mcdspot

Excellent review by Gary Kasparov of a new book on computers and how they have changed the world of chess.

…Perhaps a real version of HAL 9000 would simply announce move 1.e4, with checkmate in, say, 38,484 moves.

Make a Google montage out of any word you can think of.

and again:

via Wired:

“The scaly-foot snail’s shell employs a structure “unlike any other known mollusk or any other known natural armor,” the researchers report…Ortiz and her colleagues found that the shell consists of a 250-micrometer-thick inner layer of aragonite, a common shell material, sheathed in a 150-micrometer-thick layer of squishy organic materials. The organic layer is encased in a thin, stiff outer layer (about 30 micrometers thick) made of hard iron sulfide–based scales. The gastropod wears larger versions of the scales on its exposed foot.”

via sg51

This is the greatest tribute to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe I have ever seen. Maybe “greatest” isn’t the right word.

5 Jokes About The Apparent Eagerness Of Certain Democratic Members Of Congress To Abandon Health Care Reform In Light Of Scott Brown’s Electoral Victory

Google Maps has updated their map of Haiti, and it is impressively depressing.

View Larger Map

via sumijam

Mat Honan linked to this gruesome video of police brutality on cyclists in Denmark. Warning: do not watch if easily offended by hugs.

Oceans of liquid diamond, filled with solid diamond icebergs, could be floating on Neptune and Uranus, according to a recent article in the journal Nature Physics.

This is a fascinating house.

This is amazing. According to a Wall Street Journal study of four recent broadcasts, and similar estimates by researchers, the average amount of time the ball is in play on the field during an NFL game is about 11 minutes.

Zoe and Doyle make interesting wedding rings.

The next time I hear Republicans sputtering about the increased deficit, I’m just going to hand them a copy of this piece by David Axelrod.

In response to Robertson’s stupid quote about Haiti, Satan has prepared a response.

The Kunyu Wanguo Quantu or “Map of the Myriad Countries of the World” was made in 1602 and shows an astounding grasp of geography, unheard of in that age. This is one of the most significant maps in existence.

..in so many ways.