Fantastic Science News Updates

Posted 2010-01-03:

• Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease: Nervous culprit found
• Scientists identify DNA that regulates antibody production
• Fungus contaminant in corn, peanuts, soybeans: Chlorophyll effective against aflatoxin

Posted 2010-01-03:

• How the Moon gets its exosphere
• High fat diet increases inflammation in the mouse colon
• Imaging study shows HIV particles assembling around genome of infected cell
• Elusive protein points to mechanism behind hearing loss
• Will higher global temperatures make it easier for viruses to jump species?
• Major offshore quake could surge inland to Seattle area
• Final moments of bee landing tactics revealed
• Bacterial protein mimics its host to disable a key enzyme

Posted 2010-01-02:

• Fast pace of glacier melt in the 1940s: lower aerosol pollution
• New molecule identified in DNA damage response
• Window opens into Moon's past volcanism
• Student sleuths using DNA reveal zoo of 95 species in NYC homes -- and new evidence of food fraud
• Mutation leads to new and severe form of bacterial disease
• Northern South America rainier during Little Ice Age
• Biofilms: Researchers discover new ways to treat chronic infections
• 'Land Grabs' For Rice Production Due To Supply Threats

Posted 2010-01-01:

• Springtime sheep grazing helps control leafy spurge
• Engineered tobacco plants have more potential as a biofuel
• Marseillevirus -- a new member of the giant viruses
• New RNA interference technique can silence up to five genes
• Weakened Plasmodium generates protective immunity
• Permafrost thaw may accelerate Arctic groundwater runoff
• No rise of airborne fraction of carbon dioxide in past 150 years, new research finds
• New tool in the fight against mosquito-borne disease: A microbial 'mosquito net'
• Natural variability led to extra-cold 2008, research finds
• Consumers choose locally grown and environmentally friendly apples
• Handful of iron beads offer clues to solve mystery of ancient iron forges
• Continental roots stress Earth's surface

Posted 2009-12-31:

• Researchers demonstrate nanoscale X-ray imaging of bacterial cells
• New acoustic tools may reduce ship strikes on whales
• 'Spaghetti' Scaffolding Could Help Grow Skin In Labs
• Dominant Chemical That Attracts Mosquitoes To Humans Identified
• Heme channel found: shuttles vital but vulnerable heme molecule across biological membranes
• Fish with attitude: Some like it hot
• Evolution experiments with flowers
• Scientists discover a controller of brain circuitry
• Learning From Insects: The Race Is On For New 'Bio-Resources'
• Ginkgo biloba does not appear to slow rate of cognitive decline
• Mapping Nutrient Distributions Over The Atlantic Ocean
• Drought Resistance Explained: Protein Structure Reveals How Plants Respond To Water Shortages

Posted 2009-12-30:

• First molars provide insight into evolution of great apes, humans
• Disinfectants may promote growth of superbugs
• How calorie-restricted diets fight obesity and extend life span
• Exposure to tobacco smoke in childhood home associated with early emphysema in adulthood
• Molecular chaperone keeps bacterial proteins from slow-dancing to destruction
• Lighting can influence how wine tastes
• Mystery solved: How fine particulates are formed in the air
• Divide and conquer: Splitting fluorescent protein helps image clusters in live cells
• Cockroaches offer inspiration for running robots
• Climate Wizard makes large databases of climate information visual, accessible
• Accurate taste perception relies on a properly functioning olfactory system
• Scientists isolate new antifreeze molecule in Alaska beetle
• Deep sea anchors for offshore installations

Posted 2009-12-29:

• Seeing how evolutionary mechanisms yield biological diversity
• Adjusting acidity with impunity
• Ladder-walking locusts use vision to climb, show big brains aren't always best
• Microbes help mothers protect kids from allergies
• As the world churns: Earth's liquid outer core is slowly 'stirred' in a series of decades-long waves
• Whiteflies sabotage alarm system of plant in distress
• Some birds listen, instead of look, for mates
• Scientists argue for a new type of climate target
• Spider Mite Predators Serve As Biological Control
• How can evolutionary responses to climate change be measured?
• Orchids' sexual trickery explained: Leads to more efficient pollinating system
• Phragmites partners with microbes to plot native plants' demise
• Wet Ethanol Production Process Yields More Ethanol And More Co-products

Posted 2009-12-28:

