Monday, October 31, 2016
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
10 Musical Oddities That Make Music Sing
10. Brown Note
The brown note is an alleged musical note that will magically cause people to defecate involuntarily. This myth just doesn’t want to die, and many people still think that it’s possible. As governments continue to work on crowd control weapons, especially those that use sonic frequencies, some people have speculated that the government is working on a practical brown note apparatus. Despite the persistent rumors, there’s no sonic machine that’s capable of making people void their bowels against their will — although it is true that governments have experimented with sonic weapons for crowd control. Some people are still skeptical and believe that perhaps the powers that be are hiding these machines from us. For those that want more evidence, Mythbusters spent an episode on it. Not only could they not produce the sound, but an expert said that there’s no reason to believe such a thing is even possible in the first place.9. The Singing Ringing Tree
This entry isn’t a real musical tree, but a sculpture located in Burnley in the United Kingdom that combines form and function to create something beautiful. The project cost 70,000 pounds and is nestled comfortably on the top of a hill that gets a lot of wind. The “tree” is made using large metal pipes of various lengths and diameters that work their way up in a pattern. The sculpture doesn’t look particularly beautiful from up close, but from a distance it adds a mystique to the landscape. You never know where the winds will shift, so the music will always be different. The winds flow through the different pipes and make strange sounds, sometimes discordant and sometimes not. It has of course become a fairly popular attraction in the area, but for those of you who can’t make a trip to Burnley there’s a video. It has a haunting, ethereal quality that can change at random, just like the shifting and capricious winds it’s interpreting.8. The Beatles Couldn’t Read Music
The Beatles’ contribution to music simply can’t be overestimated. Even if you don’t care for them, a great many artists you probably like were influenced by the Beatles in some way. Yet despite being geniuses who revolutionized music, they couldn’t read traditional sheet music. When writing the song “Golden Slumbers,” Paul McCartney had found the words in a children’s songbook, but he couldn’t read music so he wrote his own melody for it in his own style. This isn’t particularly unusual, as knowing how to read and write music the traditional way is not something someone with natural musical talent will know from birth — it’s a notational skill. While it may seem odd that the biggest musical act of their generation couldn’t read music, in the end it hardly matters, and that’s the real point. If you really love something and you have a knack for it, don’t let anything keep you from doing it, regardless of any skills you may currently lack.7. The Replica Holophonor
In a popular Futurama episode Fry tries to woo Leela by learning to play an incredibly difficult instrument known as a holophonor. It turns out that human hands are terrible for playing the extremely complex instrument and so Fry makes a deal with the robot devil to get his hands instead. The robot devil, being a devil, doesn’t play fair and starts going to elaborate depths of trickery to get his hands back. Eventually Fry has to sacrifice his ability to play the holophonor in order to help Leela. A prop designer in Atlanta named Harrison Krix had a client express interest in a replica of the holophonor, so he set about making one of the most detailed replicas of anything you will ever see. He started with a dirty second hand clarinet that he had to clean unspeakable things out of, spent hours in a workshop hooking up LED lights and even crafted a pair of robot hands on a handsome stand to hold the instrument. It doesn’t play music, but it’s a stunning work of art. For those who are interested in how he made it, he has an entire guide available on his website. Perhaps one day we’ll have real holophonors we can play. We can dream, right?6. Music And Plant Growth
The question of whether music affects the growth of plants has been debated for a long time. Most of the experiments that claim music affects plant growth fail at basic rigor — there are far too many variables to control for that aren’t being taken into account. And it’s almost impossible to truly have proper controls for an experiment. Even if your control plant isn’t listening to music, it’s still likely to be hearing ambient sounds. So for a proper experiment you’d need to find a room for your control plant that’s literally devoid of sound, such as an anechoic chamber. The only way music could be affecting a plant is if the sound made minute changes in air pressure. However, there’s no reason to believe that music causing such minute affects on the air around it could negatively or positively affect the growth of a plant. Some people have suggested that playing music for your plants is more for the person growing them, as it puts them in a better mood, and thus they take better care of their vegetation.5. The Riverside Carillon
The carillon is a rare and little known instrument. It requires a very large space, such as a church, to accommodate it. It contains numerous bells which the operator can play from one position using a series of pedals and levers. This instrument has always remained somewhat niche, with the organ or piano being favored in most churches, but that hasn’t kept it from making its mark. The Riverside Carillon resides in the Riverside Church in New York and was a present from the Rockefeller family. It’s the largest carillon in the world and weighs over 100 tons, which easily makes it one of the biggest musical instruments to ever exist. The Church has become worried about the safety of their treasure, so they won’t allow people near the mechanisms or tours of the instrument itself. However, they play it regularly throughout the week and people are always welcome to stop by the nearby parks and listen to the beautiful music. Their website offers an audio sample and gives detailed times and dates for when people can stop by the area and enjoy the largest carillon in the world.4. Shattering Glass With Your Voice
It’s long been a trope in fiction that an opera singer or anyone else with an extremely high voice can belt out a loud and sustained note to break a glass. Over time the belief has extended to the ability to break not only a wine glass, but windows, chandeliers… anything, really. While this has long been spread as an anecdote, there’s been precious little evidence of the phenomenon being real. Many people have tested this on wine glasses and not had much success, although people have found it easy to do if they use an amplifier. So the theory is sound — the real question is whether a human would be able to do it naturally. Again we consult the Mythbusters, who tried to shatter several different wine glasses with a voice and succeeded on only one out of twelve. They proved that it’s possible for a human voice to shatter glass without any amplification, but it’s likely only to work on glassware that already had flaws or imperfections.3. The Badgermin
