Ten trivial (i.e. non-work-related) items

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
"I woke up one morning and everything in the apartment had been stolen and replaced with an exact replica." A joke? Or intimations of receding reality?... more

How Titan Got Its Atmosphere via Technology Review Feed
The methane in Titan's atmosphere has puzzled astronomers for decades. Now they think they know where it came from.

Where to Hunt for New Life-forms in the Solar System via Technology Review Feed
The best place in the solar system to find new life-forms is not Mars, Europa, or even Earth, argues one astrobiologist. Instead, we should focus our efforts on Titan.

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
"We’re constantly told that we can’t do anything: we’re poor, dirty, hungry, corrupt, diseased. And we’re supposed to build a better Africa?"... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Leonardo da Vinci, maybe a little like you, was a hopeless procrastinator. Well, so what? He was just on his way to his next great idea... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The global warming bandwagon is stuck in a snowdrift, and there are signs the public is suffering from “green fatigue”. What's the problem?... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Outlawing payments to kidney donors is ostensibly a way to keep the system fair. All it does is give rich and poor an equally lousy chance of getting a kidney... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Do great cooks memorise countless recipes? No. They have a grasp of basic ingredients and the ratios of ingredients that make great food... more

Science of baby rhythm via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz
I was really impressed when my son was just a baby but could clap along to the rhythm of a song. Turns out, babies are actually born with the ability to perceive beats. Researchers from Budapest's Institute for Psychology and the University of Amsterdam used EEG to measure how baby brains respond to sounds even when asleep. Understanding beat perception in babies could lead to earlier identification of kids who may have communication problems.

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Not so long ago conservatives were equating liberalism with fascism; today, they have done a 180-degree turn: liberalism is now synonymous with socialism... more

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