"Don't look! It's horrible."
Funny Animal Pictures
●
✤
Robots Protect Australia's Barrier Reef
It is not know why but the Great Barrier Reefs is always being attacked by hordes of Crown-of-Thorns starfish. Forty per cent of damage to the reef is done by the pest. Robots that can identify starfish and then inject them with a lethal toxin are being used to fight the invasion.
The system works by having a submersible robot patrol about 30cm off the sea floor. When it sees a starfish an arm is extended and the injection is done. If a target is questionable the view is recorded in the robot's data base. A copy of the video is sent to human controllers who verify whether the robot has to return to finish the job.
The robots get the starfish early before they can do any real damage to the reef. After the robots have done what they can, human divers go in to clear up the remaining starfish. This combined protective system will give the reef time to recover.
◆ Science by Ty Buchanan ◆
●
Australia's Internet Snooping System is a Useless Waste of Money
On Tuesday 13th of October the Australian communications surveillance system comes into effect. Apparently, privacy will end for all Australians. Contrary to this view, I believe Australians are smart enough to opt out. There is no way the Australian government can stop the use of VPNs, nor the resetting of a modem to Google's 8080. The government does not have jurisdiction over Google, i.e., it cannot ban it!
This data, though extremely large, will always be incomplete and a waste of money. Anybody who intends to do something "underhanded" will obviously avoid the system. . Furthermore, what about Australians who have their websites on servers in other countries? This information is outside of the local loop. You can also create a site on oversees servers. Some users will choose to do nothing and allow their information to be collected, however.
Abuse of power will happen from the start. Uncontrolled bodies like the Australian Federal Police as with all national forces do questionable things. They always go outside of their legislated boundaries. State police will treat the data as their own little honey pot as well.
I keep all of my personal email on overseas services that I can access at places like libraries. There is no record of this email on my computer. This isn't smart: it is common sense. I have nothing to hide but I like to keep things private. Gmail and Yahoo are exempt. Obviously, I will use Tor browser a lot more. My "critical" online activity will be hidden from the Australian government.
Don't worry! Carriers have the choice whether to store destination IP addresses (this is your browsing history). Because it will be a significant extra cost, none of them will do this unless it is the only way to record metadata. Even then, the government cannot force telcos to handover IP data. Moreover, getting IP addresses will not identify particular websites visited on a server.
◆ Technology by Ty Buchanan ◆
●
Australian Government Pushes Kangaroo Sales in California
The Australian government is interfering in the democratic process of California. Currently, the state has laws that allow the import and sale of kangaroo products. Conservation lobbyists say international law protects all endangered species. There is one major problem with this stance: kangaroos are not endangered. Indeed, they are pests like rabbits and camels.
The law in California expires in January. Assemblyman Mike Gipson intends to extend it and add a clause allowing the sale of parts for shoes and soccer balls. Funds nave been allocated by the Australian government to the Kangaroo Industries Association of Australia which pays for a California lobbyists company to keep trade open.
Ethically, being a private body, the Industries Association of Australia should not accept government funding while lobbying to gain economic benefit. However, their claim that a cull is needed on Kangaroos is correct. If you want to know the real situation about kangaroos ask an Australian farmer. He/she will tell you that profits disappear every year due to pest kangaroos.
It is a pity that the current Australian government does support its pro business views by proactively engaging in questionable behavior. The business sector is capable of being effective on its own behalf without government support even verbally or financially.
◆ Politics y Ty Buchanan ◆
●
Psychologists Make Up Research Findings
Yes, the truth is out!. All of those silly questionnaires you are made to fill out when you apply for a job to see if you are psychologically suitable are rubbish. There is no truth or relevancy in them. They are just made up. Measuring nothing is their purpose. People are now in jobs requiring skills that they do not have - they should be doing something else.
Tests from three psychology journals show that measures for skills, memory, personality, learning and relationships were very weak indeed. There was no consistency with the real world. Manipulation of data wasn't the problem: claims and statements were made by writers when there was no foundational proof for them. It seems that hearsay, myth, misconception and blatant lying are features of academic articles on psychology. Didn't we suspect this all along? Of course we did!
