Nature and Science | Keys Corner

Nasa’s photo of the day

By John, on October 19th, 2008

Wow. Nasa publishes some really interesting photos. This one is of Phobos, the larger of Mars two moons.

For more information and a larger version of the photo (up to approx. 3300 x 3300 pixels versions are available, so you could use it as your desktop background!), click on the picture below:

Image . . . → Read More: Nasa’s photo of the day

Getting an i-Blue 747 GPS logger to work with OS X

By John, on September 13th, 2008

I bought an i-Blue 747 GPS track logger recently. You can pick one up, new, on eBay for around 40 – 50 Euro. The idea is to use it to tag photos with their position – our cameras don’t have GPS receivers built in, and often when we get back from holiday, its difficult to remember where exactly we took which pictures. If you set the clock in the (digital) camera before you set off, the time-stamp from the GPS log, together with the position data allow you add the exact position of each photo to the EXIF data that the camera stores when each picture is taken.

The problem is, few GPS loggers come with any software for downloading and processing the track data on a Mac. I’m not aware of any that supports OS X “out of the box”. However, there is lots of third party software around which can be used to read out the scans and process them on the Mac. It takes time to track them down, however. So here’s what works for me:
Continue reading Getting an i-Blue 747 GPS logger to work with OS X

Pentagon: Britain will have “Siberian” climate in 12 years time

By John, on February 24th, 2008

The Observer claims to have obtained a confidential report commissioned by the Pentagon:

Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters.

A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities . . . → Read More: Pentagon: Britain will have “Siberian” climate in 12 years time

The tree circus

By John, on December 18th, 2007

Picture from Arborsmith Studios website (click picture to visit)Axel Erlandson an American arborsculptor opened an exhibition in 1947 featuring trees which he had shaped by pruning, bending and grafting. The original exhibition, called The Tree Circus had a chequered history, only bringing in a little over $300 in a good year (1955). Eventually 12 . . . → Read More: The tree circus

Reconstructing extinct viruses

By John, on December 2nd, 2007

Researchers today are capable of building their own viruses: Thanks to steady advances in computing power and DNA technology, a talented undergraduate with a decent laptop and access to any university biology lab can assemble a virus with ease. Five years ago, as if to prove that point, researchers from the State University of . . . → Read More: Reconstructing extinct viruses

How to store nuclear waste safely over thousands of years

By John, on October 22nd, 2007

The environmental lobby often laments mankind�s unfortunate obsession with the short term. People, by and large, don�t tend to think ahead (two-thirds of Britons lack wills, for example, leaving them unprepared for one of life�s few real certainties). Politicians, with one eye always fixed on surviving the next election, are particularly guilty of short-termism. . . . → Read More: How to store nuclear waste safely over thousands of years

Elephants

By John, on October 18th, 2007

Elephants are in the news at the moment:

Elephants can differentiate between different tribes and different types of humans Bees repel elephants Elephants seem to like revenge

Game theory applied to toilet seat positions

By John, on June 3rd, 2007

The issue of whether the toilet seat should be left up or down after use seemingly generates a lot of passion among the parties concerned, however, scientific inquiries into the matter are almost non-existent. Notable exceptions are Choi (2002) and Harter (2005). Choi (2002) argues that the rule of leaving the toilet seat down . . . → Read More: Game theory applied to toilet seat positions

Club of Rome updated

By John, on May 29th, 2007

Remember the Club of Rome report Limits to Growth, published in 1972? There’s an interesting article and graphics (subscription required for full article) in the current New Scientist showing what the latest estimates are for how long precious and rare metals will last.

Not just of interest if you are considering buying jewellery . . . → Read More: Club of Rome updated