(LA Times)  “Drilling into the Martian surface in search of signs of ancient life, the Mars Curiosity rover hit the jackpot, NASA said Tuesday.  The intrepid geologist on wheels analyzed a powdered sample pulled out of the Red Planet last month and  discovered some of the basic building blocks of life — and signs of a past environment capable of hosting primitive microbes.  ‘We have found a habitable environment that is so benign and is so supportive of life that probably if this water was around and you had been on the planet, you would have been able to drink it,’ mission lead scientist John Grotzinger, a Caltech geologist, said at a news conference in Washington, D.C.”   For the complete article, click here.   Image courtesy of NASA

(Discovery) “Bottlenose dolphins call out the specific names of loved ones when they become separated, a study finds.  Other than humans, the dolphins are the only animals known to do this, according to the study, published in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The big difference with bottlenose dolphins is that these communications consist of whistles, not words.  Earlier research found that bottlenose dolphins name themselves, with dolphins having a “signature whistle” that encodes other information. It would be somewhat like a human shouting, ‘Hey everybody! I’m an adult healthy male named George, and I mean you no harm!’  The new finding is that bottlenose dolphins also say the names of certain other dolphins.”  For the complete article, click here.   Photo courtesy of Getty Images

(CNN)  “MakerBot [has] unveiled a desktop device that can scan small three-dimensional objects. Called a MakerBot Digitizer, it’s meant to complement the company’s Replicator printer by letting customers scan objects, then feed the resulting digital files to the Replicator to be printed. The Digitizer uses two lasers and a webcam to scan objects up to about 8 inches in diameter…. The process takes less than three minutes.  Once the digital scan is completed, an object can be printed right away. It’s easier and faster than using software to design a digital printing model from scratch.”  For the complete report, visit this link.  Image courtesy MakerBot

Results:  Over the 4-year study period, there were 121,084 firearm fatalities. The average state-based firearm fatality rates varied from a high of 17.9 (Louisiana) to a low of 2.9 (Hawaii) per 100,000 individuals per year. Annual firearm legislative strength scores ranged from 0 (Utah) to 24 (Massachusetts) of 28 possible points. States in the highest quartile of legislative strength (scores of >9) had a lower overall firearm fatality rate than those in the lowest quartile (scores of <2) (absolute rate difference, 6.64 deaths/100,000/y; age-adjusted incident rate ratio [IRR], 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.92). Compared with the quartile of states with the fewest laws, the quartile with the most laws had a lower firearm suicide rate (absolute rate difference, 6.25 deaths/100,000/y; IRR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.48-0.83) and a lower firearm homicide rate (absolute rate difference, 0.40 deaths/100,000/y; IRR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.38-0.95).

Conclusions and Relevance:  A higher number of firearm laws in a state are associated with a lower rate of firearm fatalities in the state, overall and for suicides and homicides individually. As our study could not determine cause-and-effect relationships, further studies are necessary to define the nature of this association.

Full report:   http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1661390

Eric W. Fleegler, MD, MPH; Lois K. Lee, MD, MPH; Michael C. Monuteaux, ScD; David Hemenway, PhD; Rebekah Mannix, MD, MPH

JAMA Intern Med. 2013;():1-9. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.1286.

Published online March 6, 2013

Today, the newfound comet seen [in the accompanying photo] is just a tiny dot in the sky beyond Jupiter. But in about a year, it might be one of the brightest objects in our night sky.

Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok, of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) in Russia, discovered comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) on 21 September via images taken with a 40-centimetre reflecting telescope. Other sky-watchers soon spotted it, and the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced the find yesterday.

From the combined observations, astronomers were able to trace the comet’s recent path and find images of it dating back to late December 2011. From there they calculated a near-parabolic orbit that has comet ISON headed almost straight towards the sun.

Astronomers at the Remanzacco Observatory in Italy think that ISON will skim less than 1.4 million kilometres from the sun’s surface on 28 or 29 November.

The comet’s orbit also suggests it is a newcomer fresh from the Oort cloud, a distant halo of icy objects that surrounds the solar system. We last had a visitor direct from the cloud in 2009, when the green comet Lulin swooped in and sprouted two tails.

As with Lulin, the intense heat of ISON’s solar fly-by should vaporise the comet’s hard shell of pristine ices, releasing trapped dust that would help it grow an exceptionally bright tail. Astronomy Now magazine reports that comet ISON could even be brighter than the full moon around its closest approach to the sun.

