http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090709.html

Born in supernovae, pulsars are spinning neutron stars,

porphyre

A new prototype charging system from the company is able to power itself on nothing more than ambient radiowaves - the weak TV, radio and mobile phone signals that permanently surround us. The power harvested is small but it is almost enough to power a mobile in standby mode indefinitely without ever needing to plug it into the mains, according to Markku Rouvala, one of the researchers who developed the device at the Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, UK.

The difference with Nokia's prototype is that instead of harvesting tiny amounts of power (a few microwatts) from dedicated transmitters, Nokia claims it is able to scavenge relatively large amounts of power -- around a thousand times as much -- from signals coming from miles away. Individually the energy available in each of these signals is miniscule. But by harvesting radiowaves across a wide range of frequencies it all adds up, said Rouvala.

The trick here is to ensure that these circuits use less power than is being received, said Rouvala. So far they have been able to harvest up to 5 milliwatts. Their short-term goal is to get in excess of 20 milliwatts, enough power to keep a phone in standby mode indefinitely without having to recharge it. But this would not be enough to actually use the phone to make or receive a call, he says. So ultimately the hope is to be able to get as much as 50 milliwatts which would be sufficient to slowly recharge the battery.

warren_ellis

Extracts from Anna Chen’s “illustrated personal journey through the life and crimes of Hollywood legend Anna May Wong“, as presented on May 26 2009.

warren_ellis

At bleedingcool:

The next movie I write will be Jurassic Park 4: ADAMZOIC, in which a group of committed Creationists sneak onto a dinosaur-infested Island in an attempt to prove that humans and slavering proto-avian carnivores can live in harmony, as in Eden. The film will be 3 hours long; will feature multiple variations on the theme of Cute Naked People being disembowelled while trying to sing hymns; will include at least one incidence of punning, based on the words “pray” and “prey”; and will end when the sole survivor realises the error of her ways, embraces the Power Of Darwin, and spontaneously evolves a set of wings to escape.

Then gets shot down by Jeff Goldblum: Avenger Of Maths.

warren_ellis

This is Warren Ellis Dot Com. Good morning.

(Lauren Semivan)

arkhaxophe

Me quedan 4 días mal contados en Barcelona y se me está haciendo más duro de lo que pensaba. Es muy triste despedirse de personas con las que se comparten tantas cosas y de manera tan intensa en 2 años. Todos sabemos que nos queremos mucho, que nos volveremos a ver, pero ya no será igual que antes. Estas últimas noches han sido muy especiales, aunque no tuve ocasión de compartirlas con Giulia. Ayer casi lloro de alegría cuando me felicitaron por la cena que preparé. Te has convertido en una mujer, decían. En realidad no sé muy bien en qué me he convertido, pero estoy muy satisfecha de mi etapa en Barcelona, y ansiosa de pasar página y quemar épocas igual de enriquecedoras, con todo lo bueno y lo malo que puedan implicar. Y es que siempre, siempre quedará lo bueno. Bendito espíritu de supervivencia.

http://www.cartoonlabs.com/comics/index.php?date=2009-07-09&show=sinfest

Sinfest
Tatsuya Ishida

http://www.overcompensating.com/posts/20090709.html

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090708.html

Connecting the

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/07/are-you-comix-experienced.html

Preorders for the book can be taken immediately by visiting Comix Experience at 305 Divisadero St. (at Page) in San Francisco, or by calling 415-863-9258 from 11-7 Monday-to-Saturday, Sundays 12-5, PST.

warren_ellis

I’ve been so busy today that I’ve not had time to follow this huge story, and I guess it hasn’t broken internationally yet:

Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers has paid out more than £1m to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal evidence of his journalists’ repeated involvement in the use of criminal methods to get stories.

The payments secured secrecy over out-of-court settlements in three cases that threatened to expose evidence of Murdoch journalists using private investigators who illegally hacked into the mobile phone messages of numerous public figures and to gain unlawful access to confidential personal data including tax records, social security files, bank statements and itemised phone bills. Cabinet ministers, MPs, actors and sports stars were all targets of the private investigators.

warren_ellis

According to English Russia, a store has started running a local newspaper on its shopping bags. Which is, I suppose, one way to sidestep the whole "newsprint is dying" thing.

warren_ellis

Talking of horror masquerading as comedy. Grant Morrison played me the radio version of this piece in 1999 and it lived with me all day. This later TV version is just as warped. Written by the magnificent Chris Morris.

warren_ellis

This just popped back up on YouTube (the BBC periodically sniff it out and issue a takedown). Before it goes away again, have a look. THE MIGHTY BOOSH was an almost painfully uneven show, and in general musical comedy gives me the burning shits. But this was a moment of brilliance on a par with the better LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN conceptions. LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN was a horror show that was sometimes funny, and this has the same kind of vibe. So I put this bit up here, in case you haven’t seen it before.