Free Republic

This great talk, given yesterday (2/29/12) at TED, is now live. I was here and the crowd was wowed. Check out the lovely math on simplifying the 12-dimensional math to 4 dimensions at around the 5:00 mark,

f the soldier-like perfection of the synchronized formation by these mini drones doesn’t freak you out a bit — their collective buzzing sure will. Orchestrated by the GRASP Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, these 20 “nano quadrotors” developed by KMel Robotics seem to, as Popular Science describes, sense each other’s proximity and work together to maintain formation “like a hive of bees moving en masse.” Watch the drone swarm in varying formations and with obstacles (Note: Hold out for the figure eight at 1:27):

One of the top complaints about wealth distributions holds that the vast majority of the people of the country are excluded from the vast majority of its wealth. Considering the "plight" of all of those 20-somethings at the various occupiers, one could be deluded into believing the truth of the 99% mantra. But what if that wasn't true? Considering there are many branches of the group, let's take a look at its main one, occupying near Wall Street, in New York. Seeing how the occupiers are using other people's food and bathrooms and some living in tents (with others still...

Cable news ratings, June 22, 2011:•President Obama’s address to the nation Wednesday night disrupted program schedules and gave Fox News an average 460,000 viewers 25-54 throughout prime time. HLN, which had extended coverage of the Casey Anthony murder trial, was second with 330,000, and MSNBC fell to fourth with 223,000. During the eight o’clock hour, Fox averaged more than half a million viewers in the demo, while MSNBC averaged 244,000.•Despite interest in the speech on Afghanistan, CNN–which did well during the speech itself–struggled in the lead-up, with the network’s Situation Room at 5 p.m. averaging just 67,000 viewers

German Security in charge of protecting Angela Merkel should be prepared to protect her from an Al Qaeda 'Swarm Attack' similar in tactics to the Mumbai hotel hlaughter.

Nevada Seismologists are keeping a close eye on an area southwest of Hawthorne, Nevada where hundreds of earthquakes have been detected since Sunday. " It's a little bit concerning in a sense.. The largest earthquakes in these sequences are pretty large in size." Graham Kent is Director of Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada Reno. He says there have been hundreds of earthquakes southwest of Hawthorne over the past few days. The largest-- recorded at a 4.4 in size. "These are the biggest in a sequence we've seen at least in the last couple of years." Kent says...

When Mark Barrett moved to Guy, Arkansas, he had no idea the tiny town of less than 300 was nearly as rocking as the Southern California community he'd left behind. Six years and hundreds of seismic events later, Barrett says he's feeling it more and more. Since September, seismologists have recorded 700 temblors in the area. The largest in the current swarm, a 4.3-magnitude quake, shook the town at 2:13 a.m. Friday. The tremors appear to be rumbling through town with greater frequency. The Arkansas Geological Survey has recorded 50 quakes in and around Guy since Sunday. That includes Friday...

The Arkansas Geological Survey is trying to unravel a mystery: What is causing earthquakes in the town of Guy, Arkansas? Since September 20, the community of 549 residents north of Little Rock has experienced an almost constant shaking from 487 measurable earthquakes. "We've had 15 today including a 3.1 (magnitude) from this morning," Scott Ausbrooks, geohazards supervisor for the Geological Survey, said Monday. "These are shallow quakes between two and eight kilometers (between one-and-a-quarter and five miles) below the surface." While earthquakes aren't unusual in the Southeast state, the frequency is. "This time last year we had 39 quakes total...

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Four strong earthquakes struck the same region of eastern Indonesia early Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The first magnitude 6.4 quake was followed by a 7.0 shaker. An hour later, a 5.1 magnitude temblor hit, followed 20 minutes later by a 6.2 rocker. There were power blackouts in some areas but no initial reports of serious damage or casualties.

Infiniti parked on neighborhood street abuzz with swarm It looks like a scene out of a B-rate movie. Thousands of bees attached to something other than a hive looking hungry and ready to devour anything in their path. It wasn't exactly an "Attack of the Killer Bees" situation but the oddity of nature in the South Bay Friday was enough to make people steer clear of a car discovered with a swarm attached. A viewer alerted us to the bee-zarre scene at the corner of 5th and E. Empire streets, where a white Infiniti was discovered with thousands of the...

Not to be confused with the thread Reformation Reading Room (aka Calvinist Swarm Links) started by by myself way back in 2003. _______________________________________________  In bringing you this list, it is our hope to bring honor to God by exalting Jesus Christ in providing the biblical and theological works (both contemporary and classic) that we believe best reflect the Scriptires' teaching on grace and the Christian life. Below I've put together this concise guide to Reformation Theology literature which hopefully will be beneficial to all who want to do some deeper investigation of where we are, where we’ve come from and...

