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Oct. 10, 1861: The Journey Begins for Nansen more similar news »
1861: Fridtjof Nansen is born. He will become a towering figure in Arctic exploration, the natural sciences and international diplomacy.
Nansen, born outside of Oslo, Norway, grew up hard and fit … and intellectually curious. He developed an early interest in science and studied zoology at the university before shipping aboard the Norwegian sealer Viking in 1882.
He made extensive observations of the Greenland fauna, especially bears and seals, and returned to serve for six years as zoological curator at the Bergen Museum — meanwhile earning his doctorate by defending the neuron theory as it pertains to the central nervous system. But Fridtjof Nansen also returned with a passion for the Far North and an unquenchable thirst for adventure.
Nansen returned to Greenland in 1888, skiing from east to west across the interior's massive ice fields. The trek yielded new scientific information about the frozen island, but it also served as a dress rehearsal for Nansen's attempt, in 1893, to reach the North Pole. Sailing into the Arctic Ocean aboard his purpose-built ship, Fram, Nansen realized it would be impossible to reach the pole in any way but by foot.
He left the Fram in the pack ice at 84 degrees 4 minutes north latitude and, accompanied by Hjalmar Johansen, struck out for the pole with skis, dogs, sledges and kayaks. On April 9, 1895, the two men reached 86 degrees 14 minutes north latitude before turning back. It was, at the time, the farthest north any explorer...
Wired.com
Fri Oct 10, 2008 more from this source»»
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Flash and Awe: A Better Stun Grenade Protects the Good Guys more similar news »
Say you're a SWAT cop about to rescue hostages, or a soldier trying to extract your buddies from a terrorist hideout. You can't just charge in with guns blazing, so you throw the bad guys off with a nice stun grenade: It creates a deafening bang and a mighty flash without lethal shrapnel. Sounds great, but the force of the explosion can still injure the very people you're trying to save. A couple of years ago, Sandia National Laboratories, which has been developing stun grenades for decades, found a solution to this problem — the fuel/air distraction device. Traditional "flash-bangs" work by igniting a mixture of aluminum and potassium perchlorate. Pull the pin and a few seconds later the cocktail explodes from inside its housing. But yank the pin on the new stunner and a gas starts combusting, which pushes out and ignites a cloud of powdered aluminum. The result is what you see on the test stand above: a blinding burst of light accompanied by a boom of up to 170 decibels — about as loud as a shotgun — but very little blast pressure. Sandia has licensed the device to Defense Technology (a subsidiary of arms maker BAE Systems), which hopes to bring it to market by year's end. There's never been a safer time to be held against your will.
For more, visit video.wired.com.
Wired.com
Fri Oct 10, 2008 more from this source»»
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Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker's Library more similar news »
The View From Above Looming over the library is an original Sputnik 1 satellite, one of several backups the Soviets built. At far left is a model of NASA's experimental X-29 jet, with forward-swept wings. "It's the first plane that a pilot can't fly—only computers can handle it," Walker says. On the top of the center shelves are "scholar's rocks," natural formations believed by the Chinese to spur contemplation. Behind the rocks is a 15-foot-long model of the Saturn V rocket.
Nothing quite prepares you for the culture shock of Jay Walker's library. You exit the austere parlor of his New England home and pass through a hallway into the bibliographic equivalent of a Disney ride. Stuffed with landmark tomes and eye-grabbing historical objects—on the walls, on tables, standing on the floor—the room occupies about 3,600 square feet on three mazelike levels. Is that a Sputnik? (Yes.) Hey, those books appear to be bound in rubies. (They are.) That edition of Chaucer ... is it a Kelmscott? (Natch.) Gee, that chandelier looks like the one in the James Bond flick Die Another Day. (Because it is.) No matter where you turn in this ziggurat, another treasure beckons you—a 1665 Bills of Mortality chronicle of London (you can track plague fatalities by week), the instruction manual for the Saturn V rocket (which launched the Apollo 11 capsule to the moon), a framed napkin from 1943 on which Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined his plan to win World War II. In no time,...
Wired.com
Fri Oct 10, 2008 more from this source»»
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10 Hottest New Bike Gadgets for Gearheads more similar news »
: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Cyclists are often overlooked in the gadget-lust category because their gear usually doesn't involve a screen, but no one craves the newest gizmo more than a biker with money to burn. The litany of bike models, the sophisticated engineering and the personal stat analysis also attract avid data addicts who appreciate product legacy and innovation.
Here at Wired.com, we have more than a few resident pedal pundits who love to accessorize. Click through the gallery to see the latest bike gadgets and apparel that got even our empty wallets salivating.
Left: Quarq Bicycle's new Power Meters allow you to measure pretty much any stat imaginable from your bike rides. The Quarq CinQo is compatible with your Garmin Edge 705, their own Quarq Qranium or the new iAreo, giving access to power, heart rate, speed, distance, torque and altitude.
