PhysOrg: Smart plastics change shape with light

Scientists have created plastics that "can be deformed and temporarily fixed in a second, new shape by illumination with light having certain wavelengths. These programmed materials will only switch back to their original shape when exposed to light of specific different wavelengths. "

Does anyone want to comment on possible applications for this technology?

PhysOrg: Smart plastics change shape with light

Blog censorship gains support | CNET News.com

I'm officially accepting comments from anyone willing to post the names and addresses of celebrities.

Blog censorship gains support | CNET News.com

Google Video (Beta) - Video Upload Program

I signed up yesterday to upload video with Google. The videographer can even set a price for the download. I can't imagine what video I have that has value to anyone-except the sentimental kind?
Google Video (Beta) - Video Upload Program

PhysOrg: 'Termite guts can save the planet', says Nobel laureate

You may have heard earlier about the revolutionary technology allowing for the extraction of crude oil from Turkey guts. Now, on a slightly different track, Termite guts may help us understand how to reduce pollutants, while extracting fuel, at the same time. My gut says 'go for it'.

PhysOrg: 'Termite guts can save the planet', says Nobel laureate

Bolton to be confirmed despite problem with 'little people'

Much to the chagrin of many Bush naysayers the President will have his way and John Bolton will be confirmed as the Ambassador to the U.N.

"Carl Ford, who ran the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, said Bolton cast a chill over the State Department's intelligence personnel by abusing an analyst who held up his speech because it overstated information on Cuba's weapons."

He didn't? A Chill? My question: Should intelligence personnel be in an environment where they are comfortable, or should they be pushed to give greater effort?

"I've never met anyone like him in terms of the way he abuses his power and authority over little people," Ford said."

'little people'? Oh-wait... I guess that is the Politically correct term...

Reuters

Google maps: LDS Temples

All the Temples in the U.S. and Canada can be seen via Satellite on my co-workers blog.

Some fun with Google maps and satellites.

Urban Myths - List of urban myths about Google

Who doesn't want a better pagerank? Well, I actually know one person who claims to not care. If you do want to up your pagerank, read this article first.

Urban Myths - List of urban myths about Google, written by Chris Beasley

Google Sightseeing

If you've ever wanted an excuse to never go on another road trip, here it is.
Google Sightseeing

p.s. The site has gone down. No word on if/when it will come back up again. So, this is kind of a unpost.

yahoo! vs. google: synergy

This tool runs a comparison of Google, and Yahoo searches so you can see which searches return which pages, and in what order they rank. You'll have to look at it to understand it.

yahoo! vs. google: synergy

Gonna go back in Time...

The article below informs us that the whole 'Stem Cell Debate' may one day be rendered moot by a bizarre ability of cells to revert back to a 'stem cell' called dedifferentiation. In other words, no embryo's/blastocycst need be destroyed to harvest the most elastic of stem cells. Note: Adult stem cells can be harvested now; they don't, however, have the resilience of the embrionic version.

Wired News: Cells That Go Back in Time

AnandTech News: Sony aims to beam sights, sounds into brain

AnandTech News: Sony aims to beam sights, sounds into brain:

"The U.S. patent, granted to Sony researcher Thomas Dawson, describes a
technique for aiming ultrasonic pulses at specific areas of the brain
to induce 'sensory experiences' such as smells, sounds and images."

Ethics in the Workplace

An article by Crispin Sartwell in the LA Times attempts, briefly, to answer some interesting ethical questions. When ones job becomes distasteful, morally, should one be required to do it? His thesis follows.

"I personally am no opponent of birth control of any sort or, for that matter, of abortion rights. But people whose jobs require them to violate their own deeply held convictions ought to refuse to do the job, and any politician who upholds freedom or dignity must uphold their right to do so."

Even more interesting to me than Sartwell's perspective is a response to it posted on Lean Left. (You can guess the specific political leaning of this blog.) Lean Left presumes that a Pharmacist who refuses birth control to a Patron is doing so because he disapproves"...[of the Patrons] sexual behavior..." This may be the case, but it could also be that the Pharmacist has discovered something wrong with the drug (i.e. tampering, contamination, etc). Perhaps the Pharmacist is made aware of other drugs prescribed to the Patron that would make for a lethal cocktail. Therefore, the question of motive, in this case, is moot. If a Physician is given the right to refuse treatment of a Patient that has not followed her council--an ethical question. Then any individual, under any circumstance that ethics touch, should be afforded the right to refuse service.
Lean Left exaggerated the issue, stating,

"What’s remarkable in this piece is that there is not, in its entire length, a single mention of the interests of the people who are harmed by being unilaterally denied access to healthcare."

There is nothing 'unilateral' about the refusal. It is simply a refusal. We need not patronize every Pharmacist, Grocer, or Gas Station we encounter. But, these institutions, and those who are employed by them, ought to be able to refuse service to anyone.

Update: I support the APhA Conscience Clause below.
"American Pharmaceutical Association
Conscience Clause

APhA recognizes the individual pharmacist's right to exercise conscientious refusal and supports the establishment of systems to ensure patient access to legally prescribed therapy without compromising the pharmacist's right of conscientious refusal.

APhA shall appoint a council to serve as a resource for the profession in addressing and understanding ethical issues."

Another Update:

I cannot resist updating you one more time. On April 7th, The Abrams Report featured this issue, and in interviewing a Pharmacist that supports the right to refuse, Dan Abrams severely undercut his own arguments to the contrary. See the link for the complete transcript, or below for the pertinent section of the dialog.

