amudu

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

"Fragile Earth" App Slides Time to Show the Ravages of Climate Change and Development

Fragile Earth App HarperCollins

Fragile Earth, new in the App Store this week, is a simple idea, and it's actually executed simply as well--two or more photos of the same place over time, with a slider so you can see how it looks in the past. But these are places that have been utterly changed by major, unstoppable forces: time, industrialization, development, and climate change.

The app, available until April 29th for $0.99, has versions for both iPhone and iPad, and it's optimized for the new iPad's Retina screen. There are currently 73 different locations, split up into categories like "Natural Phenomena," "Warming World," "Man's Impact," and "Wild Weather." The specific locations can be filtered by date, theme, or region. Once you tap through to a specific image, you'll get the image in fullscreen, with a tap-to-show bar at the bottom of the screen that gives more information about what you're seeing. In the middle of the image(s) is a sliding bar that lets you swipe back and forth to see how the location has changed. It looks pretty much like this, only bigger, prettier, and sometimes with more than two included images (you can see the app in action here). Just slide the bar in the middle of the image back and forth to see things change:

The idea behind the app isn't specifically about man's impact or climate change, though that's definitely a major part of it. There are plenty of natural disasters--one of the most jarring is the depiction of Hurricane Katrina's destruction in New Orleans. Scenes range from the dying Aral Sea in Central Asia to the Indonesian tsunami to deforestation in the Amazon to the expansion of a blinking desert city in Las Vegas.

We wish the app was maybe a little less barebones, though it's possible we're spoiled by the extremely flashy Wonders of the Universe, the last app we looked at. And the starkness of the app definitely brings some gravity to these images, a kind of "we're not messing around--this is a big deal" kind of feeling.

Fragile Earth is available in the App Store now.

Lovely Effects Of Smoke in Dark

Lovely EffectIn New Quantum Experiment, Effect Happens Before Causes Of Smoke in Dark

By Paul Adams

Four Particles Jon Heras, Equinox Graphics Ltd.

A real-world demonstration of a thought experiment conducted at the University of Vienna has produced a result that is somewhat befuddling to people with what the lead researcher calls a "naïve classical world view." Two pairs of particles are either quantum-entangled or not. One person makes the decision as to whether to entangle them or not, and another pair of people measure the particles to see whether they're entangled or not.

The head-scratcher is: the measurement is made before the decision is made, and it is accurate. "Classical correlations can be decided after they are measured," says Xiao-song Ma, the writer of the study. Entanglement can be created "after the entangled particles have been measured and may no longer exist."

The finding can be integrated into potential quantum computers, one hopes. Causality, clearly, is a quaint, irrelevant concept.

[Nature]

Accepting The Offer

“There is no need of material qualifications for making progress on the path of spiritual realization. In the material world, when one accepts some particular type of service, he is required to possess some particular type of qualification also. Without this one is unfit for such service. But in the devotional service of the Lord the only qualification required is surrender.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.7.46 Purport)

It’s time to look for a new job. Either you’re no longer pleased at the place you currently work or necessity dictates that you must move on to somewhere else. Ah, but changing may not be so easy. You have to look for an open position and then interview for it. The employers aren’t necessarily seeking someone who is loyal, dependable, and can learn new things quickly. They’d rather have someone who is supremely skilled in the area of interest, someone who can take the ball and run with it on day one. Because of this requirement, they will grill prospective candidates, eliminating them based on any perceived flaw. Thus the positions sometimes remain unfilled due to the requirements. A lack of qualified candidates will be the reason given by the employers for the persistent vacancy, while the workers are left to keep looking in hopes of finding that perfect slot.

In devotional life, which features the purified version of everything, including work, there is one position that is always open. For each individual this spot is available, and just because one person takes it up doesn’t mean that others are eliminated from candidacy. If there is a single pizza pie laying on the kitchen table, should someone eat the entire thing, nothing will be left for anyone else. In the realm governed by the creator of spirit and matter, there are no such hard and fast rules. One minus one can equal three when it comes to His rules, and so a singular position becomes multiple through His will.

Yet the issue is that no one wants to fill the position. Its qualifications aren’t too stringent either. If you’re looking for a job in technology, you will likely get a technical interview prior to being added on. The questions can range from the basics on the subject to the deepest nuances of the programming language or piece of technology you are purportedly familiar with. You may have used that technology every day for the past many years, but if you don’t know the answers to the questions asked of you, the employer will think that you are not capable.

The screening process with the position offered by the wealthiest person in the world is not so stringent. He simply asks that you have a desire to offer time, to lend an ear to transcendental topics in a submissive mood. Who isn’t qualified for this? A child lends time to hearing by watching children’s television series likeSesame Street and Barney. The retired person also spends much time in front of the television, watching and hearing. Why then shouldn’t they take a position that pays the most in return, that allows you to work from home, in the car, on the road, or at the office? Why wouldn’t you want to take this wonderful job that is unbelievably rewarding at the same time?