Skirting our star means that, to viewers on Earth, the comet will appear close to the horizon and to the sun’s glare, making it difficult to see at first. ISON will fade but become easier to spot as it heads back towards the outer solar system. By 9 December it should be about as bright as Polaris, the North Star, according to Remanzacco Observatory astronomers. ISON should continue to be visible to the unaided eye until mid-January 2014.

But veteran astronomers warn that fresh comets with orbits that almost skim the sun are notoriously unpredictable. Results can range from the spectacular comet McNaught of January 2007 to the infamously fizzled comet Kohoutek of 1973.

via Short Sharp Science: Newly spotted comet may outshine the full moon.

Steve Case, founder of AOL, venture capitalist, and current chairman of Startup America Partnership, says entrepreneurs are the true American heroes.

“Entrepreneurship is how America became great,” Case said.  “The good news is that we’re still the most entrepreneurial nation in the world. The bad news is that all the other countries are trying to catch us.”

Case was speaking in Detroit at Techonomy on Entrepreneurship and American Relevance.There are two types of founders, Case said:  those who create an interesting product or service but have modest ambitions…and those who are trying to change the world, who are swinging for the fences.

Those who are swinging for the fences are continuing the grand American tradition of entrepreneurship, he suggested, continuing the legacy of legendary Detroit founders and leaders such as Henry Ford.

Case sees what’s happening now as the next revolution in technology. After the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, and the initial stages of the digital revolution, we’re now seeing perhaps the most important part of the digital revolution: the impact of digital technology on all aspects of the economy.

Even heroes, of course, need loyal sidekicks. That’s why Case accepted the role of chairman of the Startup America Partnership, which is focused on building up all the regions of the U.S.

Not just social media companies — not just Facebooks and Instagrams — but also companies that use technology intelligently in transportation, in manufacturing, in all aspects of the economy.

“In some ways, every company is now a technology company,” Case said. The most important thing for entrepreneurial heroes, according to Case?“They really have to have passion.”

Image credits: Blastr, John Koetsier

via Steve Case: Entrepreneurs are American heroes | VentureBeat.

The Mars rover Curiosity is indulging in a flurry of multimedia activity ahead of its science mission proper.It sent the first image from its 100mm telephoto lens, already spotting an intriguing geological “unconformity”.Nasa also released a colour panorama of Mount Sharp, the rover’s ultimate goal.On Monday, the rover relayed “the first voice recording to be sent from another planet”, and on Tuesday it will broadcast a song from artist will.i.am as part of an educational event.But alongside these show pieces, Curiosity – also known as the Mars Science Laboratory – is already warming up its instruments for a science mission of unprecedented scope on the Red Planet.Nasa said that the rover was already returning more data from Mars than all of the agency’s earlier rovers combined.

via BBC News – Curiosity rover’s intriguing geological find.

In the most complex rocket-landing ever attempted, NASA will literally drop its latest Mar rover onto the Mars surface by a crane from a hovering mother ship. Really!

A year ago (July 12, 2011), I gave you a heads up on NASA’s marvel of planetary-exploration technology in my blog post:  “Take a peek at NASA’s next Mars rover. It’s the size of a Mini Cooper!”

Well, the rover’s 354-million-mile, eight-and-half-month journey is just about over.   “Curiosity” — the nickname for this out-of-this-world vehicle — is poised to land on the Red Planet.

Check out a superb article by UK’s DailyMail — with photos, illustrations, and spine-tingling landing animation — here:  http://bit.ly/NVBY32

Get ready for a wild ride on August 5th.  Buckle up!

Illustration courtesy of NASA

The non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation has prepared a superb summary of the Affordable Care Act.  No hype.  No political spin.  No mis-information.

Read about:   The individual mandate.  Employer requirements.  Prevention and wellness programs.  How public programs are expanded.  Premiums.  Cost-sharing subsidies.  Related tax changes.  Health insurance exchanges.  Impacts on private insurance.  State role.  Cost containment.  Improving quality and health care system performance.  Nutritional information required to be disclosed by restaurant chains.  Long-term care.  Coverage and financing.

