It is one thing to hear people preach the idea of Hope, Compassion, trust, and Optimism. It is another thing to hear it from someone whose life is based on these ideals. The Dali Lama spoke at Tulane’s 2013 Commencement ceremony. Upwards of 35,000 people attended.

Here is the full commencement:

http://tulane.edu/grads/live-stream.cfm

This has to be one of the greatest things I have found as of late. It seemed a little strange that the credit card companies needed your SSN to stop them from spamming you. Not only can you stop their onslaught of worthless paper the site has a link to a don’t call list

This is such a great shot of the moon!

(via scinerds)

laboratoryequipment:

Researchers Watch Nanoparticles Form Structures in Real-TimeIn a new study performed at the Center for Nanoscale Materials at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, researchers have — for the first time — seen the self-assembly of nanoparticle chains in situ as it occurs in real-time.

The scientists exposed a tiny liquid “cell” or pouch that contained gold nanoparticles covered with a positively charged coating to an intense beam of electrons generated with a transmission electron microscope. Some of the electrons that penetrated the outside of the cell became trapped in the fluid medium in the cell. These “hydrated” electrons attracted the positively charged nanoparticles, which in time reduced the intensity of charge of the positive coating.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/videos/2013/04/researchers-watch-nanoparticles-form-structures-real-time

This very cool, Not sure how this differs from what Stat mech. tells us, but it does give a nice visual of the process.

laboratoryequipment:

A Purdue Univ.-led team has revealed the proton transfer pathway responsible for a majority of energy storage in photosynthesis.

Through photosynthesis, plants, algae and bacteria convert sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into chemical energy stored in the membrane of special cells, a process…

This is a very interesting Idea. I wonder its practicality though. On the same note: I have always thought about having some derivative of electrodes in our waterways removing toxic metals via electroplating. Anyway, I like where this guy is going

nevver:

1. You shall treat all people with respect regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or national origin.
2. You shall not kill, assault, nor intimidate with threats of physical violence.
3. You shall not rape, sexually coerce, nor intimidate with threats of sexual violence. 
4. You shall cultivate intellectual curiosity, be open to new ideas, and  respect the scientific method.
5. You shall not cheat, nor cheat others out of what is rightfully theirs.
6. You shall not lie, deceive, nor spread lies about others. 
7. You shall not steal, that is to say take or use what rightfully belongs to another person in a manner that causes harm. (Stealing is a trickier concept than it once was. How do you say yes to Fair Use and no to software patents?)
8. You shall keep your promises.
9. You shall not waste natural resources nor pollute the shared environment.
10. You shall take responsibility for your actions and their consequences.

The Fresh Ten

(via sharkinfested)

I posted a link earlier from energy.gov, but the U.S. Energy Information administration has put together this impressive page. It goes into detail about each states energy consumption, from what source of energy as well as if it is residential or commercial. My favorite part is the section tracking the states alternative fuel stations and environmental impact (gas emissions). Call me paranoid, but it seems counter intuitive to have such an easy access to a map of all the gas pipelines…Cool none the less

EIA US energy stats