No, really. A Princeton lab geared towards studies of ESP will be shutting down after nearly 30 years of research. (NYT: “A Princeton Lab on ESP Plans to Close Its Doors,” by Benedict Carey [Feb 10, 2007])
They should have seen it coming
Posted by Ben on February 13, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/they-should-have-seen-it-coming/
So an elephant walks up to a black hole…
Space-time paradoxes involving elephants, black holes and, yes, Alice. Also a baseball encyclopedia. (NewScientist: “The elephant and the event horizon,” by Amanda Gefter [Oct 26, 2006])
Posted by Ben on February 11, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/so-an-elephant-walks-up-to-a-black-hole/
All awake, all the time!
An article in NewScientist from a whiles back details society’s progression towards 24-hour alertness, how it’s happening, what it means. (Not that anybody knows, exactly.) We seem to be moving inescapably towards a society where sleep and wakefulness are available if not on demand then at least on request. It’s not surprising, then, that many […]
Posted by Ben on January 29, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/all-awake-all-the-time/
Language maps
Create all sorts of fun maps thanks to the folks at the MLA: map language-speakers by county, by zip code, and all sorts of other good stuff. Pull-down menus and such let you re-draw the map according to your curiosity. (The above map, FYI, is of Hungarian speakers by county. I think. Of course, handily, […]
Posted by Ben on October 31, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/language-maps/
Slugs 0, Spice 2
Think what you will; it’s hard to dislike an article that includes a chart with the title “Slugs and snails v sugar and spice”. Really. The article in the Economist looks at studies examining the differences between boys and girls, men and women, monkeys and monkeyettes. Some interesting, marginally inconclusive findings, all encompassed (mostly) by […]
Posted by Ben on October 19, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/slugs-0-spice-2/
It’s so crazy, it just might work…
My Very Excellent Mother Could Just Serve Us Nuts, Pizza, Carrots ’n’ Xylophones! …as a mnemonic to remember the new assortment of planetary bodies in the heavens. Because everyone likes xylophones. (NYT: “Planets Askew In Heavens, and Here on Earth, a Mess,” by Dennis Overbye [Aug 22, 2006])
Posted by Ben on October 19, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/its-so-crazy-it-just-might-work/
Redefining ‘normality’
Dutch findings suggest one in 25 people regularly hears voices. (BBC News: “Voices in the head ‘are normal’” [Sept 18, 2006])
Posted by Ben on October 18, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/redefining-normality/
When you absolutely, positively have to have a photo that’s 3626E6
Yotophoto is a handy-dandy photo searching site that lets you find quality free-use photos. Search by keywords, image size, image licenses or–and this is the clincher–color. (Hence the admittedly lame title.)
Posted by Ben on September 9, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/when-you-absolutely-positively-have-to-have-a-photo-thats-3626e6/
Diagramming!
Online! Flow-charts! Boxes! Arrows! Lines! Make diagrams online with Giffy, then share ’em online or whatever. Floor plans, generic diagrams, flow-charts, whatever you want, Giffy can help you make it. Handy, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Posted by Ben on September 9, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/diagramming/