Here’s the link to the KFF summary of health care reform as provided by the Affordable Care Act:  http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8061.pdf

F.Y.I., regarding “coverage and financing,” the KFF summary reports:

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the new health reform law will provide coverage to an additional 32 million when fully implemented in 2019 through a combination of the newly created Exchanges and the Medicaid expansion.

CBO estimates the cost of the coverage components of the new law to be $938 billion over ten years. These costs are financed through a combination of savings from Medicare and Medicaid and new taxes and fees, including an excise tax on high-cost insurance, which CBO estimates will raise $32 billion over ten years.  CBO also estimates that the health reform law will reduce the deficit by $124 billion over ten years.

We’ve all heard the typical predicted results of global warming — rising tides, shrinking shorelines, more intense weather, etc.  The editors of Live Science delved a little deeper and identified some surprising secondary results.

For instance, did you know that a number of mountain ranges (such as the Alps) have grown taller over the last century?  It’s true.  With the melting of glaciers that sit on top of some of the ranges, the compressive weight has been reduced, and the mountains have actually elevated to new heights.

Check out nine other unexpected results of global warming at http://bit.ly/zZ884x

Alps photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / Blutgretchen

How would you like to raise up to $2 million for your startup business?  And do it by letting investors “point-n-click” the cash your way via the Web?  It may soon be nearly that simple, thanks to the “Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act” (more commonly known as the “Crowdfunding Act”) that passed the House in an overwhelming (and bi-partisan!) 407 to 17 vote.  President Obama is another driving force behind the legislation, which is designed to dramatically streamline fund-raising for entrepreneurs.

After the bill passes the Senate (and all indications are that it will), and President Obama signs the legislation into law, entrepreneurs will be able to turn on a grassroots method to raise capital — equity sales online — with greatly reduced SEC restrictions.  The freer flow of money would be rocket fuel for startups, which are an essential engine for a robust economy and job creation.

“Crowdfunding” — a way for masses of people (“the crowd”) to feed ventures with capital via the Web — has blossomed in recent years thanks to sites like Kickstarter.com.  But SEC “red tape” (primarily the Securities Act of 1933) has prohibited these sites from directly offering investment shares in the enterprises.  The new Crowdfunding Act will remove this barrier.  No longer will equity sales be restricted to accredited investors.  And the power of public-supported funding will be unleashed.

Entrepreneurial endeavors will be able to sell up to $2 million in ownership shares to an unlimited number of investors.  And individuals will be able to invest up to $10,000 or up to 10% of his or her annual income, whichever is less.

If a company seeks the maximum $2 million in funding, it must supply “the crowd” with audited financial statements.  A company can choose to bypass the audited-financial-statement requirement — but then the maximum capital it can raise is $1 million.  (That’s nothing to sneeze at!)

When the President signs the legislation into law, it will be a great day for all entrepreneurs.  Just as important for America, the ensuing new businesses will provide a shot of adrenaline for the economy and help rev up the job-creation engine.  Everyone will win.

If you can locate the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), and you have a good pair of binoculars or small telescope, you’ll be able to observe a supernova along with amateur and professional astronomers all over the world.

The best time for viewing is right after sunset, before the moon comes up and washes out the sky with its reflected light.

Here’s a link to an excellent one-and-a-half-minute YouTube video by Berkeley Lab scientist Peter Nugent that will help you spot and view the supernova:   http://bit.ly/qilPZ9

For additional information and images, visit the USA TODAY article at http://usat.ly/okjuOS.  (Click on the “BEFORE” and “AFTER” buttons in the USA TODAY interactive image.)

Image of The Pinwheel Galaxy (where the supernova is occurring) courtesy of Reuters and The Guardian.

Over the last couple of months I’ve seen a flurry of doom ‘n’ gloom scenarios based on the nearing peak (in mid 2013) of the 11-year solar cycle.  For instance, a little over a week ago I read in the International Business Times, “Severe Solar Storm to Create Global Chaos and Complete Darkness” followed a week later by “Severe Solar Storms Could Disrupt Earth This Decade.”

I’m not picking on the IB Times.  I’ve seen similar reports in Popular Science, such as the June 30th article entitled, “Are We Prepared for a Catastrophic Solar Storm?”

So are we all toast?

Here’s the reality:

It’s true that with the near total dependence on computers for every aspect of our lives, we’ve never been more vulnerable to solar activity.  I described in a previous article a recent near-miss of a CME (corona mass ejection) — essentially a ball of plasma ejected by the sun.  If a large CME hits our planet, power could certainly go down for an extended period of time.