• Helping vegetable plants make a less stressful transition from the greenhouse to the field
• Happy Flies Look For A Place Like Home
• Glacier melt adds ancient edibles to marine buffet
• Milk thistle herb protects cancer patients from chemotherapy-associated liver toxicity
• Exposure to young triggers new neuron creation in females exhibiting maternal behavior
• Flowering powers genetic understanding
• Iranian Scholars Share Avicenna's Medieval Medical Wisdom

Posted 2009-12-27:

• Further progress toward AIDS vaccine: Rabies-virus vaccine protects monkeys
• How the daisy got its spot: Insect mimicry
• Tourists in Antarctica cause of major concern
• Certain genes boost chances for distributing variety of traits, drive evolution
• The past matters to plants
• Low-cost temperature sensors: Tennis balls to monitor mountain snowpack

Posted 2009-12-26:

• Sun and moon trigger deep tremors on San Andreas Fault
• Microscopic flower petal ridges flash to attract pollinating insects; scientists now know how ridges form
• Ski runs are not created equal
• Hatchery-raised salmon too crowded
• Fungal footage yields insight into plant, animal disease

Posted 2009-12-25:

• Genetic study reveals the origins of cavity-causing bacteria
• Canopy giants and miniature fungi among 250 new species discovered in Kew's 250th anniversary year
• New insights into mushroom-derived drug promising for cancer treatment
• Fight infection by disturbing how bacteria communicate
• Soil studies reveal rise in antibiotic resistance
• Santa Claus at risk? Unhealthy lifestyle, unreasonable working conditions, and stress
• How flu succeeds
• Dental delight: Tooth of sea urchin shows formation of biominerals
• Conservation areas threatened nationally by housing developments
• Scientists map speed of climate change for different ecosystems
• New warbler discovered in Laos
• Consumers 'Key Part Of Solution' To Global Warming
• Disproportionate effects of global warming and pollution on disadvantaged communities
• Opening new frontiers: First volume of microbial encyclopedia published
• Marine Research Is Key To 'Super Foods' Market

Posted 2009-12-24:

• Motility mechanism of malaria pathogens explained
• Air pollution linked to hospitalizations for pneumonia in seniors
• Wild chimps have near human understanding of fire
• Enhanced sweet taste: Endocannabinoids act directly on tongue taste receptors
• Australian fossil unlocks secrets to the origin of whales
• Turtles' Christmas journey tracked by scientists
• Bacteria make artificial blood vessels of the future
• Tuberculosis strain thrives on antibiotic
• School classroom air may be more polluted with ultrafine particles than outdoor air
• New human reproductive hormone could lead to novel contraceptives
• Chemistry makes the natural 'wonder fabric' -- wool -- more wonderful
• Deadly infection more common than realized
• Fossil shelved for a century reworks carnivore family tree: Limbs changes understanding of early carnivore locomotion
• New, virulent strain of MRSA poses renewed antibiotic resistance concerns
• Modern behavior of early humans found half-million years earlier than previously thought
• Mystery solved: Scientists now know how smallpox kills
• Study finds that 77 percent of European pigs are castrated without anesthetic
• Rise in human-made carbon dioxide affects ocean acoustics
• New compounds may control deadly fungal infections
• Formation of the Gulf of Corinth rift, Greece

Posted 2009-12-23:

• Story of 4.5-million-year-old whale found in Spain
• Meddling in mosquitoes' sex lives could help stop the spread of malaria
• Novel nanotechnology heals abscesses caused by resistant staph bacteria
• Hypoxia tends to increase as climate warms, study finds
• Among apes, teeth are made for the toughest times
• Pomegranates: Latest weapon in the fight against MRSA
• Compound found to safely counter deadly bird flu
• Fisheries and aquaculture face multiple risks from climate change
• Electronic nose can select produce with appealing aromas
• Poisonous prehistoric 'raptor' discovered in China
• What are the amounts of greenhouse gases released in your area and what are the sources?
• New research sheds light on our reactions to humanitarian crises
• Modern behavior of early humans found half-million years earlier than thought
• France was once home to the Atlantic sturgeon, previously unknown on its territory
• Faster, cheaper DNA sequencing method devised
• Forty years of farmed salmon ... and one genetic mystery
• Urinary tract cancer associated with Chinese herbal products containing aristolochic acid
• Fertilizer use not always helpful in revegetation efforts

Posted 2009-12-22:

