Peter Griffin • Mar 18, 2011 •
A graphic from Melbourne’s The Age newspaper that does a good job of explaining the effects of various doses of ionizing radiation on the body. Source: The Age … Read More
Chris McDowall • Mar 13, 2011 •
This video was made very quickly and could use some work. I post it here in case you find it interesting. I suggest you watch it full-screen, in high definition with scaling off. [vimeo width=”680″ height=”383″]http://vimeo.com/20966740[/vimeo] The animation depicts two and half months of 2011 USGS earthquake data. Blue circles represent deep seismic activity recordings (>= 40km deep). Read More
Peter Griffin • Mar 12, 2011 •
The devastation following the 8.9M earthquake in Japan and, closer to home, last month’s lethal quake in Christchurch has many asking what science is actually doing to find a way of forewarning of major earthquakes. Given the loss of life in high magnitude earthquakes and the resulting tsunamis, it is indeed something that ought to be taken … Read More
Gareth Renowden • Dec 06, 2010 •
Oxfam NZ’s Barry Coates continues his series of on the spot reports from Cancún: in this episode, he looks at the way international negotiations work… Negotiations have picked up pace in Cancún. But it is impossible not to feel frustrated with how long it has taken to get to this point. The problem is not [...] … Read More
Motoko Kakubayashi • Oct 22, 2010 •
A visitor gives MetaCookie+ a go Being able to transform a simple cookie into chocolate, strawberries, or even mushrooms is not magic, it’s science according to Tokyo University researchers who showcased their latest invention at a technology event in Japan last week. The MetaCookie+ is a virtual tasting headgear set where multiple hoses send the smell of a particular food … Read More
Motoko Kakubayashi • Oct 01, 2010 •
It recognises you, talks to you, and reminds you about that hair appointment at 2pm. Usually there’s a catch somewhere if you expected this from a person, but the Japanese researchers have developed a robot programmed only to help you, and unveiled it for the first time on September 24. Created to aid people with mild memory loss or dementia, … Read More
Motoko Kakubayashi • Jul 13, 2010 •
To celebrate this year’s star festival, 50,000 LED lights were released into an Osaka river to depict the real stars which are usually blinded by city lights. "The Legend of Osaka Amanogawa" event in Osaka, Japan July 7 marks Tanabata, a summer night festival celebrating the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi, two lovers separated by a river of stars, the Milky … Read More
John Nixon • Jun 09, 2010 •
More and more, reliable and fast broadband access becomes a must for the traveler. A week in South Korea, then a week in Japan should have proven a pleasure as we all know that these two countries have the highest densities of fibre broadband delivery in the world. The Ramada Gangnam Hotel in Seoul provided free broadband access, my only … Read More
Motoko Kakubayashi • Nov 13, 2009 •
First there was choosing colours, then ringtones, and now it is possible to individualise your mobile by smell. A new range of mobile phones that allows individuals to spray their favourite perfume onto a special chip embedded in the mobile has been unveiled by Japanese computer hardware and IT services company Fujitsu yesterday. The fragrance mobile comes with a … Read More
Hilary Miller • Sep 06, 2009 •
Japan kills over a hundred minke whales each year under the guise of “scientific whalingâ€, and much of the meat ends up in the commercial markets destined for Japanese dinner plates. Now a study just published in Animal Conservation indicates that a similar number of whales are killed as “bycatch†in Japanese coastal waters, [...] … Read More