Category: Interesting Reads

Meerkats teach their young how to hunt by dismembering scorpions

Again, sometimes the articles are just for my amusement and edification. This is one of those. Non-geeks are likely to want to skip ahead to another article.

Meerkats apparently live off a diet of scorpions – the kind that can kill an adult human. Sure, the Meerkats have some resistance to the poison, but those pinchers can still do a job on the Meerkat. Adults have learned how to handle their prey so as not to get stung or pinched. The young ones, however, haven’t learned how to do this, so the adults teach them in stages.

First, the adult brings dead scorpions in. As the young Meerkats age, the adults start bringing in live but partially dismembered scorpions. Eventually, they bring in fully capable scorpions and let the young ones tear them up.

Instead of letting their young figure out how to hunt dangerous scorpions on their own, older meerkats collect and disable the prey so the youth can learn how to deal with the feisty food.

The discovery, detailed in the July 14 issue of the journal Science, is one of the few examples of teaching in animals.

. . .

Meerkat hunters rapidly bite their prey’s head or abdomen to disable its attack, but young pups lack the experience for the task. Instead of allowing pups to learn by trial and error and risk receiving a potentially life-threatening sting, other meerkats older than three months take the pups under their wing to show them how its done.

“When pups are really young, helpers find and kill a scorpion and bring it to the pup,” said study co-author Alex Thornton of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

The helpers respond to the pups’ begging calls, and as the cries sound more and more mature, the teachers increase the difficulty of the lesson. Instead of a dead scorpion, teachers remove the stinger from a live scorpion and present it to the pups. At this stage in the pupil’s tutelage, if the scorpion escapes, the teacher nudges it back for a second try.

Once the pups have mastered disabled prey, teachers bring an unaltered scorpion to the classroom for their students to tackle.

It’s a very interesting article.  The rest of the article talks about the believed evolution of teaching.  Since typically animals don’t behave this way, as far as teaching the young to hunt, scientists reason that there must be some benefit to the adults that outweighs the time lost from hunting and feeding.  Read the whole article if you want to learn some of the hypotheses.

[tags]Meerkats, Evolution, Teaching, Dismembering scorpions[/tags]

DHS releases top terrorist targets list

(via Schneier’s security blog)
Our government has wisely used our tax money to carefully analyze potential terrorist targets, narrowing the list from 160 targets a few years ago to a mere 77,000 targets now.  In case you are wondering if you are near a top terrorist target site, here are a few details from the linked article.

When it comes to homeland security, I give up.

I’ve tried to highlight the absurdity of trying to protect every cranny of our country from al-Qaida attack. I’ve critiqued everything from the waste of buying anti-terrorist locks for Sammamish City Hall to the illogic of not having security cameras outside our airport. And yes, I’ve resorted to that columnist stock-in-trade: mocking and satirizing.

. . .

And on that list of national assets are … 1,305 casinos! No doubt Muckleshoot made the cut (along with every other casino in our state).

The list has 234 restaurants. I have no idea if Dick’s made it. The particulars are classified. But you have to figure it did.

Why? Because here’s more of what the inspector general found passes for “critical infrastructure.” An ice-cream parlor. A tackle shop. A flea market. An Amish popcorn factory.

. . .

And yet … there is one more thing that’s got me wondering. The report says our state boasts 65 “national monuments and icons” — somehow twice as many as Washington, D.C.

There you have it.  Washington state has twice as many national monuments and icons as Washington, D.C.  I left out mention of the 700 critical mortuaries that are top terrorist targets, by the way.  I wonder if this list is an accurate view of what the federal government truly views as hot spots for terrorist attack, or just a big list of places where our congress-critters feel money needs to be spent on influential voters?

[tags]Top terrorist targets, Idiocy in government, OMGWTFBBG?!!1?![/tags]

Ooops! State department pwnz0rr3d.

(via boingboing)

Some days, things just don’t go your way. For the people responsible for US State Department computer and network security, it looks like that day was at least one day last month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is recovering from large-scale computer break-ins worldwide over the past several weeks that appeared to target its headquarters and offices dealing with China and North Korea, The Associated Press has learned.

I’ve worked computer security at government sites before.  This is the nightmare I think everyone at those sites has at least some times.

Investigators believe hackers stole sensitive U.S. information and passwords and implanted backdoors in unclassified government computers to allow them to return at will, said U.S. officials familiar with the hacking.

. . .

“The department did detect anomalies in network traffic, and we thought it prudent to ensure our system’s integrity,” department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said. Asked what information was stolen by the hackers, Cooper said, “Because the investigation is continuing, I don’t think we even know.” Continue reading “Ooops! State department pwnz0rr3d.”

