So it begins. As reported today by the BBC, researchers at IBM’s Almaden labs have created a supercomputer simulation that attempts to replicate a mouse’s brain. Doesn’t sound too impressive at first, but when you consider that the average mouse brain has over 8 million neurons, each capable of up to 8,000 synaptic linkages, you begin to see how daunting a task it really is. Even using the most powerful supercomputer on the planet, the IBM BlueGene L, they are only able to simulate half of a mouse’s brain, and only for 10 seconds at 1/10th real-time. Running it longer risks some sort of meltdown. What exactly do they mean by simulate, anyway?

On other smaller simulations the researchers said they had seen “biologically consistent dynamical properties” emerge as nerve impulses flowed through the virtual cortex.

In these other tests the team saw the groups of neurons form spontaneously into groups. They also saw nerves in the simulated synapses firing in a ways similar to the staggered, co-ordinated patterns seen in nature.

Hmmm. When this line of research eventually converges with the work in computer programming, neural nets and “AI” logic, it’s only a matter of time until we get humanoid butler units running amuck in our Orgasmitrons.

Find the ull story here:
BBC NEWS | Technology | Mouse brain simulated on computer

Scientists from the Geneva Observatory today announced the existence of the first extra-solar planet that is very likely to contain water. Orbiting the star Gliese 581 in the constellation Libra, this planet appears roughly 1.5 times the size of earth, and while it orbits very close to its sun it appears to attain a “habitable” status of 0-40 degress Celsius because Gliese 581 is much older, smaller and cooler than dear old Sol. At those temperatures, water can exist in liquid form and if it’s present, this planet could support life. What kind of life is another matter, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Of course, because the sun is small and cool, it’s that much closer to failing and eventually going nova. At 20 light years distant, we’re not going to be travelling there anytime soon. Current obsevations of Gliese 581 c remain very speculative. According to the report, it could be a planet covered in oceans or mountainous rocks. How’d they find it? -

Gliese 581 was identified at the European Southern Observatory (Eso) facility at La Silla in the Atacama Desert.

To make their discovery, researchers used a very sensitive instrument that can measure tiny changes in the velocity of a star as it experiences the gravitational tug of a nearby planet.

Yes, I made that word up, but it seems to capture the essence of what makes Scott Mutter’s photomontages so compelling. Mind you, his is classic photomontage, the combination of two or more film negatives exposed on paper to create surreal, or as he calls it, “surrational”, expressions of the world we live in. I’ve owned his book “Surrational Images” for years now and often get lost in its pages. Please, go check out his site by clicking the photo and peruse these amazing images.

According to this gentleman, Dr. Merkola, it turns out that Tofu is not the happy go lucky wonder chow we all thought. He suggests that Tofu actually inhibits the digestion of protein, that it leads to an excess of estrogens, and that it causes thyroid problems. Of course, he uses actual medical and biochemical descriptions of all this, so it’s best to hear him describe it himself. Tempeh and other fermented soy foods are fine apparently, it’s just unfermented soy like Tofu that one should shun.

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=mwzl7slcps

Here’s some intriguing video of a computer system that seems to integrate some new optical storage with processing, display and data manipulation. I can’t explain it, nor do I know where it’s from or if it’s even legit, but hey, it’s still attention getting. Enjoy.

Niftyness defined

Here’s some more video of the intensely exciting multi-touch interactive computer displays. Check out what these guys can do simultaneously with data, images, maps, graphics etc. I suspect one would feel like Lex Luthor taking this thing out for a spin….