So, now I feel better...

about nearly blowing myself up a few weekends ago...

Scientist accidentally injects Ebola into finger
45-year-old woman given experimental vaccine for deadly virus

AP Story posted on MSNBC.com

3D Printer...

This is ... again useful words escape me... awesome. -- It is worth the time, if the video doesn't load here, just use the previous link.



Thanks Frank.

The Sliding Rocks of

Racetrack Playa

This is immensely cool. Just exactly how do these rocks move about?

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

This is just a really interesting website. I find the topics of earthquakes, plate tectonics and geology in general to be quite interesting. I can see myself spending a lot of time here in the future. James, thank you in advance, for all of the hours I will spend fooling around with this.

High Speed Safety

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.13, Cover Story - Materials for the Modern Gladiator by Bethany Halford, Northeast News Bureau.

"BUT INNOVATIONS in safety didn't keep pace with innovations in speed. Between May 2000 and February 2001, crashes claimed the lives of four NASCAR drivers. Nineteen-year-old Adam Petty and 30-year-old Kenny Irwin Jr. had eerily similar fatal accidents just eight weeks apart at the New Hampshire International Speedway. Tony Roper, 35, died during a race at the Texas Motor Speedway. The sport's highest profile fatality was that of its star Dale Earnhardt Sr., after a collision in the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001."

A decent article about a few of the materials used in automobile safety advances as learned from the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). 

Yes, people do live like this.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.18, Business - Leather from Another Era by Jean-Francois Tremblay, C&EN Hong Kong.

"LIFE IS ABOUT TO CHANGE in Hazaribagh, the old tannery district of Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital. Within two years—if the scenario currently envisaged pans out—the district's 206 leather tanneries will either shut their doors or move to a different part of the city. Once relocated, their effluent will be treated and their workers will operate in far safer conditions. Some 30,000 workers and much equipment will move.

A way of life will disappear in Hazaribagh, but no one is complaining. The district's tanneries belong to a long-gone era. They dump their untreated waste into drains and ditches that lead to the Buriganga River, the main river flowing through Dhaka. Workers handle corrosive chemicals without protective gear and walk around the tanneries barefoot."

And yet, the world worries about what the US is doing to the environment. I am NOT an advocate for wasteful use nor do I endorse unsound practices, particularly in regard to the environment. BUT, I am soooo tired of the rest of the world pointing fingers at us. Perhaps they, as well as we, should look to our own and let others do the same. 

Scientific Stimulus, Wee Beasties & Global Climate Change... Oh my.

Image from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.8, News of the Week - Science Windfall from Legislators by Rochelle Bohaty.

According to this story, the House has passed a $819,000,000,000 stimulus bill (HR 1) last week that contains more than $13,000,000,000 for research & development. And, the Senate is working on an $888,000,000,000 stimulus bill(S 1) that contains more than $12,000,000,000 for research & development.

Again, the only thing happening here is the subsidization of those who cannot productively enter society after graduation. If they are to pile up increasing institutional debt, then let them continue on their postdoctoral path in a more useful fashion. Say, design of modular concrete structures that would suit modern urban conditions... or some such.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.10, News of the Week - FDA Clears Stem Cell Clinical Trial by Britt E. Erickson, C&EN Washington.

"THE FOOD & DRUG Administration has given Geron, a small California-based biotech company, the green light to inject living cells manufactured from human embryonic stem cells into a handful of patients with spinal cord injuries.

The trials, set to begin this summer, will be the first in the world to test the safety of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells in people.

A lot of hope is riding on the outcome of the trials. If the product, called GRNOPC1, proves safe, it could open the door for other embryonic-stem-cell-based therapies to treat conditions such as juvenile diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and stroke, experts say."

I still don't know where I live on this issue... just thought you ought to know.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.10, News of the Week - Making a Toxin by Sarah Everts.

"A quirky lipid that is associated with seafood toxicity has been constructed in a lab for the first time. The work opens the possibility of developing tools to detect and study the molecule."

It would be nice to know if you are about to get food poisoning from your platter of oysters. Of course, this could just be another bit of good science gone bad when we get "gassed" with the stuff. Again, just thought you ought to know.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.11, News of the Week - Irreversible Effects by Cheryl Hogue.

"Debates over whether and how to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases should take into account that some effects of climate change are irreversible, according to a new scientific study.

The study, led by Susan Solomon, senior scientist at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), finds that even if emissions of carbon dioxide from human activity stopped, some effects will be largely unalterable for more than 1,000 years (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, DOI:10.1073/pnas.0812721106). These effects include sea-level rise and drying of some already arid regions of the world."

Truly, the just can not help themselves. There is such an abundance of research out there that will let you tell any story that you want. Right now, it is "trendy science" and quite lucrative to be on the "Global Climate Change" bandwagon.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 02 February 2009, p.11, News of the Week - Mapping Earth's Carbon Dioxide by Elizabeth Wilson.

"After months of delays, a satellite designed to help generate the first detailed, time-resolved global maps of carbon dioxide sources and sinks is slated for launch on Feb. 23.

The daily detailed measurements from NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) will give vastly more information than the sparse CO₂-monitoring stations that now dot Earth. By knowing where and when CO₂ is being emitted and taken up, scientists may be able to understand how the gas influences climate change and, in particular, global warming."

I can hardly wait to see how this thing is misused.

Stimulus Excess & Genetically Engineered Critters

Image from Chemical Engineering & News, 26 January 2009, p.9, News of the Week - Stimulating Science with More R&D Funds by Rochelle Bohaty.

So, buried in HR 1 - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are all of these funds as well. Obviously, academic spending is important. It is particularly important in areas that increase our self-sufficiency. But, if this funding is to be aimed at things such as cow flatulence and the accompanying greenhouse gas legislation to tax ranchers based on the size of their herd, then it must be eliminated from consideration. In this case, specifically the $400,000,000 for climate change research. The only thing happening here is the subsidization of those who cannot productively enter society after graduation. If they are to pile up increasing institutional debt, then let them continue on their postdoctoral path in a more useful fashion. Say, design of modular concrete structures that would suit modern urban conditions... or some such.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 26 January 2009, p.25, Government & Policy - Engineered Animals by Britt E. Erickson, C&EN Washington.

"A Drug that is produced in the milk of a genetically engineered (GE) goat for treating a rare blood disorder is on the verge of approval in the U.S. Although the goat is not supposed to enter the food supply, if the drug gets the green light next month as expected, it could set the stage for the approval of other GE animals, regardless of their intended use."

This just reinforces that we really need to "know" where all of the things that we interact with everyday come from. I do like how the goat is not supposed to enter the food supply. I can hardly wait until people find out they have been consuming genetically engineered meat. Never mind that we have been consuming genetically engineered vegetation for years.

Shrub Bashing, Tungsten Scaring & Nanobamas... Oh my!

Yes, I got a bit behind on my reading. These are taken from the 19 January 2009 Chemical Engineering and News.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 19 January 2009, p.54, Government & Policy Insights - Presidential Science Advice by David J. Hanson, C&EN Washington.

"Much has been made of the idea that President George W. Bush appeared to spend very little time worrying about science and technology. His lack of any real action on global climate change, the lip service to providing additional funds for basic science, and his refusal to change his decision to restrict federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells are among the widely recognized slights to science over the past eight years." Noted at the bottom of the article, "Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS." ACS is the acronym for the American Chemical Society.

As of 19 January, the ascension had not even occurred yet; and, folks already had Shrub out the door. Yup, if Obama can be Big Daddy O, W can be Shrub... after all, his daddy was Big Daddy Bush. And, if you must know, they were separated by Slick Willy. My way of constantly reminding myself that the President is generally only the mouth piece, Congress wields the real power. Also note that these twerps are not calling it Global Warming much at all anymore... now it is Global Climate Change.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 19 January 2009, p.63, Science & Technology - Unease Over Tungsten by Rachel Petkewich, C&EN West Coast News Bureau.

"AS THE FILAMENT in an incandescent light bulb, tungsten can illuminate a room, but it hasn't been spotlighted as an environmental contaminant in the same way that lead or mercury has. In fact, in the mid-1990s, believing that tungsten is relatively insoluble in water and nontoxic, the Army replaced the lead core in military bullets with tungsten alloys through its Green Ammunition Program. Similar bullets became available to hunters soon after as states began to ban lead ammunition to protect birds from lead poisoning. Recent studies, however, indicate that under certain environmental conditions, some forms of tungsten can move readily through soil, leach into groundwater, and induce greater biological effects than previously known. These findings do not definitively raise a red flag about tungsten, but they have spurred more study on the metal's effects because of the increased use of tungsten in military ammunition and in civilian applications ranging from tools to tire studs."

Great, something new to worry about and throw money at.

Direct quote from Chemical Engineering & News, 19 January 2009, p.88, Newscripts - Presidential Portraits and Pets by Bethany Halford, C&EN Northeast News Bureau.

"Looking for some memorabilia to commemorate this week's historic inauguration of President Barack Obama? University of Michigan mechanical engineering professor John Hart has come up with a memento that's perfect in these days of downsizing: NANOBAMAS."

Great, something new to have thrown money at. University of Michigan mechanical engineering professor John Hart has created a 500 micron sized (about 0.020") presidential portrait of Big Daddy O. Each Nanobama is made up of about 150 million Carbon nanotubes, isn't that special.