The Qranium computer runs on Linux and comes with 512 MB of memory. Quarq says they are lightweight, waterproof and come with a user-changeable battery. The system runs about $1,200, plus the price of your crank of choice.
: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
The Pinhead prototype Bubble Lock is seen here with one wheel lock, a seat-post lock and a headset lock. Pinhead's disc-locking system allows you to carry around one key for all your bike parts and avoid elaborate lock jobs. Just turn the key on your wheels, seat and the bubble-shaped U-lock, and you're set. This convenience will set you back $75, with the...
Wired.com
Fri Oct 10, 2008 more from this source»»
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How to Convert Vinyl LPs to MP3s more similar news »
Got stacks of Stax soul? A trove of treasures from Treasure Isle? It's remarkably easy to convert those old vinyl sides to play on your iPod. All you need is a turntable, a good audio cable and some free software and you'll be reliving vinyl's glory days in crystal-clear (and wear-free) digital sound. Got extra tips? Log in and contribute.
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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Rick Astley's MTV Award Hacked, With Pleasure more similar news »
After word dropped that Rickrolling phenomenon Rick Astley had been included in MTV Europe's laughable Best Act Ever category some resourceful individuals wasted little time in scripting stratagems designed to stuff the virtual ballot box. The most ambitious of these individuals goes by the handle Vote4Rick. The maneuver garnered a nod on the Los Angeles Times, and it wasn't long until Vote4Rick, requesting anonymity, reached out to Listening Post.
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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IBM Q3 Profit a Positive Sign for Tech Sector more similar news »
For the second time this year IBM offered an early peek at its quarterly results, showing in a surprise announcement that it was still plenty prosperous in the third quarter despite the worsening economic climate. The company's results, released more than a week ahead of schedule, will likely help stop a steep slide in IBM's stock price and could lift other big technology stocks in Thursday trading. IBM is a component of the Dow Jones industrial average.
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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Photos: Is This the MacBook 'Brick'? more similar news »
A handful of "leaked spy shots" come by way of Chinese forum site Elesson and purportedly show the new MacBook Brick, carved – as the rumors go – from a single block of aluminum. Whether this has anything to do with the 'Brick' rumors we don't know, but these shots are certainly good. I can't spot any obvious photoshopping, so I'll put my head on the block here and call them as real.
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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What's Inside Orbit White Gum? Boiled Pine Sap! more similar news »
Maltitol
This is one of a family of mild sweeteners known as sugar alcohols, or polyols. Typically derived from natural carbs, they lack the harsh, metallic taste of calorie-free sweeteners. Sugar alcohols are absorbed very slowly (or not at all) in the intestines, so they don't cause spikes in blood-sugar level — hey diabetics, go nuts! And since oral bacteria can't digest them, they won't rot your teeth. Why isn't everything sweetened this way? Well, for one thing, that slow intestinal absorption can cause bloating, diarrhea, and flatulence.
Sorbitol
More sugar alcohol. Here, a simple glucose molecule (C6H12O6) is broken apart and two extra hydrogen atoms are added (making C6H14O6). The result is about half as sweet as the original compound. Sorbitol can also be found in peaches, plums, and other fruit.
Gum Base
Know why soft racing tires are called gum balls? Because they are! Chewing gum used to be made from the sap of manilkara trees; now the chew often comes from styrene-butadiene, the same petrochemical used to make car tires. Wrigley won't divulge its recipe but claims to still use some natural ingredients in its gum base — like, oh, boiled pine sap.
Glycerol
The sugar alcohols keep on coming. This clear, syrupy liquid, also known as glycerine, is a favorite in pharmaceuticals and personal care products for its smooth texture and moisturizing properties. A byproduct of biodiesel production, glycerol is now flooding global markets. Plans...
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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Scientists May Soon Outnumber Penguins at Earth's Poles more similar news »
Tens of thousands of scientists are zipping up their parkas for the latest International Polar Year initiative. The research endeavor, the third of its kind since 1882, is sending teams from 63 countries to the Antarctic and the Arctic in an unprecedented, billion-dollar exhibition of cold-weather geekery. The poles will be crawling with underwater gliders, robot observatories, and a laser-firing lidar (think '80s-era Pink Floyd shows). Here are a few of our favorite ice capades.
Wais Divide
In November, chief scientist Kendrick Taylor and a 50-member crew will use a 47-foot, $9 million drill tipped with four razor-sharp chisels to begin punching holes in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, eventually boring down 11,614 feet. "This is the cleanest ice on the planet," Taylor says. The cores he removes could contain the most accurate record yet of Earth's temperature and CO2 concentrations over the past 100,000 or so years.
