There isn''t a lot I wouldn''t do for these shoes.I think I felt my dignity slipping the second I clicked through the Style.com lookbook, to be replaced with pure, unadulterated shoelust. Carrie Bradshaw has nothing on me - well, nothing except for a wallet equiped with the means to buy such expensive footwear. Anna Sui shoes. Photo sources: 1, 2.........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 9/16/2008 9:58:45 PM)
Did You Read Your Toast This Morning?Let me start by saying that this is only a concept - but it is a freaking cool one. Imagine being able to print on toast. You read correctly - what if you could take images from from the internet or your computer and print (burn them into) toast. Hear me out; it is not as silly as it sounds
This design competition finalist, in a competition by Electrolux, has some fantastic potential. Designer Sung Bae Chang's design would allow you to........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 9/16/2008 9:49:48 PM)
Sunday swirlings
We’re having a bit of a celebration here at Roundrock Journal. My web master recently upgraded me to the latest version of WordPress, and that fixed a number of minor inconveniences. No longer will I have to cut and past HTML code in order to add pix to the posts. The punctuation will no longer go wonky when I apply any formatting to the text. And best of all, I seem to be able to preview my posts again. I only had sporadic access to........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 9/9/2008 10:40:42 PM)
Economic and Social Disadvantage and Voter TurnoutA study recently reported in the Journal of Social Issues illustrates how certain disadvantages experienced in adolescence, such as early pregnancy, dropping out of high school, being arrested, or going to an underprivileged school, contribute to lower voter turnout in young adulthood. In addition, the types of disadvantage vary across racial groups.
Julianna Sandell Pacheco and Eric Plutzer of The Pennsylvania State University used data........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 8/27/2008 7:19:14 PM)
How to get a college roommate you can live withAnxious college freshmen can relax. No matter who will be sharing their dorm room, they have the power to make the relationship better, University of Michigan research suggests.
The research, reported in the September 2008 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, was conducted by psychology experts Jennifer Crocker and Amy Canevello at the U-M Institute for Social Research.
"Roommate relationships can be really good or........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 8/25/2008 10:05:13 PM)
"Grow Your Own" HomesA bus stop that grows its own foliage as shade? A children's playground, made entirely from trees? A shelter made from living tree roots that could provide natural protection against earthquakes in California?
"Eco-architecture" may sound like a Buck Rogers vision of an ecologically-sustainable future, but that future is now thanks to the guidance of Tel Aviv University Professors Yoav Waisel and Amram Eshel. The concept of shaping living........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 8/21/2008 8:42:28 PM)
New 'nano-positioners' may have atomic-scale precisionEngineers have created a tiny motorized positioning device that has twice the dexterity of similar devices being developed for applications that include biological sensors and more compact, powerful computer hard drives.
The device, called a monolithic comb drive, might be used as a "nanoscale manipulator" that precisely moves or senses movement and forces. The devices also can be used in watery environments for probing biological molecules,........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 8/20/2008 6:12:54 PM)
Transition From Home To CollegeAn increasing number of students are packing more than their computers and iPods when leaving for college. They are bringing along prescribed psychiatric medications.
And once on campus, experiencing new freedom from supervision by mom, dad and hometown mental health providers in taking those medications may present an opportunity to experiment with stopping those meds.
As per the Association for University and College Counseling Center........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 8/20/2008 1:37:38 AM)
Improved estrogen reception may sharpen fuzzy memoryEstrogen therapys may sharpen mental performance in women with certain medical conditions, but University of Florida scientists suggest that recharging a naturally occurring estrogen receptor in the brain may also clear cognitive cobwebs.
The discovery suggests that drugs can be developed to offset "senior moments" correlation to low estrogen levels, as well as to protect against neurological diseases, all while avoiding the problems linked........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/30/2008 12:15:25 AM)
Studying Little-known But Largely Useful MicrobesMontana State University microbiologist Matthew Fields spends his days trying to understand how interactions on a microscopic scale could change how we think of energy production, climate change and even soil contamination.
Fields studies the physiology and behavior of microbes - the tiny organisms that have inhabited virtually every square inch of the earth's surface for the past 3.5 billion years.
"Microbes have global impacts," Fields........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/22/2008 8:24:53 PM)
Robot playmates may help children with autismPapers delivered at three conferences in the US and Europe this summer report on new research at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering studying interactions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with bubble-blowing robots.
The preliminary studies, by Professor Maja Matarić and PhD student David Feil-Seifer of the USC Interaction Laboratory, confirm what has been widely reported anecdotally: that........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/22/2008 8:10:18 PM)
10 Facts You Didn't Know About HoudiniHarry Houdini was the most influential magician of the 20th century. His specialty was escapes: slipping out of ropes, chains and handcuffs while locked in trunks and milk cans or submerged underwater. His skills and showmanship made the single name ''Houdini'' synonymous with entertaining magic.His life has been well-documented by various histories and biographies, but a lot of public misconceptions remain. How well do you know Houdini?........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 7/20/2008 4:18:08 PM)
A Colorful Approach to Solar EnergyRevisiting a once-abandoned technique, engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have successfully created a sophisticated, yet affordable, method to turn ordinary glass into a high-tech solar concentrator.
The technology, which uses dye-coated glass to collect and channel photons otherwise lost from a solar panel's surface, could eventually enable an office building to draw energy from its tinted windows as well as its........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/19/2008 10:13:21 AM)
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