Kurt Starnes

"PROCEDURES: Each dog was evaluated at a low (20 degrees to 25 degrees C [68 degrees to 77 degrees F]) or high (30 degrees to 35 degrees C [86 degrees to 95 degrees F]) ambient temperature while wearing or not wearing a commercially available whole-body spandex garment designed for dogs. Oxygen consumption was measured by placing dogs in a flow-through indirect calorimeter for 90 to 120 minutes. Rectal temperature was measured before dogs were placed in the calorimeter and after they were removed. RESULTS: Rectal temperature increased significantly more at the higher ambient temperature than at the lower temperature and when dogs were not wearing the garment than when they were wearing it. The specific rate of oxygen consumption was significantly higher at the lower ambient temperature than at the higher temperature. " - Kurt Starnes

Via: http://blog.makezine.com/archive... - Kurt Starnes

"Edward Weston created the photograph in 1927, the same year Lovett purchased it at San Francisco’s East West Galleries. The photograph is now regarded as one of the great modernist photographs of all time, and this sale places it among the most expensive photographs in the world." - Kurt Starnes

"Caleb Charland is a Maine-based photographer who combines a love of scientific experiments and photographs into wonderful and amazing photographs. If Isaac Newton or Benjamin Franklin were into photography, their photographs might look something like these:" - Kurt Starnes

From some quick research, it looks like the in-car record player started with the Chrysler DeSoto in 1956. From this CNET article (see: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17...), tone-arm skipping and an exclusive content arrangement with Columbia, the same folks who made the players, killed this tech before it even got started. - Kurt Starnes

The two pictures I posted above are part of larger series of googly eyes photos at the referenced page. To see more of this series, you'll need to click through and scroll way down to 4/11/09. Many may also enjoy other of the 365 extremely creative photos by Brock Davis -- one snapped each day of 2009. This post at kottke.org led me to the googly eyes pics: http://kottke.org/10... - Kurt Starnes

"And then there's the powerplant — an Enzo-derived 6-liter V12 will let the 599 GTO take to the streets with 670 galloping horses and 457 lb/ft of torque to motivate its "svelte" 3,296 lb body. That means this latest V12 berlinetta delivers a 0-to-100 km/h acceleration time of just 3.35 seconds and a max speed of over 208 MPH. But, just as importantly, a Fiorano lap time of just one minute and 24 seconds — making it the fastest road-going model in the history of Ferrari." - Kurt Starnes

"Of the seven major meteor showers remaining in 2010 (the Quadrantids occurred in early January 2010), some are more major than others.  For example, April's Lyrids are expected to produce about 15 meteors an hour at their peak for observers viewing in good conditions. Now, if you put the same observer in the same good conditions during a higher-rate shower like August's Perseids or December's Geminids, that observer could witness up to 100 meteors an hour during peak activity." - Kurt Starnes

"For now, the enviropig has some promising advantages to offer, and they all center on phosphorus. Phosphorus is an important element, it’s the ‘P’ in the famous NPK fertilizer approach to increasing crop yields. But that agricultural benefit can also be a curse. When pigs on modern farms defecate and urinate, they release a lot of phosphorus in the environment. With our centralized industrial agricultural system, this means that there is occasionally huge amounts of phosphorus dumped into a small area. When this element is washed into rivers and other bodies of water it can lead to steep increases in algae. Algae blooms disrupt natural oxygen levels and kill fish. In short, pig waste can be an environmental hazard. Enviropigs release up to 70% less phosphorus in their urine and feces. That means a smaller impact and a better chance of keeping balance in the ecosystems surrounding pig facilities." - Kurt Starnes

"Physicists at Harvard University have found that a high-voltage nanotube can cause cold atoms to spiral inward under dramatic acceleration before disintegrating violently. Their experiments, the first to demonstrate something akin to a black hole at atomic scale, are described in the current issue of the journal Physical Review Letters." - Kurt Starnes

"Good to know the Spaceguard teams are keeping an eye out for us. The eagle-eyed observers at the Catalina Sky Survey have spotted an asteroid which will pass relatively close to Earth this Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 23:06 U.T.C. (4:06 p.m. PDT, 7:06 pm EDT). But it should pose no problem, as at the time of closest approach asteroid 2010 GA6 will be about 359,000 kilometers (223,000 miles) away from Earth – about 9/10ths the distance from to the moon. The asteroid is approximately 22 meters (71 feet) wide." - Kurt Starnes

WOOHOO! Thanks for the <1 lunar distance update, Kurt. - Louis Gray

This was especially for you, Louis. - Kurt Starnes

I wonder what combination of mass and distance would be required to screw things up for us earthlings not by a collision but by altering the orbit of the earth and moon? - Sue - Friendfeed is best

More like I was going backwards. :-> - Kurt Starnes

"Vunjak-Novakovic's group converted the bone material scaffolding into living tissue by placing it in a similar-shaped chamber, and added human stem cells extracted from bone marrow or liposuctioned fat. The bioreactor chamber then fed oxygen, growth hormones, and nutrients to the bone." - Kurt Starnes

