The Nerdiest Kids » Effin’ Science

L.A. Prison Using Pain Ray

Josh "Buddhapunch" Pacheco — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:30:54 +0000

Straight out of the comics and sci-fi novels comes the latest device to help keep control in American prisons. When you hear the words pain ray images of mad scientists, a helpless human being strapped to a table screaming for their life, and a giant satellite gun looking machine aimed right at the helpless person appear in your head. If the image above is any indication that image is similar just take away the mad scientist and helpless person and replace them with a prison guards and a crowd of convicted criminals.

At the Pitchess Detention Center in Los Angeles, California the experimental Raytheon’s Assault Intervention Device is being tested to stop misbehaving inmates. Mounted high on a wall, the pain ray shoots a CD sized heat ray at inmates who can’t behave themselves. The amount of heat is said to be similar to opening an extremely hot oven. Putting this comic book machine come to life over the top is that it is controlled via joystick.

The hope for the machine is to keep down the amount of riots and inmate fights. If you see a job opening as a “Raytheon’s Assault Intervention Device Technician” and want to put your “pew pew” skills to good use I say apply.

Source[PopSci]

2010 Penny Arcade Scholarship Awarded to Jeffrey Lin

Christina "RogueNurse" Weber — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:51:30 +0000

Penny Arcade Scholarship Awarded to Univeristy of Washington Vision Sciences PhD Student

SEATTLE – Aug. 24, 2010 – Penny Arcade has awarded University of Washington PhD student Jeffrey Lin the 2010 Penny Arcade Scholarship. Jeffrey plans to use the award to further his research into applying vision science to solve practical problems in game design.

The PA scholarship is available to college students interested in pursuing careers that contribute to the advancement of the game industry. The annual winner is selected based on service, leadership, character, financial need and the potential to make a positive impact.

This year’s winner impressed the selection committee with his interest in crossing traditional boundaries between game development and other academic disciplines. Lin plans to study how vision scientists can bring methods and insights developed in their field and apply them as members of game development teams.

“Vision scientists have the tools and skills to help developers tackle problems from how to reduce motion sickness some experience in FPS titles to how to make games more accessible to the color blind,” said Lin. “My goal is to eventually prove to game developers that vision scientists would be a valuable member of any developer’s team.

Penny Arcade’s scholarship program was established in 2006 to help encourage the development of tomorrow’s bright new stars.

“Lin represents an intriguing future where an interdisciplinary approach to game design embraces professionals from vision scientists to economists, from city planners to linguists and everything in-between,” said Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade. “As each successful generation of game development becomes more advanced, the ability to draw from diverse fields will become more important.”

Application information for the 201 scholarship will be available in spring 2011 at http://www.penny-arcade.com/pas.

Superbacteria Immune to Most Antibiotics

Josh "Buddhapunch" Pacheco — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:01:19 +0000

Oh 2012 how do you scare so many shitless. News items have popped up regarding natural disasters, viral outbreaks, scientific experiments, technological advances or space phenomena that could very well be our undoing. The Mayans predict the world to end in December 21, 2012 so we at NK decided to keep you updated on all potential threats that could very well be our end.

While many doomsayers believe the end of the world will result via nuclear bombings or an asteroid collision they may be overlooking the most tiniest form of life on this planet. Scientist have discovered a bacteria that is immune to most antibiotics and the worst part that it’s already in most parts of India and has made it over to the UK and stateside.

Named New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase or NDM-1 for short, the bacteria alone doesn’t harm a person on it’s own but works in tandem with harmful bacteria by giving them resistances to almost every antibiotic known to man. In nerd terms NDM-1 does a fusion dance with E.Coli and become “NDE.Coli” to defeat their enemy with a viral kamehameha.

Even higher sense of paranoia and fear regarding this boosting bacteria is at hand because at this moment there are no drugs in the immediate future that will combat NDM-1. Never fear though, the last time mainstream media hyped up some super bacteria or viral threat was the Swine Flu and that got taken care of faster than a virgin at a brothel. Prepare your face mask and hazmat suits people!

Source[PopSci]

Net Neutrality: Gone with the Wind?

