Tracking Hurricanes

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on the east coast of the US, here are some links we are keeping an eye on -- to track the predicted path of the hurricane.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5day?large#contents

http://www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/hurricanes/latest-news-map.html

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/

Be safe.

Earthquake in NYC

Today -- at around mid-day eastern time -- an earthquake, hitting an estimated 5.9 on the Richter Scale -- and centered in Virginia, could be felt at least as far south as NC & as far north as Rochester.  Airports in NYC were closed at least temporarily; and tremors were felt for at least 10 seconds in some parts.  Reports of the tremors are verified in Baltimore, Philly & NYC...


Here's an article about the potential for earthquakes in NYC:

Could an earthquake hit New York City? History says yes, but not like 9.0 magnitude Japan earthquake

BY ALIYAH SHAHID

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Could a major earthquake shake the Big Apple to its core?

If the past is any indication, the answer is yes, says John Armbruster, a seismologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Based on historical precedent, Armbruster says the New York City metro area is susceptible to an earthquake of at least a magnitude of 5.0 once a century.

Read more here:

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-03-17/local/29175617_1_moderate-earthquake-magnitude-seismologist

Young Scientist & Fibonacci

Fibonacci Sequences in Trees 

Here's an excerpt of some work by the Aidan, age 13, a winner of the American Museum of Natural History's Young Naturalist Award.

I compared my results on graphs, and they were interesting! The Fibonacci tree design performed better than the flat-panel model. The tree design made 20% more electricity and collected 2 1/2 more hours of sunlight during the day. But the most interesting results were in December, when the Sun was at its lowest point in the sky. The tree design made 50% more electricity, and the collection time of sunlight was up to 50% longer!

http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/2011/aidan.html

Singularity: Intelligent Computers (from Time Magazine - Science)

From an article titled: "2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal" -- this is a good article on artificial intelligence, computers.


...we're approaching a moment when computers will become intelligent, and not just intelligent but more intelligent than humans. When that happens, humanity — our bodies, our minds, our civilization — will be completely and irreversibly transformed. He believes that this moment is not only inevitable but imminent. According to his calculations, the end of human civilization as we know it is about 35 years away.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2048299,00.html#ixzz1VSSM6ox7

Dropbox -- Great for File-Sharing

There is lots of talk about the "cloud" -- but one application we like a lot is Dropbox.  They offer a free account (2GB), and it is easy-to-use.  You can share a folder with others in a "Public" folder -- or just keep things to yourself.

By installing Dropbox on each of your computers you can:

• Save a file to all your computers at once.
• Start working on one computer, and continue working on another.
• Get to your photos, docs, and videos from anywhere.

Always have your stuff when you need it with @Dropbox. 2GB account is free!

Please check it out:
http://db.tt/R5i5ymR