Help reconstruct Japan
developed by JhackAbout Skeptikai
Skeptikai defends science and exposes pseudoscience. Living in Japan also allows for an interesting opportunity to discuss fascinating stories that go unnoticed elsewhere. Psychological phenomena and intriguing cases from around the globe are also regularly highlighted.
The Psychological Science of StorytellingIt hit me about two years ago, sometime after I started this blog. Somewhere between the…
Islamic Blasphemy and the “Freedom” to Choose your Own ReligionIn the last few weeks, Muslims from Bangladesh have been going crazy trying to fight back…
Inattentional Blindness and the Invisible ViolinistIf a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound? It…
Hamas-Israel Ceasefire Ends as Gaza Schools Drop Sports for Military TrainingI have been following the news regarding the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza that…
Are Vocal Homophobes Really Just Homosexuals in the Closet?Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who…
Why Haven’t We Found the Missing Link in the Fossil Record? Science Answers!War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. -George Orwell If evolution is…
Bollywood Zombies and The Westernization of Indian Pop CultureGo Goa Gone, the first Western-style zombie flick to be made in Bollywood, was just…
Hungary Solves Homelessness by Finding Places for All… in Jail?The brilliant move of Hungary lawmakers to criminalize the act of being a homeless person…
The 2013 Pigasus AwardsEvery year, the James Randi Educational Foundation gives awards to recognize the special…
Did Jesus ‘Want’ to be Nailed to a Cross?I'm pretty sure the answer to the question in the title is "no," but there are many things…
Tag Archives: Fukushima
Cold Shutdown Achieved at Fukushima Power Plant
It took 131 days to stabilize the Fukushima #1 (Daiichi) power plant, and after setting the goal in April to achieve cold shutdown by the end of this year, TEPCO finally announced that they had succeeded. This means that the water used to cool the nuclear fuel rods is below the boiling point. That means that they won’t reheat, which in turn means that radiation levels can now be kept securely at low levels, even if another damaging quake occurs. How much does this mean for the country? Some are skeptical.
Fukushima Well on It’s Way to “Cold Shutdown”
The news from Fukushima has largely been good recently, since the temperature of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima #1 power plant have been steadily reduced. The government has redefined cold shutdown to include the state of the power plant releasing only up to 1 millisievert per year. This is hoped to be achieved by the end of the year, and this is a very good sign. But is it too early to celebrate, or can we relax a little knowing that things are much safer than before?
Skeptikai Notices (Aug9) – Video games, news, hacking, Japan, science
Video Games:
Robots use Kinect to understand our world – Robots can’t view the world like we do, but technology is advancing, and soon they may be able to understand it enough to convince us that they can experience it similar to us. Researchers at Cornell University’s Robot Learning Lab have manipulated the Kinect system – created essentially for entertainment purposes for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game console – so that the robots could image their environments in “colored 3D pointclouds.” The accompanying video shows the world as they see it. The robots can locate objects, and robotics will probably be advancing exponentially, now that we have examples of robots learning skills through reinforcement – such as the robotic arm that learned to flip pancakes after 50 trials.
Posted in Aggregators/lists/rankings
Tagged Anonymous, coffee, crime, economy, Fukushima, hacker, kinect, Korea, LulzSec, North Korea, politics, psychiatry, riot, robotics, sex, sex research, video games
Leave a comment
Skeptikai Notices (July25) – Japan, psychology, news
Japan
Fukushima Plant ‘Successfully Stabilized,’ 131 Days After Tsunami – Finally, plugging the reactors at the battered Fukushima Power Plant is no longer a goal. I mentioned last month that they had started implementing a promising new water system, which works by decontaminating radioactive water while cooling the reactors. Now, TEPCO may achieve a cold shutdown within six months. This is great news, but it’s still important to remember that cleanup efforts will continue for years. The damage from the tsunami seems like it went on forever. In fact, recent research has found that in places like Miyako, the tsunami reached 40.4 meters.
Posted in Aggregators/lists/rankings
Tagged China, Fukushima, geisha, happiness, Israel, lying, memory, new zealand, North Korea, Norway, twitter
Leave a comment