DAVID FOSTER WALLACE, IN HIS OWN WORDS A cache of over 40 letters reveals the artist’s humour and imagination ... From THE ECONOMIST online When René Magritte was 13 years old, his mother drowned herself in a local river. When the body was recovered her face was found to be covered with her nightdress. No one knew whether she had deliberately shielded her eyes from death or if the river current had simply veiled her face. Magritte had begun painting a year earlier. He would become obsessed with the hidden. For nearly a century fans of Magritte have studied his works, determined to find hidden meanings within them. The letters, most of which are undated and not included in the collection that was published in 1994, span more than 20 years and cover a wide range of topics—artistic, literary and surreal. Magritte had met the pretty Georgette Berger when they were both schoolchildren. The artist and the poet had met three years earlier and quickly became close friends. In writing, Magritte is unremittingly cheery.
Researchers now able to stop, restart light By William J. Cromie Gazette Staff "Two years ago we slowed it down to 38 miles an hour; now we've been able to park it then bring it back up to full speed." Lene Hau isn't talking about a used motorbike, but about light – that ethereal, life-sustaining stuff that normally travels 93 million miles from the sun in about eight minutes. Less than five years ago, the speed of light was considered one of the universe's great constants. Albert Einstein theorized that light cannot travel faster than 186,282 miles per second. Hau, 41, a professor of physics at Harvard, admits that the famous genius would "probably be stunned" at the results of her experiments. "It's nifty to look into the chamber and see a clump of ultracold atoms floating there," Hau says. She and her team continued to tweak their system until they finally brought light to a complete stop. "We didn't have much contact," she notes, "just a few e-mails." Stopping cold Hau and her group then figured out a way to make it work.
15 Awesome Inspirational Quotes by Celebrities and Famous People Let these words of greatminds inspire you and help you to achieve your goals and live a fulfilling life. (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source unknown) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) (Image Source) Have something to say about this post? The future is brighter than you think Peter Diamandis says too much focus is placed on negative newsHe says the truth is that the world is poised for abundance through innovationDiamandis: Social changes have vastly increased wealth, reduced disease and violenceHe says smart phones put knowledge, tools in the hands of billions around the world Editor's note: Peter Diamandis is an expert on innovation, the author of "Abundance," and founder and chief executive of the X PRIZE Foundation, a nonprofit focused on creating large incentive prizes to drive breakthroughs. He spoke at the TED2012 conference in February. TED is a nonprofit dedicated to "Ideas worth spreading" which it makes available through talks posted on its website (CNN) -- I've been talking to corporate groups a lot lately about the idea that the future is going to be better than many of us think -- that we will live in a world of abundance made possible by new technology. Here are some of the things that aren't getting attention: Peter Diamandis speaks at TED2012.
Not-quite-so elementary, my dear electron Electrons in atoms behave like waves, and when researchers excite them to higher orbits, those waves can split up, revealing the constituent characteristics of the electron. In a feat of technical mastery, condensed-matter physicists have managed to detect the elusive third constituent of an electron — its 'orbiton'. The achievement could help to resolve a long-standing mystery about the origin of high-temperature superconductivity, and aid in the construction of quantum computers. Isolated electrons cannot be split into smaller components, earning them the designation of a fundamental particle. But in the 1980s, physicists predicted that electrons in a one-dimensional chain of atoms could be split into three quasiparticles: a ‘holon’ carrying the electron’s charge, a ‘spinon’ carrying its spin (an intrinsic quantum property related to magnetism) and an ‘orbiton’ carrying its orbital location1. In 1996, physicists split an electron into a holon and spinon2.
Sex Diaries Editor Gets Personally Inspired by the Diarists It began with the hedge fund guy who crossed state lines for sex. When I read his sex diary, my expectations were low; they sunk to a nadir when I opened the e-mail introducing his submission: I am a loyal reader, and this diary combines a decent week sexually with an insight into a complex psyche, if I say so myself. A self-centered finance guy. Joy. His was the 150th diary I'd read; the other 110 or so were by women in my demographic: late twenties, child-free, with the time and inclination to respond to my ads seeking diarists, usually spending a week hanging off various Manhattan and Brooklyn chandeliers, often fueled by a combination of alcohol, cocaine, and breakup. The finance guys were also all the same: pre-dawn CNBC market check, job, home, porn, sexting with women, not enough sleep—all of which they found fascinating. Overnight bag packed. Well. My modus operandi is simple. When my egg timer dinged, I kept reading. I told my shrink that I think I am a misogynist.
Scientists Discover The Oldest, Largest Body Of Water In Existence--In Space Scientists have found the biggest and oldest reservoir of water ever--so large and so old, it’s almost impossible to describe. The water is out in space, a place we used to think of as desolate and desert dry, but it's turning out to be pretty lush. Researchers found a lake of water so large that it could provide each person on Earth an entire planet’s worth of water--20,000 times over. Yes, so much water out there in space that it could supply each one of us all the water on Earth--Niagara Falls, the Pacific Ocean, the polar ice caps, the puddle in the bottom of the canoe you forgot to flip over--20,000 times over. The water is in a cloud around a huge black hole that is in the process of sucking in matter and spraying out energy (such an active black hole is called a quasar), and the waves of energy the black hole releases make water by literally knocking hydrogen and oxygen atoms together. The new cloud of water is enough to supply 28 galaxies with water.
Peter Weyland at TED2023: I will change the world Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade. Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow. Conceived and designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Luke Scott. Sir Peter Weyland was born in Mumbai, India at the turn of the Millennium. In less than a decade, Weyland Corporation became a worldwide leader in emerging technologies and launched the first privatized industrial mission to leave the planet Earth.
Physics Flash Animations We have been increasingly using Flash animations for illustrating Physics content. This page provides access to those animations which may be of general interest. The animations will appear in a separate window. The animations are sorted by category, and the file size of each animation is included in the listing. Also included is the minimum version of the Flash player that is required; the player is available free from The categories are: In addition, I have prepared a small tutorial in using Flash to do Physics animations. LInks to versions of these animations in other languages, other links, and license information appear towards the bottom of this page. The Animations There are 99 animations listed below. Other Languages and Links These animations have been translated into Catalan, Spanish and Basque: En aquest enllaç podeu trobar la versió al català de les animacions Flash de Física.
40 Photo-Illustrated Questions to Refocus Your Mind Asking the right questions is the answer… It’s not the answers you get from others that will help you, but the questions you ask of yourself. Here are 40 thought-provoking questions to help you refresh and refocus your thinking: Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Also, check out our sister site, Thought Questions, for more photo-illustrated questions like these; and check out The Book of Questions if you’re interested in reading even more inspiring, thought-provoking questions.Title photo by: Helga Weber For all other photo credits please refer to ThoughtQuestions.com Related 40 Questions Everyone is Afraid to Ask Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. April 13, 2012 In "Aspirations" 40 Questions that Will Quiet Your Mind Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers … because asking the right questions is the answer. August 5, 2015 In "Happiness" 25 Photo-Illustrated Reminders to Help You Find Happiness