Science tries to count its calories during Jurassic sex

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/11/weird-science-tries-to-count-its-calories-during-jurassic-sex/ / taking performance monitoring into the bedroom know how much getting out of their exercise use cycling computers pedometer pedometers exercise machines machine read out happening Watt tracking exertion bedroom down calorie calories handful research researching researchers 21 couples agree wear devices track energy used onset foreplay end intercourse partner having have orgasm result sex pretty good exercise comparable compare moderate workout treadmill almost all participants reported sexual activity more pleasant than treadmill exercise Men burned more than women 4.2 kCal/minute 3.1 kCal foreplay likely actual sex was even more energetic energy intensive author authors missed out great opportunity correlate calories kilo calorie burned pleasure all participants rate their own partner partner's apparent enjoyment rating rated exercise experience few exceptions exception more fun than a treadmill rate rating ratings same percentage man men woman women rated pleasure high difference both sexes think men enjoy more result men underestimate their partner partner's enjoyment women overestimate confirmed sex dates Jurassic change changed 165 million years insect insects called froghoppers fossil fossilized the act coitus permanentus earliest confirmed instance sex among insects fossils visible genitalia predate assume organs used purpose genitalia froghoppers apparently stuck evolve evolution evolved froghoppers genitalic genitalia genitals genital symmetry mate mating position remained static over 165 million years /

Scientists reveal the full power of the Chelyabinsk meteor explosion

Credit: → Kunde ←/YouTube

You may remember the meteorite which exploded over Chelyabinsk in Russia earlier this year. Seems the damage caused may be greater than first believed:

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/06/chelyabinsk-meteor-russia

It gets worse — the danger is nothing less than the destruction of civilisation itself.

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2011/12/whats-6-miles-wide-can-end-civilization.html

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2013/02/heres-what-would-happen-if-huge.html

But there may be ways to avert Armageddon.

More about those big, massive, fast moving things up there:

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-sky-is-falling-flash-video.html

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2012/07/striking-streaks-15-photos-of-meteors.html

A further risk of a major impact similar to the Tunguska meteorite (Russia, 1908) is that it could be mistaken for a nuclear missile strike, triggering a major nuclear exchange. / acclaimed British scientist Stephen Hawking urgent call continuation space exploration programs programme program beyond Earth live next millennium species extinct space humanity Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles proponent space exploration planet Earth continue to support human life population finite resources planet Earth growing exponentially, technical ability change environment genetic code selfish aggressive instincts survival advantage avoid disaster next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million Hawking our only chance of long-term survival spread out into space space exploration global financial crisis major spending cuts NASA NASA’s budget planetary science cut $300 million exploration prediction Kepler mission discovering scores potentially habitable planets new technology fusion powered fusion-powered rockets rocket journey planets starship threats posed space rocks meteor meteorite asteroids hit Earth risk impact crater shock wave passed overhead blew out windows injured hundreds of people 2012 DA14 zipping past Earth inside orbit some man-made satellites astronomers strikes NASA America's space agency watching the sky rock orbits bring them close to Earth near-Earth object NEO track tracking tracked down around 90% of the very biggest NEOs planet killers a kilometre or more across wiped out dinosaurs 7-10km heavyweights are smaller less dangerous damage hit town city hard harder to spot NEO-detection detection Japanese Space Agency universities ask for more money to expand their search researchers, meanwhile pondering what to do if an asteroid is detected that is indeed on a collision course with Earth blast dangerous asteroid apart using nuclear weapons doomsday scenario fracture large asteroid into several smaller ones 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty bans nuclear explosions in space The European Space Agency mission called Don Quijote large heavy spacecraft ram asteroid away alter send sending rocket engine asteroid could work asteroid relatively small detected plenty time spare proposal paint one side asteroid light dark colours colour color colors tweaking tweak trajectory neat bit physics called Yarkovsky effect describes which sunlight gives celestial bodies force gentle push gravity tractor orbit around asteroid rely relying gravity tug rock gently out of the way /

For the price of a mile of highway, you too can have a bike-friendly city (video)

Roadways suitable for motor traffic are expensive to construct & expensive to maintain. Cycle paths on the other hand are much cheaper.

Of course, there are many other benefits of bikes for transport, including improved health of cyclists, improved air quality & reduced traffic congestion.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/28/price-mile-highway-bike-friendly-city / cars Fred Armisen Spyke, bicycle advocate Portlandia car noisy ugly smell terrible cause disease epidemic proportion. move too fast extraordinary amount space leech economy run people over kids motor accident fatality death road toll bicycle activist Portland Oregon bicycle friendly most bicycle-friendly city USA US hate cars people who drive cars drivers most to lose cost expense money major source cause household debt investment investments like houses depreciation depreciate cost costing more own them use car ownership federal Consumer Expenditure Survey 2012 average family spend spends transportation spend on food reasonable affordable cost of roads construct construction build building maintenance maintaining them petrol gas gasoline gasolene taxes tax myth President Eisenhower signed Interstate Highway Act generation generations escalating civic and private debt sales income property special levies pay for roads bargain taxpayers users alike paint signage concrete rider riders disease chronic diseases heart disease stroke cancer diabetes autism exercise zoning fast food consumption stress social isolation depression healthcare savings invest millions network bicycle only bicycle-only highways connect city suburbs commute save savings healthcare claims medical bills save our lives /

Australia's carbon tax — no repeal bonanza?