Jeff "Darkspirit" Adams — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:20:52 +0000

I guess if we are going to talk about the recent talks to end ‘net neutrality’ it would serve to define it. Network Neutrality, the full name of the principle, states that the internet ought to be free of restrictions from ISPs (Internet Serve Providers) or the government that would in any way restrict content, sites, platforms or equipment. In laymens terms, on the internet, everything is equal. Now we all know that internet companies are pretty well off financially, so they will just leave well enough alone and just provide equal content for everyone. Right?
So what is the hub-bub today about this whole neutrality thing? Two of the biggies in content and providing content, Google and Verizon, are nearing a deal that would provide top content to people who pay more to the provider for the privilege of speed. So imagine you are playing a multi-player game, and are in a tough fight with someone. Well, they payed for the privilege of being faster than you are, and you happen to pay the lower end. You lag and die, he wins and moves on. Does this seem fair? Content providers would pay service providers to make sure that the top people got the top content. Gordon Gecko would be proud, along with Luthor, Scrooge and most evil corporations in gaming.

So, the internet is soon going the way of cable television, and I am talking about tiers. You know how you hear about tiers with cable service providers? You get a base number of channels, but you can pay more to get more channels? Or with Netflix, if you pay more, you get more movies a month sent to you? The internet wants to go that direction, as each tier will make you faster in the long run. How many here want to pay for speed, and not only pay for the speed to get somewhere. But you are also paying more just to be able to view content. Instead of first come, first serve…it becomes reservation. No offense, but there is not one website that deserves you have a reservation for its customers.

The FCC is trying to find ways to keep the openness of the internet, but with the increase in corporate greed, no one knows how much traction the FCC has. They’re legal rights are not set in stone, the FCC is holding meetings to try and hold neutrality. Other sites like Skype and Amazon are also trying to keep neutrality at bay. But this effort relies on people educating themselves! So, everyone…mobilize and state what you want out of your internet. Come on, we spend hours on 4 chan, chat rooms, and everywhere else. We are not a passive voice, we are an active one. Show it!

Source of Story: NY Times

Protectors of the Internet Exist!

Josh "Buddhapunch" Pacheco — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:36:16 +0000

Imagine seven beings given the power to protect humanity and it’s great tool for communication and information against army self trained to turned the very tool against those it is meant to help. No, this is not the plot for the next Final Fantasy game or Hollywood summer flick. This is something that is going on as we speak.

Seven people from around the world were given keys that can shut down and reboot the internet in case of a cyber armageddon. While most would think the seven would be military in nature, their guess would be wrong. The keyholders are overseen by the third party internet watchdog group Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

The keyholders specifically hail from the U.S., Britain, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, China, Burkina Faso, and the Czech Republic. Not one single key can halt or reboot our beloved internets but by their powers combined somewhere in a U.S. military bunker, they are able to wipe the internet free of all the porn and other of our beloved web findings. Nice to know we have a last minute back up plan for when the machines finally decide to take over.

Source[PopSci]

Batman and Robin join DARPA

Jeff "Darkspirit" Adams — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:25:52 +0000

DARPA, the US governments answer to mad scientists, had just enlisted the Dark Knight Detective and his colorful sidekick, or at least co-opted their names to do the other thing DARPA is known for…acronyms!

Biochronicity and Temporal Mechanisms Arising in Nature (BATMAN) is delving into the theory of how time affects biology. Not just with those crows feet you are just noticing in the mirror, but how time affects bioilogical clocks, the effect of time on cognition and most importantly, how time affects evolutionary pressure. DARPA hopes that studying the effects of time on biology will enable them to treat biology as a predictable scientist instead of the laymen equivalent of hoping for the best.

Since DARPA stole the Batman name, they also decided to take the name of his sidekick. Robustness of Biologically-Inspired Networks (ROBIN) is funny if you consider the world of comics. DARPA is hoping that studying how biology systems work, such as the immune system or other biological functions, allowing DARPA to create crisis response and complex decision networks based off biology. They are looking to how our body organizes itself, to organize groups in the real world. From micro to macro, and I gotta say, that is an odd thing to choose Batman for. Perhaps its ironic that one of the more lone wolf superheroes was chosen, along with his sidekick, to help facilitate a new way for groups to interact.

