January 31, 2003

Matrix Reloaded: Superbowl Trailer!

MATRIX

Just watch the damn trailer already. You be the judge. Comments are encouraged.

I also found The Last Free City, a heavy duty Matrix fan site. You can probably find all the inside info here....

Posted by answerguru at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2003

Build your own Propellor Clock

Propeller Clock

This project reminds me of something very similar I designed back in my Alfred days. Except mine was for a digital design class and utilized this massive array of hard wired flip-flops, counters, and other primitive components. Hah!

But building one of these would still be pretty fun...

Posted by answerguru at 12:52 PM | Comments (1)

3D Spatial Display

Actuality Systems

Nice idea....I'd really like to see one in person to gauge it's effectiveness though.

With 192 slices used and each slice at 768x768 pixels, the resolution isn't awesome, but it's definitely a few steps ahead of anything previously. This could be very useful for molecular visualization and other types of high-density data projection.

Posted by answerguru at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

US Prison Population: Feel Good America!

United prison-state of America

America's war on drugs has turned it into the world's biggest jailer. With about 5% of the world's population, America holds a quarter of the globe's prisoners, and most of them are there for drug-related crimes.

Read the entire (but brief) article with some very interesting statistics. Way to go Mr. Walters!

Posted by answerguru at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)

Golden Opportunity: Jonny's Dream Job

ideo.com

Here it is. A company I had heard about and fringe investigated up until now.....and now I realize it's one of the few companies that I would want to work for.

Why not do what you're good at? Investigation, deconstruction, innovation, creation, insight, and development....make it work better!

Anyone have an "in" or contact for me? I'd kill at the chance to work in the Boulder office....

Posted by answerguru at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2003

Ok, who's going to Ohio this summer?

Times Online

Bigger Faster Better Rollercoaster. Yay!

Posted by answerguru at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)

Bushisms: An Overview

ABCNEWS.com : 'Misunderestimated' Bushisms 'Resignate'

I knew he was a genius, I knew it!

Posted by answerguru at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2003

Bush For Mars Space Voyage?

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Nasa to go nuclear

Well, I would be terribly impressed if George Bush was intending to put this into effect - a proposal to use nuclear power to enable a space voyage to the Red Planet in the foreseeable future! Possible $ 1 billion over 5 years. Maybe on a short time schedule with a roundtrip taking on the order of 4 to 6 months! Far fewer than the years it would take using conventional (current) rocket power.

Posted by answerguru at 11:59 PM | Comments (1)

McDonalds Fat Kids Case: Common Sense Prevails

Judge Dismisses McDonald's Obesity Suit (washingtonpost.com)

Thankfully there's one sane judge around here.....sock it to the obnoxious lawyer who actually thought they would win this case (for profit!).

Posted by answerguru at 09:44 AM | Comments (4)

January 21, 2003

ZZZOnline - Daily Tech Musings...

ZZZ online | Number 157

This site is great! Lots of random science and tech inventions / thoughts. A small portion of it is annoying, but it's mostly pretty interesting.

Posted by answerguru at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2003

Government and Marijuana: The Lies Continue...

This article spurred on some more discontent with our government policies...take a look at it here.

Now, if you'd like, take a quick look at this letter sent out by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, our President's direct link to the drug war.

Finally, here is a fullout rebuttal written up by NORML.

If you care, do something about it! Lying to the American public is not really the answer to the drug war -- it just undermines the authority of those in power. Most all Americans know that marijuana is NOT the terrible drug they make it out to be....do they really think we can be fooled so easily? Marijuana has been in use as a product, medicine, and sacrament for thousands of years and hasn't caused the downfall of mankind, so is the U.S. really so weak that they think it will now?

No, of course not, but it's all about the money.


Posted by answerguru at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2003

.Birthday.

Happy Birthday to me.
Happy Birthday to me.
Happy Birthday dear Jonny.
Happy Birthday to me.

And many more happy, healthy ones.

*sigh*

Posted by answerguru at 07:50 PM | Comments (0)

Realtime Brain Scanner - I like it!

ABCNEWS.com : Imaging Device Detects Brain Functions

Scientists call it M.E.G. — short for Magnetoencephalography — a scanner capable, unlike any before it, of showing activity in the brain as it happens.

---

If this scanner works as well as they say, I think some brilliant things could come of it. I guess it all depends on the accuracy and sensitivity of the device.....

Posted by answerguru at 07:48 PM | Comments (0)

January 13, 2003

Driving While Stoned

Stoned drivers are safe drivers

Nice article quoting US NHTSA and other studies stating that stoned drivers are just as safe, or possibly safer, than drug free drivers.

A 1983 study by the US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) used stoned drivers on simulators, and concluded that the only statistically significant effect associated with marijuana use was slower driving.

A comprehensive 1992 study by the NHTSA found that marijuana is rarely involved in driving accidents, except when combined with alcohol. It concluded that "the THC-only drivers had an [accident] responsibility rate below that of the drug free driversS While the difference was not statistically significant, there was no indication that cannabis by itself was a cause of fatal crashes." This study was buried for six years and not released until 1998.

Another NHTSA study performed in 1993 dosed Dutch drivers with THC and tested them on real Dutch roads. It concluded that "THC's adverse effects on driving performance appear relatively small."

A massive 1998 study by the University of Adelaide and Transport South Australia analyzed blood samples from 2,500 accidents, and found that drivers with cannabis in their system were actually slightly less likely to cause accidents than those without.

A University of Toronto study released in March 1999 found that moderate pot users typically refrained from passing cars and drove at a more consistent speed than non-users.

Posted by answerguru at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2003

More Police State Notions...

New strategy yields 291 lbs. of pot

New attitude by Corpus Christi police.

1. They get a tip that you have drugs.
2. They don't get a warrent, but just come to your door and ask if you have drugs and can search the house.
3. If you say no, *then* they try to get a warrant, after first "freezing" your house.

Now, doesn't that fly in the face of the Constitution? Asking for consent to search, without ever apprising them of their right to refuse...which means you can't have an intelligent waiver to their constitutional rights.

And what does "freezing the house" mean anyway? Remember, before you get a search warrant the police are required to show a specific reason to get one....and that does not entail a simple snitch tip - otherwise I could ring in tips to all my enemies just for fun.

Posted by answerguru at 01:03 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2003

We ARE Headed for Police State!

A Crime to Drink

This one is hard to believe -- police in Virginia went into a BAR and took people outside who they thought were drunk and gave them a sobriety test. When they failed, they were fined for public intoxication. What the hell!??

Those cops should be arrested for crossing the damn line - again! This is completely outrageous!

Posted by answerguru at 05:13 PM | Comments (0)

Vampire Bats Save Stroke Victims

ABCNEWS.com : Bat Saliva Treats Stroke Victims?

Research in this week's issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association says a rare protein in the saliva of vampire bats appears promising in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke — the kind of stroke caused by a blood clot that blocks blood supply to the brain.

--

Bats are great.....as I always say, "Hamsters with wings".

Posted by answerguru at 11:01 AM | Comments (3)

January 10, 2003

Time to Retire the Drug War: A 2002 Recap

'The Drug War' at 65: Time to Retire

An interesting blow by blow recap of the year's War on the American People...errr...the War on Drugs.

Posted by answerguru at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

Insider Views on the "War on Drugs"

Battlefield Conversions in the War on Drugs Marijuana.Com Marijuana, Weed, Pot & Cannabis Information and News regarding Legalization, Cultivation and Drug Testing

A very interesting read from lawyers, judges, and former DEA agents about why the war is failing (has failed?!)....taxpayer money just going down the drain.

Just the other day I read that based on ONDCP figures, the US government spends 53 MILLION DOLLARS A DAY to fight drugs!!!!

Posted by answerguru at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)

Smaller and smaller we go....

ABCNEWS.com : Massive Data Storage in Tiny Devices

This only makes our life more fun!

Posted by answerguru at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)

January 08, 2003

Confirmed: Einsteins Speed of Gravity

ABCNEWS.com : Researchers: Gravity, Light Speed Match

Scientists confirmed the elusive speed of gravity with a unique test to see how light from a distant star was bent by the gravity of Jupiter.....

Posted by answerguru at 08:19 AM | Comments (2)

January 06, 2003

GM Shoots for the Big Gold American Stars

The Fast and the Luxurious

Wow! Definitely a good read concerning behind the scenes design of this insane future vehicle -- the Cadillac Sixteen.

Posted by answerguru at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)

January 05, 2003

Another View of Dean Kamen

ABCNEWS.com : Inventor Dean Kamen


"Segway Inventor Dean Kamen Says He's no Genius"

This was a bio on some of the thoughts on inventing and technology by Dean Kamen. It reads better than most of the ones I had seen up until now...

Posted by answerguru at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)