Quick restart of Big Bang machine stuns scientists
---ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 25 mins ago
GENEVA – Scientists moved Saturday to prepare the world's largest atom smasher for exploring the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs.
The nuclear physicists working on the Large Hadron Collider were surprised that they could so quickly get beams of protons whizzing near the speed of light during the restart late Friday, said James Gillies, spokesman for the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
The machine was heavily damaged by a simple electrical fault in September last year.
Some scientists had gone home early Friday and had to be called back as the project jumped ahead, Gillies said.
At a meeting early Saturday "they basically had to tear up the first few pages of their PowerPoint presentation which had outlined the procedures that they were planning to follow," he said. "That was all wrapped up by midnight. They are going through the paces really very fast."
The European Organization for Nuclear Research has taken the restart of the collider step by step to avoid further setbacks as it moves toward new scientific experiments — probably starting in January — regarding the makeup of matter and the universe.
CERN, as it is known, had hoped by 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) Saturday to get the beams to travel the 27-kilometer (17-mile) circular tunnel under the Swiss-French border, but things went so well Friday evening that they had achieved the operation seven hours earlier.
Praise from scientists around the world was quick. "First beam through the Atlas!" whooped an Internet message from Adam Yurkewicz, an American scientist working on the massive Atlas detector on the machine.
"I congratulate the scientists and engineers that have worked to get the LHC back up and running," said Dennis Kovar of the U.S. Department of Energy, which participates in the project.
Although often seen as an inconsequential feature of digital technologies, one's self-representation, or avatar, in a virtual environment can affect the user's thoughts, according to research by a University of Texas at Austin communication professor.
In the first study to use avatars to prime negative responses in a desktop virtual setting, Jorge Peña, assistant professor in the College of Communication, demonstrated that the subtext of an avatar's appearance can simultaneously prime negative (or anti-social) thoughts and inhibit positive (or pro-social) thoughts inconsistent with the avatar's appearance. All of this while study participants remained unaware they had been primed. The study, co-written with Cornell University Professor Jeffrey T. Hancock and University of Texas at Austin graduate student Nicholas A. Merola, appears in the December 2009 issue of Communication Research.
In two separate experiments, research participants were randomly assigned a dark- or white-cloaked avatar, or to avatars wearing physician or Ku Klux Klan-like uniforms or a transparent avatar. The participants were assigned tasks including writing a story about a picture, or playing a video game on a virtual team and then coming to consensus on how to deal with infractions.
Consistently, participants represented by an avatar in a dark cloak or a KKK-like uniform demonstrated negative or anti-social behavior in team situations and in individual writing assignments.
Previous studies have demonstrated these uniform types to have negative effects on people's behaviors in face-to-face interactions. For example, Cornell researchers Mark Frank and Tom Gilovich showed that dark uniforms influence professional sports teams to play more aggressively on the playing field and in the laboratory. Peña's research demonstrates how these effects operate in desktop-based video games, and sheds light on the automatic cognitive processes that explain this effect.
"When you step into a virtual environment, you can potentially become 'Mario' or whatever other character you are portraying," said Peña, who studies how humans think, behave and feel online. "Oftentimes, the connotations of our own virtual character will subtly remind us of common stereotypes, such as 'bad guys wear black or dress up in hooded robes.' This association may surreptitiously steer users to think and behave more antisocially, but also inhibit more pro-social thoughts and responses in a virtual environment."
According to Peña, these findings can be particularly useful to video game and combat simulation developers.
"By manipulating the appearance of the avatar, you can augment the probability of people thinking and behaving in predictable ways without raising suspicion," said Peña. "Thus, you can automatically make a virtual encounter more competitive or cooperative by simply changing the connotations of one's avatar."
**Go to the link and click on Take Action to send a message to NASA's Administrator **
A nonprofit physicians organization is confronting NASA over the space agency’s plan to expose squirrel monkeys to radiation in an attempt to understand the effects of interplanetary travel. In a federal petition for administrative action filed Nov. 5, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) seeks to compel the government to halt the monkey experiments because they violate the NASA Principles for the Ethical Care and Use of Animals, also known as the Sundowner Report. The space agency has not used monkeys for radiobiology research in decades.
“Irradiating monkeys would be one giant leap backward for NASA,” says Hope Ferdowsian, M.D., M.P.H., PCRM’s director of research policy. “The proposed experiments are cruel, unnecessary, and lack scientific merit. There are better, more humane ways of understanding the potential dangers of interplanetary travel to humans. Scientific progress can only proceed with a strong ethical foundation.”
The experiments—proposed by researcher Jack Bergman of McLean Hospital in Boston—would involve irradiating monkeys and testing them to see how they perform on various tasks. Bergman has used squirrel monkeys for 15 years in addiction experiments, which have involved applying electric shocks, withholding food, and completely immobilizing the animals in restraint chairs for extended periods.**Go to the link and click on Take Action to send a message to NASA's Administrator **... more
An experiment first conducted in the 1960s has been re-staged to test the patience of young 'uns today. The video on Vimeo has been picked up by The Metro which says it's the "most adorable video based on a classic pyschology experiment you'll see today."
Watch it and see if you agree. The kids are given a tricky choice; eat one marshmallow now, or wait 20 minutes and eat two. Can they wait it out? Can they resist the fluffy goodness? Well according to the original experiment the kids who resisted temptation turned into more dependable adults.
So the patient, but ultimately GREEDY tykes turn into better human beings. Interesting.An experiment first conducted in the 1960s has been re-staged to test the patience of... more
A rural town in Australia has voted overwhelmingly to ban the sale of bottled water over concerns about its environmental impact.
Campaigners say Bundanoon, in New South Wales, may be the first community in the world to have such a ban.
They say huge amounts of resources are used to extract, package and transport bottled water.
The discarded plastic bottles then end up as litter or go into landfill sites, the "Bundy on Tap" campaign says.
More than 350 residents turned out to vote at the public meeting in the town hall.
Only one resident voted against the ban, along with a representative from the bottled water industry, ABC news reported.A rural town in Australia has voted overwhelmingly to ban the sale of bottled water... more
You may not have heard of Improv Everywhere, but you’ve probably seen some of this group’s public stunts on YouTube. Remember the one where everyone in Grand Central Terminal froze simultaneously, baffling passersby? Or the immortal Food Court Musical
Well, last Saturday, the group staged its sixth annual MP3 Experiment, and it was open to anyone who wanted to play along. My son and I did. We joined a couple of other sixth graders and parents.
We followed the Web site’s instructions: (1) Wear a blue, red, yellow or green T-shirt with a white T-shirt underneath. (2) Download the MP3 Experiment audio file and load it onto our iPods–but do not listen to it. (3) Go to Roosevelt Island. At precisely 4 p.m., press Play.
read the rest of the article
sounds way fun!You may not have heard of Improv Everywhere, but you’ve probably seen some of this... more
"Legislation that would prohibit scientists in the state from creating human-animal hybrids for experimentation -- believed to be the first such ban proposed in the nation -- has been filed for debate at the lawmaking session that opens April 27.
Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Kenner, has filed Senate Bill 115 on behalf of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Conference lobbyist Danny Loar said the bill is designed to be a "pre-emptive strike" against scientists who might want to mix "human and animal cells in a Petri dish for scientific research purposes. . . . It is becoming more of an issue globally."
Martiny and Loar said they are unaware of any attempts to do that type of research in Louisiana.
Loar said the British Parliament recently approved legislation allowing scientists to mix human cells with those of cows and pigs for possible stem cell research or other scientific experiments. He said the bishops feel the use of human cells in such experiments is unethical.
"The archbishop asked me to file it, " Martiny said of a recent conversation he had with New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes."
What do YOU think?"Legislation that would prohibit scientists in the state from creating human-animal... more
A study from a team at the University of St Andrews suggests that people think healthy women should have a rosy glow.A study from a team at the University of St Andrews suggests that people think healthy... more
US researchers have claimed that people who suffer chronic sleep problems could be more likely to try to commit suicide.US researchers have claimed that people who suffer chronic sleep problems could be... more
An experiment from the US National Ignition Facility will demonstrate the feasibility of nuclear fusion.An experiment from the US National Ignition Facility will demonstrate the feasibility... more
Tuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Stripping off.
In the garden again.
Joes podcast. www.americantalkusa.com
The birds are singing.
Purring away.
It won't rise.
She touched my leg.
Dense.
It's gone rusty.
Telephone faults.
Credit card.
Sometimes quick, sometimes slow.
What noise ?
James does it on the cheap.
The picture mystery solved.
He's weighing less than me.
Pictures of the UK wanted.
Certain things should remain in public ownership.
Have a sausage roll.
Can you cook on open fires ?
Too busy to write.
Experiments.
Emo.
You must be accurate.
What is your dark side ?
Toast on bread ?
A short quiz.
50 meg soon.
Tight trousers.
Still can't decide on the swimming pool membership.
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UKTuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV... more
As an entry into Cadbury's "Unleash the Goo" competition, these guys created quite an elaborate machine to break a creme egg. Apparently it took six months to make and three days and 200 takes to film it. I personally go for the "between my teeth" method.As an entry into Cadbury's "Unleash the Goo" competition, these guys created quite an... more
Daito Manabe, internet famous for attaching electrodes to his face to make it dance, is back for another electro face experiment. He stuck a bunch of LEDs in his mouth that light up with the music. Rave mouth.Daito Manabe, internet famous for attaching electrodes to his face to make it dance,... more
Margie a Relative, is a nice person, she is always trying to help. Her friend is seperated from her husband but theyhad grown kids together. The husband's father passed away, and she wants her Ex. to be presentable at the Funeral. The past several years hadn't been easy, he was suffering from Depression. He had lost interest in his appearance and his hair was regae' -just not neat or well kept. So she sent her older son over with a Relaxer, to get the tangles out, and a Black Rinse to tone down the Gray Hair.
