Molecularist

Just the week we arrive. I wonder if we'll have the time (or energy) to go visit.

"The public will be invited to view about 40 Tall Ships in Boston Harbor and Winthrop at next week’s Sail Boston 2009 and to board ships from piers in South Boston and Charlestown, the Coast Guard announced yesterday."

"We're in the worst recession of most people's lifetime, and in the midst of the worst stretch of summer weather that anyone can remember. Have things reached biblical proportions? Maybe not, but just in case, we thought it might help to provide instructions on how to build an ark."

Hooray for old school. "Store sample DNA for years at room temperature
Plasmid DNA stored on CloneSaver Cards is stable at room temperature for at least four years…and counting."

"For the majority of the world’s population, that means making it available on a cell phone, and not a fancy iPhone or Android with a Web browser either. I’m talking about $10 cell phones with not much more than voice and SMS capabilities. If Google can reach people, especially in developing nations, with SMS, it can reach everyone with a cell phone. " [via mattmiz]

Hmm. Free Genome Scanning (SNPs).

[via @LaBlogga]

Great comic on what kind of comments a science paper might get.

A nice little discussion on commenting on scientific articles"

"A discussion broke out recently on Friendfeed about online commentary on scientific articles. The discussions were interesting because, for the first time in recent memory, there was disagreement about something fundamental. I view this as an extremely positive sign that out community is starting to grow and incorporate people outside of our core group. In fact, if there’s no disagreement, it’s probably a sign you’re doing something wrong."

"I’ve been poking around Microsoft’s Bing. The short answer is that it’s not going to move me off of Google. Of course, my Google inertia is pretty much sleeping-hippopotamus-like at this point. Plus, Bing’s ripping off of Kayak.com (see below) has me pretty cheesed."

"On Tuesday, Genzyme reported that it discovered a virus in one of six bioreactors at its Allston plant, where it makes Cerezyme and Fabrazyme. The drugs, made using genetically engineered Chinese hamster ovary cells in large vats filled with nutrients and other chemicals, are used to treat about 8,000 patients around the world with rare genetic disorders. "

Hand-wringing at Harvard.

A few comments by Reshma on the Biobrick standard and variations on it.

"We only have to look to the VHS vs. betamax format wars followed by the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray wars to know that it’s not simply the first standard or even the technically superior standard that gets adopted."

Hm. Mobile science comes to the iPhone.

"Just a quick post to let you know that Cesar from Drew’s lab has released the first version of his BioBrick Studio app for the iPhone on the iTunes Store. It lets you do some basic browsing of BioBrick parts from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts."

"Join us to celebrate the launch of the FRONTLINE: A Broadsheet.
FRONTLINE: A BROADSHEET aims to be a high-quality, quarterly publication, in some ways radical; in others resurrecting traditions lost from the British market.
FRONTLINE will address major events and themes in international and domestic British politics, culture, conflict and lifestyle.
FRONTLINE will be political, but party-politically-allergic, irreverent and iconoclastic in equal measure.
FRONTLINE will offer international coverage in the best traditions of the Frontline Club and its membership, which includes some of the most esteemed reporters in the world.
FRONTLINE has been put together by a team of Club members whose work is entirely voluntary.
Annual subscription for £15 inc. postage. Please email broadsheet@frontlineclub.com for further inquiries."

Is this the start of p2p social networks. (heck, phones with voice and sms are p2p networks, right?)

"Coca-Cola doesn't think its customers have enough drink choices. So starting this summer, diners at some California, Georgia, and Utah fast-food joints will get to try a self-serve drink dispenser that pours more than 100 varieties of sodas, juices, teas, and flavored waters."

"City" A weary traveller arrives in yet another generic, bleak and impenetrable city. Lonely in his business hotel room, he discovers a pair of magic goggles. As he tries them on the city transforms into a vibrant, organic place filled with the unexpected, including a mysterious girl wearing a pink bow…Drawn in Flash and SketchUp, coloured using scans of found materials. 2mins 15secs; Music: Noah Scanlan; thanks to: Lorelei Pepi, Terah Maher and Ruth Lingford. [CS – wicked]

Images of the amazing contraption.

It's the Atomic Kindle!

"It's not elegant and it's not sexy – it looks like a large photocopier – but the Espresso Book Machine is being billed as the biggest change for the literary world since Gutenberg invented the printing press more than 500 years ago and made the mass production of books possible. Launching today at Blackwell's Charing Cross Road branch in London, the machine prints and binds books on demand in five minutes, while customers wait."

Holy moly. So want to check this out.

"An amateur is full of wonder and speculation, tinkering towards the truth but suffering from a lack of knowledge and idleness; he's not even sure if someone else has already made these discoveries. "Is this a worthwhile pursuit?"

"A scientist performs experiments to confirm or disprove a hypothesis, and in that way he grinds out the truth.

"A genius has three abilities, which are actually the union of amateur and scientist: 1. to know the state of the art, what is known and what is not known. 2. To be able to think "out of the box". 3. To be disciplined enough to concentrate on the tedium of a formal investigation of his wondrous speculations."

[via @mrgunn]