• When it comes to fish families, the bigger and bossier the better
• African leaf-eating primates 'likely to be wiped out' by climate change
• Your Christmas tree has seven times more DNA than you do!
• Headwater stream nutrient enrichment disrupts food web, study finds
• Sixty headless skeletons -- 3,000 years old -- discovered in Pacific Ocean archipelago Vanuatu
• Computer algorithm identifies authentic Van Gogh
• Daily Pot Smoking May Hasten Onset of Psychosis
• Bioactive glass nanofibers produced
• Fewer migratory birds in Dutch woods due to climate change
• Ancient koalas may have been loud and lazy but they didn't chew gum
• Machine that visually inspects and sorts strawberry plants invented
• New filling, cooling and storage system may prevent bacterial growth and prolong shelf life of orange juice
• Global warming likely to be amplified by slow changes to Earth systems, geologists say
• The buzz on fruit flies: New role in the search for addiction treatments
• Scientists take a step towards uncovering the histone code
• Deepest explosive eruption on sea floor: Underwater remotely operated vehicle Jason images discovery
• Moderate fish consumption may lower risk in patients with a history of heart failure
• New insight into selective binding properties of infectious HIV

Posted 2009-12-21:

• Antimicrobial peptide from ancient organism may be effective against multiresistant human pathogens including MRSA
• Warming climate chills Sonoran Desert's spring flowers
• Colliding auroras produce an explosion of light
• Tropical birds waited for land crossing between North and South America, study finds
• Nocturnal wind maximum mapped for first time
• New nasal vaccine blocks parasite transmission to mosquitoes
• Food-borne illness: Researchers redefine the invasion mechanism of Salmonella
• Further spread of Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda likely due to livestock movements
• Type of cell proves to be highly significant in genetic studies

Posted 2009-12-20:

• New study links DHA type of omega-3 to better nervous-system function
• Valuable, rare, raw earth materials extracted from industrial waste stream
• Why some insects can survive freezing: Huge X-ray microscope provides clues
• Within a cell, actin keeps things moving
• Missing piece of DNA replication puzzle identified
• Why does a human baby need a full year before starting to walk?
• Eat fruits and vegetables for better vision
• Researchers revise long-held theory of fruit-fly development
• Large-scale sequencing: The future of genomic sciences?

Posted 2009-12-19:

• Europe's flora is becoming impoverished
• Chicken or egg question looms over climate debate
• Avatar's moon Pandora could be real, planet-hunters say
• Scientists use light to map neurons' effects on one another
• Hundreds of leads generated in fight against H1N1 pandemic
• Human protein helps prevent infection by H1N1 influenza and other viruses
• Previously unknown gene is unique to placental mammals
• Ancient pygmy sea cow discovered
• Antagonistic genes control rice growth
• Mammals may be nearly half way toward mass extinction
• Valley in Jordan inhabited and irrigated for 13,000 years
• Stone age pantry: Archaeologist unearths earliest evidence of modern humans using wild grains and tubers for food
• New study turns up the heat on soot's role in Himalayan warming
• Looking for the heartbeat of cellular networks

Posted 2009-12-18:

• Pollution alters isolated thunderstorms: Wind shear strength determines whether pollution swells or saps storms
• Vermicompost from pig manure grows healthy hibiscus
• Livestock lead to better health in developing nations, rising consumption poses challenge, study finds
• Ancient origins of modern opossum revealed
• Christmas cholesterol epiphany: 'Myrrh' may have cholesterol-lowering properties
• Most people should not automatically opt for a swine flu shot, expert suggests based on bacterial decision-making
• Human movement may have brought Chagas disease to urban Peru
• NASA tech zooms in on water and land
• Cells move in mysterious ways, experiments reveal
• Significant advances made in molecular computing
• Scientists film photons with electrons
• DNA sequencing used to attack lung cancer
• Pre-eruption earthquakes offer clues to volcano forecasters
• Cell phone records used to predict spread of malaria
• Heart cells on lab chip display 'nanosense' that guides behavior
• Complex life of marsh birds: Coots foil nest invaders, reject impostors
• Climate change does not always lead to conflict
• Bacteria used to power simple machines: Organisms turn microgears in suspended solution by swimming
• World's rarest gorilla ready for its close-up
• Irrigation decreases, urbanization increases monsoon rains
• Should flowers be banned in hospitals?
• Earth's polar ice sheets vulnerable to even moderate global warming; New Orleans, much of southern Florida, expected to be permanently submerged
• Zoning the ocean may help endangered whales to recover
• Even at sublethal levels, pesticides may slow the recovery of wild salmon populations