Australia relatively recently introduced a "carbon tax" on emissions of carbon dioxide as an initial step towards a carbon trading scheme. The then opposition Liberal/National coalition complained loud & long about the upward pressure on prices which the carbon tax was alleged to have produced. Late last year, the Liberal/Nationals (whose leader, Tony Abbot, once described global warming as "crap") won an election substantially on a promise to repeal the carbon tax, with a substantial downward impact on consumer prices.

Now industry leaders are claiming that repealing the carbon tax will have little or no impact on prices.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/11/7/policy-politics/no-carbon-repeal-bonanza-0?utm_source=exact&utm_medium=email&utm_content=500899&utm_campaign=cs_daily&modapt= / assorted claim claims past five years Abbott tabloid media Australia Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry buy buying price prices buy buying electricity bills halved repeal price bonanza business groups industry association ACCI businesses represent sell sale sales Australian Industry Group membership manufacturer manufacture centric manufacturing-centric government AiGroup survey per cent businesses business manufacturing services construction sectors sector pass through on carbon related carbon-related energy cost increases to customers sample pass through cost business businesses total carbon costs estimated passed on to customers customer suggest energy prices price not go down energy prices price risen continue continuing rise other reasons reason particularly large increases electricity network costs dramatic increase in wholesale gas prices proportionate impact remove removing carbon costs not match impact introduction Energy Supply Association coalition government now reduction power bills previous prior government claimed based Treasury modeling modelling Energy Supply Association reduction in prices legislation parliament inform informing direction power bills consumers electricity power prices Australian Food and Grocery Council government community food grocery prices abolish abolishing across the board reduction repealed Business Council of Australia proportion carbon price nature industry contract implication implications government community expectations expectation scale price reductions reduction community community’s expectations expectation impacts impact carbon price based on exaggerated claims elect election elected /

Fun with USB On-The-Go gadgets

Credit: The Gadgeteer

USB OTG (USB On-The-Go) flash drive (4GB) connects to (some) Android devices. Also includes microSD card reader & full size USB flash drive for $25.


Credit: The Gadgeteer

USB OTG 4 port USB hub shown connected to Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Apple keyboard, Lenovo mouse & two USB flash drives. Supplied with an adapter for use as a conventional USB hub for your laptop or desktop computer for $11 total!

More at:

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/11/04/fun-with-usb-on-the-go-gadgets-from-brando/#more-142541 / Android device phone mobile cell smart smartphone OS version 3.1 higher USB on the go On-The-Go useful feature USB On-The-Go abbreviated abbreviate OTG enable enabled enables attach flash storage drive mouse mice keyboard keyboards Android device through micro USB port device Brando sells sell images image 2-in-1 micro USB Flash Drive vailable red black silver 2-in-1 micro USB Flash Drive standard key flash drive full size sized USB connector computer one end micro USB connector Android phone opposite end 2-in-1 3 capacities 8GB 16GB 32GB version 8.43 GB free drive transfer files computer plug it in copy files ordinary flash drive Android phone’s phone micro USB port file explorer app X-plore view copy delete files drive play audio video files easy use works great blink blinks file files being accessed transferred annoy annoying distracting plugged in into phone tablet watch video blink blinking red LED drive full sized USB connector micro USB connector 4GB capacity micro SD card slot MacBook Air Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung Galaxy Note 2 flash memory SD card mounted separate drive drives copy copying files built in storage SGN2 3rd party ROM installed $25 PQI Connect 201 2-in-1 USB Flash Drive 16 32GB capacities capacity PC Mac Macintosh Linux machine mount external drive remove cap expose micro USB connector connect plug Android device 32GB flash storage PQI physical size built in memory MicroUSB OTG 4-Port Hub gadget review reviewed reviewing micro USB cable groove along the edge /

iPin Laser Presenter for iPhone

iPin laser

Installed in iPhone
Credit: The Gadgeteer

Relatively expensive for a laser presenter, but no batteries to replace (powered from the earphone socket) & nothing extra to carry. iPhone only.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/11/01/ipin-laser-presenter-for-iphone-review/#more-142401/ iPhone iPad iPod iOS Apple present presentation beam point /

SR-71 Blackbird — Running out of superlatives (video)

Credit: NASA

Having entered service in 1964, the SR-71 remains the fastest air breathing, manned aircraft. Ever. At an altitude of 87,000 feet (16.5 miles, 26.5 kilometres), the pilot could see the curvature of the Earth & the blackness of space. Faster than a bullet, the SR-71 flew too high & too fast to be threatened by fighters or missiles.

At Mach 3 it had a turn radius of 100 miles (160 kilometres).

Interestingly, it is claimed that the SR-71 is the only plane that used less fuel the faster it travelled.

Stories from SR-71 pilots:

http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/forums/general/view/1116764/Humor-Man-Ive-been-stressed-badlythis-broke-it.html

Video of SR-71 Blackbird:

http://youtu.be/vpVT5Lr0BbI

Longer video (47 minutes)

http://youtu.be/kn6CgKEuB-M / sr71 plane air plane aeroplane photograph aerial surveylance pilot photograph photography Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird advanced long range long-range Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft development develop developed black project Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft Skunk Works division Clarence Kelly Johnson design designing designer design's innovative concepts reconnaissance missions SR-71 operated operate operation high speeds altitude altitudes outrace threats surface-to-air missile launch detected standard evasive action accelerate outfly missile serve served U.S. Air Force Habu world record fastest air breathing air-breathing manned aircraft /