Einstein on Stupidity
| April 5, 2012
Category: Need more MoPo? Check Out These Random Posts
Did life on Earth actually come from the Red Planet?
| April 5, 2012
Given the same raw materials, Mars would have been a better host for life to arise than Earth, which some scientists believe was too flooded for the chemistry of life to gain a toehold.
Without at least occasional dry land, the chemistry needed to get life started doesn’t work very well because the molecules to support genetics, such as RNA, are chemically unstable in many ways, particularly in water.
Twitter Won’t Hand Over Data on Occupy Wall Street Protester
| April 4, 2012
Barely two weeks after the New York District Attorney asked Twitter to hand over data about an Occupy Wall Street protester, the company says it will not comply with the request, at least for the time being.
The D.A.’s office had sent a subpoena to the microblogging service’s headquarters seeking information about the account belonging to Jeffrey Rae, one of several hundred activists arrested during an Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York on March 1.
What should be done about plastic bags?
| April 4, 2012
Every year 800,000 tonnes of so-called single-use plastic bags are used in the European Union – the average EU citizen used 191 of them in 2010, the Commission says, and only 6% were recycled.
More than four billion bags are thrown away each year.
“The impact of this plastic waste can be seen littering our landscape, threatening our wildlife and accumulating as ‘plastic soup’ in the Pacific Ocean, which may cover more than 15,000,000 sq km,” says Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik.
The Festival of Balloons 2012
| April 3, 2012
The Festival of Balloons, which extends from a World Convention, showcases the meticulous artwork (constructed from thousands of Qualatex-brand variety). The balloon constructions were on vivid display at the Sheraton Hotel.
What I learned from two months of living cashlessly.
| April 3, 2012
It all ended a few days ago, when I withdrew $120 from an ATM in the bodega on my corner. Two months of living cashlessly came to a close with that simple act. I plunked a $20 on the counter, bought a $1.50 soda—take that, $5 credit card minimum—and walked away with a sheaf of bills and a couple of quarters jingling in my pocket.
Life has admittedly been easier since then. I ordered without fear at the cash-only German beer hall in my neighborhood. I split a bar tab with friends and, for the first time in a while, didn’t make myself a nuisance.