"DUPLANTIS: Well that‘s absolutely absurd because we are trying to respond. We‘re trying to warn women about this terrible, dangerous drug...

(CROSSTALK)

DUPLANTIS: ... that has killed more women...

ABRAMS: Mr. Duplantis...

(CROSSTALK)

DUPLANTIS: ... than any other chemical there is on the market.

ABRAMS: ... here‘s the problem. I don‘t even know-I‘m not convinced you believe that. I think and let me tell you and I‘ll let you respond...

DUPLANTIS: You‘re not a chemist. You‘re not a scientist either.

ABRAMS: All right. That‘s fine. I am not. I am not, but I‘ll tell you that I haven‘t seen anything medically that supports anything you are saying, but I‘ll let you respond.[Emphasis added]

DUPLANTIS: Well you‘re not reading the right literature...

ABRAMS: All right. All right...

DUPLANTIS: ... because it‘s everywhere...

ABRAMS: Well that‘s the question.

DUPLANTIS: ... in all of the medical journals.

ABRAMS: That‘s the-yes, OK. All right...[Emphasis added]

DUPLANTIS: All the medical journals support what I‘m saying.

ABRAMS: Yes. All right. No they don‘t...[Emphasis added]

DUPLANTIS: All the medical...

(CROSSTALK)

DUPLANTIS: ... information.

ABRAMS: Come on, that‘s just silliness...

DUPLANTIS: The birth control packets...

ABRAMS: Why don‘t you just admit...

DUPLANTIS: ... on the prescription.

ABRAMS: Mr. Duplantis, just admit this is about religion. Just admit it...

DUPLANTIS: It‘s absolutely...

ABRAMS: Come clean. Come clean.

DUPLANTIS: ... the only thing religious about this is the fact that because I have a moral conscience I want to help women and we want to call or question that saying that just like Vioxx and Seldane and Redux, all these drugs, and the fact that estrogen and this cardiologist knows that DVDs (ph) and the cardiovascular episodes that estrogen causes...

ABRAMS: All right."

YaGoohoo!gle

Here is an interesting Chimera-like beast. Someone decided to mix Yahoo search with Google. See below for more examples of a Chimera.
YaGoohoo!gle

Chimera
John Kerry
Hillary Clinton
Pick a random liberal

U.S. blogger thwarts Canadian gag order | CNET News.com

Below is a story about a resident of Minneapolis that is posting a story, that if he lived in Canada, would put him in jail.

U.S. blogger thwarts Canadian gag order | CNET News.com

"Canada's attorney general is investigating the legality of the U.S. blog posting. Government lawyers may charge Canadian Web publishers with contempt of court if they reproduce some of the Adscam testimony or perhaps even link to Morrissey's blog, the Toronto Sun reported."

It sounds like they want to extradite this blogger. Call me crazy, but we have Constitutional rights that protect us against getting prosecuted by another country, as long as we don't reside there. Oh Canada...

Google aims high and wide | CNET News.com

There have been a lot of articles on Google lately-They've been busy! So, the link below gives you a plethora of articles.
Google aims high and wide | CNET News.com

Patriot Act's secret searches used 108 times | CNET News.com

Patriot Act's secret searches used 108 times | CNET News.com:

"'Delayed-notification search warrants are used in a wide spectrum of criminal investigations,
including those involving terrorism and drugs,' the Justice Department
said in a statement. 'Like any other search warrant,
delayed-notification warrants under Section 213 may only be issued
after showing probable cause and obtaining the express approval of a
judge.'"

Also see my post yesterday.

Google introduces Satellite to it's Map service!

I can see my house from--well, anywhere now. I think I'll put a message on my roof to see if I can read it from space.

CNET

Gmail will test anti-phishing and video storage

It's time again to acknowledge google for it's out-of-the-box thinking. They seem unafraid of making changes, and quickly. Not only have they added useful features to Gmail, but now they are venturing into video storage and sharing tools.

Gmail tries out antiphishing tools | CNET News.com

Google queues up Video | CNET News.com

Google will build a Video sharing network

The next chapter in the Patriot Act

This is for those of you who opposed the Patriot Act when it was implemented. There is a chance, soon, that some of the provisions will not be renewed. For a summary of the upcoming events see CNET NEWS. I am not, at the first gasp, opposed to the Patriot Act, and all that it implies. My stance is turning out to be very unpopular. But, before you condemn me for my naivete, answer me this. To which section(s) are you opposed, and why? (Don't say all of it, and don't ask me to read it for reasons why!) See the link below for the best arguments for and against the most controversial aspects of the legislation.
Patriot Debates

Those April Fools!

I took the day off work for my wifes birthday--no joke. I have to say that navigating the world on this day is both dangerous, and thrilling. I took a drive this morning down the wrong side of the road (I'm not speaking allegorically), and it's felt surreal ever since. We saw the 'Phantom' in the theaters today, and there were only three other people there besides my wife and me. I was so close to telling her I'd rented the whole theater just for us. Now that I've logged onto the Interweb, I can't understand anything I see. New technologies that have never existed have surfaced, my Gmail account is climbing towards a two multi-Gigabyte limit shangrila, and my Anti-virus software is telling me that it expires today (that's true). Tommorow, I'm taking the red pill before I leave home--or is it the blue one? I leave you with some of the headlines that just shouldn't be.

Apple sells iPod socks
USB Fundue set
PC Virus makes Humans feverish
Get a free U2 Album--(Oh wait, let me look into that one.)
Microsoft expands Windows Piracy Check (They aren't joking. I just said it shouldn't be)