So why does no one accept this position? The issue boils down to ownership. The living being would rather falsely think they are the owners of everything, including their fate. Though the flaw of this reasoning is exposed in every step in life, still the belief is there that through just enough manipulation of matter the proper conditions can be found. “Let me work for x number of years so that I can sit down and retire after that. Let me earn some more money so that I won’t have to worry about anything ever again.”

Yet to pursue those goals one must work for a living, which involves serving a higher entity. The person may not be any better than you are, but in the realm of business they are in the superior position and you are in the inferior one. Even the owner of the company has to provide service to the customers, be they people in a store or a large business interested in purchasing the product or service offered. Thus there is no question of full autonomy. Rather, there is complete reliance on the efforts of others. Through the illusion fostered by material nature, the living being doesn’t recognize this fact, that they are forced to accommodate the direction of other people who may or may not have their best interests at heart.

Taking the position with the highest living being is also difficult because not much is known about Him, at least in the beginning. There are competing and sometimes contradicting visions of the Supreme Lord, and they don’t all portray Him to be nice. Sometimes He is depicted as angry and vengeful, while other times His personality is denied. “If you do worship a God, perhaps you should dedicate your life to praying for things. Instead of relying on your bosses and customers to give you happiness, run to the house of worship and pray as sincerely as you can.”

Yet the true position of the Supreme Personality has no relation to these things. The job He has open is not for securing the necessities of life which are already provided to the lower species like the animals. The living entities are naturally prone to working. There is a vibrant spirit within each entity for a reason. With that active spirit comes a potential for action, which produces fruits. Instead of toiling to get temporary rewards that are short-lived in the happiness they provide, why not take to a lifetime engagement that you are already qualified for?

That full-time role is known as servant of God. One accepts the position by first hearing about it. Lend an ear to transcendental discourses about Bhagavan, whose original form is so attractive that He is addressed as Krishna. Krishna is the origin of life and matter, the supreme enjoyer, and the best friend of the living entities. Working with your friends is not always the best idea, as they can take advantage of your relationship, using it as an excuse to put in a lackluster effort. They might also get offended if you correct their mistakes using a stern tone.

Working for Krishna does not have these issues. In fact, the more you work for Him, the more your friendship with Him strengthens. In the highest state of service, the worshiper cannot be stopped from offering their love. Should Krishna desire you to cease and desist, you will continue anyway, in spite of what He says. The gopis of Vrindavana loved Krishna in this way, and He was forced to admit that there was no way for Him, the all-powerful Supreme Lord, to repay their kindness.

Hearing about Krishna plants the seed of devotion, which is then watered through actual practice of bhakti-yoga, ordevotional service. This is the work portion of the position. You get hired simply by hearing, and you maintain your status as an employed worker by regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. The hours of operation are flexible, but the recommendation of the hiring manager is that you chant this mantra at least sixteen rounds a day on a set of japa beads. You pick when you want to chant, but you should nevertheless make sure that the rounds are completed each day.

During the training period, perhaps you can’t do sixteen rounds a day, but you should at least do one or two, successively adding rounds to the routine as you progress. There are also some workplace rules that you should abide by. In the office establishment perhaps you’re not allowed to go on the internet or take breaks that are too long. This is to ensure optimal working conditions, where your productivity will not be hindered. Along similar lines, to get the true effect from chanting, one should refrain from meat eating, gambling, intoxication andillicit sex.

Let’s say that you reach the threshold of sixteen rounds of chanting each day. Then what? Can you get promoted? Where do you go from there? Is there another job that you jump to? Actually, the more one practices bhakti the more they enjoy it. The more one gives service to Krishna, the more their love for Him grows. Isn’t that how an ideal job should operate? Shouldn’t you love going to work every day and miss it when you have a day off?

Shri Krishna keeps the position open, just waiting for you to fill it. A deluded consciousness stuck in an endless pit of sense gratification and fear over the temporary nature of things precludes one from voluntarily taking up service to Krishna, but at any time the necessary change in attitude can come. Therefore the exalted Vaishnava acharyas take up the difficult job of actively recruiting new employees, knowing full well that every person really wants to serve God, but they just may not be aware of it. Through the sound of the holy name, hearing about the Supreme Lord, the spark of devotion can be ignited, and an army of transcendentalists can soon take up their real occupational duty: devotional service.

In Closing:

To land a new job you may be hoping,

Have to then search for one that is open.

Candidate must be qualified for the position,

Thus grilled with questions like an inquisition.

To give right answers your hopes depend upon,

If you fail the test, chance for new job gone.

