Category Archives: Weekly

by | April 11, 2014 · 4:46 pm

Around the Web April 11, 2014

In a rather surprising announcement yesterday, Comixology announced that they are becoming a subsidiary of Amazon. The digital comics outlet has made quite the name for itself the last few years, and even has the distinction of being the highest grossing non-game app in the iTunes store. It’s currently unclear what this acquisition will ultimately mean for users, but details will likely be coming soon.

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While I’m a fan of both companies, I do get concerned when too many things that I enjoy get clustered under one company. There is always a risk of the market being run by edict instead of by competition to be the best service.

Over the last couple decades there has been a consistent push to blame violent video games for the various violent events that occur in real life, such as the Washington Navy Yard and Sandy Hook shootings.  While events such as these are tragedies to be certain, it is wholly incorrect to blame video games for the actions of these deranged individuals. In a recent article by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund  two more studies to the existing mountain of evidence to support the fact that violent video games do not increase violent tendencies in individuals.

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In the end, the only “evidence” to support the idea that video games cause violence, is anecdotal, which is, in fact, not evidence of any sort.

There has been some speculation lately about the fate of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and whether or not the show will get a second season. I think it’s safe to say that the show hasn’t been performing quite as well either ABC or Marvel would like, but that is not to say that the show isn’t performing. It has the highest ratings of any ABC show that night, it is not too far below the network’s average, and to be fair, they’re directly competing with N.C.I.S. which is one of the highest rated shows on TV right now. In all likelihood we will get at least one more season out of the show and if the ratings can turn around, maybe more.

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Hopefully the end of the season will gain some last minute momentum, thanks in part to its tie-in with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Webcomics are a wonderful thing. Personally, I start off my day by reading several rather enjoyable ones. The only real problem is that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with them, especially the ones that come out daily. For those of you who have this issue, here’s a list of 17 webcomics that have wrapped up their runs and are available for you to read at your leisure. Among them is Starslip, which is one of my personal favorites, and 8-Bit Theater by Atomic Robo’s Brian Clevinger.

 

 

 

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by | April 9, 2014 · 4:53 pm

Winning Science April 9, 2014

Today CERN announced that they have unambiguous proof of a new exotic hadron. Hadrons are subatomic particles that aid in creating the strong nuclear force that binds atoms together. These new hadrons do not fit in to the current quark model, however, which means that scientists will need to revisit the existing model in order to account for these particles. It’s always really awesome when scientists find out that the universe doesn’t quite work the way they thought it did, because every time it happens humans improve their understand of how things really work.

CERN's Large Hadron Collider

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider

I’d also like to take a moment to point out that–as has happened with other things–I thought baryons were fictitious Star Trek inventions. Once again, foiled by Gene Roddenberry

Back in the day, a navy’s fighting power was measured by the strength of its battleships. With the emergence of the aircraft carrier during WWII, the battleship took a back seat and they have since all been decommissioned. Still, without the battleships’ big guns, there is something missing in the Navy’s arsenal–the ability to “put steel on target” as I have heard it put. Now the US Navy is getting ready to implement the use of rail guns. These weapons can put a non-explosive round on a target up to 100 miles away and the projectile travels in excess of mach 7. (By the way, mach 7 is just over 5,300 mph, which is eighty-eight times faster than the average car on the highway.)

Not only is this weapon super cool, but it can be operated by one sailor and is extremely cost efficient as well. Each round costs $25,000 compared to missiles which range in price from $0.5 million to $1.5 million a piece.

As it turns out, there is a link between use of antibacterial soaps and increased bacterial growth. Persons who have an increased level of triclosan have also shown increased levels of Staphylococcus aureus. When the bacteria are exposed to non-lethal doses of antibiotics they tend to latch on to crevices and hide in biofilms. This leads to a corresponding increase in the amount of bacteria present and can cause an increased risk of infection if that person is undergoing surgery.

Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus

This seems like a particularly appropriate story right now, given that I’ve got some bacteria that are laying me low at the moment.

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by | April 4, 2014 · 12:21 pm

Around the Web April 4, 2014

This week has been all about the new season of Game of Thrones that is premiering on Sunday, April 6, so this edition of Around the Web is no different.

Apparently after the filming of season four wrapped, the cast of Game of Thrones took a trip to the beach.  Several pics from the trip are up on Lena Headey’s (Cersei Lannister) instagram account along with a lot of other great pics of sets and cast members.  Big giant NSFW (not safe for work) warning, though, so check it out on your lunch break.

Is it just me or are Cersei and Oberyn Martell looking mighty cuddly?

Some people seem to make everything around them seem that much happier and brighter–even the creepy, gloomy, or just plain horrific.  Such a person is Olly Moss, who has manage to make even decapitation and the flaying of a live man seem no less innocuous than a set of Hummel figurines.

Psychopathic, and yet adorable

Psychopathic, and yet adorable

It seems that George R. R. Martin has been sneaking clues to the future of the Seven Kingdoms and its neighbors in a most unlikely source:  the official map book, The Lands of Ice and Fire.  Apparently, the cartographer had to have everything about the maps approved by the author–right down to the color of the water of some of the seas.  Perhaps the most intriguing thing to me is summed up in this quote:

Fans of True Detective may also notice one other surprising location on the easternmost edge of the map: the city of Carcosa. Originally a strange and ancient city mentioned in the Ambrose Bierce Short story “An Inhabitant of Carcosa” and the influential Robert Chambers book The King in Yellow, references to Carcosa and its “Yellow King” have made their way into numerous works, from Stephen King stories to the mythos of H.P Lovecraft to HBO’s recent detective drama — and now, seemingly the world of Game of Thrones as well.

We’ve talked about special affects fatigue on the blog recently, but here is one behind the scenes video that is well worth watching.  An interview with the costumers, and a first look at the grandiose costumes of the Westerosi nobility.  Margaery Tyrell’s wedding dress, for example, is breathtaking.

Of course, it is FOLLOW FRIDAY #FF, and so our list of interesting and random Game of Thrones stuff would not be complete without a notable post from a fellow blogger.  Our friends over at Sourcerer have uncovered an absolutely superb video of cosplayers playing the Game of Thrones opening theme music.  Check it out on the Sourcerer blog and let them know what you’re looking forward to in season four.

Here be dragons... and hopefully lots of them!

Here be dragons… and hopefully lots of them!

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by | April 2, 2014 · 3:14 pm

Winning Science April 2, 2014

Night vision goggles are pretty standard military equipment. While not everyone may have them, they are readily available if needed. The problem is that goggles can be bulky and limit the field of view. University of Michagan researchers are looking into ways to make night vision contacts. Using graphene and an insulating material, with an electrical current applied, infrared light can be converted to visible light. Eventually, this technology could be used in contact lenses, removing the need for goggles.

The goggles, they do nothing!

The goggles, they do nothing!

One issue still to be figured out is the need for greater light sensitivity.

With the presumed crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the hunt is on to recover the infamous black box before the battery runs out. It turns out that the black box isn’t quite as good as one would assume. While they are remarkably durable, the sonar devices that are designed to allow searcher to find them have batteries that only last thirty days after a crash. This has resulted in the information from a handful of black boxes being lost because the boxes couldn’t be found before the batteries ran out. After one particularly bad crash in 2009, several improvements were recommended, however many American carriers have not yet updated their equipment. There is also the option that instead of using black boxes, airlines could wirelessly send all the data from the plane to a data center where the information can be stored. This of course would require significant improvements to the aircraft and would be costly for the airlines.

Also, it turns out Black Boxes aren't actually black.

Also, it turns out Black Boxes aren’t actually black.

Pilots are also not too hot on this idea because they would essentially be bugged the entire time they are at work.

Twin studies are important in scientific research as they represent the two most identical persons that can exist. The closer two people are to one another, the better scientists can control the experiment. With this in mind, NASA will be conducting a twin experiment of their own. The space agency will be sending Scott Kelly to the International Space Station for a year while his brother Mark will remain here on Earth. Both men will be subjected to the same experiments to determine what, if any, differences there are in humans after prolonged time in space.

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Mark Kelly is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Scott is a graduate of my alma mater, SUNY Maritime College.

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