ten more items which may be of passing interest to some

Arts & Letters Daily 4 September
Except for issues of cleanliness, sex, and food, the British are just like Yanks. Oh, yes, and then there's language... more

ISR Results 7 September
Simple and secure networked home
Most people will only start to control equipment remotely in their homes when they believe it is simple and safe to do so. A newly developed control system provides personalised answers.

What is an expert?
via 3quarksdaily by Abbas Raza on 4 September
Gregg Ross interviews Harry Collins in American Scientist: As science and technology inform our society, we find ourselves increasingly reliant on experts. But what is an expert? How can we – professionals, policymakers, voters – assess the advice of others whose competence we don't share? And what does this mean for the enterprise of science and for our society in general?
In Rethinking Expertise (University of Chicago Press, 2007), Cardiff University sociologists Harry Collins and Robert Evans consider these questions and offer a framework for exploring their import in science and in society.
More here

Climbing Stairs Reduces Early Death Risk by 15 Percent
via Gimundo.com on 2 September
When offered the choice between a staircase and an elevator, it might be in your best interest to choose the more strenuous option: A recent study discovered that people who regularly take the stairs instead of the elevator can reduce their risk of early death by 15 percent.

The Library: 1901
via Shorpy :: History in HD - Hi-Res Historical Photos by Dave on 7 September
"University of Michigan library reading room, Ann Arbor, 1901". Detroit Publishing Company glass negative, Library of Congress.
View here

Clever as a mule
via Intute: Social Sciences Blog by Ian Hocking on 9 September
Yes, this mule really is called Muffin.
One of the reasons I like science is the occasional exploding of myth. Heavier objects don't fall faster than light objects; dogs don't really understand "Who's that at the door?" and "Fetch m'slippers!" (sorry, Dad); and, now, we discover that mules aren't as dozy as they look.
(Animal Cognition, DOI: 10.1007/s10071-008-0172-1). (And see more on this BBC write-up).
Interested readers might like to check out some resources on animal cognition catalogued by Intute.

Tiny rare snail to recieve protection
via The Scottish Government News Online - Latest on 4 September
Help for the narrow-mouthed whorl snail.


Blog Review 713
via The Adam Smith Institute Blog on 08/09/08
Sigh, another near insane idea being proposed. Yes, now there's a move to ban smoking in private houses. Go sign the petition against this idiocy please.

That Blessed Plot, That Enigmatic Isle
via 3quarksdaily by Azra Raza on 10 September
Christopher Hitchens in The Atlantic Monthly: What is it to be English? I should say for a start that to be English is to be mildly embarrassed by the very concept of "identity".
More here.

Arts & Letters Daily 13 September
The entry of Britain and France into the Greek War of Independence is the first humanitarian intervention. It wasn't the last... more

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