Swine Flu Map
View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map
Pretty cool and it will be interesting to watch as the disease progresses around the world.
Key:
- Pink markers are suspect
- Purple markers are confirmed
- Deaths lack a dot in marker
- Yellow markers are negative
Show me the money.
Obama promises major investment in science
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama promised a new era of science and technology for the nation, telling the National Academy of Sciences on Monday that he wants to devote more funds to research and development.America has fallen behind other countries in science, Obama said.
"I believe it is not in our character, American character, to follow — but to lead. And it is time for us to lead once again. I am here today to set this goal: we will devote more than 3 percent of our gross domestic product to research and development," Obama said in a speech at the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences.
That 3 percent would amount to about $420 billion.
"We will not just meet but we will exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race," he said.That pursuit of discovery a half century ago fueled the nation's prosperity and success, Obama told the academy."The commitment I am making today will fuel our success for another 50 years," he said. "This work begins with an historic commitment to basic science and applied research."
And he set forth a wish list including solar cells as cheap as paint; green buildings that produce all the energy they consume; learning software as effective as a personal tutor; prosthetics so advanced that you could play the piano again and "an expansion of the frontiers of human knowledge about ourselves and world the around us.'"We can do this," Obama said to applause.
In recent years, he said, "scientific integrity has been undermined and scientific research politicized in an effort to advance predetermined ideological agendas."
He then drew chuckles, commenting: "I want to be sure that facts are driving scientific decisions, not the other way around," Obama said.
"At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford to invest in science, that support for research is somehow a luxury at a moment defined by necessities. I fundamentally disagree," Obama said.
"Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been," he said.
Obama said he plans to double the budget of key science agencies over a decade, including the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy Office of Science and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology.He also announced the launch of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. It is a new Department of Energy organization modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, that led in development of the Internet, stealth aircraft and other technological breakthroughs.
And he said the Energy Department and the National Science Foundation will offer programs and scholarships to encourage American students to pursue careers in science, engineering and business related to clean energy.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
I could not agree more Mr. President.
Article can be found here.
Complete speech can be found here.
Scientific-ish Approach to Keeping a Girlfriend
I have no idea where I found this, but if anyone knows who to give credit to please let me know and I will do so!
New Photos: Washington DC
G T C A
Well done Bio-Rad, well done.
Link to other Bio-Rad videos.
Uh Oh!
Los Angeles (CA) - A study from Ohio State University, based on a study of 219 students, suggests that the more you use Facebook, the less you study, and the worse your grades get. However, the report’s author does say the report only shows a possible connection between Facebook use and lower performance in your studies. Sure, we all know the truth: Facebook makes you dumb, among other things.
If you use Facebook, you are probably driven by the inane status updates that spew out of your friends across your pages. The joy of a muffin, the pictures of a party where everyone got drunk and dressed up like a slutty leprechaun, and the obligatory question that hopes to solicit a comment because you want to make sure someone in your network is reading your pathetic attempts at making the minutiae of your existence seem interesting. It is the equivalent of Vogon poetry, odes to green putty found in one’s arm putty. It makes you read stupid things, write stupid things, and think stupid thoughts. Unfortunately, the Ohio State University report did not go that far.
It says that 65% of students checked Facebook once a day, some more than that, and that they spent at least an hour a day on the site. Interestingly enough, 79% of the Facebook users felt that using the site had no impact on their work. The real difference is grades?
“It is the equivalent of the difference between getting an A and a B.” Said Aryn Karpinski, the researcher at Ohio State who quizzed 219 students for his study.
Original story.
Better than the iPhone?
20090405 Purgatory Chasm
Watch out grad. students...
Robot scientists can think for themselves.
I immediately thought, “There are robot scientists?” I then collapsed into an inner monologue that centered on the fact that there are robot scientists that I didn’t know about and wondering which of the many scientists I have met over the years were indeed robots. Don’t get me wrong, I am not very surprised. I mean, have you met many scientists? It makes sense. I was more intrigued that this fact had made it to the popular media and the cover was about to be blown off the entire thing.
Obviously, I clicked through. The results scared me more than robot scientists did, which for the record, they do not.
Some
Two teams of researchers said on Thursday they had created machines that could reason, formulate theories and discover scientific knowledge on their own, marking a major advance in the field of artificial intelligence.
What the hell? Isn’t this what I have been doing for the last 19 years? Learning how to reason, formulate theories, and discovering scientific knowledge on my own? Uhg. I wish I had known this was going to happen because I would have done something else with my life and then bought this robot and become a scientist overnight. It makes this whole PhD thing seem like a waste of time.
So the question is, does it work?
Just by crunching the numbers -- and without any prior instruction in physics -- the Cornell machine was able to decipher Isaac Newton's laws of motion and other properties.
So, what you are telling me is that this robot was able to derive the Newton Laws from first principles all by itself? What a waste of time those two semesters of physics I took were. I also bet the robot has more personality than a lot of biophysicists I know (babump chhhhhh, I will be here all night).
It seems as though grad. students are about to become obsolete and the tool of the past. I don’t blame the PIs, I would spend the money on a robot that probably does what I do and does a better job of it.
Plus, as my boss would say, “It can’t get pregnant.” I hope they didn’t build this feature in!
It does seem like my job is safe for a little while though.
Lipson does not think robots will make scientists obsolete any day soon, but believes they could take over much of the routine work in research laboratories.
Hopefully by the time I become a PI these things will make everything I do automated and I can sip mixed drinks on the beach somewhere and run my entire lab though my iPhone. Here’s to hoping!
Original article can be found here.