It’s a badger! It’s a theremin! It’s a… Badgermin? Okay, we’re confused and more than a little creeped out. You may not be familiar with a theremin — it uses antennas and electrical signals to make music without you actually touching anything, and makes the person playing it look like a wizard. Because of its strange nature and the fact that it’s a fairly recent instrument, there aren’t many expert players in the world. But that didn’t stop someone from deciding that it would be incredible fun to make a theremin out of a dead badger. Some people may consider this to be grotesque or cruel to animals, but you can’t deny that the gimmick certainly got people’s attention. The creator of this absurd theremin stuffed badger (or badger stuffed theremin, if you prefer) had one of the best theremists around play it for him as a sort of joke and put the video up on his site. Unfortunately, so many people wanted to watch just so they could see a badger being played as a musical instrument that it became the first search result for his name. Feeling this wasn’t good for his reputation, the artist asked for the video to be removed.2. Music From A Tree
Diego Stocco felt that the natural musical abilities of a tree were being wasted. He used a stethoscope, a pencil sharpener and a tree in his backyard and created a unique musical piece. The natural cosmetics company Burt’s Bee’s was interested in him after they watched his video and asked him to make them something for Earth Day. He came up with a new piece called “Music From Nature,” which used not only a tree but a variety of natural sounds, including orange peels, coconuts, honey and even real live bees. No words can possibly do justice to his unique sounds. Fortunately they’re all available on YouTube, including strange pieces like “Music From A Dry Cleaner,” a strangely catchy tune that captures your imagination. Stocco is quoted as saying, “I know it’s funny, but that’s the whole idea, you can really make music with everything!”1. Concert In A Cave
In Houston, Texas there’s a fantastic cave known as The Cave Without A Name, possibly because the site was used by bootleggers during prohibition. Now, however, it serves an entirely different purpose. The cave was found to have a large domed room deep within that had absolutely amazing acoustics. Small sounds come back greatly amplified and many musical performers prize the cave because they feel that it’s an almost spiritual experience to play there. While it may sound a little over the top, those who listen to a concert in the cave tend to find it an amazing experience. The performers often play in complete blackness, completely cut off by outside noises with perfect acoustics. Under such amazing conditions it would be difficult to avoid being swept up by the musical experience. While this is a fairly new attraction, researchers studying cave drawings have speculated that using caves for their acoustic properties is actually a very ancient practice. These researchers have noticed that the drawings they found were usually in the same area, even when there was plenty of other space to draw. Finding this unusual, they discovered that these clusters of drawings were usually in parts of the cave that would be acoustically ideal for any kind of singing or chanting. This would suggest that prehistoric man used the drawings, music and acoustic properties of the caves all at once, possibly for entertainment or to pass on the oral history of their people.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Top 10 Well Known Books With Little Known Histories
10. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
9. Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Beginning this list is one of the more famous and well-known examples of a book going through publishing hell before making it onto the bookshelves. With seven books in the series, movies filmed, and theme parks springing up based around the boy wizard, it’s easy to assume that J.K. Rowling struck gold, and everyone realised it when she tried to get her first book published. The publishing world didn’t seem to agree, however. Not only did she receive 12 rejections, the only reason she managed to score a deal in the first place was due to the daughter of a Bloomsbury chairman demanding to read the rest of the submitted manuscript. Even with the spouse’s recommendation and an editor’s acceptance, J.K. Rowling was told that she was not destined to be a children’s book author, and advised not to quit the day job. Little did they know that a day job would be the last thing J.K. Rowling would ever need.
9. Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
The charming tales of Peter Rabbit captured the imaginations of children across the world. The process of getting the book out into the hands of said children, however, was not as easy as author Beatrix Potter would like. Beatrix Potter had difficulties trying to get herself out into the public. Her first attempt to get her book published turned into six different rejections. Stalwart, she decided to take the matters into her own hands. She decided to make the books and sell them herself, matching the vision she had for the books she wanted to make. This, too, was met with resistance, with one publisher telling her it was a bad idea. In those days, women were regarded as unable to perform business whatsoever. Regardless, she persisted, creating 250 copies of the book. She ended up doing so well, one of the six publishers that initially rejected her proposal agreed to take up the book. Now, the Peter Rabbit books sell two million units worldwide.8. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Not all books receive resistance during the publishing process; some of them receive flak after they finally hit the shelves. This was the case for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which made some unusual enemies after it was published in 1865. What problems did people have with it? The Woodsville High School in New Hampshire banned the book due to the book referencing ‘sexual fantasies’. Then, in 1931, it was banned in China for its inclusion of talking animals, with the Governor of the Hunan Province stating “Animals should not use human language, and that it was disastrous to put animals and human beings on the same level”. If they could see that a gecko would be selling car insurance in today’s world, who knows what they would have thought?7. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss
It’s hard to believe that people did not respond well to the charming words of Dr. Seuss himself. His publication of his first ever book was very tough; in fact, it was so tough that the world was very close to never seeing the name ‘Dr. Seuss’ on the front of a book. Dr. Seuss’ first hurdle was, surprisingly, the style we all know and love today. Back in the 1930s, picture books were not made to be fun and silly; they were designed to carry very serious messages for the children to learn from. When Dr. Seuss approached publishers, he was told that his book was too silly to be published. It was rejected 27 times. Dr. Seuss was convinced that his book would never sell. Manuscript in hand, he walked home with the full intent of burning it and forgetting he ever wrote it. It was here that he met with a friend and told him of his plans. The friend told him that he had recently been employed by Vanguard Press as a children’s book editor, and he needed something to publish. Being new to the scene, he was (thankfully) unaware of the current trends of the children’s scene, and accepted Dr. Seuss’ stories on the merit of them being a fun read. This one breakthrough leads the path for another 43 books to be written.6. Carrie by Stephen King