Larissa
The Southern Ice Cap has been shedding pounds like Amy Winehouse, and it's happening fastest on the Antarctic Peninsula. In fact, between January 31 and March 7, 2002, most of the Larsen B ice shelf disappeared. Teams from six countries will deploy glacier-measuring robots along the shelf, as well as an autonomous underwater vehicle to observe changes in ocean sediment and new life forms in waters once covered by ice.
Princess Elisabeth Research Station
Polar bases are usually powered by pollution- belching diesel generators. But in 2007,...
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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Scientists Go for the Glow in Fluorescent Proteins more similar news »
: Image: fangleman/Flickr
The Nobel Prize for chemistry has gone to a trio of scientists for their work on green fluorescent protein, which allows scientists to see how cellular machinery works. All kinds of cells and whole animals have been genetically engineered to make fluorescent proteins.
Mark Zimmer, a chemist at Connecticut College and author of Glowing Genes, calls GFP the "microscope of the 21st century."
By attaching the GFP to a gene of interest — say, those involved in tumor metastasis or brain function — scientists can see when and why the genes switch on just by looking for the glow.
"Since GFP fluoresces one can shine light at the cell and wait for the distinctive green fluorescence associated with GFP to appear," Zimmer writes on his web page.
In this gallery, we look at startling and beautiful examples of fluorescent proteins used in research and art.
The Nobel Prize winners — Martin Chalfie, Roger Y. Tsien and Osamu Shimomura — first isolated the fluorescence-producing gene in the crystal jellyfish,
pictured here.
: Photo: EyePress/Associated Press
The first glow-in-the-dark mammals, the mice pictured here, were born at Osaka University in July 1997. The researchers were using the fluorescent mice to study the development of fetuses.
: Credit: Jean Livet
Since the discovery of the first green fluorescent gene, a variety of other colors have been discovered, allowing scientists to track more than one protein at a time. Jeff Lichtman's...
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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Oct. 9, 2000: Ozone Hole Exposes Chilean City more similar news »
2000: The Antarctic ozone hole extends so far north that health officials in Punta Arenas, Chile, start warning residents not to go out in the midday sun.
At 53 degrees south latitude, Punta Arenas is the world's southernmost city, sitting on the Straits of Magellan only 900 miles from Antarctica.
The city of 150,000 people had suffered about a 12 percent loss in average ozone levels since 1980, but was usually beyond the edge of the deep ozone hole that plagues the south polar region.
But this year was different. It was the end of the Antarctic winter, the annual maximum for ozone loss. An arm of ozone-depleted air drifted farther northward, over the tip of South America.
Without the thin layer of ozone in the stratosphere to absorb ultraviolet radiation from the sun, people in Punta Arenas who ventured outside without protection could sunburn in as little as seven minutes. Public health officials sounded the alarm: Take precautions!
The city's one dermatologist calculated that skin cancer cases jumped from 65 cases to 108 between 1987-1993 and 1994-2000.
Although the ozone hole peaks annually in October, the danger continues through December when the antipodean summer sun is higher in the sky. The local health department posts color-coded danger signs to warn people of the daily ozone levels.
Nonetheless, few people appear to be taking precautions. The local public health chief said in 2004 that residents wrongly downplay the danger because it doesn't get...
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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Show Us Your Company Gear more similar news »
Are you working on a laptop that's as big as most current desktops? Do you get to use a particularly sweet piece of equipment for your job? We want to see the gear you use every day that's issued by your employer. Show us what wired workers are using out there.
Use the Reddit widget below to submit your best Motion photo and vote for your favorite among the other submissions. If we like your photo, we'll include it in a gallery on Wired.com.
The photo must be your own, and by submitting it you are giving us permission to use it on Wired.com and in Wired magazine. Please submit images that are relatively large, the ideal size being 800 to 1200 pixels or larger on the longest side. Please include a description of your photo so that other readers know what they're looking at.
We don't host the photos, so you'll have to upload it somewhere else and submit a link to it. If you're using Flickr, Picasa or another photo-sharing site to host your image, please provide a link to the image directly and not just to the photo page where it's displayed. Using an online photo service that requires that you login will not work. If your photo doesn't show up, it's because the URL you have entered is incorrect. Check it and make sure it ends with the image file name (XXXXXX.jpg).
Please bookmark this page, send it to your friends and check back periodically over the next two weeks to vote on new submissions!
Vote on company gear photos submitted by other readers.
Show entries...
Wired.com
Thu Oct 09, 2008 more from this source»»
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How to Back Up Your Tumblr Blog more similar news »
The barely-there Tumblr blogging platform is one of our favorite Web 2.0 publishing tools. But Tumblr packs only a handful of default features, and it's missing an easy way to archive your past posts. Webmonkey covers the workarounds, hacks and apps for backing up your tumble log. Did we miss one? Add it to our wiki.
Wired.com
Wed Oct 08, 2008 more from this source»»
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