Shri Krishna keeps best job open for you,

Only requirement is hearing in right mood.

Though it’s open to all, no one seems to want it,

But take it when you’re ready, you won’t regret it.

Stunning Examples of Macro Photography

Macro photography is close-up photography, typically of very tiny subjects. Classically a macro photography is one in which the size of the subject on the negative is greater than life size. Photography can serve as a nice source of inspiration.

The word �macro� is used very insecurely and tends to mean any photographic situation where you get close to the theme. Real macro photography is where you are working around 1:1 ratio and closer thereby giving an image on film that is equal in size or larger than the subject being photographed. Macro photography is close-up photography.

There are many ways to attack macro photography and some are much more luxurious than others. Here in this showcase, we present a stunning collection of macro photography taken byOleg Serkiz. Have a Look!

Study Finds Surprising Arctic Methane Emission Source

A new airborne study with NASA contributions measured surprising levels of the potent greenhouse gas methane coming from cracks in Arctic sea ice and areas of partial sea ice cover. This image was taken over the Arctic Ocean at a latitude of approximately 71 degrees North on April 15, 2010. (Credit: NASA/JPL) Science Daily — The fragile and rapidly changing Arctic region is home to large reservoirs of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. As Earth's climate warms, the methane, frozen in reservoirs stored in Arctic tundra soils or marine sediments, is vulnerable to being released into the atmosphere, where it can add to global warming. Now a multi-institutional study by Eric Kort of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., has uncovered a surprising and potentially important new source of Arctic methane: the ocean itself.

Kort, a JPL postdoctoral scholar affiliated with the Keck Institute of Space Studies at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, led the analysis while he was a student at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. The study was conducted as part of the HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) airborne campaign, which flew a specially instrumented National Science Foundation (NSF)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Gulfstream V aircraft over the Pacific Ocean from nearly pole to pole, collecting atmospheric measurements from Earth's surface to an altitude of 8.7 miles (14 kilometers). The campaign, primarily funded by NSF with additional funding from NCAR, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was designed to improve our understanding of where greenhouse gases are originating and being stored in the Earth system.

During five HIPPO flights over the Arctic from 2009 to 2010, Kort's team observed increased methane levels while flying at low altitudes over the remote Arctic Ocean, north of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The methane level was about one-half percent larger than normal background levels.

But where was the methane coming from? The team detected no carbon monoxide in the atmosphere that would point to possible contributions from human combustion activities. In addition, based on the time of year, location and nature of the emissions, it was extremely unlikely the methane was coming from high-latitude wetlands or geologic reservoirs.

By comparing locations of the enhanced methane levels with airborne measurements of carbon monoxide, water vapor and ozone, they pinpointed a source: the ocean surface, through cracks in Arctic sea ice and areas of partial sea ice cover. The cracks expose open Arctic seawater, allowing the ocean to interact with the air, and methane in the surface waters to escape into the atmosphere. The team detected no enhanced methane levels when flying over areas of solid ice.

Kort said previous studies by others had measured high concentrations of methane in Arctic surface waters, but before now no one had predicted that these enhanced levels of ocean methane would find their way to the overlying atmosphere.

So how is the methane being produced? The scientists aren't yet sure, but Kort hinted biological production from living things in Arctic surface waters may be a likely culprit. "It's possible that as large areas of sea ice melt and expose more ocean water, methane production may increase, leading to larger methane emissions," he said. He said future studies will be needed to understand the enhanced methane levels and associated emission processes and to measure their total contribution to overall Arctic methane levels.

"While the methane levels we detected weren't particularly large, the potential source region, the Arctic Ocean, is vast, so our finding could represent a noticeable new global source of methane," he added. "As Arctic sea ice cover continues to decline in a warming climate, this source of methane may well increase. It's important that we recognize the potential contribution from this source of methane to avoid falsely interpreting any changes observed in Arctic methane levels in the future."

The study, published April 22 in Nature Geoscience, included participation from JPL and Caltech; NSF, Arlington, Va.; NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colo.; the University of Colorado's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder; Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.; Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia; and Science and Technology Corporation, Boulder, Colo. JPL is a division of Caltech.

Following Life's Chemistry to the Earliest Branches On the Tree of Life

Phylometabolic tree of carbon fixation. Each small black network represents a carbon-fixation pathway, and the tree describes the evolutionary process that connects them. In red are identified environmental driving forces. Through integrating phylogenetics with metabolic constraints, phylometabolic analysis allows a clear description down to the root of the tree, and shows how carbon-fixation structured the deep history of life on Earth. (Credit: Braakman and Smith, doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002455.g005)

Science Daily — In a study published in PLoS Computational Biology, the Santa Fe Institute's Rogier Braakman and D. Eric Smith map the development of life-sustaining chemistry to the history of early life and trace six methods of carbon fixation seen in modern life back to a single ancestral form.

