“[Nately] had gone every free day to work on the officer’s club that Yossarian had not helped build. Actually, there were many officer’s clubs that Yossarian had not helped build, but he was proudest of the one on Pianosa. It was a sturdy and complex monument to his powers of determination. Yossarian never went there to help until it was finished – then he went there often, so pleased was he with the large, fine, rambling shingled building. It was truly a splendid structure, and Yossarian throbbed with a mighty sense of accomplishment each time he gazed at it and reflected that none of the work that had gone into it was his.”
– from Catch-22, by Joseph Heller-
From the appearance of that science-y looking photo above – some nasty thundercloud in a volcano somewhere that probably should be researched – you know that it’s Science time! yay!
*Did you look at all the lightning in that cloud! Jeez! Click on that mother and take a look. It’s bursting with lightning-like goodness!*
You can thank Circe that Enas Yorl was on the job while me and …well, me… were fucking off and generally not doing our bloggy duties.
He spotted this dainty just as it tried to slip across the border into Canookistan (eh?). Violently beaning it with a handy Nintendo game paddle, Enas dragged it – wriggling and wee’ing mightily – to yours truly, who thanked him perfunctorily and set about altering the serial numbers.
From Network World where the geeks have a sense of smell, bathe regularly, and have steady jobs:
Scientists Claim Big Leap In Nanoscale Storage
Nanotechnology researchers say they have achieved a breakthrough that could fit the contents of 250 DVDs on a coin-sized surface and might also have implications for displays and solar cells.
They also mention that it may be a big flash in the pan – but the research grant will get them through school in time to enroll in the Interstate Trucking Institute – where they’ll learn to drive the Big Rigs!
The scientists, from the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, discovered a way to make certain kinds of molecules line up in perfect arrays over relatively large areas. The results of their work will appear Friday in the journal Science, according to a UC Berkeley press release. One of the researchers said the technology might be commercialized in less than 10 years, if industry is motivated.
But only certain kinds of molecules stand up to the discovered stimulus – rumored to be pornography of a particularly obnoxious type involving mollusks. “Polymer-porn,” one lab assistant said, “It makes ‘em line up and stand stiff as a board!”
More densely packed molecules could mean more data packed into a given space, higher-definition screens and more efficient photovoltaic cells, according to scientists Thomas Russell (pronounced “Thomas Russell“) and Ting Xu (pronounced “Ting Xu“). This could transform the microelectronics and storage industries, they said. Russell (pronounced “Russell“) is director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Amherst and a visiting professor at Berkeley, and Xu (pronounced “Xu“) is a Berkeley assistant professor in Chemistry and Materials Sciences and Engineering.
The article goes on to discuss how they did it and what their parents think of all this – given the recent stock market tumbles.
BTW: They write data to the little clusters of polymer stiffies by shooting a hot laser at each micro-stiffy. The intense heat causes the thing to lose interest and shrivel like a snowbound wiener.
Below is a partial proof that it might work if everyone hopes really hard.
Meanwhile: The webslinger next door.
And here is an airplane:
With this one above, you just have to ask yourself, “Why?”
The Mayor over at Mitchieville found a new blog called Feed Your ADHD that is mucho funny and interesting. Go there now.
Dental post:
