News, Science

Nanotechnology wins again!

10 Comments

Greeings from Denmark Leaguers! Just stopping by to post a bit of research that’s generating a buzz today. A team at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia have developed a technique for squeezing a potential 10 terabytes (!) of storage out of a DVD without compromising the size of the disc. This involves adding two additional “dimensions” to the format, namely colour and polarisation. These aren’t spatial or time-like dimensions – there is thus far no concrete evidence that our universe has any more than 4 dimensions – but rather two properties that can be exploited using nanomaterials. Firstly, these next generation discs would be able to respond to multiple wavelengths of light, as opposed to current discs which are monochromatic. This adds a range of colour values that can be manipulated within the same physical space on the disc, thus adding another dimension. Polarisation of the materials on the disc allows another possible range of information in the same space by altering the angle of the surface materials. By using materials that can adopt a range of angles, it is possible to influence them by polarising the light in the laser (setting the orientation of the electric field). I for one completely support this fresh way of thinking (as opposed to more stale attempts to increase data density, such as Blu-Ray) and I’m pleased to see that Samsung are now on board with this project. Apparently, we’ll see them being made commercially available in 5-10 years. I haven’t had a chance to read the paper yet, published in this month’s edition of Nature, but if you have access to the Journal, you can read it here. If not, you can always read the abstract!

I also would just like to say welcome to our newest bloggers, JRChadwick and SchrodingersFinch!

News, Reason, Science

Life Could Easily Have Survived Meteor Bombardment 3.9 Billion Years Ago

6 Comments

One of the more annoying battle cries of creationists, or indeed anyone who seeks to disprove the workability of the abiogenesis model, is “But 3.9 billion years ago all life would have been wiped out by an epic meteor bombardment NOT LEAVING ENOUGH TIME FOR US TO EVOLVE TO THE STATE WE ARE NOW THEREFORE GOD DID IT.”

Now, from my perspective a meteor bombardment would have had to be sustained and concentrated enough to vaporise the seas and turn the entire surface of the earth to molten slag before you could make an assertion like “All life would have died.” We’re not even talking life as we know it, just single or maybe multi-celled organisms – organisms which are numerous, resiliant and extremely quick to reproduce. If only one was left alive, life would have continued.

So it’s nice to see my untutored assumptions backed up by science. A study from the University of Colorado shows that life could easily have survived the bombardment, thus potentially increasing the age of life on earth by several hundreds of millions of years.

And if life can survive a meteor strike of such intensity, it could have survived it on other planets as well. I’m waiting with impatience for news of Mars.

Introductions

Introducing SchrodingersFinch

9 Comments

Greetings members of The League,

I’m SchrodingersFinch, but you can just call me Finch.

I come from a world you may not understand, or more specifically, Finland. Finland is the second greatest place on Earth. In Finland women are beautiful, men alcoholics and evolution a fact. Ironically, Finland is one of the most secular countries in the world but we also have a state church. Everyone who reads the Bible, as I’m sure you all do, should know that 21st century Finnish Evangelical Lutheranism is the one true Christian faith (don’t listen to the Swedish spawn of Satan!).

We Finns are a peculiar lot. We’re shy and don’t talk much, but when we do it’s usually something important. I hope this is also the case with blogging (or at least the latter part), but I can’t promise you anything. Writing a blog is something completely new to me, so please bear with me until I get the hang of it.

I feel honoured to be a part of this blog. As you can see, there are some big names and lots of talent involved. I only hope I can match up. When it comes to writing skills I’m definitely not the best since English isn’t even my first language. But I guarantee I will never confuse the word “their” with “they’re” or “your” with “you’re”.

Here are some relevant facts about me. I’m an atheist (gasp!), but more of the moderate kind. I am, however, strongly against creationism and other such nonsense, although I rarely encounter them in real life. I am also a science geek and proud of it! My main interests are physics and biology, but I also enjoy mathematics, chemistry and all the innumerable varieties that exist. As most of you probably know, I’m a moderator on the League of Reason forums and you can also find me on Youtube. Feel free to PM me if you have anything to say or ask. I usually have time to respond to all of them.

Hopefully I’ll have something more interesting to write about soon. If I had a cool catch phrase like all the big Youtubers this would perhaps be a good place to put it.

SchrodingersFinch

News, Science

New primate fossil found

7 Comments

I would like to introduce you all to Ida, a holotype of Darwinius masillae

At 47 million years old, it puts this amazingly detailed fossil at a time period just after the split between strepsirrhines (Lemurs and Lorises) and haplorhines (us, other apes and monkeys). The detail on this is absolutely extrordinary. They are even able to analyse the digestive tract. Ida was preserved in a maar lake deposit as a result of a volcanic explosion turning a lake into an Eocene version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (without the garden implements). Analysis of the teeth show this specimen to be a young juvenile animal.

If you feel inclined, trot on over to PLoS for the paper. There are also some great CT scans.

Ida being a bit negative

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0005723

Welcome to the family Ida!

DJ

News

COKE WILL DEATH YOU

2 Comments

An amusing article in today’s Metro (for people living in the wrong part of the planet, the Metro is a free daily newspaper given to commuters on the London Underground in an attempt to minimise casual violence).

“Guzzling down bottles of cola can cause muscle paralysis or even potentially fatal heart conditions, doctors warn.”

The cited example was a woman who “drank more than three litres of cola a day for six years”.

Now, whilst we all know that sugary stuff can fool with your teeth, getting paralysed by coke is a bit of a new one . . . but I really can’t see why people are surprised when they drink 3 litres a day. That was their representative case study? Someone too lazy or stupid to know what the hell she was doing? Well, I’m sure if I ate three litres of beans a day I’d discover some hitherto unknown consequences. Surely this is common sense? Over-indulgence of most things is going to do some damage.

Hell, why not write an article about people getting fat after eating a shedload of unhealthy food? That’s a more important, and far more prevalent, issue than “COKE HAS LICKED MY BRAIN”.

Entertainment, News

Star Trek – The Definitive Review

12 Comments

AW suggested I do a review, which struck me as difficult considering I don’t want to give away any of the plot, setpieces or script, so I’ll just censor the spoilers.

This film is balls to the wall winrar, culminating in a terrifying [censored] in which Scotty amputates [censored] [censored], plugging the leaking [censored] and so saving the ship. The scene in which Kirk [censored] for about fifteen minutes, before [censored] for a further five, is superlative. Special mention must be made of Kenneth Branagh, who [censored] every living thing in the movie.

Some surprises as well. Spock and Sulu smashing each other round the head and chest with office chairs; Chekhov’s wincing “toilet incident”; someone shouting “KHAN!!!” every few minutes; Nathan Fillion in a surprise cross-universe cameo as Mal Reynolds (although he [censored] after less than two minutes of screen time). And, of course, the blisteringly fast-paced trolley race which leaves a bewildered McCoy bleeding from his [censored], [censored] and partially severed [censored].

I heartily recommend this film to everyone. Where else are you going to see [censored], [censored], [censored] and – best of all – inter-species [censored]?

Introductions

This is JRChadwick.

8 Comments

When I first came to YouTube, the activities reached no further than that medium.  I have been thoroughly impressed by the thousands of us from all over the planet who have come together with purposes reaching farther than I could have ever expected.

I never expected to become a blogger.  Especially not one associated with musicians, a lawyer, an Astrophysicist, a Biologist, and a teacher.  I do not have any such title.  I am a computer major and a math tutor.  My educational goals have been delayed by several events I won’t get into, but I still plan to transfer to the University of California Davis under their B.S. degree program of Computer Science and Engineering.

I am not sure exactly what I will blog on.  I do have a varied set of interests.  I can probably whip out something interesting on health and fitness, cooking, or PC repair.  I’ll see what inspires me!

I have given some thought as to the purpose of people like me in this venue.  What I mean by people like me, are individuals who lack the education of AronRa, AndromedasWake, Thunder00t, etc. however we still accept real science and work to both promote and defend it from those who wish to undermine it for their own religious and political agenda and send us back into the dark ages.  And I really mean that.  If the Creationists ever were to win, that is exactly what we would have; another dark age.

Anyway, the point of the “everyman’s” anti-Creationism videos that I think is under valued is that they help refute the “Evil Evolutionist Conspiracy” card.  You do not need to be a trained scientist to either debunk Creationism or have a modest understanding of science.  I am here to prove that we are not simply putting blind faith in “Evolutionism” because we just hate God… or what ever psychological projection Kirk Cameron, NephilimFree, or theanswersofnwo3 are trying to plug.

Well, that’s it for my first post.  I look forward to what this newest venue.  I would like to thank AndromedasWake and CosmicSpork for their hard work in making this website a fast success.  And I would also like to thank the hundreds of people out there who have put their trust in me.  Thank you for reading, once again, my name is JRChadwick.

P.S. Don’t worry, I won’t end every post with that line, I just thought it was a nice reference to my channel!

News, Reason

Catering Manager Outraged At Expectation To Handle Pork

14 Comments

Hasanali Khoja, an Islamic chef for the Metropolitan Police, is sueing for religious discrimination after being expected to handle pork in his new job.

He’d previously arrived at an informal arrangement whereby he wasn’t expected to handle pork products, but his new placement has no such leniency.

And why should it? It’s just his belief, unauthorised and unjustified. Quite why an expectation for a chef to handle pork is religious discrimination is, I freely admit, beyond me. Oh, I can see why – but I don’t get how such a case is even allowed to get as far as the news.

Fine, if you have a delusional belief that prohibits you from handling certain foods and your bosses allow you – in your job as a catering manager, remember – to not touch such food, then lucky you. Someone else has been the man that you couldn’t be. But when you get transferred and are suddenly outside this umbrella of leniency and you view an expectation to handle pork products (remember – your job is a catering manager) as religious discrimination? Hell, you’re not going to leave your job. Why should you? You’re a catering manager who has decided they can’t touch pork. Your will should be done.

Seriously. Let’s apply this to something else. I’m working in an office, and I don’t like to touch paper because I have a personal belief that this isn’t right. Not a physiological issue, not a phobia – some mythical being has commanded that I do not touch paper.

Let’s assume for a moment that I would even get a job after saying “By the way, I can’t touch paper” in the interview. If I have a lenient boss who allows me to work without the requirement to touch paper, I’m very lucky. But why should I take such luck and generosity for granted? When my boss is replaced and I’m expected to touch paper just as everyone else is, why should I take umbrage?

It would be too much to ask that I wear gloves. Then surely I could touch the paper and save myself from hell.

Mr Khoja said: “The Met has shown no sensitivity towards my religion. Their response has been ill-thought and discriminatory.”

ULTRA FACEPALM

Philosophy, Reason

Kicked Out For Saying “There Is No God”

6 Comments

Here’s a funny thing.

I say funny . . . it’s actually only funny in the sense that a really fat guy trying to get down some stairs is funny. Granted, it’s pretty funny, but there’s an undercurrent of pathos.

My girlfriend got kicked out of her maths class a couple of days ago for saying God didn’t exist. When people expressed righteous anger at this perspective, she challenged them to prove God did exist. Some people got angry and her tutor sent her out – not only because she was “offending” students but the tutor as well.

My only suggestion to her was not to state “God doesn’t exist”, as then we occupy that dangerous faith-based stance; but to state “There is a chance, but it’s merely a logical necessity dictated by the deductive nature of empirical observation.” Although it didn’t sound as if anyone in her class was aware of such subtleties. No, they were simply offended that someone had disrespected their faith.

As my GF said, she’s just as offended by assertions that man should not lie with man, or that a rapist could go to heaven if he repents. In fact there was a whole bunch of stuff she only thought of saying afterwards, as is often the case with impromptu debates. Her tutor actually used the “prove God doesn’t exist” argument, which is sort of like punching a kitten in the face. As we all know, the correct response is “Oh, so you are granting equal probability to Ra, Thor, Neptune, trolls and djinn then? You can’t completely disprove them, do you believe in them? Do you believe in Allah? I hear he’s very popular.”

There often isn’t a very good answer to that question. When some street preacher said I was accountable to God, I asked him why he wasn’t accountable to Allah. His answer? Sidestep.

Magnificent.

The annoying thing is that when Christians get removed from classrooms for telling children they will go to hell, it gets in the papers and the poor child is raised on the shoulders of giants. It’s religious intolerance, apparently, to stop someone inflicting mental bullying on someone else.
If my GF complained, I can’t see it getting too far. It is the believers of the world who hold some kind of nebulous high ground, and I don’t know why.

The thing that made me especially sick were the intimations of violence to my GF from other classmates, which frankly makes me want to fly down there and beat them like naughty puppies. Can no-one see that as soon as a position has to be protected from debate by violence and censorship, it’s lost the game?