A top psychologist withdrew 50 academic papers because they had false conclusions. Research on ESP was found to have no data showing proof. Misrepresentation seems to be the cultural norm among psychologists. This is a bad state of affairs. Academics are supposed to be critically aloof with their findings, suggestions being used to instructively guide the community.
◆ Psychology by Ty Buchanan ◆
●
Tretris Game Stops Cravings
You would think that playing a computer game and increasing general excitement would increase cravings especially for snacks. Apparently, playing Tetris has the opposite affect. Tetris, even for as little as three minutes calms the brain. The desire for food, coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, sex and sleep are reduced by 20 per cent.
The block-shifting game takes concentrated brain power to play well. Keeping the brain "occupied" keeps distractions at bay. Contrary to the myth, women and men can only do one task at a time. It is still surprising how sitting down and passively watching television increases appetite.
The research was carried out by Queensland's QUT and Plymouth University in England. It was done for a week. Preliminary finding are positive. Work needs to be done on other games such as shoot 'em ups and role playing. Perhaps current beliefs are totally wrong.
◆ Chemistry by Ty Buchanan ◆
●
Forcing STEM Graduates to the Bush Will Not Work
The number of school students doing maths and science is woefully inadequate in city areas. Numbers in rural areas are even worse! A new plan is in progress to improve the situation. Unfortunately, it will prove to be a total failure and waste of money.
Culture has inertia. It takes about half a century to alter established beliefs. Rural children believe that maths and science are too difficult for them so they do not even attempt them. They stay with the social subjects. The new "curative" program to solve the matter will ignore city students and concentrate on rural regions.
There is a noticeably low number of rural students doing education, engineering and science degrees. Note that 74 per cent of teachers in city areas have STEM experience, while only 17 per cent of rural teachers have done STEM work. The intention is to send high quality STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teachers to the bush - they will love that! It is like sending the trainer of the winner of the Melbourne Cup to train horse riders in the sticks, an absolute waste of resources.
Advanced teachers are not the answer. Those who can teach the basics are needed because going with the horse analogy, getting over the first jump is the most difficult problem. If students get this achievement they will at least choose base maths. Australia has the silliest curriculum with up to five levels of maths. When I was young we all did the same compulsory arithmetic then maths. Arithmetic has been forgotten. Bureaucrats do not see that this subject is the foundation for all math.
State schemes such as "go to" the bush for an annual $10,000 check have not worked. Teach For Australia is going to forcibly place graduates in rural schools. The experience will be part of their career training. We will see what teachers unions have to say about this. They will not accept it lying down.
To willingly draw skilled young teachers to rural schools will take money and lots of it. The federal government is cutting back payments to states. And states are running deficits. Forcing movement to the bush where even basic services are not available like a decent water supply and courier deliveries, by making rules to achieve it, will not work. City born, city live is the motto of young people.
◆ Education by Ty Buchanan ◆
●
Compulsory Reversing Radar Technology is Needed in Australia
There is nothing worse than parking in a shopping center car park, doing your shopping, then coming out to find another driver has reversed out and scraped your rear "bumper" A compulsory radar reversing system should be introduced for all vehicles.
VicRoads is doing something about this. Their maintenance fleet has been fitted with radar-based reverse braking technology. The main target is not vehicle damage: it is injuries to employees who are hit when trucks are reversing. No less than 18 workers were struck from 2003 to 2012. The system detects anything directly in the reversing path of a vehicle.
All new motor vehicles are now fitted with such technology in Europe, the US and Japan. Where is Australia with regard to this? It can prevent injuries, save lives and last but not least stop unwanted damage. Insurance companies could even offer lower premiums as a result.
VicRoads will share its trial data with others involved in the transport industry. If this sector adopts the technology, the general public will want it fitted to their vehicles as well. A high quality national detection system is needed, not the cut price basic ones that people are fitting now.
◆ Technology by Ty Buchanan ◆
●
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
