CBC moves Moose Jaw to Alberta!

From a CBC.ca arts story this morning (here’s the link, but I would suspect this will be corrected soon, which is why I’ve appended the screen shot below)*: Vancouver writer Ivan E. Coyote, Moose Jaw, Alta.-based poet Daniel Scott Tysdal and Victoria’s Bill Gaston have won ReLit awards. Moose Jaw, Alta.? The whole town up …

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Photo of the Day that was Actually Taken Yesterday: Red

More photos here.

Putting the effect before the cause

It’s generally believed time travel into the past is impossible. Only…nobody can quite figure out why it’s impossible. So just maybe, it isn’t. John Cramer’s experiment to see if it’s possible to detect an effect before a cause is going ahead: University of Washington physicist (and science-fiction author) John Cramer is moving forward with his …

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Photo of the Day: Neighbourhood Sunset

More photos here.

Here’s hoping it works!

A universal ‘flu vaccine is in the first stage of human tests: This vaccine is intended to provide protection against all ‘A’ strains of the virus that causes human influenza, including pandemic strains.***At the moment, Phase I clinical trials on humans are underway – that is, the candidate vaccine is being administered to a small …

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A sleek, skin-tight spacesuit?

This could do wonders for space tourism (although the focus is on exploration). Not to mention science fiction movies. Called the BioSuit, and under development at MIT, it’s… “…a revolutionary departure from the traditional model. Instead of using gas pressurization, which exerts a force on the astronaut’s body to protect it from the vacuum of …

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Photo of the Day: My Fellow Canadians

No, I’m not announcing my candidacy for anything–although it certainly looks like I am, doesn’t it? Actually, this is a photo of me presenting the Willett Choral Award at the Western Christian College and High School graduation last month. It’s taken from the latest issue of the Western Christian Messenger.

On the pouring of ketchup

It’s not easy to find the perfect topic for a mid-summer science column, when people are more interested in getting to the lake, swimming in the pool, or barbecuing in the backyard than– Wait, wait. “Barbecuing in the backyard…” I think I’ve got it–the perfect summer science topic! Thanks to Robert Allgeyer, whose definitive paper …

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Robot receptionists

Would you like to be greeted at an office by one of these? Apparently these Mitsubishi-made robots, called Wakamaru, are being hired out as receptionists in Japan for $1,000 U.S. a day or $25,000 a year. According to Gizmodo: It turns out these goofy-looking yellow droids are pretty good at the job, recognizing faces and …

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The top ten transhumanist technologies

Here’s an interesting list of the top ten transhumanist technologies. The introduction (in case you’ve never heard of transhumanism): Transhumanists advocate the improvement of human capacities through advanced technology. Not just technology as in gadgets you get from Best Buy, but technology in the grander sense of strategies for eliminating disease, providing cheap but high-quality …

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Photo of the Day: The Kickoff

Kick-off for tonight’s Canadian Football League game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and B.C. Lions, as captured by my cellphone camera: Unfortunately, this was as close to winning as the Riders were all night. More (and better) photos here.

Tired of computer flight sims?

Now you can build your own Spitfire…from a kit. The importer of the packs, Kieran Padden, says that business is booming – and for many reasons. “It is so easy to fly,” he claims of the plane that costs a tenth of the original to buy. “Even old Spitfire pilots I have spoken to say …

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