Posted 2009-12-17:

• Greenland glaciers: Water flowing beneath ice plays more complex role
• Nearly 100 new species described by California Academy of Sciences in 2009
• DNA of Jesus-era shrouded man in Jerusalem reveals earliest case of leprosy
• New bacterial behavior: Puzzling 'dance' of electricity-producing bacteria near energy sources
• Scientists' 3-D view of genes-at-work is paradigm shift in genetics
• Reproductive germ cells survive and thrive in transplants, even among species
• Sucker-footed bats don't use suction after all
• Secrets of mysterious 'night-shining' clouds unlocked by NASA's AIM satellite and models
• From greenhouse to icehouse: Reconstructing the environment of the Voring Plateau
• Icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter may have conditions needed for life
• More insight into radioactive salt marshes
• Tremors between slip events: More evidence of great quake danger to Seattle
• First immunological clue to why some H1N1 patients get very ill or die
• NASA outlines recent breakthroughs in greenhouse gas research
• Species distribution models are of only limited value for predicting future mammal distributions

Posted 2009-12-16:

• Prussian blue salt linked to origin of life
• DNA needs a good editor: Researchers unravel the mysteries of DNA packaging
• How do salamanders grow a new leg? Protein mechanisms behind limb regeneration
• Gravestones Talking through Time
• New discoveries could improve climate projections
• Mammoths hung on longer? Late-surviving megafauna exposed by ancient DNA in frozen soil
• Global warming could significantly impact US wine and corn production, scientists say
• Going vertical: Fleeing tsunamis by moving up, not out
• 'Rock-breathing' bacteria could generate electricity and clean up oil spills
• Coconut-carrying octopus: Tool use in an invertebrate
• Unveiling mysterious possible comet strikes on Earth
• Portions of Arctic coastline eroding, no end in sight, says new study
• Killer catfish? Venomous species surprisingly common, study finds
• California's troubled waters: Satellite-based findings reveal significant groundwater loss in Central Valley
• Ancient Book of Mark Found Not So Ancient After All
• Black carbon deposits on Himalayan ice threaten Earth's 'Third Pole'
• Geneticist reveals molecular view of key epigenetic regulator

Posted 2009-12-15:

• Action on climate change compatible with long-term U.S. economic growth
• Female fruit flies can be 'too attractive' to males, scientists show
• Tendons shape bones during embryonic development
• Absence of evidence for a meteorite impact event 13,000 years ago
• Yellowstone's plumbing reveals plume of hot and molten rock 410 miles deep
• How Arctic food webs affect mercury in polar bears
• Ethanol-powered vehicles generate more ozone than gas-powered ones
• New biosensors reveal workings of anti-psychotic drugs in the living brain
• Understanding apples' ancestors
• Newly identified enzymes help plants sense elevated CO₂ and could lead to water-wise crops
• List of 'unsung' wildlife affected by climate change released
• New approach to emissions makes climate and air quality models more accurate, major study finds
• Introns -- nonsense DNA -- may be more important to evolution of genomes than thought
• Can Biodiversity Persist In The Face Of Climate Change?
• Innovative Plan To Save Rainforest, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Posted 2009-12-14:

• Syntax in our primate cousins
• Glacial rebound: 10,000-year study of strata compaction and sea-level rise on English coast
• Bacteria provide new insights into human decision making

Chapter 2. Easy streaming

http://www.videolan.org/doc/streaming-howto/en/ch02.html

Chapter 2.  Easy streaming
Prev		Next

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Chapter 2.  Easy streaming

Table of Contents

Intro

Streaming using the Wizard

Streaming using the GUI

Intro

The easier way to start streaming with VLC is by using one of the graphical user interfaces: wxwindows for Windows and GNU/Linux, the skinnable Windows and GNU/Linux interface or the MacOS X native interface.

Streaming using the Wizard

The Streaming/Transcoding Wizard leads you step by step through the process of streaming your media on a network or saving it to your hard drive. This Wizard offers easy to use menus but provides a restricted set of options.

Note

The wizard is only available on the wxWindows interface.

Launching the wizard

To launch the Streaming/Transcoding Wizard, open the "File" menu, and select the Wizard menu item.

[D]

Launching the wizard

Wizard dialog

First select the type of task:

• Stream to network: Choose this option if you want to stream media on network.

• Transcode/Save to file: Choose this option if you want to change a file's audio codec and/or video codec, its bitrate, and/or encapsulation method.

[D]

The Wizard Dialog

Input selection

Select a stream (such as a file, a network stream, a disk, a capture device ...) by selecting the Choose... dialog or an existing item in your playlist, using the Existing playlist item option.

Partial Extract: To read only part of the stream, check the "Enable" checkbox and choose a start and end date (in seconds). This option should only be used with streams you can control such as files or discs but not network streams or capture devices.

[D]

Wizard input selection

[D]

Wizard input selection from playlist

Streaming methods

If you chose Stream to network option, you can now specify the streaming method. Available methods are:

• UDP Unicast: Stream to a single computer. Enter the client's IP address (in the 0.0.0.0 - 223.255.255.255 range).

• UDP Multicast: Stream to multiple computers using multicast. Enter the IP address of the multicast group (in the 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 range).

• HTTP: Stream by using the HTTP protocol. If you leave the Destination text box empty, VLC will listen on all the network interfaces of the server on port 8080. Specify an address, port and path on which to listen using the following syntax [ip][:port][/path].

  For instance, 192.168.0.1:80/stream will make VLC listen on the interface carrying the 192.168.0.1 IP address, on the 80 TCP port, in the /stream virtual file.

[D]

Wizard streaming method

Transcoding options

If you chose the Transcode/Save to file option, you can now specify the new audio and video codecs and bitrates you want you input converted to.

(See Streaming, Muxers and Codecs)

[D]

Wizard transcode

Encapsulation method

Choose the method format. The UDP streaming methods require MPEG TS encapsulation. The HTTP streaming method can be used with the MPEG PS, MPEG TS, MPEG 1, OGG, RAW or ASF encapsulation. Saving to a file can be done using any encapsulation format compatible with the chosen codecs.

(See Streaming, Muxers and Codecs)

[D]

Wizard encapsulation method

Streaming options

If you chose to Stream to network you can now specify several options.

• Time To Live (TTL) This sets the numbers of routers your stream can go through, for UDP unicast and unicast access methods. If you do not know what this means, you should leave the default value.

  Note

  With UDP multicast, the default TTL is set to 1, meaning that your stream won't get accross any router. You may want to increase it if you want to route your multicast stream.

• SAP Announce To advertise your stream over the network when using the UDP streaming method, using the SAP protocol, enter the name of the stream in the text input and check the checkbox. This is NOT available for the HTTP streaming method.

[D]

Wizard streaming options

Save to file destination

If you chose Transcode/Save to file you can now specify the file you want to save the stream to.

[D]

Wizard save file - wxWindows interface

You can now select the Finish button to start streaming/converting the source.

Streaming using the GUI

Introduction

A second way to set up a streaming instance using VLC is using Stream Output panel in the Open... dialog of the wxWindows (Windows / GNU Linux), skinnable (Windows / GNU Linux) and MacOS X interfaces. Streaming methods and options used 99% of time should be available in this panel.

To stream the opened media, check the "Stream output" checkbox in the "Open File/Disc/Network Stream/Capture Device" dialog and click on the "Settings" button.

[D]

Open file dialog - wxWindows interface

[D]

Open file dialog - Mac OS X interface

The Stream Output dialog

[D]

Stream output dialog - wxWindows interface

[D]

Stream output dialog - wxWindows interface

Stream Output MRL

On the wxWindows interface, a text box displays the Stream Output MRL (Media Ressource Locator). This is updated as you change options in the Stream output dialog. For more information on how to edit the Stream Output MRL read Advanced streaming using the command line.

Output methods

• Play localy: display the stream on your screen. This allows to display the stream you are actually streaming. Effects of transcoding, rescaling, etc... can be monitored locally using this function.

• File: Save the stream to a file. The Dump raw input option allows to save the input stream as it read by VLC, without any processing.

• HTTP: Use the HTTP streaming method. Specify the IP address and TCP port number on which to listen.

• MMSH: This access method allows to stream to Microsoft Windows Media Player. Specify the IP address and TCP port number on which to listen.

  Note

  This will only work with the ASF enacpsulation method.

• UDP: Stream in unicast by providing an address in the 0.0.0.0 - 223.255.255.255 range or in multicast by providing an address in the 224.0.0.0 - 239.255.255.255 range. It is also possible to stream to IPv6 addresses.

  Note

  This will only work with the TS encapsulation method.

• RTP: Use the Real-Time Transfer Protocol. Like UDP, it can use both unicast and multicast addresses.

Note

UDP, HTTP, MMSH and RTP methods require to select the Stream option on the MacOS X interface

(See Streaming, Muxers and Codecs)

Encapsulation method

Select an encapsulation method that fits the codecs and access method of your stream, among MPEG TS, MPEG PS, MPEG 1, OGG, Raw, ASF, AVI, MP4 and MOV. (See Streaming, Muxers and Codecs)

Transcoding options

Enable video transcoding by checking the "Video Codec" checkbox. Choose a codec from the list. You can also specify an average bitrate and scale the input. (See Streaming, Muxers and Codecs)

Enable audio transcoding by checking the "Audio Codec" checkbox. Choose a codec from the list. You can also specify an average bitrate and the number of audio channels to encode. (See Streaming, Muxers and Codecs)

Miscellaneous options

Select methods to announce your stream. You can use SAP (Service Announce Protocol) or SLP (Service Location Protocol). You must also specify a channel name. The Mac OS X interface also allows you to export the description (SDP) file of a RTP session using the internal HTTP or RTSP server of VLC, or as a file. This can be done using the according checkboxes. The SDP URL text box allows to give the url or destination where the SDP file will be available.

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Prev		Next
Chapter 1.  Streaming, Muxers and Codecs	Home	Chapter 3.  Advanced streaming using the command line

YouTube - Canon in D (Kanon) Johann Pachelbel Lichterprozession in Weingarten (Blutfreitag)

Beautiful video!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mxpIH-OWMI&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=E04E88A5E2EFB31C

Fantastic Piano Variation

(for an eye-opener + good laugh)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHjwNp6gbss&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRLVn9Ym9sY&feature=related

And I like this!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9xe2-rgr_E&feature=related

and this!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGpZLKLM3Jc&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jgESE9oJRE&NR=1

The Moral Call of the Wild: Scientific American

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=moral-call-of-the-wild&sc=SA_20091216

The Moral Call of the Wild

A study suggests that spending time in nature changes our values

By P. Wesley Schultz    

 

X

	Email:
	Name:
	Address:
	Address 2:
	City:
	State:	AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY

I love spending time outside. From wild places like the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada mountains, to the mundane nature in my back yard, I find comfort in my natural experiences. These places are restful. Peaceful. They restore my batteries, and help me to focus. And I am not alone in these experiences. People around the world seek out natural experiences. Even when confined to built spaces, we add pets, plants, pictures, and momentos from nature. It is part of who we are, and these experiences in nature help us reflect on what is important in life.

The benefits of spending time in nature have been well-documented. Psychological research has shown that natural experiences help to reduce stress, improve mood, and promote an overall increase in physical and psychological well-being. There is even evidence that hospital patients with a view of nature recover faster than do hospital patients without such a view. This line of research provides clear evidence that people are drawn to nature with good reason. It has restorative properties.

But a recent article by researchers at the University of Rochester shows that experiences with nature can affect more than our mood. In a series of studies, Netta Weinstein, Andrew Przybylski, and Richard Ryan, University of Rochester, show that exposure to nature can affect our priorities and alter what we think is important in life. In short, we become less self-focused and more other-focused. Our value priorities shift from personal gain, to a broader focus on community and connection with others. 

To demonstrate this effect, they ran a series of studies. In their first study, the researchers randomly assigned individuals to view a slide show that either depicted scenes of human-made or natural environments. The slides were matched across a variety of characteristics, to eliminate the possibility that the results were due to things like color, complexity, or brightness of the images. The participants were instructed to try to immerse themselves in the images—to notice the colors and textures and imagine the sounds and smells. After watching the slide show (which took about 8 minutes), the participants completed a series of questions about their life aspirations.

Of particular interest were responses to extrinsic life aspirations , like being financially successful or admired by many people; as contrasted with intrinsic life aspirations , like deep and enduring relationships, or working toward the betterment of society. The results showed that people who watched the nature images scored significantly lower on extrinsic life aspirations, and significantly higher on intrinsic life aspirations. The effect was particularly strong for participants who reported being “immersed” in the images. This basic effect was further explored in three subsequent studies. The later studies showed the same effect for true nature experiences: being in a small room with plants, for example.