"The study offers “striking evidence” that the right TPJ, located at the brain’s surface above and behind the right ear, is critical for making moral judgments, says Liane Young, lead author of the paper. It’s also startling, since under normal circumstances people are very confident and consistent in these kinds of moral judgments, says Young, a postdoctoral associate in MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. “You think of morality as being a really high-level behavior,” she says. “To be able to apply (a magnetic field) to a specific brain region and change people’s moral judgments is really astonishing.”" - Kurt Starnes

Proof: "The nation that controls magnetism controls the universe." - cdogzilla | downgraded

cdogzilla: That's what my Grandma always said. - Kurt Starnes

"That’s the impact scar of the third stage of the Saturn V rocket (technically designated S-IVB) that carried Apollo 13 to — but sadly, not on — the Moon." - Kurt Starnes

"The foundation is Lotus' lovable Elise, which gets chopped, stretched and reinforced at a production facility in Silverstone, England before prepping for heart surgery. Back in Sealy, Texas, the Hennessey Performance workshop takes the General's supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V8 and modifies it to one of three tunes. The "base" 725-horsepower version churns out 741 pound-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm, runs on 91-octane and is the same mill fitted to Hennessey's HPE700 Camaro. Two twin-turbocharged variants are in the works, one running on 93-octane and putting out 1,000 hp and 900 lb-ft of twist, with another 109-octane-tuned version outputting 1,200 hp and 1,100 lb-ft of torque for customers with an overblown bank account and a undeveloped sense of self-preservation." - Kurt Starnes

"Not too dissimilar to the Rollator we featured late last year on Gizmag is the Treadmill Bike, which leaves as much to the imagination as the movie: Snakes on a Plane. Unlike the Rollator, the Treadmill Bike has only two wheels, looks a little more robust and lets you take it “off road” according to its designers, though why you wouldn’t just go for a jog has got us puzzled." - Kurt Starnes

"With U.S. emission standards continually becoming ever more stringent, Porsche has decided to take a stand. According to the company, new regulations forthcoming "would perversely require Porsche to become the fuel efficiency leader in the United States." As you can imagine, making sports cars that achieve the industry standard of 42 miles per gallon by 2016 is not on the easy to do list and Porsche would like to avoid the situation if at all possible." - Kurt Starnes

loopholes ftw! or ftl depending on your pov - Chris Heath

Meh. Call me when you hit 1.0 lunar distances. - Louis Gray

Ah, I see now, Chris. - Kurt Starnes

"Welcome to Garrison Brothers, home of the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas. Like everything else in the Lone Star State, our dreams were big from the start. We didn’t want to make just any bourbon—we wanted to make the best bourbon. Anywhere. We’re confident we succeeded and, when the time comes, we have no doubt you’ll agree. Garrison Brothers Texas Bourbon Whiskey captures the very heart of all that is Texan. It’s bold. Proud. Complex. Authentic." - Kurt Starnes

Local, Hill Country press: http://www.kxan.com/dpp... - Kurt Starnes

"Thousands flocked to the beach and took to the water for a giant alcohol fueled party called "Floatopia" on Saturday. More than 10,000 people were expected to float in rafts over the weekend just off-shore to avoid the beach booze ban voters approved in 2008. "You can consume alcohol on the water as long as your feet aren't touching the sand. It's challenging to police and to lifeguards, but we're doing the best we can,” Lt. James Filley said." - Kurt Starnes

"This renewable energy generating tower located on the coast of Rio is one of the first buildings we’ve seen designed for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and boy, is it crazy! (In case you didn’t notice, it’s also a waterfall.) The Solar City Tower is designed by Zurich-based RAFAA Architecture & Design, and features a large solar system to generate power during the day and a pumped water storage system to generate power at night. RAFAA’s goal is that a symbolic tower such as this can serve as a starting point for a global green movement and help make the 2016 Olympic Games more sustainable." - Kurt Starnes

That is amazing! - Ordinarybug Heather

One thing that I missed about the Vancouver Olympics is that they didn't have any awesome buildings. Other Olympics have almost all had some kind of new, iconic building for the Olympics but Vancouver didn't seem to. - Rochelle

"According to recent reports the MP4-12C is able to crack the 60 mph mark in "under three seconds" when utilizing the launch control feature on its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Partnered with its 2,870 curb weight (there's still some debate if that's "dry" or fully loaded with fluids) and 600 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, the more telling stat is its 0-124 mph time of "under 10 seconds." For those of you keeping track at home, the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo hits 60 in 3.2 seconds, the Corvette ZR1 breaks the mark at 3.5 seconds, with the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 and Ferrari 458 Italia coming in at 3.4 and 3.3 seconds respectively – not to mention the Nissan GT-R's 3.5-second run. So, is Maranello losing sleep tonight? Not likely. But there's officially a new player in the supercar set, and we can't wait to get our grubby paws on it." - Kurt Starnes

finally a new mclaren! - Chris Heath