Personally, I am hoping that the acronym of the JOKER will be used to calculate chaos theory into properly determining hostile takeovers, war mongers and extremists. Since the clown prince of crime has helped all of these n’er do wells in the past. Keep it up DC, get those science nerds. Let Marvel handle the Satanists.

Source: Danger Room

Bionic Cat

Josh "Buddhapunch" Pacheco — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:03:49 +0000

After the car accident they said they could make it better, faster, stronger but they didn’t say fluffier. Veterinarian Noel Fitzpatrick across the pond (that’s Great Britain for those of you with Google Maps disabled) grafted two metal prosthesis at the ankles of Oscar seen in the image to the left. Oscar had lost his two hind limbs in a farming accident.

The implants were attached at Oscar’s ankle where the bone and skin eventually grew into the implants. While the prosthesis allows the cat to walk naturally the design was not even based around a cats design. Instead the technique was based around a deer’s antlers being attached to skin and bone. Check out the video below to see bionic cat in action. All Oscar is missing now is eyes cable of shooting lasers and a rocket strapped to his ass.

Source[PopSci]

Scientists Believe The Possibility of Life On Titan

Josh "Buddhapunch" Pacheco — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:10:08 +0000

We have found the location of our invaders! Prepare for Independence Day style invasion! Actually this won’t happen at all. The Cassini spacecraft has been circling near Saturn’s moon Titan with some strange findings. Astrobiologist have theorized that there is a possibility for methane-based life on Titan. Not the complex Avatar life forms that furries and wingnuts hope to believe. Instead the life forms would be more microbial in nature.

The belief stems from a sudden inability to find acetylene, a molecule that should be found within Titan’s atmosphere. THe belief is that the possible microbial life is breathing hydrogen, eating acetylene, and producing methane. The search for other life is a never ending quest that mankind both encourages and fears. If we are to believe Stephen Hawking then we should fear other intelligent life. If we are to believe Jay from various Kevin Smith films than we should attempt to fornicate them. You choose!

Source[PopSci]

First Synthetic Cell Created

Josh "Buddhapunch" Pacheco — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:25:38 +0000

Cells, the microscopic organism that is the building block to all complex life on this planet. Now imagine that a computer was able to create its own version of universe’s living lego block. With the help of researchers it has become a reality. Craig Venter of The Craig Venter Institute announced that they have created the “first self-replicating species we’ve had on the planet whose parent is a computer.” The synthetic bacteria could be the first in a long line of potential solutions to fixing the world’s problems. Scientists believe that this break through could find applications in medicine, energy production, or environmental recovery.

Through a computer, scientists were able to create the genome of bacteria M. mycoides by first taking short strands of DNA and injecting them into eukaryotic yeast. The yeast then linked the strands together. Scientists then took the strands and transplanted them into the bacteria Mycoplasma capricolum. Soon after the injected Mycoplasma capricolum began to replicate and produce proteins. If you understand anything I just said above you get a no-prize gold star.

Next up for the researchers is the task of creating synthetic algae to trap carbon dioxide which would in turn create biofuel. One step closer to creating a form of synthetic life that eventually someone will probably have sex with. Yeah, just let that thought marinate.

Source[PopSci]

Japanese Government Want Brain Controlled Robots In 10 Years

Josh "Buddhapunch" Pacheco — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:35:17 +0000

The land of the rising sun to us Americans can seem at times borderline crazy. Besides the major LULZ they bring to our internet their government and technology industry want to make mind controlled robots a reality in the next 10 years. To them I say “Where is Johnny-5?” You can’t get from A to C without B and it seems like our rice eating brothers have jumped the gun. There is no real sense or clue of the technology that the Japanese government or industry have cooked up to make this a reality. Many are suggested a head mounted sensor much like the image below. The thing is if I have to put cerebro on every time I need to tell my robot to make me a hot pocket or wipe my ass then we are going to have an issue. Many are hoping that the venture into this technology could help the disabled to function and live life comfortably. What this will end up happening is make more American’s fat in our ever expanding automated future.

Source[Popular Science]