Links for 2009-09-02

"Very occasionally, a self-published novel will be something that was somehow overlooked by the publishing industry as a whole and is actually quite good and/or salable. 99%+ of the time, however, these books are either written by the functionally illiterate, are tangled messes of inane plot and one-dimensional characters, do not appeal to the vast majority of readers, are way too long or way too short, or some combination of all of these. In short, most self-published novels are crap."

"Los Alamos researchers have been working with University of Alabama colleagues on developing methods for the efficient recycling of ammonia borane. The research team made a breakthrough when it discovered that a specific form of dehydrogenated fuel, called polyborazylene, could be recycled with relative ease using modest energy input. This development is a significant step toward using ammonia borane as a possible energy carrier for transportation purposes.

"This research represents a breakthrough in the field of hydrogen storage and has significant practical applications," said Dr. Gene Peterson, leader of the Chemistry Division at Los Alamos. "The chemistry is new and innovative, and the research team is to be commended on this excellent achievement.""

"A new study looks at the average LSAT scores of students with different undergraduate majors, sometimes grouping related fields together to gather a statistically significant sample. (Via.) And the best scores were attained by students studying: "

"on the computer and eating/ At the rod and gun club meeting/ There's a manic that loose and she's wearing my skin.../ Just checked my lotto numbers and I did not win. :(/ OUT AND ABOUT TODAY/ Forever and a day/ goin the pool and then mall today. gonna have fun!!/ If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?/ we are all one and the same/ Go back and finish the game!/ eating a steak and playing poker../ another day older and broker."

"The shielding necessary to ensure the astronauts do not get a lethal dose of solar radiation on a round trip to Mars may very well make the spacecraft so heavy that the amount of fuel needed becomes prohibitive.

There is, however, a way to surmount this problem while reducing the cost and technical requirements, but it demands that we ask this vexing question: Why are we so interested in bringing the Mars astronauts home again?"