The recent uptick of the Islamic “tolerance” of Christianity continues and this time the hate has arisen in Indonesia. Isn’t Indonesia supposed to be one of those so called “moderate” Islamic countries? 01/23/2010 INDONESIA North Sumatra, two Protestant churches burnt: “too many faithful and too many prayers” by Mathias Hariyadi At least 1,000 people set fire to the Pentecostal community places of worship.

Paper no. 3614 Guarding Against Swarm Attacks on Nuclear Establishments - International Terrorism Monitor --- Paper No. 611 By B. Raman 19-Jan-2010 SNIPPET: "A swarm attack is a commando-style attack involving multiple targets and/ or multile modus operandi----that is a mix of the use of hand-held weapons and explosives. Since the Mumbai terrorist attack of November 26 to 29, 2008, which was itself a major swarm attack, there have been seven more---- four in Kabul, Kandahar and Khost in Afghanistan by the Afghan Taliban and three in Lahore possibly by the Pakistani Taliban. 2. These attacks---particularly those in Kabul--- have...

Authorities are searching for a tech-savvy mob of teens who used online social networking sites to terrorize a South Philadelphia neighborhood Saturday night, police said. More than 100 youths arranged via unspecified Internet-based means to meet on South Street near Broad about midnight, swarming the area and leading to a melee that ended only after the mob had hijacked a taxi, pulled a woman from her car and assaulted her, and ransacked a convenience store, police said

Two moderate earthquakes occurred this afternoon west of Reno, in the Mogul-Somerset area. These events are the largest in a continuing a series of earthquakes that began on Thursday February 28, 2008. The earthquakes today have been followed by numerous aftershocks, many large enough to be felt. Based on the magnitude of today’s earthquakes, felt aftershocks can be expected for several days. The activity west of Reno is unusual in that the largest earthquakes of the series have been the latest to occur. This is out of the normal pattern of mainshock followed by smaller aftershocks, such as has occurred...

Mohammad Abu Murshud, head of organization's armed wing in central Strip, killed by missile launched from Israeli aircraft. At least eight Hamas, Islamic Jihad members killed in IDF strikes throughout the day Ali Waked Published: 12.27.07, 22:35 / Israel News A series of attacks launched by the IDF in Gaza Thursday has claimed the lives of at least eight militants, including Mohammad Abu Murshud, head of Islamic Jihad's armed wing in the central Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian sources, Murshud was killed when the car he was traveling in north of al-Mugarka (near the former Israeli settlement of Netzarim) was...

Charges 'ridiculous' Mischief investigation targets plans for mock gunfight at mall By KENNETH JACKSON, SUN MEDIA An Ottawa teen believes cops were too quick to pull the trigger on a mischief investigation that involved shaping his hand into a gun and yelling bang in a mock gunfight. Henrick Vierula told the Sun he doesn't deserve to be charged with multiple criminal offences after participating in a phenomena known as a "flash mob" at the Rideau Centre on Friday. "The whole thing is ridiculous," said Vierula, 19. Vierula and other participants were to shape their hands into a gun, point them...

Nearly 30 people swarmed a Mesa convenience store at Alma School and 8th Street late Friday, stealing about 15 beer cases, chips, sports drinks, gum and candy. The Mesa Police Department said this is the second time in less than two weeks that this type of group shoplifting crime has occurred.

HAYWARD -- Hayward police closed Southland Mall late Saturday afternoon after about 200 teenagers and young adults stormed the popular shopping center and began ransacking stores. The young people poured out of bleachers, set up in the parking lot outside Macy's, after a basketball game known as streetball ended. Police Lt. Mark Koller said clothes were pulled off hangers and advertising displays overturned. Employees and shoppers saw the intruders kick merchandise and mall kiosks as they made their way past Mervyn's and J.C. Penney stores. Thousands of shoppers left the mall by car and on foot as more than 60...

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Heavily armed Mexican police, backed by helicopters, locked down the capital's most notorious neighborhood on Tuesday as part of the latest offensive against rampant drug trafficking. Hundreds of officers with assault rifles lined the Tepito neighborhood's main artery, searching passing motorists. Police had stormed the district, a warren of scruffy homes and market stalls, last week and seized a tenement complex known as "The Fortress" -- reputedly a major cocaine and marijuana distribution center. President Felipe Calderon has sent thousands of troops to fight drug gangs in their strongholds along the Pacific coast and near the...