Synthetic future, the largest bacterium, the Infinity Train, nuclear fusion, potassium iodide and all those things you need to survive in modern society. More than Recommended Links, a survival guide for the future. Enjoy!
'El diablo sobre ruedas', the best car chase in film history and Spielberg's debut, turns 50: "The project, no matter how good it looked, was still a 'TV movie', and therefore had a limited budget (400,000 dollars) and above all a shooting schedule that could not exceed 12 days, so a film with so much action became a very complicated job to carry out. And Spielberg didn't do it in 12 days... but in 14. To do so, he designed a detailed plan of the entire filming process, putting a large map of the area in his office, and from there relying on a complete 'storyboard'."
Nuclear fusion, how the technology that aims to solve our energy needs works: "His message runs deep. It is impossible to listen to him without being infected by his enthusiasm, and above all, without feeling deeply attracted to nuclear fusion, of which he is a firm defender. And according to this British theoretical physicist, this technology is the only one that can solve the energy crisis we are already in, and that will grow over the coming decades. Its promise? Clean, safe and virtually unlimited energy."
They discover the world's largest bacterium, equal to the size of a fruit fly: "Among the mangroves of Grande-Terre, one of the Antilles of the Caribbean Sea, hides the largest bacterium reported to date, with 2 cm in length and a morphology similar to a cord. A discovery that we owe to the researchers of the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan, and that leaves no one indifferent within the scientific community; since we are used to thinking of bacteria as tiny organisms that require a 'host' to survive, and not as monsters the size of an insect."
The incredible story of the shipwrecked slaves who survived fifteen years forgotten in the Indian Ocean: "Guérout's team located in Tromelin the foundations of dwellings adapted to the strong winds of the islet, radically different from those built in their native Madagascar. They unearthed utensils that had been repaired over and over again by the abandoned castaways; they found a communal oven, as well as the remains of turtles, birds and fish that they cooked. But the most evident symbol of that small society was fire. They kept it alive uninterrupted during the fifteen years that the abandonment lasted."
Scribonius Largus, the Roman physician of the 1st century AD who was the first to use electricity as a treatment: "Scribonius Largus was a Roman physician of the 1st century AD who worked at the court of Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD) and, apparently, accompanied the Roman army in the conquest of Britain. He is famous for having written a pharmacopoeia (list of recipes) that was used in Europe until the 17th century, and also for having been the first known to use electricity as a remedy. However, his life is a complete mystery."
What was there in Japan before the samurai?: "At the moment when some peasants begin to stand out as warriors, they start to detach from field work and specialize in military contests. At this moment a much clearer class system begins to be seen: at the top of the pyramid is the lord, then the warriors and finally the peasants. The second class had to be able to afford the horse and the panoply, something that was immensely expensive and demanded full dedication to war. Doesn't this remind you of something?"
What is potassium iodide (KI)?: "Potassium iodide (KI) is a stable (non-radioactive) iodine salt that can help prevent the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine, thus protecting the thyroid from the damage that radiation would cause. The thyroid is the part of the body that is most sensitive to radioactive iodine. You should only take potassium iodide (KI) if public health officials or emergency management personnel recommend it. There are health risks associated with taking potassium iodide."
A new type of spacecraft three times faster than current ones: "What is truly innovative in this concept known as SCOPE (ScienceCraft for Outer Planet Exploration) is the way they will integrate the instrumentation into the solar sail itself and the idea of using swarms of lightweight probes to study planets at high speed. This would solve the great problem of solar sails: although they reach relativistic speeds over time and could arrive at planets or other solar systems in record time, their mass must be so reduced that they cannot carry instruments."
The new train that needs no fuel and can 'travel forever': "Williams Engineering's idea is to use the force of gravity to charge the batteries, taking advantage of the slope and the layout of the tracks. The charging would be done by traveling from the mines to the port. Then, once the material is unloaded at Herb Elliott, the stored electrical energy would be used to take the empty—and much lighter—trains back to their points of origin to reload them. And so supposedly in an infinite cycle where no fuel will be used. Hence the name 'Infinity Train'."
The revolution of Sir Clive Sinclair, everything the video game world owes to the ZX Spectrum: "Because everything achieved by the ZX Spectrum itself and its almost infinite possibilities is nothing more than an extension of the philosophy and the brutal legacy of Sir Clive Sinclair, the genius behind the machine. A creative mind, a brave entrepreneur and, above all, a true visionary who knew how to understand and anticipate the needs of future society. From pocket calculators to electric cars, through computers at extremely affordable prices."
You don't have "cabin syndrome", you just don't want to go back to your crappy life: "There is no such thing, no pathology typified under that name. It is an invention, a charming nonsense, pure Sunday supplement psychology, the umpteenth attempt to pathologize everything that happens to us, to then sell you advice, therapies or pills. Like post-vacation syndrome, that low you get every year when you have to go back to work and that also deserves reports and psychological advice every September."
Why does February have fewer days?: "Calendars arose from the need of Roman worship to organize agricultural festivals. Each month began with the calends, which coincided with each night of the New Moon, while the ides marked the full moon. Then the months lasted 29 or 31 days, so the ides corresponded to the 13th or 15th of the month. On the nones, nine days before the ides, the rex sacrorum met on the Capitoline Hill to announce when the festivals would be held, since they were celebrated counting from these mentioned days."
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