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Science Update

Waveboat
So there are boats that are powered solely by waves. Who knew?

I do wonder how it would work, steering wise, if you had to sail a boat against the prevailing wave currents. The article proposes wind sails to augment the waves, but since wind and waves are tied together I'm not sure how much that would help.

Still, a neat piece of concept engineering.

Source: TreeHugger

Avalanche!
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was watching routine climate changes and got an eyeful of a surprise event.

A robotic spacecraft circling Mars has snapped the first image of a series of active avalanches near the planet's north pole, scientists said Monday.

The image, taken last month, reveals at least four avalanches of fine ice and dust breaking off from a steep cliff and settling on the slope below. The cascade kicked up massive debris clouds, with some measuring more than 590 feet across.

Sources: Raw Story
NASA

Rise of the Hexapus
A London aquarium has acquired a six-legged octopus.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The unique sea creature, which has two limbs fewer than a normal octopus, is believed to be the result of a birth defect rather than an accident, say his keepers at the Blackpool Sea Life Centre in northwest England.

...

It was only when he attached himself to the inside of a glass tank that Sea Life staff noticed he was two limbs short of a full set. Octopuses are renowned for having three hearts and blue blood, but not usually six legs.

"He's a lovely little thing," said a spokeswoman, adding that he will go on display to the public later this month.

Source: Yahoo News

Tagged
So businesses are looking to get the right to embed RFID tags in your clothing and track what you do, where you go, etc. All in the name of 'serving' you.

They seem shocked that people aren't willing to go along.

"For us, consumers have to be protected," said Emilie Berrau, a legal officer for the BEUC, the European Consumers Organization in Brussels. "They haven't asked for the technology, so why should they have the burden of protecting themselves?"

...

"How can you make an assumption that consumers will want their tags deactivated at the point of sales?" she said. "How can we justify that? So far we haven't heard from consumers with day-to-day concerns. There is a distance there. This technology is developing very quickly. And if there is an opt-in approach, that will probably deter many retailers from adopting the technology."

Retailers have tended to use the chips for logistical purposes like tracking deliveries, but companies are starting to get more inventive. A British uniform supplier, Trutex, said it was developing clothing with chips to track schoolchildren, in part because of surveys that showed parents were favorable to the idea.

Oh no, won't somebody please think of the children!?

The children that we can spy on for money?!

Source: The International Herald Tribune