One of the biggest concerns of scientists is the “Fukushima Effect” in which the backup generators and battery systems at nuclear power plants run out power.  Such a circumstance could cascade to the point where water-cooling systems would become inoperable — and result in Fukushima-like catastrophes around the world.  The actual chances?  Hard to predict precisely.  But, by legitimate estimates, pretty low.

More likely to occur:  Gas pumps at your local service station would stop working.  (They’re essentially computerized pumps; the credit-card processing network would also likely go down.)   “Telecommuting” would not be possible, as phone and Internet would be flicked off like a switch.  Cell phone service would also go down as soon as the backup generators and / or batteries at the cell towers run out of juice.  (You won’t be able to charge your cell phones, anyway.)

If the power grid goes down, once your food runs out (or spoils) in your fridge, don’t count on restocking at the supermarket.  The 18 wheelers that are the mainstay of food delivery across the country would also quickly run out of fuel — and, as mentioned above, the services stations would be unable to refill the rigs.

The probability of a sweeping, worldwide catastrophe as outline above is low.  But CMEs can, and have, made direct Earth strikes over the centuries — and caused significant disruptions.  Do a Google search for the “Carrington Event.”  In 1859, during the peak of another solar cycle, a CME knocked out telegraph offices around the globe (and even shocked some of the telegraph operators).  Most scientists agree that — because of entrenched computerization and satellite-based communications — the same magnitude CME today would disrupt society on a widespread basis.

I’m hoping the media doesn’t escalate the risks to an astronomical level.  The last thing we need is a massive wave of hysteria.  But, hey, it can’t hurt to keep an extra candle or two around the house.  And, perhaps, a couple of cans of Spam…

For a reasonably well-proportioned (non-hyped) news report — with an exceptional piece of video from NASA of a CME — check out the following two-minute CNN video:  http://bit.ly/h7GEmn

For reference, the NASA image associated with this article shows the approximate size of the Earth as compared to a solar eruption.  (In reality, the Earth is 93 million miles away from the sun — so a flare would never envelop the Earth as in the NASA comparison.)

I received lots of e-mails regarding my 3D human-organ “printer” articles.  On the lighter side of 3D printing are the amazing new “factory in a box” devices available to the public.  Make model cars, cutlery, drink bottles, chess set pieces, a lunch box, toy soldiers — let your imagination run wild — with just a push of a button.

MakerBot’s “Thing-O-Matic” is one of the leading gadgets in this new marketplace.  For $1,225, you can manufacture with plastic almost any hand-sized object you can imagine.  Just plug the Thing-O-Matic into your PC’s USB port and (using supplied software) it squirts out molten plastic, layer by layer, until your creation is completed.

Check out an excellent article from the UK’s DailyMail here http://bit.ly/fCQvkY.

In the swirl of the 24-hour news cycle, an important discovery like this might slip through the cracks.  But this is substantial news, as it touches upon possible origins of life here on Earth.

Check out the excellent report published today at SPACE.com via this link: http://bit.ly/ptYTRb

A recent study of 700 lunches packed for children attending daycare found that nearly all of the lunches were at an unsafe-to-eat temperature by lunchtime.

It was common for the researchers to find milk, fruit, and meats above 40 degrees F.  It was also common for hot items, such as soups, to have cooled to the point that could foster bacteria growth.  It only takes an hour or two for bacteria levels to rise enough to make a child sick.

According to the CNN article that discussed the research, “If your child complains of a stomach ache or is vomiting or has diarrhea, it’s not necessarily a bug caught from another child.”

There are easy steps to help your children’s food stay at the proper temperature.  Many of these steps are outlined in the following CNN article  http://bit.ly/qmloax

ZDNet just released a great review on the five top tablet PCs. If you’ve been considering a tablet for yourself, or looking for one for son or daughter as a back-to-school tool, then this is the review for you.

Product insights, photos, and accessories — including nifty keyboards that turn a tablet into a full-fledged computer workstation — are all provided in this tablet review. Check it out at http://zd.net/o8ZsIt

Bored with public domain eBook Kindle titles?  Click on the following link for over 20,000 free current Kindle books:  http://tinyurl.com/FreeKindleBooksAmazon

These are contemporary books that the authors and / or publishers have (kindly) decided to offer as free Kindle eBooks.

