Links of the Day #3

Got a recommendation for tomorrow? Leave a comment and let me know.

Exquisite Castaways | National Geographic Magazine Posted: 28 Aug 2010 05:42 AM PDT Beautiful ... insect eggs? "The images were made with a scanning electron microscope, which uses beams of electrons to trace the surfaces of objects. The resulting black-and-white images were then colored to reflect the eggs' natural appearance."

Blogging the Holy Land: Crying in the Wilderness, Chatting in Cafes Posted: 28 Aug 2010 03:55 AM PDT The bulk of social media that "reports" the news seems to be there primarily to reinforce our a priori prejudices.

Majority of Americans don't want government to prioritize affordable broadband? | Engadget Posted: 28 Aug 2010 03:43 AM PDT A good review of a recent Pew study: "Those with broadband don't need it, those without it don't want it. Never mind about education, health, economic reform -- you know, all those other priorities."

Researchers set new record for ferroelectric data storage Posted: 28 Aug 2010 03:40 AM PDT Ferroelectric might just be the future of computing. While that possibility is still a ways off, researchers have been making considerable progress in recent years, and a team from Japan's Tohoku University has now set a new record for ferroelectric data storage. That was accomplished with the aid of a scanning nonlinear dielectric microscope, which allowed the researchers to hit a data density of 4 trillion bits per square inch.

Survey Says Facebook Feeds Narcissism Posted: 28 Aug 2010 03:39 AM PDT In a survey of 100 college students, young people with narcissistic personality traits were shown to exhibit Facebook (Facebook) activity that was distinctly more self-promotional. These people had "About Me" sections that referred to their intelligence and photos that were more about displaying the user's physical attractiveness than about capturing memories with friends. [Filed under "Duh".]

Kodak's 1975 Digital Camera | Slashdot Posted: 28 Aug 2010 03:37 AM PDT "The NY Times reports on a digital camera put together at Kodak's Elmgrove Plant labs in Rochester, NY during the winter of 1975 from a mishmash of lenses and computer parts and an old Super 8 movie camera that took 23 seconds to record a single digital image to its cassette deck and using a customized reader could display the image on an old black and white television. Called 'Film-less Photography,' it took a 'year of piecing together a bunch of new technology' to create the camera which ran off 'sixteen nickel cadmium batteries, a highly temperamental new type of CCD imaging area array, an a/d converter implementation stolen from a digital voltmeter.' When the team of technicians presented the camera to Kodak audiences they heard a barrage of curious questions including — 'Why would anyone ever want to view his or her pictures on a TV?'"