Science Links

Ever wondered how healthy or unhealthy is to ride your bike in the city? Some pertinent observations on Scientific American.

Scientific American magazine Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina talks about the January issue, including articles on the chances of conditions conducive to life elsewhere in the multiverse and the growing practice of virtual gold farming, in which legions of online game players in developing countries acquire currency in the game that they sell to other players for real money.

Calzedonia senile

Via San Vincenzo - Genova - 2008

Cercare per strada la frattura montaliana…
lo scorcio che ci permette d’intuire la verità sottostante.
Il desiderio si scontra con il limite,
l’abbondanza con l’inutilità,
mentre scatto e passo via.

Science Links

Some science links from the Scientific American (their newsletters are inundating my mailbox!):

Climate Numerology: How Much Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Is Safe?

Find X and Say Your Work. (60-seconds podcast).
A study in the Electronic Journal of Research In Educational Psychology found that students who worked out math problems out loud got more accurate results, and faster.

Are Social Networks Messing with Your Head? (Preview from Scientific American Mind)

Gaming for Profits: Real Money from Virtual Worlds. (Preview from Scientific American)

The Top 10 Science Stories of 2009 [Slide Show]

Word of the day: Lint

From the Merrian-Webster online:

lint (\ˈlint\) noun

Etymology: Middle English

Date: 14th century

1 a : a soft fleecy material made from linen usually by scraping
1 b : fuzz consisting especially of fine ravelings and short fibers of yarn and fabric
2 : a fibrous coat of thick convoluted hairs borne by cotton seeds that yields the cotton staple

I came upon this word while reading a subtle, profound and yet seemingly simple collection of poems by the Poet Laureate Charles Simic, “That Little Something“. Part IV of the book presents a series of poems entitled Eternities. The second one:

Sewing room, linty daylight
Through a small window.
You will never be in my shoes, Eternity.
I come with an expiration date.
My scissors cut black cloth.
I stick silver pins into a tailor’s dummy,
Muttering some man’s name
While aiming at its heart.

This linty daylight, you can see it, the sunrays passing heavily through the air filled with fibers, wondering how come you don’t cough for inhaling it. It also gives a sense of suspended time, like suspended are the fibers in the air, still for an instant, time slowing down, and you’re there, cutting that black cloth (with anger?), recalling that memory that still makes you suffer.

Charles Simic That Little Something

Eyes Wide Shut: Earth observation satellites are failing

In a recent article on Scientific American, author Lisa Palmer, reports on the failings of some of the 15 Earth observation satellites. These instruments provide crucial data on the state of our planet, data that is needed for the assessment of the detail of climate change. Without it, we are almost blind, we can’t see how our planet is changing under the growing human pressure against the natural enviroment. The loss of future data will result in handicapped time-series, the gaps will challenge our ability to predict the outcome of current climatic trends. Quoting from the article:

“If we don’t have continuous measurements, we basically close our eyes for awhile,” says senior scientist Thorsten Markus, head of the Cyropheric Sciences Branch at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. “It is critical that we continue those time-series observations. For climate change, the satellite provides the only means to truly monitor the Earth on a global basis. There is simply no other way.”

14 out of these 15 satellites are already beyond their planned life expectancy and only few will be replaced in the next years. The main culprit of this situation is a shortage of research funds, a diet that started some years ago with the Bush administration. In fact, why spend money on satellites that provide the data that challenge his vision of a natural climate change, not affected by human fossil fuel consumption?

Indeed this is the big question to ask. Why were the funds reduced and why haven’t they been reinstated with the new administration? Who want us to be blind in face of assessing the true causes of climate change?

To know more:
Nasa Earth Science program

Berlusconi Santo subito!

Cominciano ad esserci un po’ troppi dubbi sull’aggressione a Berlusconi…

Surrogates

What would happen if you could die playing World of Warcraft? I mean dying in the real life.
What would happen if your experience in Second Life is as real as the real life?
What would happen if you could live your Second Life without worrying about the physical consequences of your actions, since you’re at home sprawled on a comfortable armchair?

How would society change if everyone were living through a Surrogate?

These are some of the questions that are at the core of Surrogates, a movie released in September 2009 (in Italy it will arrive in January 2010), directed by Jonathan Mostow, starring Bruce Willis.  The movie is based on a comic book series, which I haven’t read and discovered right now.