Simple tips to boost your Intarw3b speeds

Chris Pirillo shares a couple of easy to follow tips for improving network speeds on your computer.

  1. Open yourself to OpenDNS. They have configuration pages for your OS or hardware router. Both Scott Beale (LaughingSquid) and I have seen dramatic differences in speed since going through their DNS servers. Matt’s happy about it, too. My speed difference was probably even more dramatic, considering I’ve already implemented my second recommendation…
  2. If you’re on Windows, install FastCache: “Every time you go to a new website, or a website you haven’t been to in a day or so, your computer needs to locate the server again using DNS. Each DNS request can take anywhere from 50 milliseconds, to even a second or more, but most are in the 100 to 200 millisecond range. Want to save a couple hundred milliseconds? Probably not, but what about a couple million or more? That’s what AnalogX FastCache is all about.” I’ve been running FastCache since Mark released it on the first Helpathon. My stats are somewhat stunted, but I’ve saved 6d 18h 27m 53s worth of time (in 118w). It really adds up.

There you have it. Now hop to, and get that pr0n faster.

[tags]Chris Pirillo, Faster networking[/tags]

Octopus wrestling is my hobby

Modern Mechanix has some of the most interesting flash-back articles I’ve ever seen. The latest to catch my eye is an article from the April 1949 issue of Mechanix Illustrated. As indicated by this article’s title, the magazine article is called “Octopus wrestling is my hobby.” Even if I didn’t find the article fascinating, I’d probably have to post it just to use the awesome headline and the cool story cover page.

ModMech-lg_octopus_wrestling_0.JPG

Here’s a new kind of deep-sea fisherman—he stalks the cunning, eight-armed king-of-the-ocean in the coral lagoons of the Pacific

By Wilmon Menard

“YOU have come to the right place, my son,” said the old man. “On this atoll, the world’s first octopuses were born—and will one day die, we pray!”

The wizened grandfather of my native guide greeted us with those words when we landed on the tropical beach at Rimaroa during our ocean-wide hunt for octopuses. For, as in ancient days, the Islanders still regard the giant octopus with awe.

They believe him to be the prowling ghost of the wicked god Tumuraifenua, who cast the natives into darkness by holding down the sky with his tentacles. According to the legend, sickness overwhelmed the population and slimy monsters crawled from the deep lagoons to devour entire villages. But for me, wrestling and killing the treacherous octopus was simply a hobby and I had crossed the Pacific to engage in this fascinating pastime.

. . .

Then, there would be a human-like moan and the water would be clouded with sepia. The long tentacles would flay the surface of the lagoon in savage fury, as the monster tried to rid itself of our spears which were firmly imbedded in its head. If necessary, another spear would be dispatched into the writhing hulk. It took a long time to tire the octopus and we had to hold firmly to the ropes attached to the end of the spears to prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the lagoon where it would be lost to us.

What did we do with the octopus after we killed it? We simply lashed it behind our outrigger canoe, towed it back to the village and presented it to the district chief. And what did the natives do with it? They ate it!

. . .

One day, in the late afternoon, Roo and I discovered a huge monster with 25-foot tentacles in a coral grotto just below the surface of the lagoon. We let out a cry for the natives of the village to assist us. This brute was just too big for two men to handle. With spears, knives and clubs, the entire village arrived to do battle with the giant octopus.

The monster, disturbed by the noise and sensing no escape from its attackers, lashed out menacingly with its long writhing tentacles. As quickly as the grisly arms rose above the surface of the lagoon, the natives slashed them off. In the darkness of the coral cavern, I could see the horrible purplish eyes.

Suddenly, one of the bolder assailants gave a warning shout. Being closer to the monster’s lair, he saw that it was emerging from its retreat to fight us in the open. As it rose to the surface, pulling itself up the reef wall by its partly-severed tentacles, I could see that it was of a reddish hue, with a hideous horned head. Then it started rolling toward us. Although its sepia secretion clouded the water during the first stages of the conflict, I could see that its tentacles were really 25-feet long. Partly cut off by the natives’ knives, they flayed the surface of the lagoon, groping out for the attackers.

. . .

Like to wrestle an octopus? I realize it all sounds like a loathsome sport but it’s really more fun than hunting some poor harmless creature. When you wrestle and kill an octopus, you’re ridding the marine world of a treacherous enemy.

And you’d better watch your step, too. For there’s no such thing as a reckless octopus hunter. You’re either careful or dead.

Read the full article for further details of the battle.

[tags]Modern Mechanix, Octopus wrestling[/tags]

Superheated metal moves liquid uphill

I’ve been reading the latest issue of American Scientist in my spare time lately. A really cool article caught my eye, and I thought I’d pass it on for the more geeky, science-loving types in my audience. While I think half my readership isn’t into the science stuff I enjoy, I believe that other reader might be. For him, I pass along this cool story of liquid moving in the wrong direction.

