Geeks Are Sexy Featured on Discovery News Podcast

By Jimmy Rogers (@me)
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

A few weeks ago we received a message from the fantastic guys over at the Discovery News Friday Feedbag podcast.  It seems one of their loyal listeners passed along a story of ours and they liked it so much they asked us if we’d like to do a little interview … we jumped at the chance!

Yesterday I sat down (via telephone) with Will, James, and Jorge and we spent about 20 minutes talking about bacon.  Ok, so we did broach some other topics such as cancer, sea slugs, and ribosomes, but I think bacon really took the cake (or brownie?).  If you want any of that to make sense you better listen to the episode!

*Here’s the page for the episode*

It was a real thrill to chat with these guys on the show and I encourage you all to subscribe to their podcast, as they put out some really fun and interesting stuff every week!  Also, don’t be surprised if you hear GAS on there again sometime….

P.S. – That story about the quadruplet ribosomes will take me a little bit to write, but look for it in the next week or so!



Steampunk Octopi for the Home by Anthropologie

One of my favorite things about steampunk in general is the aesthetic and combining it into my own decor. But it’s not just about brass, knobs, and beakers. No, because steampunk takes from the Victorian period, it draws on some really stunning designs in fabric, wood, and architecture in general.

The Steampunk Home is a fantastic blog that gleans the Internet for steampunk-themed design, often on a budget. I am continually drooling over their posts, and yesterday I was absolutely floored. The Steampunk Home profiled some octopus fabric and an octopus couch, from Anthropologie. Jaw-dropping gorgeous, I say, even if the price is completely out of reach! A gal can dream, right?

And, as they mention, if you really dig octopi, there’s a whole blog dedicated to their loveliness: Everything Octopus.

Sure, you may balk at the price of these particular items, but I bet some smart makers out there could reproduce these designs for a fraction of the cost, too. I mean, that’s what steampunk is all about.

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Read an RPG Book in Public Week

So apparently next week is the thrice-yearly Read an RPG Book in Public Week, in which roleplaying enthusiasts are encouraged to take their favorite rule books out to the coffee shop or bus stop and read them in public.

The point, according to the website, is to get roleplaying “out of the basement” and into the public eye – to give gamers an opportunity to answer questions about their hobby to those who stop to ask them what they’re reading. (As this is intended to be a positive thing, the website also suggests that readers steer clear of scarier titles like Kobolds Ate My Baby or, you know, reading Demon: The Fallen while in church.)

If any of you decide to try this experiment, let us know the results… I’d be interested to know if people really do get stopped just because they’re reading a monster manual in Starbucks.  Of course, maybe there should just be a “roleplay in public” week.  I once saw someone running a DnD campaign out of a Books-a-Million coffee shop, and they got more than a few odd looks.

[Image Source: heathbar (CC)]



Hot Pepper Science: Capsaicin and Pain Relief

capsaicinDuring the last month I’ve been on the hunt for good pain relief with this hand issue (see my last post if you’re just tuning in). After a very frustrating few weeks going back and forth between ibuprofen and naproxen sodium (Aleve, in brand name) I started to get really frustrated. The only part of me that hurt were my hands, and these medications weren’t really doing much to help. Why take a pill that doesn’t work and targets everything?

While perusing the local pain relief at the store about a week ago I came across a product I’d been interested in for a while: Capzasin, a topical analgesic derived from capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers hot. I’d read a lot about this chemical and its purported medical applications, but was a little leery about shelling out $10 for a small tube of anything. However, since I’d tried just about everything, I was willing to risk it, especially in the name of science. I mean, I’m a geek. The idea of hot peppers actually helping alleviate pain sort of feels like something out of a fantasy novel, or a poultice an alchemist might make in a D&D game. I’m totally about that.

Well, to my surprise (and relief) the product really worked. It hasn’t gotten rid of the pain entirely, but it certainly mitigates the real “high end” of carpal tunnel pain, making going about my daily activities a whole lot easier. It also has a warming sensation that’s very welcome. The only weird side-effect is that if I apply it too late in the evening, after I put my braces on my wrists at night, I can end up with a burning sensation (mine is very minor, but in some instances people with sensitive skin experience much more severe burning—definitely something to start small with if you suspect you might be prone to its effects). This is somewhat expected, as the label doesn’t recommend wrapping the area, but I have to keep my wrists straight at night. It’s tolerable and only happens sometimes. Also, it can linger on the fingers. So if you’re applying it with bare hands, it’s probably a good idea to skip the contact lenses for a while. I learned that one the hard way. Serious ouch.