Carbon fixation -- life's mechanism for making carbon dioxide biologically useful -- forms the biggest bridge between Earth's non-living chemistry and its living biosphere. All organisms that fix carbon do so in one of six ways. These six mechanisms have overlaps, but it was previously unclear which of the six types came first, and how their development interweaved with environmental and biological changes.

The authors used a method that creates "trees" of evolutionary relatedness based on genetic sequences and metabolic traits. From this, they were able to reconstruct the complete early evolutionary history of biological carbon-fixation, relating all ways in which life today performs this function.

The earliest form of carbon fixation identified by scientists achieved a special kind of built-in robustness -- not seen in modern cells -- by layering multiple carbon-fixing mechanisms. This redundancy allowed early life to compensate for a lack of refined control over its internal chemistry, and formed a template for the later splits that created the earliest major branches in the tree of life.

For example, the first major life-form split came with the earliest appearance of oxygen on Earth, causing the ancestors of blue-green algae and most other bacteria to separate from the branch that includes Archaea, which, outside of bacteria, are the other major early group of single-celled microorganisms.

"It seems likely that the earliest cells were rickety assemblies whose parts were constantly malfunctioning and breaking down," explains Smith, an SFI External Professor. "How can any metabolism be sustained with such shaky support? The key is concurrent and constant redundancy."

Once early cells had more refined enzymes and membranes, allowing greater control over metabolic chemistry, environmental driving forces directed life's unfolding. These forces included changes in oxygen level and alkalinity, as well as minimization of the amount of energy (in the form of ATP) used to create biomass.

In other words, the environment drove major divergences in predictable ways -- in contrast to the common widely held belief that chance dominated evolutionary innovation and that rewinding and replaying the evolutionary tape would lead to an irreconcilably different tree of life.

"Mapping cell function onto genetic history gives us a clear picture of the physiology that led to the major foundational divergences of evolution," explains Braakman, an SFI Omidyar Fellow. "This highlights the central role of basic chemistry and physics in driving early evolution."

With the ancestral form uncovered and evolutionary drivers pinned to branching points in the tree, the researchers now want to make the study more mathematically formal and further analyze the early evolution of metabolism.

How childhood family income affects adulthood

A study from the University of Otago’s long-running Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) throws new light on a current issue; links between family income and other outcomes later in life such as health and educational achievement.

The study, by Dr Sheree Gibb and colleagues, just published in Social Science and Medicine investigated the impacts of family poverty on children up to the age of 10 years and how this is reflected in later life.

It shows that poverty and low income during childhood were associated in adolescence and adulthood with poorer educational achievement, lower earnings and higher rates of welfare dependency up to the age of 30. The results held true even when a range of childhood and family factors were taken into account.

“For this cohort of 987 individuals the major effects of being brought up in a poor family appear to be a significant reduction in both educational achievement and earning opportunities that was still evident at 30,” says Professor David Fergusson.

“In contrast the children of families who earned the top 25% in income are more likely to leave school with qualifications, more likely to go to university, earned $11,750 more a year at 30 and had rates of economic hardship less than a third of those in the bottom 25% in income.”

These results reflect a wide range of other international studies demonstrating that poverty in childhood has a negative impact on both educational achievement and earning power in adulthood.

According to the OECD (2011) around 15% of children in this country are now brought up in poverty, and New Zealand has a high level (around 20%) of academic lowachievers at secondary school.

The study also notes that the evidence suggests there is an intergenerational transmission of educational achievement, and economic improvement, whereby increasing family income is associated with increasing levels of economic and
educational success.

“But contrary to popular belief being brought up in a poor family in this study does not mean increased rates of crime or mental health problems in adulthood,” adds Professor Fergusson.

The contextual impact of factors relating to the individual, as well as the family and social environment, were adjusted to distinguish these from the direct impact of low family income.

When this was done it found that poverty and other family factors are not associated with increased rates of crime in adulthood, or mental health problems or related outcomes; but the reasons are not yet clear.

The study therefore suggests caution with regard to claims that reducing childhood poverty will also have a significant and direct effect on crime and other psychosocial outcomes in New Zealand.

“This suggests the most prudent approach to reducing these social problems is through the development of multi-compartmental policies that attempt to reduce childhood poverty as well as the complex psychosocial problems faced by many poor families,” says Fergusson.

Professor David Fergusson says that an important limitation of these findings is they are based on a cohort of 1200 children who grew up in the 1980s. It is not clear to what extent the results can be applied to contemporary cohorts of children in poor families.

Provided by University of Otago

"How childhood family income affects adulthood." April 24th, 2012. http://phys.org/news/2012-04-childhood-family-income-affects-adulthood.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek