The 10 Pieces of U.S. Infrastructure We Must Fix Now – “No one can predict what bridge, levee or water main will fail next. But some problems are widely known, and work is long overdue. As PM’s new special report makes blatantly clear, we need to begin rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure somewhere. Here are 10 great places to start…”

The man who can’t get fat – “Mr Perry, 59, can eat whatever he likes – including unlimited pies, burgers and desserts – and never get fat. Mr Perry regularly eats Chinese takeaways, chips and chocolate
He cannot put on weight because of a condition called lipodystrophy that makes his body rapidly burn fat…”

Disaster recovery at 1000 GB’s – “I had mentioned to a few people our TB+ disaster recovery scheme at the PG-East conference last week, with hopes that we would be doing a full on recovery test in early April. Lucky for us, we’ve been able to do a rough run through, so I wanted to report some results. First, a quick recap of why most of the common backup solutions suck for our needs…”

OpenMac for $399 – “The highly extensible OpenMac is a configuration of PC hardware capable of running unmodified OS X Leopard kernels. If you purchase Leopard with your OpenMac we will not only include the actual Leopard retail package with genuine installation disc, but we also include a Psystar restore disc for your OpenMac and we will preinstall Leopard for free so you can begin to use your computer right out of the box…” But also see this. [Follow-up - why doesn't he link work? See this]

Cosmetic chemicals found in breast tumours – “Preservative chemicals found in samples of breast tumours probably came from underarm deodorants, UK scientists have claimed…”

Food agency calls for ban on six artificial colours – “Food regulators moved to ban artificial additives from hundreds of products yesterday, three decades after parents began complaining that their children suffered mood swings after consuming brightly coloured sweets, cakes and drinks…”

Microsoft “Clearflow” Helps You Avoid Traffic Jams – “Microsoft’s got a smarter way to keep you out of snarls. Today the company introduced its Clearflow technology to its Live.com site. It is an ambitious effort to add AI machine-learning techniques to the complex problem of predicting traffic congestion. A pile-up on a highway, for example, often sends cars spilling into surface streets to avoid the mess, tying them up as badly as the original jam. It’s often faster to stay on the highway, rather than detour. But how would you know this? Clearflow makes predictions about these types of scenarios…”

FLOX Improved Combustion Means Fire Without Smoke – And Cleaner Energy – “Combustion without flames can be used to build much more efficient industrial gas turbines for power generation than are used in current models and produce almost no polluting emissions, say
Mohamed Sassi of The Petroleum Institute in Abu Dabi and colleagues Mohamed Hamdi and Hamaid Bentîcha, at the National School of Engineers of Monastir…”

Contraceptive for men a shot in the arm – “Australian-developed contraceptive jab for men, taken four times a year, has been proven to be just as effective as birth-control pills for women. Sydney researchers found the hormonal injection is a quick and reliable method of contraception for up to 95 per cent of males…”

Swedish spruce may be world’s oldest living tree – “Scientists have found a cluster of spruces in the mountains in western Sweden which, at an age of 8,000 years, may be the world’s oldest living trees…”

The Face of a Prophet – “At the age of 77, Mr. Soros, one the world’s most successful investors and richest men, leapt out of retirement last summer to safeguard his fortune and legacy. Alarmed by the unfolding crisis in the financial markets, he once again began trading for his giant hedge fund — and won big while so many others lost…”

Meditation technique can lower blood pressure – “Practicing a particular type of meditation twice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure, according to an analysis of existing research on the technique. The blood pressure reductions associated with regular practice of transcendental meditation, or TM, would translate to a 12-15 percent reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular causes and a 15-20 percent lower risk of stroke, Dr. James W. Anderson, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health…”

The Art of Creating Controversy Where None Existed – “With all the sophisticated sophistry besieging mass audiences today, there is a need for the study of rhetoric now more than ever before. This is especially the case when it comes to the contemporary assault on science known as manufactured controversy: when significant disagreement doesn’t exist inside the scientific community, but is successfully invented for a public audience to achieve specific political ends. Three recent examples of manufactured controversy are global warming skepticism, AIDS dissent in South Africa, and the intelligent design movement’s “teach the controversy” campaign…” See also:

Unusual Earthquakes Measured Off Oregon – “Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption – except there are no volcanoes in the area…”

Curious cloud formations linked to quakes – “CAN unusual clouds signal the possibility of an impending earthquake? That’s the question being asked following the discovery of distinctive cloud formations above an active fault in Iran before each of two large earthquakes occurred…”

[See previous IR]