Well, actually no as I’ve covered it once before. At the time (March 2010) I was fresh off of watching a video clip that had infuriated me. 60 Minutes had interviewed several scientists who had been involved with the 1980s announcement by Fleischmann and Pons of their – several times now proven – findings with a room temperature fusion reaction. The general consensus was that maybe, just maybe, the science actually worked and “oh, by the way” Fleischmann and Pons were perhaps the victims of some world class backstabbing. The resigned look of both bitterness and “I freaking told you so” on Fleischmann’s face says everything.
But, looking back from where the field is now in 2012 does provide a little hope. Dubbed “Low Energy Nuclear Reaction” or LENR now, cold fusion is bubbling back up to the mainstream.
I started hearing about LENR on some fringe-y sites here and there via the work of Dr. Andrea Rossi. His E-Cat system caught my eye – and the eye of researchers, industrialists and politicians from Sweden to Massachusetts. Skeptical myself, you can imagine my surprise when I started seeing it pop up in financial network reports. And presidential candidate interviews. And most recently in a ringing endorsement from NASA:
We could really use this one, Universe. Please don’t let me down.
I might just consider buying one of the lithographs from the 1969 illustrated Alice in Wonderland to which Salvador Dalí lent his talents, as pointed out by io9. Because, you see, they look like this:
In looking up the price of a copy of the actual book (not found), I also turned up a video or three about the project:
With Xmas time just around the corner, feel free to take this post into account when considering how best to splurge on me…
Though Autoblog is decidedly on the fence about these ads being run in print by Ducati’s Ecuadorian operation, I can say without hesitation that I like them unequivocally. It’s nice to see products like motorcycle’s being sold with a more sophisticated approach than just the usual humor, girls and big budget action sequences. Bravo, Ducati Ecuador, for not assuming your customers are grunting oafs.
Should this perfectly preserved, weirdly still-stocked 1988 Canadian BMW dealer ever open its doors to the public – and, more importantly, its storage area – I will be taking at least three days off work to embark on a pilgrimage. We can call it a religious obligation.
I kind of want all of these scientific field notes as prints for my walls. I’ve always loved the style and the way they are art that truly serves a purpose, even if just a personal one (mainly conveying information from site to office). I’ve also thought about getting a tattoo of a cryptid on several occasions and this is the exact aesthetic I’d want it to employ. This book on the topic (with lots of illustrations) may have just moved to the top of my coffee table list.
Not only is Audi not bringing us the newest A3 until model year 2013, they are now on the fence about whether to bring the Q3 (a 2012 in Europe) to the US until even later. This dithering has already swayed me to the Volvo camp for the next lease (test driving this Thursday to be sure) but now they are letting US auto journalists like Autoblogdrive the forbidden Q3?!
Audi, you are a cruel temptress. (And I think you know that.)
As someone who already regularly looks up videos on the iPad for the express purpose of showing them to one of the cats – and who has installed Cat Piano – you had better believe these little games from Friskies will be installed post-haste.
Really, though, Audi does. And it is beautiful in this “Samoa Orange” color – that we probably won’t get in the States because, you know, Gott forbid.
In fact, we may not get any Q3 here in the US at all, as Audi has apparently put its distribution “on hold” for America – whatever that means.
It’s a real shame because I am all over the Q3 if it makes it here by February 2012. Especially with this fantastic new interior design language (and because the 2012 A3 has recently become a 2013 A3 due to more Euro-first model planning).