The movie softly touches on the topics raised by the questions I wrote at the top, but mainly concentrates on the intricacies of the police plot and the action. There is this new weapon that can kill the real person directing a surrogate and this can pose serious threats to the society that has been built. Crime rate was almost non-existent since who would harm a surrogate if the person behind it would be left unharmed? Furthermore, in the middle of the movie, it is also made quite clear how the crime can be controlled via a backdoor into every surrogate.

Most interesting is wondering how surrogate-life changes interpersonal relationship. It seems that they become much more utilitarian, since you know you are dealing through a machine with a machine. Sexual freedom is at its maximum and everyone is beautiful and fit, indeed they can choose how to be, a man can choose to be woman and vice versa.

Can we already spot some of these issues in our society? To me it seems that reality is becoming more and more virtual and that we tend to experience it a posteriori through the representation of it, that is via photography, video and words. Add to the mix the Facebook phenomenon and I hope you understand what I am talking about.
How many of you would like to have a surrogate to use in certain situations?

Berlusconi wins again

It is easy to see why.
For one more time, the political debate in Italy is forcibly focused on something that little has to do with politics and the real problems of the country.
For one more time, the media is inundated with analyses, comments and opinions on events that distracts from the most pressing topics:  the mafia charges raised against some high-profile politicians, including Mr. Berlusconi; the status of the Italian economy, which, despite the comforting words of the government, is in reality in a very bad condition; the problems with the justice system, on one hand the bureaucratic intricacies that lead to extremely long processing times, on the other the persistent political attacks on the judges and prosecutors.

I think Mr. Berlusconi is not suited for governing for one very simple reason: he does not have the time.
He should attend his trials for corruption, bribing and illegal corporate actions. For governmental reasons he often does not go the courts, but spends an incredible amount of time, even abroad during official visits, attacking the judges and prosecutors, raising his voice to condemn the red-tunics, so called communist prosecutors.
He has his football team, Milan, to care about.
He has his media empire to care about.
And even has many women to care about.
Where can he possible find the time to care about the country?
I want a prime minister, right or left, that works full time, like many of us. A prime minister that works for the good of the country, allowing divergent perspectives of course.

Mr. Berlusconi wins again.
Because he is again in the spotlight.
Because once more all the attention of the people, of the media and of the other politicians is taken away from the real issues.

Mr. Berlusconi was hit in the face and I am sorry that someone felt such a strong urge to resort to violence, which I always condemn. It is important to say that violence comes from anger and anger, very often, is caused by some good reasons.
But one should find ways to express his anger that do not include violence, never.

Berlusconi colpito al volto

Riporto le parole scritte da Peter Gomez e Marco Travaglio sul blog de “Il Fatto Quotidiano”, ben spiegano quello che penso in questo momento.

“Deve essere chiaro che chi ha colpito questa sera al volto il presidente del consiglio Silvio Berlusconi non è uno stupido, ma un delinquente. Il nostro pensiero sul Cavaliere è noto: crediamo che sia il peggior premier della storia repubblicana. Riteniamo che sia il perfetto campione di una classe dirigente nel suo complesso mediocre che non rappresenta il Paese e che il Paese non merita. Caste di questo tipo non si abbattono però con la violenza, ma con la forza dei fatti e delle idee. L’Italia ha bisogno di verità, di giustizia, di legalità, non di pugni in faccia o di insulti. Per questo è nato il nostro giornale, per questo è nato questo blog. Quindi ci auguriamo che il solitario protagonista dell’aggressione a Berlusconi venga punito con assoluta severità. Da parte nostra, invece, assicuriamo che andremo avanti come sempre: analizzando le cose, ragionando e (quando è il caso) protestando.

Post scriptum
Mentre scriviamo, giunge notizia che l’aggressore sarebbe in cura da 10 anni per malattie mentali al Policlinico di Milano. Fermo restando quello che abbiamo detto fin qui chi già cercava improbabili mandanti morali o si preparava a lanciare l’allarme terrorismo farebbe bene a darsi una calmata anche lui.”

Peter Gomez e Marco Travaglio

“They Stole So Much More”

Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar’s best multimedia story winner, John Adkisson is a a journalism student at UNC Journalism School Chapel Hill. The story is simple, moving, sad and heartening. Life continues, must continue positively, even after tragedy.