Archive for March, 2011

I ran into a post by Jennifer Van Grove at Mashable the other day that piqued my interest. Van Grove wrote about an application by Spotlight Mobile called Meridian. It gives iPhone users a way to get their bearings, like many other navigational apps. But it doesn’t just tell you how to get to the store or attraction, it shows you where you’re going inside the building.

Obviously, this isn’t nearly as necessary when you’re going to the convenience store (now why did they have to move the pretzels? How will I ever find them?), but for larger buildings, I think it could be very useful. According to Spotlight’s Web site, the company is working to partner with organizations that want to help customers and patrons navigate large areas. The app just launched and has only one location to choose from. As it happens, it’s my favorite bookstore on the planet, Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Ore.

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Cascadia: The West Coast Fault Line That Is “Nine Months Pregnant” – “Ever since the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, I’ve been thinking a lot about my friends in Oregon. Why? Because the impending “Big One” that Californians are nervous about is actually a lot more likely to occur off the coast of Oregon—and [...]

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Unless you’ve been under a rock or away from the Internet for the last week or so, you’ve probably heard at least a snippet of young singer Rebecca Black’s video for her song, “Friday.” And if you’ve heard it, you’re likely doing one of three things right now: You’re giggling, moaning in agony or singing it to yourself — as you either giggle or moan in agony.

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I’ve been editing a TLC article on restaurants you should try before you die, and I’m really intrigued by this chef Grant Achatz, owner of Alinea in Chicago; he sketches dishes and cocktails on paper. For example, in this sketch (via GQ), an edible wall divides the cocktail in half; on one side, the beverage is cold and on the other it’s hot. Servers will instruct the patron to remove the wall, eat it, and then take a swig of the hot/cold cocktail — “which showcases the temperature contrast,” Achatz told GQ.

I mean, whoa.

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The death of Elizabeth Taylor got me to thinking that it’s probably a good thing that Michael Jackson didn’t live to see her die. Based on past interviews, I’m not sure that he would have handled it very well. At the least he would have sought more than usual comfort in propranolol, Michael’s “milk” that got him so staggeringly annihilated every day. Anytime I think of the painkiller propranolol these days I’m reminded of a paper on its use as a treatment in post-traumatic stress disorder.

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I finally sent off my passport application in the mail today. My old one wasn’t expired, but several years ago I changed my name very slightly (that “k” started out as a “c”) and although it was a minor change which is overlooked surprisingly often in somewhat official situations, I didn’t want to take any chances of being turned away in customs. Not on this trip! Then, too, there was my travel companion to consider; he doesn’t currently have a passport and needed to apply as well. During the whole application process, I learned quite a bit. So I thought I’d share some of the more useful info I garnered.

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You know why I love Stuff Mom Never Told You so stinking much? Our listeners. Not only are y’all whip-smart and keep Molly and me on our toes, but you brighten our days with wonderful emails.

Case in point: today’s email from a male listener who nominated himself to be our first male guest.

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We’ve talked before about the importance of backing up your computer: Have you backed up your hard disk lately? How To Backup Your Hard Disk Now there is a day of the year that is dedicated to remembering to backup your computer – World backup Day on March 31: WorldBackupDay.net This article gives you some [...]

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This video presents an interesting theory for the end of the world – or at least for life on earth to end. It is the upcoming geomagnetic reversal, the first hints of which seem to be occurring today. Here is an explanation: By the end of the video, he concludes that, although compasses will stop [...]

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The TechStuff episode that published yesterday was all about seismological equipment. We have an excellent article on the site about How Earthquakes Work, which also includes a helpful section about seismological equipment. Chris and I recorded that show more than a week before the massive earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. Since that event, the whole world has been looking at earthquakes, earthquake science and some hypotheses that don’t seem to have any scientific support at all.

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