Those of us who first embraced Pokemon, bought ridiculous amounts of Pokemon cards, bought the different color video game releases, and watched the first episodes gleefully may never have stopped to realize the awful cost of our entertainment. Here to remind us of the pain and suffering inflicted to these poor creatures is artist Justin White AKA Jublin, who brings us his vision of the aftermath of a Poke battle.
Tags: pokemon
The “Song of Healing” from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask played by Youtube user Sp0ntanius on wine glasses. Enjoy!
[Via Kotaku]
[Via TechEblog]
When drawing up legislation or regulations covering recreational drugs, it’s important to get advice from scientists.
Until this week, I’d have considered that a statement of fact. It turns out it’s merely an opinion, and one not shared by the British government.
A proposed new law in the country would remove an existing requirement for scientists to be part of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACDM). That’s the committee that advises the Home Secretary (the government politician responsible for law and order issues) about which drugs should be banned and what the legal punishments should be.
The idea of the ACMD is to make sure the Home Secretary is given evidence about the medical effects of drugs, rather than merely making decisions on moral grounds or in response to public opinion. As it stands, the 20-strong committee is legally required to have four medical experts, including one with particular expertise in pharmacy.
As well as removing this requirement, the new proposals would also mean the Home Secretary would be allowed to ban a drug for up to one year without the need to either consult the ACMD or to gain the approval of Parliament.
The government claims the change is simply designed to allow more flexibility in appointing the committee. Critics argue it simply builds on the dismissal (under the previous government) of Professor David Nutt, who was fired from the committee last year after arguing that the current rankings of drugs in terms of seriousness under the law does not reflect the medical risk they pose to users. That led to several other members of the committee resigning in protest.
Nutt had previously attracted political and media criticism and been forced to apologize after highlighting evidence showing that somebody using MDMA (ecstasy) was considerably less likely to suffer medical harm than somebody riding a horse.
Tension between politicians and scientists continued criminalization of mephedrone (“miaow miaow”), which led to two further resignations from the ACMD by members who believed that the ban had not taken enough account of scientific evidence. One of those who resigned, Dr Polly Taylor, wrote to the then-Home Secretary saying “I feel that there is little more we can do to describe the importance of ensuring that advice is not subjected to a desire to please ministers or the mood of the day’s press.”
…and that’s one of the things that makes me REALLY glad to be a Canadian… along with our awesome health system. ;)
[Via Reddit]
NASA recently created this Universe tour using images from the Hubble Space Telescope and other sources, placing each of them in 3D space in relation to our viewing point. Check it out!
By Sterling “Chip” Camden
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
While manipulating the French Revolution for his own ends and conquering Europe in his spare time, Napoleon Bonaparte was first and foremost a geek at heart. He was passionate about science and math.
Napoleon remembered his early school days like many of us: “every one said of me: that boy is no good except at geometry. I was not very popular. I was dry as parchment.” Translation: math nerd.
In his early twenties, Napoleon would develop a love of astronomy that would last for the rest of his life. Even after becoming Emperor, he remained an active member of the prestigious Institut de France, First Class (science). He promoted and rewarded advances in the sciences during his reign — including an annual prize for new work in the emerging field of electricity.
Early in his miltary career (campaigning in Italy in 1796) Napoleon wrote:
Whenever I am able to render a service to science, I gratify my own feelings and am sure I am acquiring honour. Among all sciences astronomy is the one which has rendered the greatest services to reason and to commerce. To share the night between a beautiful woman and a lovely sky; to spend the day checking observation by calculation, — that is happiness on earth.
And that’s one world-conqueror who knew that geeks are sexy!
Quotations taken from The Corsican: A Diary of Napoleon’s Life in His Own Words, translated and edited by R.M. Johnston.
Yes, there’s a company that actually makes these beds. Apparently the one above will cost you above $15,000! Expensive? Well maybe, but hey, not everybody gets a chance to sleep in a bed named “Deep Space Fighter.”
[Via TDW]