Carrie had a very rough past. Written by a very poor Stephen King, it was inspired when he read an article that, if telekinesis did actually exist, it would be strongest in adolescent girls. This, combined with his experience as a school janitor, inspired him to pen the novel. Writing the book was a big enough problem as it is; with little knowledge of the female scene in a high school, he based the characters off of two girls he knew from his own school years. During writing, both girls had passed away due to health conditions, making the story even harder to write for Stephen King. He eventually lost faith in his novel, throwing the three pages into the waste and giving up. If Stephen King’s wife Tabby had not emptied the bin and rescued the manuscript, we would perhaps not have seen the story come to light. Even after the book was finished, it took 30 rejections from publishers before he finally broke through with Doubleday Publishing, beginning the career of one of the wealthiest authors ever to exist.5. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
A lovely tale of a bear and his love for honey. Surely, a book like this didn’t receive much flak? Unfortunately, it did, and in the most bizarre way possible; it was getting banned in multiple places for a wide spectrum of different reasons. The list of strikes against Winnie the Pooh is both hilarious and somewhat worrying. It was banned in a school within the United Kingdom in fear it might offend Muslims with its Piglet character, to which the Muslim Council of Britain stepped forwards to say that it wouldn’t be offensive. A television station in Turkey banned the television show for the same reason, but the talking piglet didn’t get off so easily over there; while efforts were made to totally erase Piglet from the show, it was eventually seen as too much effort and scrapped altogether. Winnie the Pooh also saw similar flak for the same reasons that Alice in Wonderland was banned in China, from an entirely different group of people. This time, it’s a parent group from Kansas detesting the talking animals because doing so is an ‘insult to God’. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Winnie the Pooh ended up being tied to nothing more than Nazi Germany. In 2009 in Russia, a political extremist’s possessions contained Winnie the Pooh wearing a swastika. This, in the mind of the Justice Ministry at the time, meant that Winnie the Pooh was becoming a symbol of Nazism, and so the innocent bear’s adventures in Hundred Acre Wood was labelled as ‘Pro-Nazi’ and listed as ‘politically subversive’. Oh, bother.4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Some novels face near annihilation by either rejection or desperation; sometimes the story almost never gets written because the author just gets annoyed with it. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that is often used in school curriculums as both a literary example and an insight into racial tension in society. The book almost never made it as far as the agent who published it, let alone the schools. It’s said that the author got so angry with the manuscript, that they threw it out of the window and into the snow. The only reason we have a book to read in this day and age is due to their agent convincing the author that throwing works in progress out of the window doesn’t do much for sales. The author, presumably begrudgingly, picked up the manuscript and kept going.3. Ultramarine by Malcolm Lowry
Of all the ways a piece of fiction has its progress stalled, one of the smaller and rarer cases is when the manuscript for the story is outright stolen. This was the case for Ultramarine, a book that was published in 1933. Fortunately, at the point of losing the manuscript, Malcolm had managed to find a publisher for his work. Unfortunately, said publisher had left the manuscript in a briefcase in their car, and a passing thief decided to take their chances and see what was inside. The original manuscript wasn’t retrieved, and what happened next seems to have two different stories. One story is the author stating he had to rewrite the entire story from scratch, while another says a friend of his retrieved a carbon copy that Malcolm had otherwise thrown away.2. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The story of this novel began in 1900, when Montgomery read a newspaper article about a couple who applied to adopt a boy, but received a girl instead. During 1905, she had the basic idea of a story down, and decided to write it. Then, she submitted to five publishers. Each one rejected it. Writers often respond to rejection in one of two ways; they see it as a sign that their skills are not good enough, or they see it as a step forwards to finding a home for their work. Montgomery took neither route, as she must have figured that the time was not right and left it in her hat box. For three years. When she finally got around to wanting to submit it again, she scored a publishing deal with L.C. Page, and sold 19,000 copies in her first five months.1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Being rejected is one thing; being cruelly rejected is another story altogether. Critics are not usually the type to hold their tongue, and this was the case for Golding while trying to sell Lord of the Flies to a publisher. Not only did his book originally get rejected from publisher Faber & Faber, it got rejected with a little added scorn thrown in. The professional reader over at Faber & Faber had this to say about Golding’s work: “Time: the Future. Absurd & uninteresting fantasy about the explosion of an atom bomb on the Colonies. A group of children who land in jungle-country near New Guinea. Rubbish & dull. Pointless.” It was only when a new employee at Faber & Faber decided that it would work (with editorial changes that he suggested) that the company decided to give it a shot; even then, they decided to skirt it under the current literary advisor at the time, who eventually discovered the book was being published, read it, and supported it. S.E. Batt is a humor writer. He writes freelance non-fiction for various websites, and moonlights as a fiction writer when he finds the space to do so. He enjoys cats, keyboards, and tea, but not all at the same time.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Friday, May 13, 2016
13 Ways to Improve Your Luck this Friday the 13th
The granddad of all superstitions, Friday the 13th is perceived as an abnormally ominous day. Many feel that there are numerous incidents and examples in history when a calamity befell someone foolhardy enough to challenge the number 13. The ancient Hindus, as the story goes, started the whole thing when they avowed that 13 people at a table brought bad luck. Some trace the phobia to the fact that Christ died on a Friday, and that there were 13 at the Last Supper, one of whom betrayed Jesus.
And more recently, there’s the movie series, which may fuel the superstition. Whatever you believe, this Friday is a 13th, so you may just want to do one of these things to keep bad luck from finding you!
1. Keep your fingers crossed — Making the sign of the Christian faith with your fingers is believed to prevent evil spirits from ruining your good fortune.
2. Knock on Wood — It was once believed that good spirits lived in trees and that by knocking on anything made from wood, we can call upon these spirits for protection against misfortune.
3. Find a four-leaf clover — Ancient druids believed shamrocks helped them to see evil spirits, providing the opportunity to avoid them.
4. Put your clothes on inside out — No one seems to know how this superstition originated, but the belief that backwards or inside out clothing brings good luck continues to be widespread — from children wearing their pajamas inside out in hopes of a snow day to baseball players and fans turning their caps inside out during important games, and more.
5. Look at the new moon over your right shoulder — The moon is central to many long-held superstitions, and the New Moon is seen as a ripe time for undertaking new enterprises. Whether those enterprises are successful or not depends on whether the New Moon is first seen over the right shoulder (good) or the left (bad).
6. Sleep facing south — The belief that sleeping with your head facing south promotes good health and fortune persists to this day, even among some doctors. The belief seems to be rooted in the Chinese art of feng shui, which attributes a causal connection between geographic placements and the movement of “qi,” or positive spiritual energy.
7. Break a clear, uncolored glass — While breaking a mirror is believed to usher in seven years of bad luck, the breaking of a clear glass has traditionally been seen as a sign that you’ve averted some grave misfortune. The glass purportedly takes on the ill fortune in your place.
8. Walk in the rain — Anyone who’s ever been caught without his/her umbrella may dispute this one, but rain has always been a sign of good luck. This is probably because it is so important to the success of crops; before modern irrigation methods were widespread, a rainy season meant the difference between lean years and prosperous ones.
9. Sleep on un-ironed sheets — This is another superstition with uncertain origins. Luckily, few people iron their sheets these days, anyway.
10. Avoid cracks in the sidewalk — Most of us know the old rhyme “Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” Whether the rhyme is the cause of, or a result of, this superstition is uncertain, though belief in it persists in many people today, even if subconsciously. Come to think of it, avoiding sidewalk cracks is probably a good policy for anyone who wants to avoid tripping.
11. Carry an acorn in your pocket — Acorns, the fruit of the sturdy oak tree, are an ancient symbol of fertility and long life.
12. Sneeze three times before breakfast — The number three has been seen as a lucky number in many cultures and religions throughout history. In Europe, where this superstition originated, the number’s association with the Christian trinity is an important association.
13. Pick up a pencil, a pin, a penny, or a piece of coal in the street — Finding, and claiming, any of these items has long been believed to portend good fortune. Some modern versions specify that only a heads-up penny is good luck.
Good Luck in Animal Form
Animals have long been seen as harbingers of either good or bad luck. Here are just a few animals that are said to foretell good fortune: three sheep, crickets singing, ladybugs, a robin flying into your home, on you, dolphins swimming near a ship, a frog inside your home, a spider spinning in the morning, a dog (especially a Dalmatian or a greyhound with a white spot on its head), a bee landing on your hand or head, birds calling from any direction but north, a bird leaving droppings on your head (yuck! Who wants that kind of good luck?), two blackbirds sitting together, a butterfly inside your house, a cat sneezing, two, three, or four crows, a lone fox, a black goat, a kingfisher, a stork building a nest on your roof.
Happy Friday the 13th!
Thursday, May 12, 2016
10 Weapons of the Near Future
10. Wolf-2
Historically speaking, Russia has always counted on cheap and reliable weapons. The T-34 tank of WWII is considered by many to be a perfect balance of firepower, armor and speed, making it the most mass produced tank of the war with more than 57,000 being built. There’s also, of course, the Russian designed AK-47 rifle, the most common gun in the world today. With increasing tensions between Russia and the West, Russia has decided to boost the number of its unmanned vehicles significantly. The Wolf-2 is just one of many Russian prototypes — it’s the size of a small car and fitted with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. This unmanned vehicle can move all on its own, while the remote human operator can select up to 10 targets for the Wolf to fire on.9. Insect Drones
If information is power, information gathered while the enemy is unaware is even greater power. The United States has been developing small scale drones in order to better survey areas. Ranging in size from as big as the palm of your hand to the size of your fingertip, these drones can take the inconspicuous shape of birds and insects. Their main purpose will be to infiltrate hard to reach places, and in addition to military use they can be used by firefighters to assess the situation inside a burning building. These drones can reach speeds of up to 45 mph, and can navigate a maze of rooms and avoid detection without the need for remote human piloting or pre-planned GPS way points. The main concern will be personal privacy, as these robots will be extremely hard to detect. And while the technology isn’t quite there yet, it’s speculated that these tiny drones will one day be able to retrieve DNA samples or leave behind RAFID tracking nanotechnology on someone’s skin.8. The Eclipse
The Eclipse is a an unmanned surface vessel, a 36 foot craft capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 mph and loitering in water for up to 10 days without the need to refuel. The design of the Eclipse helps it remain undetected by enemy radar, and it’s controlled by a human operator via radio or satellite links. This vessel’s purpose is to survey the coastline, fight against piracy and rescue survivors, all while eliminating the need to put a human crew in harm’s way. Thanks to its infrared cameras it can see in the dark, but it can also detect chemical and radiological matter and underwater mines, and can even scan the seabed. The boat can be outfitted with a high-powered fire hose, a net firing cannon that tangles and stops propellers and, of course, a .50 caliber machine gun.7. Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System
The ARSS is, as the name suggests, an unmanned sniper helicopter. At only 1100 pounds, the ARSS can travel at speeds of up to 135 mph for nine hours straight and at altitudes of up to 13,000 feet. It can also carry weights of about 380 pounds, which is fortunate since it’s usually fitted with a heavy duty rifle. The rifle can fire about 10 well placed shots per minute, and it can take out a car engine with a single bullet. The autopilot system can fly the helicopter to its destination and keep it stabilized while a human operator aims and shoots. All of this is done with a laptop and an Xbox 360 controller 20 miles away from the action. The ARSS can wield a variety of other weapons, including a xenon strobe light that causes nausea and disorientation.6. Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance
A sniper has the advantage of being hundreds of yards away from the battle, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. A sniper must always take into account wind velocity, rain, dust and even the rotation of the Earth itself, not to mention the fact that the target is usually on the move. If he misses he risks discovery, and more often than not there’s no one out there to help them. To cut down on missed shots, DARPA has come up with a special .50 caliber bullet capable of changing direction in mid-flight. They’re vague when it comes to explaining the exact technology in play, but we do know that it uses a real-time optical guidance system via a laser beam, making the EXACTO bullet home in on a target regardless of the weather or movement. Small fins are used to change the trajectory of the projectile up to 30 times a second, which will enable snipers to increase both their accuracy and effective distance. Just imagine the possibilities if combined with the ARSS (and the jokes that will be made about an EXACTO ARSS).5. The Electromagnetic Railgun
The US Navy is about to add the Electromagnetic Railgun to its arsenal, which can launch projectiles towards targets on the mainland some 100 miles away. The difference between it and a regular cannon is that this gun doesn’t use any explosives to fire its payload. By harnessing a combination of electric and magnetic forces, the railgun can expel a round of ammunition with speeds exceeding Mach 6. That’s around 4500 mph! The round doesn’t have any explosives, because the force of the impact alone is enough to do the job. That means the price drops significantly — around $25,000 a pop compared to $500,000.4. Hydra
Like the mythological creature of ancient times, Hydra will be able to strike an enemy from several hidden locations at once. Waterproof containers that can hold several air and waterborne drones will be placed on the seabed, and they’ll be capable of waiting for further instructions for months at a time. This will allow for a highly coordinated operation, and they can also be called upon in case of unforeseen circumstances like piracy or surprise attacks. Hydra is intended to be deployed in international waters, and predictions say that by 2018 Hydra will be operational all around the planet.3. X-47B
The X-47B unmanned combat drone is an $813 million milestone in UAV development. Back in 2013 and 2014 a series of tests demonstrated that this was the first drone that could take off from and land on a carrier vessel. A simple miscalculation could have spelled disaster, resulting in the X-47B crashing onto the landing pad, into another jet, or a crew-member. The first series of tests were done on a cleared deck, but in August 2014 the X-47B, accompanied by a F-18 jet, made a series of take offs and landings where all other jets were in their proper place, simulating normal conditions. The aim was to see if UAVs can accompany the Navy without disturbing the normal rhythm on-board the vessel. So far these tests have proven to be a success, and the next phase will be to test the drone’s refueling capabilities in mid-flight. The drone itself is capable of flying at over 40,000 feet for a distance of 2100 nautical miles on a single tank of gas and at speeds close to the sound barrier. It can also carry up to 4500 pounds in its weapons bay, and its wings can fold upwards so it can fit into a tightly packed carrier hangar.2. GXV-T Tank
Tanks, even modern ones, aren’t exactly known for their agility. All in all, they’re still armored metal boxes on tracks which fire a big cannon. DARPA is planning to change that with the GXV-T Tank. The aim is to make a tank faster and smarter rather than bulky and heavily armored. Normal armor can’t withstand more than a few shots anyways, so it’s no use trying to add more of it — especially if it slows the tank even further. DARPA’s goal is for their new vehicle to avoid detection as much as possible and dodge incoming missiles by ducking or raising the entire tank through an advanced suspension system. Another option will be to have access to a sudden burst of acceleration to take the vehicle out of harm’s way. If all else fails, the GXV-T will also be equipped with a series of armored plates that can rapidly change position on the tank and take the blow. All of this will be done autonomously by the vehicle itself. This type of tank will be far better suited for a larger variety of environments and scenarios. Being smaller than a standard tank, the GXV-T can sprint through city streets or heavily wooded areas, all the while avoiding detection from infrared, electromagnetic and acoustic detectors.1. Counter-Electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project
Boeing, in collaboration with the US Air Force Research Laboratory, have designed and successfully tested their CHAMP project. We don’t know much about how it’s deployed or what the missile looks like, but we do know that the device is capable of taking out any electronics it sets its sights on. It can disable several targets at once, and does no other damage beyond leaving you in the dark. This will come in especially handy against passive radar technology that can, to some degree, detect stealth aircraft. CHAMP program manager Keith Coleman said, “This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare” and that “In the near future this technology may be used to render an enemy’s electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive.”
