Just some snowflakes...

the littlest things are invariably the most important, 

and interesting...

Mind control over the Internet

Mind control over the Internet

The idea of mind control usually invokes scenes from sci-fi or horror movies, such as "Star Trek's" Vulcan mind-meld, spiritual possession, malevolent hypnosis or malfunctioning implants. 

 Well, get ready. Human brain-to-brain interfacing – via the Internet, no less – is becoming part real life. And it's not the stuff of horror at all.

In August, a team of researchers at the University of Washington managed to connect their brains using non-invasive technology. Rajesh Rao, a UW computer science and engineering professor, put on an electrode-studded cap and watched a video game, "playing" it with his mind. Across campus, UW psychology professor Andrea Stocco wore a swim-style cap that had a portion equipped with a magnetic stimulation coil.
 

"If you think broadly, I think it opens up a new mode of communication between people," he says. "You can imagine maybe communicating non-verbal types of information, like abstract knowledge, or perhaps communication between people who do not speak the same language."
for the rest of the story, click here

Yellowstone Supervolcano is a Much Bigger Time Bomb Than We Thought

 The supervolcano that lies beneath Yellowstone National Park is 2.5 times larger than previously thought, it was revealed at an American Geophysical Union meeting. 

Scientists knew the supervolcano was big, and set out to find out just how big, in order to assess the threat level. What they discovered, they said, was "astounding."
Between 125 and 185 billion cubic miles of magma is pooled under the surface, representing an existential threat to America, as well as the rest of the world. One scientist estimates an eruption would be 2,000 times the size of Mount St. Helens.

Grisly Remains Of 15 Hobbits Discovered In Peter Jackson’s Attic

 WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND—In an appalling incident that has sent shock-waves through the surrounding community, authorities confirmed Thursday that the decayed, dismembered remains of 15 missing hobbits were found in the attic of highly acclaimed film director Peter Jackson.

Jackson, 52, was reportedly taken into police custody immediately and is now awaiting charges. “At this time, we can confirm that 15 halflings between the ages of 25 and eleventy-one were discovered inside the home of Peter Jackson at approximately 4 p.m. this afternoon,” said Wellington Police District Commander Stephen Jones, adding that authorities were initially called when Jackson’s neighbors complained of “a rotting odor” emanating from his home, after which officers conducted a comprehensive search of the property. “We eventually found a hidden hatch on the perpetrator’s ceiling, which was held shut by three heavy-duty locks. Once we opened the door, we came across the victims, already deceased, all of whom had the hair ripped out from the tops of their feet.”
 

for the rest of the story, click here 

First in a Series of:  
Ways 'Adventure Time' Can Make You A Better Person

1. Don’t be afraid of things you don’t understand. 
There’s probably a reasonable explanation.

Welcome to all my new students! If you've found this blog, then you know who I am and what I teach. Check out the Forensic Science and Science Fair links for more information. This week's extra credit is real simple. Simply comment on how awesome this blog is, leave your name, and you get 25 points extra credit. So simple, even my wonderful dog Dixie Cousins could do it! Here's a picture of her, if you're curious...

Of the “pale blue dot,” astronomer Carl Sagan said, “That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every ‘superstar,’ every ‘supreme leader,’ every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

She Who Can, Teaches Science. Now Show Her the Money!

She Who Can, Teaches Science. Now Show Her the Money!

Hey science teachers -- make it fun

Tyler DeWitt: Hey science teachers -- make it fun

Tyler DeWitt recognizes that textbooks are not the way to get young people interested in science. Instead, he teaches science by making it fun and fantastical.

Welcome Old & New Students to Block III!

For some of you this is new, for some it's familiar. Visit this blog once a week for a new article, image, or video about sciency stuff. Either post a comment or send me an email at jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net (with your name in it) for extra credit. It's easy!

For week one Biology students, check out this web page, and tell me what you think of it. Which was your favorite image, and why? National Geographic Photo Contest 2011. Here's a few sample images...

For Forensic Science students, check this one out, and comment on it... Helping Decide Guilt or Innocence