So here’s some Link Stew.

A Dash of science

• Scientist are working on cracking viruses, literally
• Goats genetically engineered to produce drugs in their milk get approved by the FDA
  
• Octopi given Rubix Cubes to determine if they have a favored tentacle.
• Our Pretty Blue Planet
• For Sale: Beef Jerky made from cows who have had alien encounters
• Here’s a drug that will make you crazy

Mixed Publishing, chopped

• “Writing Large” a beautiful essay on writers and body image
• The Cost of Self Publishing *Must Read if you are considering it
• A Far more reasonable look at publishing today
• HarperCollins + Nintendo= Books on the DS!!
• The Inigo Montoya Guide to Commonly Misused Words

Flavor with a blend of spices that pertain to both

• Six Office Supply Fetishes of the Future

Cook all day while you sleep. Stumble out of bed, enjoy, and go back to sleep, hoping you feel better in the morning.

So Jason came home and saw that I was all morose and fired at me every single thing I tell myself to keep trudging along. Why is it that him telling me, in my own words, is more effective than me telling me? Anyway, I need a segue into more positive territory, so here’s some Mad Science.

• “Elbowed” Squid caught on tape- Yes, follow the link to see video footage of a long tentacled squid with jointed “arms”.
• The Old Flying Submarine Trick
• Genuine Vampire Hunting Kit goes for $14k at auction
• Genetic modification makes healthy food healthier- Scientists have genetically combined blackberries and tomatoes.
• These aren’t illustrations from a science fiction novel… they’re real photos of monster crystal caves
• Shark blood could offer a cancer cure
• Soy foods are associated with lower sperm count
• So how are those flesh eating robots coming along?

I just read “Last Contact” by Stephen Baxter (which I highly recommend, but only if you’re okay with sad stories) so this news amuses me:

Yesterday, friend-connecting network Bebo beamed a message at Gliese 581c, a terrestrial “super-Earth” that might be capable of supporting life.

So I wonder if they’ll accept the friend request or mark it as spam. Full story here. It’s been a good week for scifi.

This would be Mercury.

Details and photo credits here.

Pollution Causes Women

How volcanoes could stop global warming- So how do we know that this beautiful planet doesn’t already have safeguards in place to stop us from destroying it? Can someone tell me why the polar ice caps melting won’t just act the same as ice in a glass of tea, re-cooling the world so that the caps can reform? Sure there could be problems in the mean time…

Wrong wrong wrong! Software that allows cameras to racially profile.

Environmentalism, U R doin it wrong.

On Robot Lovers- Fascinating. Humans already are pulling back to more global, but less personal and in some cases less “real” relationships via the internet. If they could have robots instead, would they?

Don’t you learn anything from the movies? Anyone who has ever seen Terminator 2 knows better.

Tornadoes as an alternative fuel source.

RoboFish and how it will advance sea exploration- Does this mean we might see a live colossal squid in its natural habitat?

Space Porn: The Weather from Above

Molly, the horse with a prosthetic leg- The old adage is true for a reason, because of a horse’s weight and physiology they do not have the option of dogs and cats to live with three legs. The legs can make or a break a horse so this is huge to me.

Super Pii Pii Brothers- Includes strap on controller

Playing God by resurrecting not just the dead, but the extinct.

Biodiesel Pirates

Why don’t we have cybernetic implants yet?

A Real case of De-Evolution- So are we evolving or de-evolving as a race?

On Artificial Wombs

Making Plastic from Greenhouse gases and orange peels- This is perilously close to a Mr. Fusion.

I’ll be just fine, says Planet.

Genes that lead to autism also essential to early learning

Spray on Skin becoming a reality

Some crops grow better in sea water- After I finish experimenting with my Topsy Turvey I totally plan to try this out.

An old Astronomy of the day picture- a shelf cloud

Bonus: Mad Media- After the Associated Press tries to charge people to quote as little as 5 words from their article they get caught copying from bloggers and not paying.

Whew! I had a lot of those saved up.

This is spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana). When we moved into our house the property had been empty for almost a year, the only upkeep done on it was the real estate company sending someone out to keep the lawn mowed. Our neighbor had a lovely bulb garden in her back yard which spread to our yard, so in our first summer I dug up every stray flower I found traveling from her yard because I wanted a garden and at the time we had little extra money and no car.

The spiderwort was one of the plants I replanted that season. It’s massive this year, the irises next to it and the spiderwort are both almost the size of the evergreen bush to one side. so I was looking into how to divide it, and what uses, if any it has herbally speaking. And here’s what I’ve learned:

Since 1974, experimentation has demonstrated that the spiderwort plant is an accurate instrument for measuring cumulative doses of radiation. Studies conducted at Kyoto University in Japan and at Brookhaven National Laboratory found that the normally blue stamen hairs indicated mutation by turning pink when exposed to radiation. The same effect has since been observed when the spiderwort plant is subjected to chemical pollution. (From here.)

How neat is that! Spiderwort is also a favorite of scientists because it has large chromosomes, which makes cellular study easy, and has a long blooming season which makes genetic study easier.

So, in case of a zombie uprising check the spiderwort to determine if it’s radiation or chemical.

More inspiration for science fiction (and horror) writers.

Wow, I had more of those saved up than I thought.