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
10 Common Foods You Didn’t Know Were Genetically Modified
10. Honey
It’s hard to picture honey as a GMO since it’s the product of bee regurgitation. But the bees have to get their pollen from somewhere, and in the United States pollen is gathered indiscriminately from GMO plants as well as those that are natural. Most often the plant is corn, which already has a problem with pollen drift and contamination. Bees all over the world collect pollen from various crops, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for honeybee farmers to guarantee that their products are non-GMO. Aside from the obvious consumption of honey itself, honey finds its way into honey-sweetened cereals, snack bars, bakery products, marmalades and jams, dried fruits, nuts, ice cream and various beverages. Scientists are also working to genetically modify bees themselves. This is being done for a number of reasons and transgenic bees aren’t currently being used to produce honey, but it could happen soon.9. Soy
Some health-conscious folks steer away from red meats and towards soy products. Why not? They can make a soy bean into a turkey, or so they say. The United States’ soybean crop is 93% GMO. These crops are predominantly herbicide-tolerant, which allows farmers to spray their crops to eradicate weeds while allowing their commodity to remain unscathed. You may not think that soy makes up a large part of your diet, but it’s actually the second-most grown crop in the United States and it finds its way into a lot of different products. Soy and soy-derived oil is found in all kinds of chips, whole wheat breads, crackers, cookies, frozen pizzas, cereal bars, condiments such as mayonnaise, granola bars, and the obvious choices such as soy milk, soy sauce and tofu. Given that only 7% of soybeans grown and harvested in the United States are non-GMO, the chances that you’re ingesting GMO soy are very high.8. Sugar
Many sugars are derived from GMO — most predominantly, the sugar beet and sugar cane that’s farmed in the United States are GMOs. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) deregulated the growing of the “Roundup Ready” variety of sugar beet. This has allowed farmers across the United States to switch to this herbicide-resistant species of sugar beet created by the Monsanto Corporation. As of 2012, GMO sugar beets made up approximately 90% of all sugar beet growth in the United States, which means that any sugars derived from those beets and placed into your favorite products contain GMOs. It’s difficult to isolate all of the products that use granulated sugar, the type of sugar derived from both sugarcane and sugar beets. If a product lists sugar instead of the more popular high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), there’s a 90% chance that it’s derived from a crop of GM sugar beets.7. Cotton
We know what you’re thinking — you don’t eat cotton. Well, you shouldn’t be eating cotton balls or nibbling on your shirts, but cotton does have other uses. GM cotton makes up approximately 90% of all cotton planted in the United States, and those crops yield both the white, fluffy stuff and cottonseed. Cottonseed is used to make cottonseed oil, an extract that’s been added to the food you eat for well over a century. In the United States, it’s primarily used in salad or cooking oil, which makes up about 56% of all cottonseed usage in the nation. An additional 36% is used for frying foods, like French fries and potato chips. If you think that you’re avoiding foods made with cottonseed oil, you may be mistaken. In the United States, the following products contain cottonseed oil more often than not: crackers, pretzels, chips, sunflower seeds, graham crackers, pancake mixes and even some forms of cosmetics. Not that you should be eating those.6. Canola Oil
If it’s fried, it’s possibly been bathed in boiling-hot GMOs. Canola oil, the choice of most restaurants these days, is based on a GM crop. The thoughtfully named rapeseed that provides canola oil to markets in the United States consists of crops that are 90% GMO. GM rapeseed is so widely used it’s contaminated the wild in parts of North Dakota. This has become a problem for those farmers whose 10% of crops are not GMOs. Since the wild strain of the plant has been invaded by the GMO version, the two have begun to compete and cross-pollination has resulted. This allows for the crop to evolve in the wild, away from the eyes of scientists. Since most GMO crops are regulated in some way, this can create problems. There are a lot of products that use canola oil, and by extension almost certainly contain GM rapeseed: peanut butter, frozen potatoes (French fries, hash browns, etc.), salad dressing, chocolate syrup, rye bread, citrus-flavored sodas, pretzels, mayonnaise, salsa, some cereals, chips, crackers, granola and cereal bars, margarine and movie theater popcorn.5. Potatoes
In 2014, the USDA approved a new form of GM potato for the American market that reduces the amount of acrylamide when the tuber is fried. Acrylamide is a chemical that’s believed to contribute to cancer that’s formed during the frying process. Additionally, the new spuds are bruise-resistant, which makes them more profitable in the long run. The product is intended for the fried potato market of French fries and potato chips. The interesting thing about these GM potatoes is that they’ve been modified with the genes from other species of potatoes, not from other organisms altogether. This type of genetic modification is intended to appeal to people who would prefer to avoid GMOs altogether by bridging the gap between the so-called “Frankenstein crops” and cross-pollinated ones. These aren’t the first GM potatoes to hit the market, but they are the first that have appeal to the public in both the United States and possibly the European Union as well due to its potential cancer-fighting trait.4. Papayas
In the case of the papaya, genetic modification may have saved the species from eventual extinction. The papayas you’re eating, if it was grown in Hawaii, is almost certainly a GMO. Throughout most of the twentieth century, papaya trees were severely affected by papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), and by 1960 almost all papaya production had to move from the island of Oahu to Puna to escape the disease. Unfortunately, by 1992 PRSV had caught up with the plants in Puna and the crops were severely threatened. By that time a resistant strain of papaya had been cultivated in a lab, but it hadn’t been introduced in Puna until it was too late. By the late 1990s, the newly-manufactured GM crop of papaya had undergone extensive testing and had proven to survive and yield enough fruit to be profitable, and thus the papaya was saved.3. Yeast
