Microsoft Security Essentials is the new free protection software from Microsoft to eradicate Virus, Spyware or Malware from your XP, Vista or Windows 7 PC.
It’s free from Microsoft.
Official download page: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials
(Via Luis María)
Typical shot from Florida wetlands.
From a recent visit to Green Cay wetlands in Delray, Florida, about an hour drive from Miami.
The GoodYear blimp visits us every weekend, fairly low over the beach.
(from the archives)
Will Ferrell and friends explain how it is, and how you can help the real victims in the current health care debate.
(Via Miss Cellania)
From the 1979 “Secret Policeman’s Ball”. As one commenter put it, “...This must be what it's like going to a Jehovah's Witness church…”
Phil Plait points to a Pew Research Quiz on science knowledge. I scored 100%. Can you?
It consists of 12 simple science questions. Take it and then see how you did in comparison with 1,005 randomly sampled US adults.
(Via Bad Astronomer)
Some people want to believe whatever they want. That is fine. When they start pushing it unto others is when they cross the line. If they want to teach their brand of religion or other non-scientific nonsense in public school, they can’t. Same goes for politics. If you are in the USA, and disagree with this, please read the Constitution again more carefully.
(Via Bad Astronomer)
A wonderful video of what the English-speaking world saw in Argentina in the 1930s
(Thank you Héctor)
A beautiful video on the Boeing 707 unveiling. It was a beautiful plane, which I fondly remember even though I was too young to have flown it.
YouTube set of videos:
Those were the times!
Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer
wrote a very good piece, on the future of NASA in these troubled times. The shuttle is scheduled to fly her last mission in September 2010, a year from now. The replacement, with Ares rockets are not scheduled to come online until 2015 and that’s optimistic.
A presidential commission just released a study of the issues. In a word, the future looks bleak. But I’ll let Phil explain it in more detail.
Bob Atkins did a nice write up on the Checkershadow Illusion.
It shows how easy our brains can be fooled into seeing what it's not there in reality. In this case, squares A & B look different, right? A is darker than B. Wrong! They are both the same.
Of course you don’t believe me. Check out Bob Atkin’s article for an explanation and the original by Dr. Edward H. Adelson for a detailed explanation.
The Federal Trade Commission said that starting September 1st (today), telemarketers will need written permission from consumers in advance in order to solicit them through automated pre-recorded telemarketing messages, (robo-calls).
Will they immediately stop? Doubt it but it will certainly cut down on them. Note that you will still receive calls from live ones, unless you put your name on state or federal "Do Not Call" lists, and even then as I don't trust them.
This is good news for all of us consumers.
ref: Miami Herald article.
This interesting study showed that Rooks (a kind of crow), can create and modify tools and "have a sophisticated intelligence to rival that of chimpanzees".
"They were presented with a small bucket of wriggling worms out of reach at the end of a tube, and next to it a piece of straight wire.
Remarkably, despite never having seen the set-up before, they immediately got to work bending the wire so they could hook out the bucket and tuck in."
From the archives, this interesting science article from last January in Wired.
Wired Science News for Your Neurons: Monkeys Are Gadget Junkies, Too.
It talks about how capuchin monkeys put nuts on boulders and smash them open with stones. The important observation was that they did not just merely use a stone but they selected the best one for the job at hand.
