madame scientist's not-so-mad musings

Enya (born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, Irish pronunciation: [ˈɛnʲə ˈpˠad̪ˠɾˠiːnʲ nʲiː ˈvˠɾˠiːn̪ˠaːnʲ], anglicized as Enya Brennan, 17 May 1961) is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue. (from Wiki)

Only take the time

From the helter skelter

Every day you find

Everything’s in kilter

You don’t need a reason

Let the day go on and on

I first heard her sing May it Be , on LOTR’s Fellowship of the Ring. Enjoy!

Disclaimer Today is not Caterday, I do not really like cats, and this is my first cat related post. But the little choir boy on the left really cracks me up. Good to know that a heavenly sense of humor is alive and well. 🙂

Don’t try this at home! Music by AWOLNATION- Sail.

P.S. can we all agree to adopt the Danish spelling, fysiks? 🙂

Originally shared by Klaus Seiersen

Amazing video from the award-winning Danish Physics Show at the University of Aarhus.

Enjoy!

Wow! After you said that, was your next thought How? If so..read on.

Pink , or officially, magenta, is not a “real color”..there is no wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum assigned to it. We see it because our brain interprets more than one input, in this case red and violet at once, as a new color pink (green and red seen together gives yellow). So, why the green afterimage ? Turns out that green is the perfect complementary color to pink (you may have thought red). Check this link for the explanation:

http://www.null-hypothesis.co.uk/science/strange-but-true/colour_spectrum_magenta_complimentary_bizarre

Originally shared by John Baez

Stare at the + sign. Don’t let your eyes move off that + sign, no matter what you see! If your eyes move, go back to looking at the + sign.

I seem to have lost track of who on Google+ first pointed this out. Sorry, but thanks!

RIP, Andy Rooney

_If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.

All men are not created equal but should be treated as though they were under the law.

People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe.

Nothing in fine print is ever good news.

The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there’s a 90% probability you’ll get it wrong.

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person._

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/andy_rooney_2.html#ixzz1cqdaaEJo

For the science geeks..a condiment of horseradish peroxidase would have saved him (Western blots, anyone??).

Originally shared by Hubert Nguyen

Time for some week-end fun. If you get it, share it 🙂

Gecko-Bots wear Gecko Boots! Imagine a robot scampering up a smooth wall or upside down across a ceiling. Canadian scientists have exploited the molecular secrets of lizard’s feet which cling to surfaces using very weak molecular interactions known as van der Waals forces (unlike strong covalent or ionic bonds). Multiplied by thousands, these weak attractions can support not only the gecko but an impressive 133 kg weight! Now, a tank-like robot uses a synthetic material, polydimethylsiloxane, to mimic van der Waal attractions. This breakthrough is better than older methods using sticky glues, energy expensive suction or vacuums, magnets, spines or claws..which all have their limitations. I only wish the bots were as colorful as the geckos!

Watch the video in the link

http://news.discovery.com/tech/gecko-inspired-robot-111101.html

Beam me up, Scotty? NASA is funding projects to develop tractor beams. “Though a mainstay in science fiction, and Star Trek in particular, laser-based trapping isn’t fanciful or beyond current technological know-how”.

Three techniques are being considered. Optical tweezers use lasers to confine particles to the dark core of overlapping beams, then by altering the intensity of the beams heat the air around the particle and move it. This method requires an atmosphere and is already used by biophysicists to trap, move and extend individual DNA molecules, proteins or cells. A second method, optical solenoid beams , relies solely on electromagnetic effects and could operate in vacuum. Then there is the Bessel beam , still only theoretical and described poetically as ripples spreading from a pebble thrown in a pond. See the short video for explanation.

More here: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/tractor-beam.html

Genki Sudo and World Order Synchronized business suits are strangely entertaining. Former mixed martial artist and kick boxer Genki Sudo has reinvented himself with the group World Order .

Plus One? Visit their site for more: http://worldorder.jp/

Originally shared by Joli St. Patrick

This gives me a case of the happys.

Fabric of the Cosmos New, four part NOVA series hosted by physicist Brian Greene: What is Space?, The Illusion of Time, Quantum Leap and Universe or Multiverse “Using animation, computer graphics, and liberal doses of humor, host Brian Greene explains such subjects as the holographic universe, black holes, and quantum mechanics in a way that entertains as it educates and fascinates.”

The first episode What is Space? is available as a free download for iPad/iPhone here: http://www.pbs.org/special/fabric-cosmos-mobile-exclusive-premiere/

More: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/fabric-of-cosmos.html

http://blogcritics.org/video/article/tv-review-nova-the-fabric-of/