These results are part of a growing body of evidence showing the powerful effect of natural experiences. And, for people like me who enjoy spending time in nature, the results are encouraging. However, when viewed within a larger societal context, the results also provide an intriguing perspective on some noted shifts in the values and priorities or Americans over the past 40 years.

People living in the United States are spending much less time outdoors today than ever before. Data from a variety of sources show that on average, Americans are spending less time outdoors today than they did 30 or even 20 years ago. Children tend to spend more time outside than do adults, but that number too is declining. With the growth of Internet, social networking, on-demand programming, and computer games, there is more to keep us inside than there is to draw us out into the natural environment (or at least, it feels that way).

YouTube - Liebestraum (Franz Liszt)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPxfAmHeixA&feature=related

YouTube - Winter Wind Etude (Frederic Chopin)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7oZYznHulU&feature=fvsr

YouTube - Arctic Surf Film

I love nature....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmPp_eRWmaI&feature=featured

A Conversation with Bruce Lindsay - ACM Queue

http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=1036486

A Conversation with Bruce Lindsay

Designing for failure may be the key to success.

Photography by Tom Upton

If you were looking for an expert in designing database management systems, you couldn’t find many more qualified than IBM Fellow Bruce Lindsay. He has been involved in the architecture of RDBMS (relational database management systems) practically since before there were such systems. In 1978, fresh out of graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley with a Ph.D. in computer science, he joined IBM’s San Jose Research Laboratory, where researchers were then working on what would become the foundation for IBM’s SQL and DB2 database products. Lindsay has had a guiding hand in the evolution of RDBMS ever since.

In the late 1980s he helped define the DRDA (Distributed Relational Database Architecture) protocol and later was the principal architect of Starburst, an extensible database system that eventually became the query optimizer and interpreter for IBM’s DB2 on Unix, Windows, and Linux. Lindsay developed the concept of database extenders, which treat multimedia data—images, voice, and audio—as objects that are extensions of standard relational database and can be queried using standard SQL (Structured Query Language). Today he is still at work deep in the data management lab at IBM’s Almaden Research Center, helping to create the next generation in database management products.

Our interviewer this month is Steve Bourne, of Unix “Bourne Shell” fame. He has spent 20 years in senior engineering management positions at Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, Digital Equipment, and Silicon Graphics, and is now chief technology officer at the venture capital partnership El Dorado Ventures in Menlo Park, California. Earlier in his career he spent nine years at Bell Laboratories as a member of the Seventh Edition Unix team. While there, he designed the Unix Command Language (“Bourne Shell”), which is used for scripting in the Unix programming environment, and he wrote the ADB debugger tool. Bourne graduated with a degree in mathematics from King’s College, London, and has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Trinity College in Cambridge, England.

About the Author

• Steve Bourne is internationally known for his work on the UNIX operating system. Over the last 20 years he has held senior engineering management positions at leading computer systems and networking companies including Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, Digital Equipment and Silicon Graphics. At present he is Chief Technology Officer at El Dorado Ventures in Menlo Park, California.
  
  At Cisco Steve was responsible for Enterprise Network Management products including CiscoWorks. He established Cisco's leadership in web based network management with the introduction of the Cisco Resource Manager.
  
  At Sun Steve managed the Solaris 2.0 program including the internal transition from SUNOS to Solaris. Before leaving Sun he led the Solaris network services team (NFS, NIS, DNS and NIS+) and introduced NFS revision 3 to the market. While at Digital Steve founded and directed the West Coast Workstation Engineering group in Palo Alto that built the first multi-processor VAXstation as well as the first DEC RISC workstations.
  
  Steve spent nine years at AT&T Bell Laboratories where he was a member of the Seventh Edition UNIX team. He designed the UNIX Command Language or "Bourne Shell" which is used for scripting in the UNIX programming environment. He also wrote the ADB debugger. In 1983, Steve published his book called "The UNIX System" which has been widely recognized as a text for the effective use of UNIX.
  
  He holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics from King's College London, a Diploma (or M.Sc.) in Computer Science from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Trinity College in Cambridge, England.
  
  Steve is a Fellow and Past President of the ACM, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and a Fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. For additional information see the ACM Digital Library Author Page for: Steve Bourne