Happy e-reading!

If you’re in marketing, advertising, publishing, or media services — this is critical knowledge if you want to stay ahead of the curve.  Two years from now, don’t say I didn’t give you a heads up….

The world is on the verge of a startling transformation in publishing.  E-readers, like Kindle, only present existing content in a digital form.  That’s blah.  Child’s play.  The true revolution in publishing is about to unfold before our eyes…and, in fact, all of our senses.

The future of publishing is an immersive, multi-media platform that allows users to interact with the content.  Not just display it.  But actually create an experience that’s unique to each and every reader (or, more appropriate, each participant).

Software platforms to develop such immersive content are becoming available.  I encourage you to view the following four-minute video:  http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_matas.html.  It will blow you away.

From a marketing standpoint, the possibilities and opportunities are boundless….

For instance, imagine creating interactive “product placements” that are unique to not only the content of the material — but also tailored to the reader’s / participant’s unique purchasing habits.  The information cloud — and now the publishing technology — will start making this very possible.  And very soon.

There’s so much marketing hype regarding flat-panel LED TVs, I thought I’d jot a quick post to demystify things.

LED TV picture quality has come a long way in the last couple of years — nearly equaling the best plasma TVs (which are still the top dog when it comes to the best picture).

An LED TV is simply an LCD TV that’s “backlit” with lots and lots of LEDs.  Prior to the LED-backlit technique, LCD TVs were backlit with fluorescent lights (the same basic tube-light technology as you may have in your office).

When comparing LED TVs, here’s the most important thing you need to know:  Select a model that’s backlit by a “full array” of LEDs — that is, LEDs that span the entire back of the picture.  Avoid “edgelit” LED TV sets which only use LEDs along the exterior edges of the picture and project the light inward.

The biggest benefit of “full array” backlighting is deeper blacks, creating a more vivid picture.

If you can, compare LED models side by side at a retail outlet.  With your new knowledge, you’ll be able to spot full-array backlit LED models in a blink — and have a decided advantage when selecting the units that deliver the best picture.

Image courtesy of LGPER under Creative Commons license.

(PeopleForum) Watch out, smokers. Sweatshirts may soon fashionably display more than you want to know about that smoke you’re exhaling.

Two NYU graduate students have created an interactive project called “Warning Signs.” According to WNYC Culture, the duo has made sweatshirts that change color when exposed to high carbon monoxide levels. The shirts feature a heart or set of lungs — when the fabric is exposed to pollution (ranging from cigarette smoke to car exhaust), blue veins appear on the organ image.

Co-creator Nien Lam enjoyed watching his shirt in action: “When people would step out to have a cigarette, they would see our project, and then feel guilty going out to have that cigarette realizing, ‘Oh, this is actually what I’m doing to myself.’”

The American Lung Association reports that six in 10 Americans live in places with dangerous levels of air pollution. Cigarette smoking leads to over 440,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone. 600 million trees are destroyed per year to make dry tobacco.

The students are now considering clothing with alcohol sensors. They may have the liver change color when the wearer has consumed too much.  For the full article, visit http://bit.ly/feq3Nc

(WKDQ) Sure, he discovered the theory of general relativity, but compared to 12-year-old Jacob Barnett, Albert Einstein is starting to look like a slacker. According to BlipPitt, Barnett has already begun working on an expanded form of Einstein’s revolutionary theory, which has since been validated by professors at Princeton University. His IQ is currently 170 — higher than Einstein’s. Not bad for a 12-year-old, huh?  For the complete article, visit http://bit.ly/hJwEqj

As I type this, I am conducting an online marketing lecture at UConn on the Storrs campus.  It’s an interactive lecture, with the entire class watching me compose this message via a projector.  It’s a great opportunity to give these young, energized entrepreneurs a flavor of all the possibilities available to them.

The students of the village live in such meager surroundings (no running water, etc.), but their lives are so inspirational.  I was humbled.  The experience enriched my life beyond words.  Here’s a link to a blog post (with photos) written by the staff of the Hamanasi facility nearby:  http://bit.ly/ic1ax4

NASA REPORT:  When solar activity recently plunged into a century-class minimum, many experts were puzzled. Now a group of researchers say they have cracked the mystery of the missing sunspots.  Full article here.