Author: Dan Zambonini
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The Association of the Dead
An old (but still current) news story from India never gained much attention outside of the country, but seems worth sharing. For over thirty years, corruption and bribery have allowed people to declare others ‘dead’ – without formal evidence – thus allowing the claimant to take ownership of the deceased’s farming land. The newly ‘dead’…
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DNA R/W+ 12 Speed
The speed at which Synthetic Biology is evolving (pun intended) is mind-blowing, especially to someone who has just stumbled upon the science (inspired by Tuur Van Balen’s presentation at Interesting 2009). In his words, it “will make most of us wonder why we ever got so excited about the Internet”. You can tell a technology…
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Want to be a millionaire pop star? You’re better off buying £64 of lottery tickets than entering the X-Factor.
Let’s assume that if you had a few million pounds, you could probably buy yourself some hit songs from a songwriter, some studio and musician time, plenty of marketing, and almost certainly get yourself a pop career. The question is; is it easier to get yourself into this position (a millionaire pop star) via pure…
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My GeoPolitical Memberships
My choice of home means I am implicitly a member of numerous geopolitical groups, including those shown here.
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Modern America: Designed by a Frenchman
“As an American citizen who still loves his native country, France, it is heartwarming to see that this country appreciates the beauty and taste that all Frenchmen prize.” Raymond Loewy (1893-1986) What are the classic designs that define America? If you compiled a list, it may include: The large American refrigerator, as popularised by the…
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Image Compression and The Origins Of Life
Human life on Earth is the result of an extremely fortunate environment. This includes our temperate position near a stable star, in a stable area of the galaxy, with neighbouring bodies of the right size and distance to protect us. It is a Rare Earth. As we evolved, this environment continued (and continues) to influence…