Faster, cheaper DNA sequencing method developed

In another story from Boston University, researchers have developed a nanoscale sensor that detects DNA molecules as they pass through a 4 nanometer-wide silicon nanopore. The mouth of the nanopore is charged to attract the negatively charged DNA strands. Interestingly, the system works best with long DNA strands which could lead to much faster DNA processing. The system has also decreased by a factor of 10,000 the number of DNA molecules that must be captured so that DNA amplification may not be required, a step that can slow the detection process and introduce transcription errors.

Machine Translates Thoughts into Speech in Real Time

Researchers at Boston University have demonstrated a prototype system that wirelessly transmits neural signals from an implanted electrode to a speech synthesizer with a latency of only 50 milliseconds. The electrodes were implanted into a locked-in patient 5 years ago and after 5 months the neurites had grown onto the electrode so that signal patterns could be detected. The volunteer was only able to produce three vowel sounds because only a single three-wire electrode was used, but he was able to reproduce those vowel sounds with up to 89% accuracy. Future implants would access 10 times as many neurons from multiple sites in the ventral premotor cortex  where intended speech patterns are believed to originate.

Has anyone else been having problems with line breaks not being converted into html from Rich Text? This past week, every post I've made I have had to go back to add line breaks. This only seems to happen when creating a new entry; the line breaks are translated fine when editing entries.

Edit: Seems to be a known and recently-discovered bug

From the Support Issues page:

YouTube - 'Daybreakers' Trailer HD


and some more clips at io9
Watch The Mutation Of A Blood Starved Daybreakers Vamp
Daybreakers Clip Shows The "Perks" For Those Who Hunt Humans
Daybreakers Explains How You Doomed Us All To A Viral Vampire Future

Daybreakers will be in theatres on 8 January 2010.

Best Man Rigs Newlyweds' Bed To Tweet During Sex. Not Kidding. - washingtonpost.com

With friends like these, they can become enemies pretty quickly. A man asked to be the best man at a friend's wedding technically kept to his word of not pulling any pranks before the ceremony by installing a pressure sensor under the couple's bed. When the activity level indicated that things of a more sexual nature were going on, the system sent a Twitter message of the following type:

When the action settled down, a second message like the following was sent:

Fortunately the messages are anonymous.

Taekwondo monkeys attack trainer - Telegraph

Clash of the Titans Trailer #2

Official Iron Man 2 Trailer

Ottawa River HDR by *D-K-MK on deviantART

Merge of three exposures (2/0/-2 EV) using Picturenaut, followed by post-processing in GIMP.

Car trouble. Thermostat going out. Missed my fav running group, and a party for a friend last nite, home from his basic training for the Army.

I wanted to do the wheelhopper hash today (on bikes if you didn't get that). Missing that too. Had to buy new tools, since my toolbox worth of tools was stolen when I moved to Arkwright. I thought I'd have everything then realized I need a socket extension and maybe universal head sockets to fit in to the thermostat housing, and I can't get the plug off for the temp switch. Realizing this, I was ready to chuck it all and head to a shop. Then a friend called and offered to bring more tools for me. *sigh*. Knowing him, he will take over and do it all, and I have half a mind to be a girl and let him. But, he has a wicked crush on me and I don't want to owe him.

Blah. I think times like this it would be nice to be a normal girl and let her boyfriend or husband take care of everything. Wouldn't that be nice.

FactCheck: Climategate Doesn't Refute Global Warming - Newsweek.com

Newsweek untangles the mess that is the "Climategate" email disclosure, placing many of the statements back in proper context.

Parliment Hill Sunset HDR by *D-K-MK on deviantART

Ottawa Sunset by *D-K-MK on deviantART

I'm finally getting around to putting these up here, although they've been sitting on deviantArt and Fotki for about a month.

Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Viable Paradise : The Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers' Workshop

For those interested in learning how to sell SF and fantasy, Viable Paradise is a one-week workshop in Martha's Vineyard focused on how to write and sell your work. Submissions for the October 3-8 course open January 1st and close June 10th. This year's instructors are Elizabeth Bear, Debra Doyle, Steven Gould, James D. Macdonald, Laura J. Mixon, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and John Scalzi. Tuition, if your submission is accepted, is $880(US).

City of Ottawa - City of Ottawa's Approved Sledding Hills For those looking to do some sledding in Ottawa, the link is a list of hills that are now open for use, as well as a description of the hill.

Nanotech ink turns paper into batteries - News - Windows for Devices Researchers at Stanford University have created a battery by baking paper onto which has been applied an ink containing a mixture of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. The battery can be crumpled or even soaked in acidic or basic solutions without performance degradation, and can be charged and discharged an order of magnitude more often than lithium batteries. The battery also discharges quickly so the technology could also be used to make cheap supercapacitors.

From Minnie to Mickey (and all they did was turn off a gene) - Science, News - The Independent Scientists have discovered that switching off a single gene, FoxL2, causes the ovary cells of adult mice to spontaneously develop into testosterone-producing cells. They speculate that research like this might one day may eliminate the need for surgical removal of the ovaries in gender reassignment treatment; however, much work is needed to determine if the results are applicable to humans.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Nicolas Cage Goes Hadouken!

Sumerians Look On In Confusion As God Creates World | The Onion - America's Finest News Source Members of the earth's earliest known civilization, the Sumerians, looked on in shock and confusion some 6,000 years ago as God, the Lord Almighty, created Heaven and Earth. Dinosaurs Sadly Extinct Before Invention Of Bazooka | The Onion - America's Finest News Source "Over the years, we've learned a great deal about their physiology, their dietary habits, and even their migratory patterns," Diffey said. "Unfortunately, however, nothing in the fossil record can reveal what it would be like to blow apart the massive front leg of a charging diplodocus and then watch it crash violently to the ground, sending a spray of dirt and dinosaur blood several stories into the air."

MIT gestural computing makes multitouch look old hat -- Engadget

The display consists of alternating LCD and visual sensor elements. Each LCD element alternates between displaying an image and emitting a pattern which reflects off any nearby surface (such as a hand) and is detected by the sensing elements. Using this approach, the group was able to develop a demonstration of gesture-based computing.

Coffee, Tea Might Stave Off Diabetes - US News and World Report

A recent Australian study noted that increased consumption of coffee and tea, with or without caffeine, correlated with a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Earlier studies had linked coffee consumption to decreased risk of prostate cancer, liver disease, stroke, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease. Unlike previous studies, however, this one discovered that the health benefits of coffee and tea include decaffeinated versions.