Most people who aren’t involved in baking things don’t think about yeast much, but it’s very prevalent in our lives. Even if you abstain from eating bread, yeast is a necessary ingredient in the creation of alcohol via malolactic fermentation. The Wine Institute provided a statement that GMO wine yeast, called ML01, shouldn’t be used in making wine, but the Wine Institute isn’t a governing body and can only make suggestions to the industry. Because it isn’t regulated, ML01 is probably used to make the wine you might enjoy sipping, or guzzling from a box (we don’t judge). According to an article in the Vancouver Sun, “If you drink red wine from the United States or Canada, there’s a good chance you’ve tried ML01 wine already.” Scientists at the University of British Colombia created ML01 to help people with migraines and hypertension. Many people get headaches from drinking red wine, and the aim of the new organism is to put an end to that. The most interesting aspect of the research and development of ML01 is that unlike other GMOs it’s designed to directly benefit the consumers and not the producers, although those categories can overlap.2. Tobacco
Let’s be realistic here — smoking is terrible for your health. You know it. We know it. Regardless, it has been and remains one of the biggest cash crops in America, and about 90% of the tobacco grown in the United States is genetically modified. Tobacco suffers from some very deadly pests, so scientists and farmers have been working to create a pesticide-resistant form of the plant for a long time. The most dangerous bug for the crop is the tobacco budworm, which lays its eggs inside the plant and makes it difficult to kill the larvae. To modify the plants, “Scientists in labs are injecting or infusing the genes of bacteria from other living things into the seeds of the tobacco plant you are smoking. GMO tobacco has ‘built in’ pesticides and herbicides, built right into the DNA of the plant.”1. Dairy Products
In 2010, scientists successfully modified cows so they could produce milk that would be safer for children to consume. Approximately 2-3% of infants are allergic to cow’s milk, which is the base of most infant formulas. Allergic reactions in milk have been linked to the existence of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), which has been isolated from a single tailless cow found in New Zealand. Through the use of cloning, researchers were able to inject cow ovum with the genetic code of the tailless cow, making the future offspring hypoallergenic as well. If you think that’s something, scientists are working hard to create cattle that produce milk more like that of a human! These ideas aren’t on the market yet — the GM cows and cow-derived products you’re eating are coming from animals treated with a genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBHG), which is used in dairy farming in the United States to increase a cow’s milk production by approximately 10%. The use of rBHG is common throughout the dairy industry, so pretty much anything dairy has a bit of GMO in it somewhere. That means that butter, milk, ice cream, cheese, and everything else lactose-tolerant people love is likely filled with GMOs.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
10 Formally Dead Rockers That are Still Alive and Kicking
10. Aaron Lazar
Just when the Giraffes were about to break out from the underground in 2005, frontman Aaron Lazar had a heart attack at age 27. And not just any old heart attack, but sudden cardiac death. A quick thinking girlfriend flagged down some paramedics who brought Lazar back to life with a defibrillator. When discharged from the hospital, Lazar found himself on the receiving end of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator permanently installed in his chest. Warned to avoid over-stimulation, Lazar went right back on stage and kept on rockin’. Only three months later, Lazar’s defibrillator kicked on in the middle of a Giraffes set while Lazar kept playing. The Giraffes self-titled effort followed that same year, but the traction seemed to be lost for the band as a whole. The Giraffes soldiered on for a couple more years and a couple more albums until Lazar left the band in 2011. At the time of writing they’re giving it another go — hopefully they’ll find the success that has eluded them for the past decade.9. Don Powell
Between the Beatles of the late ’60s and Queen in the early ’80s, it can be argued that Slade was the most popular rock band in Great Britain in the ’70s. With 12 Top Five UK singles in the early ’70s, Slade was on top of the world (well, on top of Britain, having never scored a Top 10 hit in the United States) when their drummer Don Powell had a serious car accident that took the life of his girlfriend. Powell’s heart stopped beating twice immediately following the accident and he suffered such severe head trauma that he was in a six day coma with memory problems that linger to this day. So, what do you do to mark the 40 year anniversary of the death of your girlfriend and the accident that changed your life? You release an autobiography outlining the events in graphic detail and call it Look Wot I Dun – My Life in Slade.8. Josh Homme
Josh Homme, the lead singer of Queens of the Stone Age, was an underground hero when they broke through to the mainstream in 2002. Soon after, trouble found him in the form of fighting as he was sentenced to three years of probation and a stint in rehab for assaulting the lead singer of the Dwarves in 2004. As opposed to the controversy seeking Dwarves, the Queens of the Stone Age are a fairly straightforward, talented rock band, having been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. When not fronting Queens of the Stone Age, Homme is known for his time in the bands Kyruss, Eagles of Death Metal and Them Crooked Vultures. More known for staying busy than getting into trouble, it was shocking news to learn that Homme had died in 2010. As opposed to many others on the list, Homme’s death stemmed from a poorly executed knee surgery. Medical malpractice isn’t exactly sex, drugs, and booze, and luckily Homme was revived on the operating table.7. Dave Mustaine
