up in the sky

In a friend of mine's book, he reflects that the future ain't what it used to be. Remember what they said, in the 30s, 40s, 50s, & 60s, what the future would look like? And how none of it came true? I remember seeing something in a 1979 Reader's Digest that flying cars would be available by 1989.

Anyway, Wired has the NASA seventies vision of future space stations...and they're much cooler than what we have.

mysterious boom

The absolute best freak occurance in history must be the Tunguska event, a mysterious 1908 explosion over Siberia that had nuclear bomb-like properties. No one is 100% sure what caused the blast, although it seems to be a haven for wacko theories (my fave is that it happened after a failed test of Tesla's broadcast power). It has shown up in fiction ranging from Ghostbusters to Warren Ellis' retelling of the Galacticus trilogy. Now, however, a bunch of scientists have released a new study of the crater. Very cool stuff.

good news for glum bastards

A German scientist has determined that smiling can be bad for you. I am officially using this as after-the-fact justification for my at-work demeanor.

the coolest photos you'll see today

Check out these cool photos of the aurora borealis over Russia. Finding cool stuff like this is one of the reasons I love the internet.

ribbit

You think you have problems? This frog -- recently discovered -- has no lungs and breathes through its skin. In spite of this, he looks sort of cute.

trendy stuff

If we've ever talked academics, you've probably heard me praise to the skies the network theorist Duncan Watts. I just found a cool article on the man that I think everyone should read. Go to it.

craving

Scientists discover that food cravings might be the result of bacteria living in your digestive tract, and I find this to be wonderful news. I have struggled with weight and eating for a while, and I get extremely annoyed at stick people who talk about me and my type as if we're just weak individuals.

Quote of the article? "the study was delayed because it took a year for the researchers to find 11 men who don't eat chocolate."

leaving on a jet...train?

Those wacky Soviets apparently tried to put jet engines on trains.

its time is short

Want an explanation of this super cool photo? It's a dying star.

on living behavior

Dust 'comes alive' in Space, from The Times:

"SCIENTISTS have discovered that inorganic material can take on the characteristics of living organisms in space, a development that could transform views of alien life."

Neat article...it brings up the question "what does "alive" mean?" Our definitions of life are never really that comprehensive. It's all about complexity.