PAgent’s Progress
German Physicists Create a “Super-Photon”
Researchers in Bonn have cooled photons to a temperature where they spontaneously condense, forming a ‘photonic Bose-Einstein condensate’.
So, what’s it good for?
This photonic Bose-Einstein condensate is a completely new source of light that has characteristics resembling lasers. But compared to lasers, they have a decisive advantage, “We are currently not capable of producing lasers that generate very short-wave light – i.e. in the UV or X-ray range,” explained Jan Klärs. “With a photonic Bose-Einstein condensate this should, however, be possible.”
Let’s try ‘Israelification’ instead of Humiliation
With all the furor over the new TSA procedures (what a choice: let someone touch your junk, or let someone ogle your junk), why don’t we look at how Israel handles airport security?
Despite facing dozens of potential threats each day, the security set-up at Israel’s largest hub, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, has not been breached since 2002, when a passenger mistakenly carried a handgun onto a flight. How do they manage that?
“The first thing you do is to look at who is coming into your airport,” said Sela.
The first layer of actual security that greets travellers at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport is a roadside check. All drivers are stopped and asked two questions: How are you? Where are you coming from?
“Two benign questions. The questions aren’t important. The way people act when they answer them is,” Sela said.
Does it work? The goal at Ben-Gurion is to move fliers from the parking lot to the airport lounge in a maximum of 25 minutes.
Read The ‘Israelification’ of airports: High security, little bother
This Just Gets Better and Better
Kentucky Stomper Wants An Apology From Woman He Assaulted
See Rand Paul Supporter Stomps Head Of Female MoveOn Member Outside KY Debate
Also via TPM
Thank Goodness We’re Finally Entering an Era of Civil Discourse
The GOP touts its New Ideas
If you missed this bit from The Daily Show, you missed a fine example of what Jon Stewart does best.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Postcards From the Pledge | ||||
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We kept telling you this, but you laughed at us
Researchers at the University of Rochester have determined that people who play action video games are capable of making decisions significantly faster than those who don’t, and that those decisions are no less accurate.
The researchers found that video game players develop a heightened sensitivity to what is going on around them, and this benefit doesn’t just make them better at playing video games, but improves a wide variety of general skills that can help with everyday activities like multitasking, driving, reading small print, keeping track of friends in a crowd, and navigating around town.
Guess who’s laughing now?
Read the article at Science Daily
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