SCIENCE OBSERVER
Going Against the Flow
Sometimes particles prefer to propel themselves uphill
Fenella Saunders

Particles strive for the life of a couch potato—sinking into a spot that has the least energy, where gravity can’t pull them down any farther and movement is at a minimum. Getting a particle moving requires keeping it off kilter, out of equilibrium. But particles in such a state tend to bounce all over; harnessing their movement in a single desired direction is the goal of many nanoscale devices.

One way to do this is with a ratchet effect—a mechanism that uses spatial asymmetry and energy gradients to make movement easier in one direction than another. It turns out that in some cases, ratchets not only control movement, but can also move particles in unexpected directions—away from a minimum energy state, the molecular equivalent of a creek climbing uphill under its own power.

. . .

If a skillet is heated to an extremely hot temperature, between 200 and 300 degrees Celsius, drops of water flicked into the pan will skitter across the surface, remaining intact for a minute or so. A surface not quite so hot will boil away the water droplets instantly, but the superheated surface instead instantly turns the bottom of the droplets into a layer of steam. Vapor is a poor heat conductor, so the steam insulates the drops from further boiling. It also provides them with a means of movement: The water drops bounce around like hovercraft on a cushion of air.

Linke and his colleagues did not use a smooth metal surface, but one covered with a sawtooth pattern. The teeth inclined more steeply in one direction than the other—an asymmetrical surface, and therefore a ratchet mechanism. Millimeter-sized water droplets piped onto the superheated sawtooth surface zip off in one direction like airport passengers on a moving walkway, reaching speeds of up to 5 centimeters per second, even if the surface is tilted so that the droplets have to climb uphill. As the investigators reported in the April 21 issue of Physical Review Letters, the phenomenon works for many other liquids, such as ethanol and liquid nitrogen, although the temperature at which the Leidenfrost effect kicks in varies from 50 to 150 degrees above the boiling temperature of the liquid.

More details on the science behind this in the full article. Also, access the full issue online, where many of the articles are freely readable. Some of the really juicy stuff requires membership ($28-$70 for 1-3 years in the US), but after reading a single issue, I’m considering a subscription.

[tags]American Scientist, Liquid moving uphill, Cool geeky science stuff[/tags]

Today in history – moon landing

In addition to being my older brother’s birthday, apparently humans first landed and walked on the moon today (assuming, of course, you discount any ancient alien races taking Egyptians to the moon, of course  🙂 ).  I meant to post this earlier today for edification of those who visit earlier in the day here, but I forgot.  Rather than steal more commentary from Wikipedia (which, in case you haven’t picked up on already, is one of my preferred sources for general information on a wide variety of subjects), I’m stealing details on the moon landing from the History channel today.

ARMSTRONG WALKS ON MOON:
July 20, 1969

At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Stepping off the lunar landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon.

The American effort to send astronauts to the moon has its origins in a famous appeal President John F. Kennedy made to a special joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961: “I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.” At the time, the United States was still trailing the Soviet Union in space developments, and Cold War-era America welcomed Kennedy’s bold proposal. Continue reading “Today in history – moon landing”

Bush’s threat to veto stem cell funding is morally bankrupt?

(via boingboing)
Let me start by saying that I am not linking to this article because I agree nor because I disagree. I simply don’t know enough about the stem cell research debate to judge whether or not it is good or bad to perform the research or limit money for doing so. I am linking to this article that is critical of Bush because I find the argument put forth compelling and intelligent, and it shows a view of the situation that I had not considered before.

Over at Salon.com, Scott Rosenberg makes a good case for the claims behind the stem cell research veto being bogus. I’m still thinking about this and trying to decide how I feel about the whole issue. I need to learn more about stem cell research and what limits, if any, the 2001 funding stops caused, as well as what gains we can realistically expect if stem cell research is increased.

President Bush appears poised for the first veto of his presidency. The cause that has finally pushed him to reject Congressional legislation? An attempt to expand funding for stem cell research that Bush hobbled back in 2001.

For millions of Americans, the potential fruits of stem cell research — in the form of cures to dangerous diseases — are a serious matter with grave personal import. For President Bush, the issue has always served as a political football.

On the one hand, Bush argues that the destruction of human embryos (microscopic organisms made up of a few cells) is a kind of killing. His press spokesman, Tony Snow, adopting the supercharged cant of anti-abortion activists, referred to it recently as “murder.” In order to stop such “murder,” Bush agreed in 2001 to limit all federal funding of stem cell research to a handful of pre-existing “lines” of cells — cells that had been created specifically for research. His argument was, let’s not use tax dollars to pay for the destruction of more embryos for the sake of research.

