Big Action!

Just When You Figured You'd Thought of Everything To Be Scared Shitless About

The most powerful atom-smasher ever built could make some bizarre discoveries, such as invisible matter or extra dimensions in space, after it is switched on in August.  But some critics fear the Large Hadron Collider could exceed physicists' wildest conjectures: Will it spawn a black hole that could swallow Earth?

Faceoff

When Glenn was in town, we had a little bit of a disagreement over the election. He's sure Obama will win in a landslide. (Conversely, a conservative colleague thinks Obama will be eaten alive; a view shared by Hillary, apparently).

I think it's going to very close, like 2000, keep-Katherine-Harris-away-from-a-microphone close. And now there's what I consider a pretty respectable source backing me up:

Nate Silver analyzes statistics for Baseball Prospectus. But in his spare time, he started a Web site, fivethirtyeight.com, at which he developed an database of polls and electoral elections.  He checked their accuracy, weighted the results, and uses those corrections to come up with better poll averages. His current forecast: Obama up by a mere four electoral votes, and the two tied 50/50 for popular vote. Of course, a lot can change between now and November, but I wouldn't count either candidate out.

Silver was running the site anonymously until last week, I was thrilled when he agreed to write an interesting piece for The Post about his methodology.

(oh, and illustration by the talented Leah Tiscione).

Start Labeling

So: you're Google.  You access what's probably the world's largest photo archive.  Yet how the heck do you tag it all so it's searchable?  Wait...wait...YOU LET YOUR RABID USER BASE DO IT FOR YOU! 

I give unto you: Google Image Labeler.  It's a service!  It's a game!  It's the world's shortest crack high!  Cannot.  Stop.  Playing. 

Scientists create self-regenerating robot that's obviously going to kill us all

Valleywag just about sums that one up pretty nicely. 

Meet Ralexander, the most excellent embryo you have ever seen

Meet my new niece, or nephew.* It's too early to tell. Because he or she's only five weeks along. My brother called me at a brutal hour this morning to tell me that there is a new blastocyst in the family, or embryo, or zygote, or proto-fetus, or swimmy baby fish, or whatever stage a human is at five weeks.

My new -- and first -- niece or nephew is coming Jan. 3 or thereabouts. Let me get to the main point: (S)he is already a WORLD CLASS swimmy proto-baby-thing.

If a boy, he will be Alexander. She will be Rachel otherwise. As of this morning, Ralexander is, to me, already swimmier and googlier and more fascinating than nearly anyone else in the United States, and possibly the entire continent of North America. I need to, like, clarify the exact size of the land mass, first thing tomorrow. I'll get back to you with the specifics.

* Dramatization. Actual Gornstein embryo image not available at press time.

"I Could Tell You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You."

Very cool article in the New York Times today on the patches worn by the military personnel who work on black ops projects. The projects themselves don't officially exist, but the souvenirs do...  including electronic warfare, surveillance, and a couple from Groom Lake, better known to conspiracy nuts as Area 51.

Be sure to check out the slideshow. The man who collected all these patches has a book, as well.

The Cold Metal Finger of the Future

And now, two words that will cause Brill to wake up screaming tonight...

Colonoscopy robots.

"As if the idea of colonoscopies didn't sound uncomfortable enough, now researchers are developing self-propelling probes that crawl inside the colon and grip its sides with the aid of sticky films."

As they said over at Sadly, No!, when the history of the Great Robot Uprising is finally committed to a quantum hard drive, this will probably be Chapter One.

Penny Wise

Glenn will love this. The New Yorker asks, "They're horrid and useless. Why do pennies persist?"

Among other fun facts:

Primarily because zinc, too, has soared in value, producing a penny now costs about 1.7 cents. Since the Mint currently manufactures more than seven billion pennies a year and “sells” them to the Federal Reserve at their face value, the Treasury incurs an annual penny deficit of about fifty million dollars—a condition known in the coin world as “negative seigniorage.” The fact that the Mint loses money on penny production annoys some people, because one-cent coins no longer have much economic utility. More than a few people, upon finding pennies in their pockets at the end of the day, simply throw them away, and many don’t bother to pick them up anymore when they see them lying on the ground. (Breaking stride to pick up a penny, if it takes more than 6.15 seconds, pays less than the federal minimum wage.)

But if we do get rid of pennies, then what will we give people for their thoughts?

Hi, It's Me. Chicken Little.

i09 probably sums it up better than I could: the military is going to shoot a freakin satellite out of the sky...oh, and it's TOTALLY NOT A BIG DEAL. Nope.  Man-made objects the size of a bus carrying hazardous materials in an unknown trajectory fall to earth all the time, people. 

What are the odds of it landing on Britney Spears?  Just wondering.

Totally Not Getting Any?

Jezebel takes on a recent CNN story that says women these days are getting less nookie than ever...and it's pretty much our own fault. 

Are you having sex? Like, on a regular basis? CNN claims that women today have less time for sex than their 1950s counterparts. And if it's not a lack of time keeping you from bumping uglies, it's something else, but it's probably your fault. Writes Leslie Goldman, "It's harder to initiate sex if your spouse is hiding behind a newspaper or glued to the TV or if your hands are busy exploring the Web rather than his body." Hey, how come the dude in the picture doesn't just pry the laptop right out of the woman's hands and bang her? Why does the woman bear all the responsibility? Other reasons you're not having sex: You're on libido-killing contraceptives, you don't like your body, you're perimenopausal, you're depressed. (And if you're not depressed, you will be when you discover it's all your fault you're not getting laid.)

Me?  I just love Jezebel's commenters.

"The 1950's? Are they counting the orgasms women were obligated to have from waxing the floor?"

"I'm saving my energy for candle making tonight.  I had sex with Daniel Craig Friday night, so I'm good."

"Everything is my fault. Pile on, CNN, if you can find any room."

"I'm 28 and am seriously debating just not having any kids. I adore them. But I just KNOW they'll bite into my sexing. And I really really really like my sexing time. It's very important to me. I may be willing to give up on the childrens for it."

Happy Valentine's, y'all!