New Music (for me)

Yes I love it list:
Kings o Convenience "Riot on an Empty Street"
the Black Kids "Partie Traumatic"
Decemberists "the Hazards of Love" What can I say, they are just awesome damn it-
U2 "No Line on the Horizon"
Supreme Beings of Leisure "S2"
Morrissey "Years of Refusal"
Fleet Foxes Self Titled and the EP
Niko Case "Middle Cyclone"
Yeasayer "All Hour Cymbals"
Seal "Soul"
Cat Power "The Greatest"
DeVotchka "Curse Your Little Heart"
Robbie Williams "Intensive Care"
Tricky "Knowle West Boy" This one is a classic. Just phenomenal. I am anxious for the new Massive Attack one comming out soon.

Not as much as I hoped (still ok though)
Depeche Mode "Sounds of the Universe" (Hoped for something as good as "Playing the Angel" but alas, let down. Maybe I will change my mind down the road).
Bad Plus "For All I Care"

Roaches Inspire (the Artificial) Heart

Inspired by roaches, Indian scientists develop artificial heart

19/03/2009 14:48 NEW DELHI, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - A group of scientists from the Indian city of Kharagpur have created a unique artificial human heart similar to the heart of a cockroach, the supervisor of the project told RIA Novosti.

Unlike humans, who die of cardiac arrest when one of their four heart chambers fails, cockroaches easily survive in a similar situation because their hearts have 13 chambers, Sujoy Guha said.

He said the Indian researchers' 13-chamber design will make their total artificial heart (TAH) more resilient than the models currently in use. The device will be made of metal and plastic and cost about $2,000 - one-thirtieth of the price of standard TAHs.

It took the research team of the Indian Institute of Technology three years to complete the first prototype of their artificial heart. It was successfully tested on frogs, and tests on goats are scheduled to begin in May.

Tests on animals are scheduled to be completed in a year. If the tests are successful, the first Indian TAH could be implanted into a human patient in three years.

Trains In Vain

The Clash had a song called Train in Vain (you didnt stand by me). A great song and my apologies for stealing the title.

This is not about the clash. I am ranting about the fact that we lack a high speed rail system in Mid America. Part of life for me includes driving pretty regularly to place like Fargo and Bismarck, ND, Sioux Falls, SD, Omaha and Lincoln, NE, St Cloud, Rochester and Duluth MN, as well as Des Moines, IA.

As I drive these exciting stretches of land I keep thinking about how cool would it be if my car could drive for me. I could sit in the passenger seat and get a lot of stuff done. Use the internet and be productive. Get reports done, make phone calls to customers and avoid accidents.

That is already available in Europe. they are called high speed rails. Japan has them too. Of course, they have more people. 

What spurred this rant that I am prone to having so often? Well glad you asked.

When I was in Europe, especially in Germany, I got to use the rail system and learned to be efficient an dare I say fellin love with it. It was smooth and it was pretty quick and it worked very well.

In the midwest we can choose a few options. Car, which takes time. Bus which takes time. Limited rail without much amenities, which takes time. Planes which cost money and often are not that fast. They still plug up the sky and the tarmac as well.

I was listening to NPR and the discussion was the airline industry. They are, like always, suffering. They are competitive, they suffer. fuel prices are high they suffer. Now the fuel prices are low and the economy is down...they are suffering.

High speed rail that is integrated with the airports can help. They could do package deals and draw on a large auddience of folks who could not consider air travel in the past for short jaunts.

I would love it because I can get work done, it could be energy efficient and the air would e safer with less planes fighting for the same space.