Here is why Bush’s position is a joke: Thousands and thousands of embryos are destroyed every year in fertility clinics. They are created in petri dishes as part of fertility treatments like IVF; then they are discarded.

Hmmmmm. To my eye, this is a well written article. I think it’s worth reading, regardless of which side of the issue you fall on. The above snip is substantial and informative, but not all of the article. Follow the link and read for yourself.
[tags]Stem cell research, Bush veto[/tags]

BBC: Disney axes 650 global film jobs

I find the BBC’s wording of that headline curious, given who’s birthday it is today. That said, this doesn’t sound like happy-fun-rosy times at Disney now, does it?

US entertainment giant Disney is to cut 650 jobs worldwide as part of plans to produce fewer adult-oriented films and concentrate on family blockbusters.

The firm is to reduce its film output from about 18 to 12 movies a year, with only two or three from adult-oriented subsidiary Touchstone Pictures.

The article says the cutbacks are part of an effort to reduce the number of flops (like The Ladykillers and The Alamo) and hopefully produce more big hits (like the recent Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest).

[tags]Disney, Movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, Box office hits, Job cutbacks[/tags]

CinemaNow to Offer Burnable Film Downloads

I’ll be watching this to see how it works out. I’m interested in the limitations put on the burned discs.

CinemaNow will soon start selling downloads of popular films that can be transferred, or “burned,” to blank DVDs for use with home DVD players, and such Hollywood heavies as Walt Disney’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have already signed on to provide content, the Associated Press reports via the New York Post.

. . .

In the past, CinemaNow users couldn’t watch film downloads on their televisions unless they connected them to computers, the AP reports.

. . .

Hollywood studios have been hesitant to adopt the online download sales medium for films due to piracy concerns and the possible cannibalization of retail stores sales, but advances in encryption and additional digital rights protection technologies have led them to experiment with the concept.

. . .

Benjamin Feingold, president of Sony’s home entertainment division, told the AP, “It’s a test of the distribution and security architecture,” and he agreed that studios would license more content once the system is vetted.

The company will offer films starting at $8.99 each, and they’ll include all the features that a DVD purchased in a retail store would, according to the AP, though once a copy is burned, its quality will be slightly lower than an official studio DVD. CinemaNow’s film downloads will also be able to be transferred to DVD only once, but customers will be able to repeatedly watch the movies on their computers, according to the AP.

I’m interested in what DRM protections they’ll be using, and whether the burned discs can be backed up. I know there are piracy issues here, but there are also issues of me being able to keep a movie I’ve paid for and should legally be allowed to watch whenever I want. At least, if I understand what they are doing, that seems to be an issue to me.

[tags]CinemaNow, Legally downloadable movies[/tags]

Are you getting enough caffeine?

(via boingboing)
I drink Mountain Dew.  I actually like the taste of it.  A few years ago, I converted to diet Mountain Dew, since as much as I drink meant I was taking in an extra 500-1000 calories a day in sugar.  I know the diet drinks have other problems associated with them, but Mountain Dew is one of the few caffeinated drinks I can tolerate, and I’ve not figured how to get more sleep on a consistent basis yet.

That all said, if you ever wondered if you were getting enough/too much/too little caffeine from your beverage of choice, then cspinet has a guide to help you determine how much you are getting.  For the record, here are some numbers that help me decide what to consume.

  • Coffee, grande (16 oz.) Starbucks -  550
  • NoDoz, Regular Strength (1) – 100
  • Mountain Dew (12 oz.) – 55
  • Water, caffeinated (Edge 2 O), (8 oz.) – 70

Now I need to track down an affordable provider of that caffeinated water and I’ll be able to drop my Mountain Dew habit *AND* get a boost to my caffeine intake.  W00t!

[tags]Caffeine[/tags]

Chris Pirillo doesn’t like Vista

I’ve not tried the new version of Windows.  I have no idea if it’s as good or as bad as some people say.  But I’ve found Chris Pirillo’s commentaries are usually along the lines of what I would say if I wrote as well as he does.  So, see why Chris thinks Windows Vista is just lipstick on a pig.

I wish I was making this shit up – I really do. I also wish that someone at Microsoft would wake up to the fact that the user experience in Windows Vista is 10x worse than it was in Windows XP (if only because they couldn’t get developers to adhere to XP guidelines, and now Vista apps look even more Frankenstined).

I wish Microsoft would hire somebody to look at this stuff before it ships – and do something about the problems before the world has to deal with them.

Admittedly, it’s some pretty lipstick.  But still, Chris says it’s lipstick on a pig, and I’ll trust his judgement until I have a chance to try it myself.
[tags]Chris Pirillo, Microsoft, Vista, Lipstick on a pig[/tags]