NASA's Take on Gangnam Style

I found this on io9, and it's too good not to share:



One of the more amusing things in this video (there are many) is the varying levels of enthusiasm and embarrassment among the NASA employees. Some people are extremely excited to be part of it, some are rather embarrassed to be dancing on YouTube for the world to see (and having fun while they're at it), some are Not Amused, some are gritting their teeth and dancing in the name of science, and some (mostly the ones at the end) are probably secretly shaking their heads and thinking, "kids these days." I can only imagine what it must have taken to persuade a bunch of scientists to put this thing together -- which is probably not all that much, come to think of it. This is a pretty geeky idea of a good time! (Also, a fun form of science outreach, which we need more of these days.)

io9: Death by Fan in South Korea

As someone with an Asian mother, I'm no stranger to odd superstitions and health advice, especially quoted from "reputable" Chinese newspapers. This one's pretty good:

http://io9.com/5818197/in-south-korea-falling-asleep-in-front-of-a-fan-is-the-kiss-of-death

Reminds me a bit of my mum's "X causes cancer" line, where X is whatever I happen to be eating at the moment.

Al Jazeera: Nations Back UN Biodiversity Panel

This is last month's news (I'm a little behind in terms of posting), but still noteworthy:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/06/201061413183923975.html

It's a step forward on endangered species protections. I don't think it'll be the harbinger of biological justice that some people tout it as, of course, but I don't think it'll be quite the disappointment that, say, the League of Nations was. It's more of a symbolic victory in that the international community is finally recognizing the need for global protections and legislation, rather than the regional efforts that have been occurring thus far.

Let's see where it takes us. Fingers crossed.

NYTimes: In the Koreas, Five Possible Ways to War

I've always been fascinated by historical thought experiments, playing the "what if?" game, as it were. The Koreas reopening hostilities after a decades-long ceasefire, is unfortunately a too-real possibility; the New York Times discusses five ways in which it could happen:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/weekinreview/30sanger.html

I hope it doesn't come to pass. The world has enough on its plate without another Korean War.