When good people do brave things - Egyptian scientist praises Israel

I was having lunch with a co-worker today talking about politics, Middle Eastern that is. It was my opinion that sooner or later there won't be an Israel if the current political pressures and demographic outlook doesn't change (seems like both are anti-Israel). My co-worker said that it will not be so. (He's a Japanese-American).

After work, I read an article on Mohammed Sayed Saber an Egyptian engineer accused of spying for the Mossad, had praised Israel in court. This is truly inspiring. There was no politics to his courtroom speech. He was saying what he felt, even at the cost of his own freedom. This is truely a brave and self-less act. Unlike the judge, Mohammed Reda Shwakat, who upon hearing the speech called him to the bench, so that the courtroom will become silent of the truth.

The speech, in its core, was a comparison of the society he lives in (Egyptian) and of the society he rather live in (Israeli).

Egyptian Charged As Spy Praises Israel

Throat Singing

I will start of May with throat singing.
I was playing around on the internet when I found something very interesting.
The sound was so strong and almost cuts through your soul.
It was very vivid for me, and reminded me of a sound a Buddhist would create.
This sound is produced by a technique called "Throat singing".
It is an unusual but pleasant sound.

Here is a link to the first song I heard which might be my favorite one.
It is performed by Amyr Akchin from the Altai region of Siberia : Altai Kai Throat Singing
You have to listen to the whole thing.

This guys is showing off his throat singing ability to some Americans,from what
I can tell from the video. He is pretty good: Mongolian Throat-singing, dissected

Here is a link of a guy who makes wobbly sounds (due to lack of a better term I am using wobbly ). To me it sounds wobbly

Here is a link that has more info. on throat singing: khoomei

Do it yourself

Solar Powered Beach Umbrella

This is one of the neatest things I found.
A solar powered beach umbrella.
Go to the beach with your umbrella bring a radio, ipod, ebook or whatever else and just plug it in.

Solar Powered Beach Umbrella

Beer Launcher: Follow-Up

I had a comment for the beer launcher(Cool Gadgets) blog to follow up with other cool beer relate videos. So here are some of my favorite.

Hope you like them.
The Beer-Launching Refrigerator - The guy who created the beer launcher on the David Letterman Show.

HOWTO: Open A Beer Bottle With A Piece Of Paper


Beer Makes Women Beautiful

Beer Pong Masters


Mythbusters Science plus Beer equals good

100 % Beer!! Commercial- I guess sports is sometimes more important


Educational Beer Video

Memory Can Be Selectively Wiped Out

At least that is what a team of American and French Scientists claim.
The test subjects were rats and the test was simple.

But, it does show a correlation if not a causation between the drug given to the rats and there behavior after hearing a sound which they previously associated with an electric shock.

This is a good start but different types of memories should be tested.
It might be just that this drug can selectively wipe out audial memory. Let's see what happens when trying to selectively wipe out visual or another sensory memory or a combination of other memories.

My feeling is that the more senses you have that contribute to a specific memory the harder it is to selectively wipe out.

Article on the experiment

Semi-Identical Twins

Somewhere, between identical and fraternal twins lies semi-identical twins.
Identical twins share the same egg and sperm cell. Fraternal twins don't share the same egg or sperm cell but rather are born at the same time. Semi-fraternal twins share the same egg cell but a different sperm cell.

Wow, this is so fascinating. I wonder how many people think they are identical or fraternal twins but might be semi-fraternal twins.

Researcher's recently discovered this.

Semi-Fraternal Twins Discovered

Healthy Teeth and Gums Means a Healthy You

According to certain studies there is a correlation between oral health and overall health.

Oral health effects the cardiovascular system (including the heart), diabetes and maybe the health of unborn babies. The link has not been well established with the health of unborn babies.

It is interesting how cleaning your teeth can reduce inflammation throughout the body. I have read from credible sources that westerners especially Americans mostly suffer from diseases linked with inflammation. So anything that can be done to decrease it seems worth it to me.

So grab that brush and clean those pearly whites.

Oral Health

From Radioacitve Waste to Energy

An Israeli company is using plasma gasification melting technology (PGM) (note: like I know what that means) to turn low-level radioactive waste, garbage into clean-energy and a lava-like glass looking thing (that can be used in construction and roads).

This sounds very nice. The system was created by a joint effort between Russian and Israeli universities. Now think about the potential that exists if people work together not against each other.

Oh yeah, the system is currently working in Israel and it had the first reactor built as a proof of concept. Now they are having one built in Ukraine and are partnering up with an American company.

Garbage-Energy 1

Garbage-Energy 2

Fly instead of Drive?

NASA’s PAV (Personal Air Vehicle) competition is funded with $2,000,000 in cash prizes.

Its goal, simple, to stimulate innovation and progress in PAV's.
Reason, NASA believes that in the not to distant future close to half of all miles traveled in the USA will be in PAV's. How exciting!!!

Imagine that, it sounds great and all. I am all for it. But this will just magnify the statistics in motor vehicle accidents and now no one will be safe from a drunk pilot, not even in the comfort of your own home.

But I think we are some time away from stepping in the family plane parked in the backyard.

PAV

Speed Reading, Yeah Right

Several studies were published at the "Journal of Vision" this month that claim speed reading is impossible.

There is a biological limit on the speed of your reading. This limit is largely impacted on your visual span.

The article in Livescience.com brings up the fact that people with eye conditions that restrict the visual span also decreases the reading speed.

It seems like one's visual span and speed of reading is positively correlated. Maybe, if someone had mutation that allowed him or her an increased visual span they would be able to speed read. Just a thought.

Speed Reading