Well, she just didn't want him to miss this occassion. She drove by to see if all was okay...His brother stepped outside, and said, "He's going, he's getting dressed.now, but the HAIR?!"..She was perplexed, but running late they drove off. the expression on his face seemed to say, "Just Wait You'll see!"
Soon they were there, the 300 mile trip was over. The church was packed, so they sat in the Choir, of the medium sized country church. The sun shone brightly down the Ilseway, and thru the stained glass windows...Soon a tall stately Figure entered, and began walking proudly, and determindedly down the ailse. The sun was beaming, gleaming landing right atop of her EX's beautiful Chartreus Green Hair. She gasped, as they embraced this rare sight.
Immediately she knew, "The Fresh Chemicals of the Relaxer and that Black Rinse,?" she thought, a (Deadly Compond). Margie Do-Gooder had out done herself this time.. She felt bad, but it was too late.
Later at the GraveSight, her 4 year old Grandaughter ran past playfully, looking up into his Face, shouting out loud..."Grandpa, you got Green Hair"...Margie apologized, as he replied..."Baby, she really socked it to me this time!"Margie a Relative, is a nice person, she is always trying to help. Her friend is... more
A few years ago a friend got real enthusiastic about making her own Potpouri...
She designs Gift Baskets, so she decides to add this item to her line....Inexperienced as she is...she and her young grand daughter begin gathering almost any form of dry plant life they can find laying around on the ground.....She spends a small fortune on exotic scents and fragrances. She shares her new venture with her daughter who replies...."Mom all you gonna' have is a pile of DIRT!!".....Being Independent and a little (Bullheaded), it doesn't stop her....She puts her packagae of "Gold" away to age...Early on, she is so excited over her new project, she decides to sale it at an outdoor Flea market. It is pretty, colorful, beautifully packaged, and it smells Uuuuuuuhm!...splendid!. ..After several months, she decides to check on her 'Prize Package' .....You guessed it....It is nothing but a 'Pile of DIRT!!'. Ofcourse, prematurely she anxiously sells a few bags at the outdoor Flea Market, regretfully, to a few class mates from days gone by who pass thru .....Her thinking is...."I'll never see those Flea Market people again..but my class mates...? What will I say to them at the next Class Reunion?!"A few years ago a friend got real enthusiastic about making her own Potpouri...
She... more
Can you imagine what it would be like if you put a Necco Wafer in a glass of Pepsi and light it up? here's your answer... (Please DO NOT attempt this at home)
PBS flashes a crotch shot, Paris Hilton raps for Snoop Dogg, Rachel Ray loves her some science, lesbian wedding kisses on 'All My Children,' Bear Grylls eats poop, Obama gives out full frontal man hugs, the Octomom's got a big-ass belly, and Bristol Palin talks about teen sex. Conor Knighton serves it all up in his weekly look at the top stories you may have missed from the crazy 24-hour world of media madness.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.PBS flashes a crotch shot, Paris Hilton raps for Snoop Dogg, Rachel Ray loves her some... more
A new book by historian Jorge Camarasa, a specialist in the post-war Nazi flight to South America, suggests that Josef Mangele, the Nazi "Angel of Death", resident medic at Auschwitz, whose mission was to create an Aryan master race fit for the Third Reich, is responsible for the mysterious abundance of twins, most of whom are blond haired and blue eyed, in the Brazillian town of Candido Godoi where one in five pregnancies result in twins.
Mengele's task under Hitler was to artificially increase the Aryan birthrate through a genetic quirk to create twins, though it is now thought that he may have continued his experiments after fleeing to South America at the fall of the Nazi regime.
[read more at link]A new book by historian Jorge Camarasa, a specialist in the post-war Nazi flight to... more
On this day (7th January) in 1851, French thinker, and all-round clever clogs, Léon Foucault experimented with a 5-kilogram pendulum, hanging from a 2-metre cable, to prove our planet was spinning, and we along with it.
Scientists had been trying for two centuries to prove the earth was moving underneath us all, by measuring the path of falling objects, but it took Foucault's pendulum to actually prove the theory right.
As Wired.com puts it; that day, 158 years ago, the Earth definitely moved for Foucault. Sweet :)On this day (7th January) in 1851, French thinker, and all-round clever clogs, Léon... more
![Eat me, eat me, eat me! Kids vs marshmallows [VIDEO] - video](http://i2.crtcdn.net/images/asset/899/594/41/A21933_60x45.jpg)