According to Wikipedia, there are a myriad of medical applications for capsaicin and chili peppers in general, and currently it’s being tested for everything from weight loss to cardiovascular diseases. Whether or not it’s a wonder drug is still up for debate, but it’s definitely exciting and geeky. Looks like pain relief is just one of the many ways chili peppers can make our lives better… not to mention being a culinary goldmine!

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You Are Invited to a Funeral

Even though the date of death is March 1, 2010. If you cannot attend, you may leave your remembrances.

[via Metafilter]

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Planning for your pet’s care when you’re gone — way gone

By Sterling “Chip” Camden
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

In recent years, the web has draped its sticky silk over most of our lives.  There’s a web site now for just about every social interaction, business transaction, coming attraction, and useless distraction in which people may engage.  Yet startups still keep finding opportunities that have not been covered.

Sharon Moss identified one such need, and launched aftertherapturepetcare.com to fill it.  Many Christians believe in a literal interpretation of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, 4:16-17, which states that when Jesus returns, those believers who are still living will be caught up into the clouds to meet him in the air.  This passage doesn’t mention the beloved notion that all dogs go to heaven — much less cats, and forget about snakes.  So Christians who love their pets should plan ahead for their care during the seven years of tribulation that follow next in their pieced-together eschatology.  They should go register their pets at After the Rapture Pet Care, so arrangements can be made for them.

Sharon Moss is a believer in the rapture herself.  So who will take care of all these pets?  Why, volunteer unbelievers, of course.  Yes, they are volunteers.  They will not be paid, nor does the site collect any fees.  This is not a scam.  These people are serious.  Yes, they can be serious.

If you’re an unbeliever like me, you can register to be a pet caretaker in the unlikely event of a Rapture.  There’s no cost, and if you don’t believe in the rapture then there’s no risk either, other than sharing your information online.  You trusted Google Buzz, didn’t you?  Plus, it scores some points with your Christian friends, and shows them that atheists and agnostics aren’t all a bunch of cruel, hateful people with no values.  You have to wonder about what these Christians are thinking, though:  “It’s so nice of him to volunteer to care for little Miss Daisy, it’s really too bad he’s going to burn in hell forever.”

I can tell you, though, if a Rapture does occur I don’t think living up to my pet-sitting obligations would be high on my to-do list.

Speaking of which, I notice that phrase a lot on the site: “If the Rapture happens.”  That doesn’t sound very believer-like to me.  You’re supposed to say “When the Rapture happens,” not “If”.  Better watch out, Sharon, one little slip like that could cause the Great Pumpkin to pass you by!

Hat tip to Marian for the link.

Music for the Disembodied: Holographic Talking Heads by Neurosonics

You try and come up with a better headline. My first thought is that this looks like something out of a Futurama episode. The only way it would be any cooler is if they had used the cast of Star Trek as heads.

(via Neatorama)

iPhone System Headed to New Devices

Apple is reportedly planning to expand use of its iPhone operating system to new devices following the creation of the iPad. This could include a more intuitive system for Apple TV.

The news comes from a job posting by Apple for a rather cutely name position of “Engineering Manager (Platform Bring-Up)”, with the mention: “focused on bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms.”

That strategy certainly seems to make sense if, as looks likely, the iPad works well. (That’s in terms of how easy and reliable it is to use, not whether it has any real purpose or market.) If that’s the case, it would back Apple’s belief that it makes more sense to scale up the iPhone system than to scale down the desktop and notebook friendly OS X.

The success of the iPhone system is based on its appeal to both consumers and Apple itself. To the user, there’s no denying it generally runs very smoothly and intuitively, giving a feeling of control. To Apple it has the major advantage that the firm itself can control the process by which new applications are added to devices.

Speculation following the job posting is largely centered on bringing the iPhone system to Apple TV, the firm’s media streaming device which links in with iTunes. Running the iPhone system would mean it was much easier for developers to produce applications designed for running on a big screen, particularly those which rely on an internet connection. (Come on, we’ve got to have a Twitter feed sidebar running over live television.)

It’s also reported that Apple is planning to use the A4 chip system from the iPad in other devices. That would be particularly useful in Apple TV where it should be able to cope with streaming high-definition footage.