Category Archives: Winning Science

All the way back in October, Motorola announced it would begin working on development of modular cellphones. Having just performed surgery on my “older” iPhone to remove the cameras, I’m a big fan of the idea that I could design my own phone that doesn’t have a camera, or at least a camera that is easily removable. As far as consumers go, I am not alone. Retailers and phone developers however are not quite so hot on this idea. They are very dependent on the majority of the population who stare at the calendar, waiting for that day they can ditch their old phone in order to get the latest and greatest. In order for these phones to catch on, retailers and manufactures will need to change their models a bit and we all know how much they love change.

Like this, just more versatile.

I’m very proud of my phone surgery… I only lost one screw.

Did you know that NASA estimates there to be 500,000 pieces of garbage in Earth orbit? 17,000 of those pieces are trackable (coffee cup size and larger). Over fifty years of manned space flight and satellites has resulted in considerable amounts of space junk that is beginning to cause problems. There have been several instances in recent memory in which the International Space Station has been required to adjust its orbit due to this debris. There are, however, several competing plans to help alleviate this problem, including a new European spacecraft which will attempt capture the offending debris. There are still several technical hurdles to overcome, such as fuel and how to deal with the debris that is tumbling.

Like this, only with space helmets.

This seems like the interstellar version of a guy using a stick with a nail on the end.

That protein rich diet might not be so good for you after all. According to a new study, a diet high in animal proteins (meat, dairy, etc) may significantly increase the risk of cancer in persons 50-65. The study followed people for 18 years and found a significant increase of cancer in those middle aged persons who had ate larger amounts of animal proteins. They also noticed a 75% increase in deaths from any cause in that group. Those who got their protein from other sources however did not have this increased risk. More astounding was that people who ate more animal protein after age 65 actually lived longer.

Note to self, put down the steaks at 50, pick back up at 65.

Those of us who support continuing space exploration got a bit of a boost in the President’s new budget. In the budget submitted by the President’s NASA administrator there is funding for a fly-by mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. Scientists are excited by this prospect since Europa is thought to be made of ice with a vast ocean of liquid water beneath. This of course would make it an ideal place to send manned missions to, once we get to that stage. For now though, we will have to settle for more probes.

Bad things happen when you screw with the Monoliths.

Personally though, I’ve seen 2001, I already know what’s out there.