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Movies

Journal Journal: 'Sunshine' is a must-miss... at least for Slashdot crowd. 3

Journal by u-bend
Well, being a cautious Danny Boyle fan, I went ahead against my best judgment and saw Sunshine this weekend. The premise, about our Sun burning out roughly 50 years from now, and our noble attempts to rekindle it, was suspect from the start, but I thought that Boyle and writer Alex Garland would be coming up with a plot that would make certain tramplings upon
Slashdot.org

Submission + - Magnetic Brain Stimulator to replace ECG

Submitted by
u-bend
u-bend writes: "There's a story at Wired about a new magnetic brain stimulation technology that's expected to soon gain FDA approval. Much less invasive than electroconvulsive therapy, the device stimulates the cortex and associated blood vessels by being placed on the patient's head, in a procedure so mild that patients can get in their cars afterward and drive back to work: 'TMS works by creating an electromagnetic pulse that doesn't disturb the skull or scalp, but can reach two to three centimeters into the brain to stimulate the prefrontal cortex and paralimbic blood flow, increasing the serotonin output and the dopamine and norepinephrine functions.'
The question is, does it work through tinfoil hats as well?"
Slashdot.org

Submission + - EMI Agrees to Takeover

Submitted by
u-bend
u-bend writes: "The International Herald Tribune is running a story about EMI's upcoming takeover by a private equity group. The article states that EMI's stock "soared" after the announcement. Even so, the company's stock finished the day at London's stock exchange at just USD 5.30, or 3.94 Euro, which was about an 8.5% increase.
From the article:
'EMI Group PLC, home to the Beatles and Coldplay, agreed to a 2.4 billion pound (US$4.7 billion; 3.5 billion) takeover by a private equity group on Monday, but the deal raised speculation of an all-out bidding war for the struggling music group.'
Anyone want to speculate what effect this will have on the recent DRM-free decision with Apple?"
Slashdot.org

Submission + - NASA Detects "California-sized" Antarctic

Submitted by
u-bend
u-bend writes: "Discovery has an article about a massive melt detected in a region of Antarctica previously thought to be virtually impervious to such a climate shift.

From the article:
'A team of scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and the University of Colorado said new satellite imagery had revealed a vast expanse of snow melt in 2005 where it had previously been considered unlikely.

The NASA statement described the findings as "the most significant melt observed using satellites during the past three decades."'

Rather interesting in light of recent discussions about the pros and cons of global warming."
Space

Submission + - The Milky Way's "Stellar Methuselah"

Submitted by
u-bend
u-bend writes: "Discovery has an interesting little article about a super-ancient star right here in our galaxy. According to the article, the star could be almost as old as the universe itself.
From the article:
Known as HE1523-0901, the 13.2-billion-year-old star was born half a billion years after the universe exploded into existence, say astronomers.
That unprecedented birthdate was confirmed by using the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope to split the star's ultraviolet light into individual wavelengths — like a UV rainbow. In that rainbow, or spectrum, they were able to identify lines that show the presence of heavy elements like uranium and thorium."
Security

Submission + - Using Sensors to Fight Poaching

Submitted by
u-bend
u-bend writes: "In an attempt to combat elephant poaching in the Republic of Congo, a trailside metal detector system is being installed on commonly used poaching routes. If successful, it is hoped that that this method can be used in other poaching hot spots, such as Russia, the Galapagos Islands, and Costa Rica. Better not go camping with old fashioned metal tent pegs.
From the article:
'Endangered animals killed for their skins, meat or tusks may soon have a life-saving technology on their side. A metal-detecting sensor that can be buried alongside oft-used trails help identify weapons and alert authorities to potential poachers.'"
Space

Submission + - Methane as the Next Interplanetary Fuel?

Submitted by
u-bend
u-bend writes: "Discovery news has a quick read about the possibilities that methane has as a rocket fuel for future interplanetary exploration, since it's known to exist on other planets.

From the article:
"The trouble with exploring the solar system is that there just aren't any rocket fueling stations out there. That won't be the case if future planet-hopping astronauts are equipped with a new kind of rocket engine which burns two gases that are already in good supply on several other planets: methane and oxygen.""
Space

Submission + - Brightest Supernova Ever Seen

Submitted by
u-bend
u-bend writes: "The Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed an incredibly bright and long-lasting supernova.
From the article:
The brightest stellar explosion ever recorded may be a long-sought new type of supernova, according to observations by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes. This discovery indicates that violent explosions of extremely massive stars were relatively common in the early universe, and that a similar explosion may be ready to go off in our own galaxy.
A concise Yahoo News version can be found here."

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