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Comment: Re:That's nearly one hectoyear! (Score 0) 909

by Chess_the_cat (#42443749) Attached to: USMA: Going the Extra Kilometer For Metrication
That's a failure on Lockheed's part to use NASA's measuring system of choice. In other words, Lockheed knew what the customer operated in but for some reason delivered a product using Imperial. It's not like Lockheed couldn't deliver in metric. They just didn't. So the OPs point still stands. Why should the US convert? Does it really matter at this point?
Science

Some Birds Can See Magnetic Fields 238

Posted by kdawson
from the looks-dark-to-the-east dept.
jamie found a post on the Not Exactly Rocket Science blog on research indicating that some birds can literally see magnetic fields, but only if the vision in their right eye is sharp (abstract at Current Biology). "The magnetic sense of birds was first discovered in robins in 1968, and its details have been teased out ever since. Years of careful research have told us that the ability depends on light and particularly on the right eye and the left half of the brain. The details still aren’t quite clear but, for now, the most likely explanation involves a molecule called cryptochrome. Cryptochrome is found in the light-sensitive cells of a bird’s retina and scientists think that it affects just how sensitive those cells are. ... The upshot is that magnetic fields put up a filter of light or dark patches over what a bird normally sees. These patches change as the bird turns and tilts its head, providing it with a visual compass made out of contrasting shades."
Image

Prince Says Internet Is Over 450

Posted by samzenpus
from the it-was-fun-while-it-lasted dept.
the_arrow writes "According to the artist currently known as Prince, 'The internet's completely over.' At least that what he says in an interview with the British newspaper Mirror. Quoting Prince: 'The internet's like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you.'"
Government

Spectral Imaging Reveals Jefferson Nixed 'Subjects' for 'Citizens' 360

Posted by timothy
from the this-is-cooler-than-unredacting-pdfs dept.
Jamie points out this excellent piece, well timed for America's Independence Day, that says spectrographic evidence has established that the one word Thomas Jefferson fully blotted out from an early draft of the Declaration of Independence was not "resident," or "patriot," but rather "subject." This, he replaced with "citizen."
Data Storage

Most Console Gamers Still Prefer Physical Media 232

Posted by Soulskill
from the cloth-map-and-dorky-keyring-syndrome dept.
arcticstoat writes "Despite the advent of online game stores on all three major consoles, most console gamers apparently still prefer hoarding collections of gaming discs to downloading games. A recent survey conducted by Ipsos in the UK revealed that 64 per cent of the 1,000 users polled would rather have games on physical discs, while only 25 per cent would prefer digital copies. In the survey, 55 per cent of those polled said price was the key factor in determining their interest in downloading games, while 27 per cent said they wanted games available online before they were in the shops. Ipsos' director Ian Bramley explained, 'Interest absolutely drops away when you get to the types of pricing that you might charge for a new physical disc. People's perceptions are that they're not prepared to pay as much for digital content — they make the connection that it's not a physical disc and therefore it should be cheaper.'"

The last thing one knows in constructing a work is what to put first. -- Blaise Pascal

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