As the original lead guitarist of Metallica, Dave Mustaine was kicked out of the band in 1983 for drinking too much. Getting kicked out of Metallica for drinking too much is quite the feat, but Mustaine went on to a successful career with his own project, Megadeth, for 30 more years. During those years he drank, did a ton of drugs, became a hero of thrash metal, and then became a born again Christian. Wait, what? The complicated and ever evolving Mustaine, who by some accounts has gone through rehab over a dozen times, revealed in his 2011 autobiography Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir that he had indeed died and then returned to the land of the living. Details of his brief interlude into the afterlife are vague, and interestingly enough that wasn’t the tipping point that led Mustaine to a conversion to Christianity. That came with a brush with losing the use of his arm, without which he couldn’t play the music that helps give his life meaning.6. Slash
We could have been lazy and basically said the original lineup of Guns N’ Roses — Steven Adler has cheated death a number of times with his reward being stints on the reality show Celebrity Rehab, Izzy Stradlin put himself in a three day coma and Duff McKagan’s brush with pancreatitis was described as grave. But it was Saul Hudson, a.k.a. Slash, who took his addictions up to the very edge. Slash was such a hardcore drug user that he overdosed, died, then checked himself out of the hospital on the very same day. Since then Slash has stayed busy, forming Slash’s Snakepit, selling tons of units with Velvet Revolver, and is now on tour with his third solo effort. Want a more detailed description of Slash’s years of addiction? Try his 2007 autobiography simply called Slash.5. Phil Anselmo
Primarily known as the lead singer of the immensely influential metal band Pantera, Phil Anselmo is yet another victim of substance abuse. We almost had to use the word was, because in 1996 Anselmo overdosed after a show and was dead for five minutes before being resuscitated. Tensions in the band continued to escalate afterwards and the group blew apart at the start of the new millennium. Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell went on to form the band Damageplan and Anselmo focused on his other band, Down, where bass player Rex Brown would later join him. Anselmo is currently promoting Down’s latest album IV Part II and is also known for the defunct Superjoint Ritual, a solo effort, and for being in a slew of other obscure metal bands. Of course there is a book, this time coming from Rex Brown, who documents the rise and fall of Pantera in the pages of 2013’s Official Truth 101 Proof.4. Dave Gahan
Going from one end of the musical spectrum to the other, Dave Gahan has been the lead singer and driving force behind the pop band Depeche Mode for nearly 35 years. Depeche Mode is one of the most popular bands in western Europe, putting 50 singles and a dozen albums on the UK charts alone. In 1996 Gahan overdosed on heroin and cocaine and for two minutes was dead. His recollection of his death? He saw only darkness and “it scared the (crap) out of me.” With the usual stories of addiction rounding out Gahan’s biography, including one where paramedics nicknamed him “the Cat” because they had gone to his house so many times they gave him the gratuitous nine lives moniker, Gahan also tried multiple times to clean up, putting out solo efforts and staying prolific with Depeche Mode, never going more than four years without a release. Today Gahan’s health problems are those of the run-of-the-mill 50 year old: torn muscles and gastroenteritis.3. Ozzy Osbourne
When you think of obscene amounts of drug abuse across a lifetime, the first two names that probably pop into your head are Ozzy Osbourne and Keith Richards. Guess what? Ozzy Osbourne did die in 2003 due to… an ATV accident? The story is that Ozzy was horsing around on an ATV when it flipped up and landed on him, breaking eight of his ribs amongst other injuries. Ozzy recovered to do yet another stint at Ozzfest. Staying busy touring to promote new solo efforts and even re-uniting with Black Sabbath to release 13, it seems like Ozzy is never far from the spotlight. Ozzy posted online during 2013 that he had lapsed back into drug and alcohol habits. Now that Ozzy is 65, maybe he should settle on moderation as opposed to quitting. Besides his reality TV show The Osbournes, Ozzy wrote an autobiography in 2009 titled I Am Ozzy and the ghost writer said there was so much material left out that there was probably going to be an I Am Ozzy 2. And don’t forget Ozzy’s documentary God Bless Ozzy.2. Nikki Sixx
Bassist and songwriter Nikki Sixx of Motley Crüe fame was once more well known for ingesting copious amounts of drugs than his work with the Crüe. As outlined in his 2007 autobiography The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, Sixx died in the clutches of addiction in 1987, only to be revived by two adrenaline shots. Instead of hiding from this fact, Sixx wrote the Grammy-nominated “Kickstart My Heart” a year later. Not only does it seem like “Kickstart” is more popular today than when it was written, but Sixx is on a two year farewell tour with Motley Crüe, started his own successful band Sixx AM, has his own clothing line, has his own radio show, and still writes and produces material for other artists. What’s even more amazing is that Denis Leary once said “you could lock Motley Crüe in a room with two tons of (drugs) and they’d come out half an hour later, goin’ ‘Rock on Man.’” Sure enough, all four original members are circling the globe as you read this.1. Al Jourgensen
When promoting his excellent book Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen, Jourgensen admitted that he, in fact, died three times across the span of his lifetime. Seemingly each time he came back to life he hated George Bush and Ministry bandmate Paul Barker more, and became more prolific at releasing material. Despite a high water mark in the early ’90s Ministry never went away, spewing industrial music to a loyal fanbase. All Jourgensen’s deaths were substance abuse related, and even though his friend and bandmate Mike Scaccia died in 2012, Jourgensen plans on touring in support of 2013’s From Beer to Eternity release. When discussing rock biographies, it’s hard to top The Lost Gospels when it comes to amazing stories, whether it’s Jourgensen’s unlikely friendship with fellow junkie and author William S. Burroughs, where Jourgensen happened to be the night River Phoenix died, or even his encounter with aliens as a child. He uses brutal candor when talking about the quality of some of his releases, the 13 proper Ministry albums, the half-dozen live albums, the remixes, the side projects, the compilations, producer credits, and the time he dated Aimee Mann from ‘Til Tuesday. Oh, and he seems to have a healthy disdain for music writers. It’s a safe bet that he would hate this article.
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