Molecularist

"Monaco's achievement has not gone unnoticed. Over the past half-century many people have tried to ape its success. Most of these stabs at nationhood have been frivolous and some crackpot. But a handful have been serious, and a few aspiring Poo-Bahs have won some autonomy for their fledgling states, albeit briefly. With the number of real countries increasing—30 have sprung to life since 1990 alone—some people think one of these “micronations” could eventually be accepted as a legitimate state."

"What that person will inherit is a patchwork of products that are social in one way or another but don’t fit together to form a coherent experience. Google needs to articulate how peoples’ identities and their relationships figure into its core mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”"

Social Fundraising

"Is it possible to make money by being happily hopeful about very serious things and visualising information with smiling faces? I reckon so."

"The agency wants to know if the industry has the technology to create a system for monitoring high-volume wireless, text, and data usage, instead of sending customers massive bills for unintentional usage."

You bet they do.

"These plugs for labor-saving devices, often unintentionally hilarious, got us wondering. Are any of them actually useful? At 3 a.m., bleary and weary of watching poker tournaments and reruns, we decided to find out. We called 1-800-IMA-SCKR and ordered some frequently advertised gadgets. Then we tested them, in the clear and rational light of day. Here is what we found."

Maps of potentially redrawn New England.

"It might seem like this process is long over, but history suggests otherwise. Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket tried to secede from Massachusetts in 1977. Killington, Vt., tried to defect to New Hampshire in 2004. And just last month, Maine Representative Henry Joy renewed his long-running attempt to split Maine into two parts. Here are five New England states that might have been–and, for all we know, might still be."

"“This is my favorite protocol for extracting DNA — mostly because it seems like a magic trick,’’ said Mackenzie Cowell, an amateur scientist who was leading a hands-on workshop to show that, with simple kitchen equipment and procedures, anyone can begin to examine his or her genetic material."

Go, Mac!

"In order to make a rubber tree's roots grow in the right direction – say, over a river – the Khasis use betel nut trunks, sliced down the middle and hollowed out, to create root-guidance systems. The thin, tender roots of the rubber tree, prevented from fanning out by the betel nut trunks, grow straight out. When they reach the other side of the river, they're allowed to take root in the soil. Given enough time, a sturdy, living bridge is produced."

"The MS study is the first, however, to integrate studies of epigenetics and gene expression with whole-genome sequencing. "What they've done here is create a very nice template for others to follow," Geschwind says. "It isn't just sequence — they went from sequence to epigenome to expression. That's what really makes [the study] something special.""

"Historically, Mechanics' Institutes were educational establishments formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men. As such, they were often funded by local industrialists on the grounds that they would ultimately benefit from having more knowledgeable and skilled employees (such philanthropy was shown by, among others, Robert Stephenson, James Nasmyth and Joseph Whitworth). The Mechanics' Institutes were used as 'libraries' for the adult working class, and provided them with an alternative pastime to gambling and drinking in pubs."

"One significant set of publications by the SDUK was the Library of Useful Knowledge; sold for a sixpence and published biweekly, its books focused on scientific topics. The first volume, an introduction to the series by Brougham, sold over 33,000 copies. However, attempts to reach the working class market were largely unsuccessful; only among the middle class was there sustained interest in popular science texts."

"But the march of mind was not to be stopped and reactionary parsons and lawyers and gentlefolk watched in some alarm as relatively cheap and popular books flooded the market. The cognoscenti sneered at the quality of the mass produced books with their library bindings. It was not what they were used to. Their idea of a book was a leather bound volume with marbled endpapers, thick paper, wide margins and pages that needed to be opened with a knife. But the cloth bound books of the new age were built to last and many of them are still in circulation today."

"Here's how it works: Issue Zero begins May 7th. We'll unveil a theme and you'll have 24 hours to produce and submit your work. We'll take the next 24 to snip, mash and gild it. The end results will be a shiny website and a beautiful glossy paper magazine, delivered right to your old-fashioned mailbox. We promise it will be insane. Better yet, it might even work.

"Brought to you by Heather Powazek Champ, Dylan Fareed, Mathew Honan, Alexis Madrigal, Derek Powazek, Sarah Rich" [via @weegee]

New book site. Tech and books. [via @alfie]

Gah. Certainly a different clientele than the old Forest Café it replaced.

This seems like the biggest Synth Bio event of the year (other than iGEM). Alas, I heard about it late. And I only found later today that I could probably sit in a few talks (but reg is closed). Alas, I work down the road. Might have to settle for a beer with the attendees after. And, dang, Stewart Brand will be speak. [Gotta say, the one week I step back from all this everything happens – missed a DIYBio meetup, an Awsome Foundation event, and Cambridge Science weekend. And now this. Blah.]

"However, what the thirteen year old kid in South Central LA needs is not a cheap thermocycler, but a safe and stable environment to grow and learn, a community where there are fulfilling jobs that provide a living wage, where immigrants have legal rights, where the opportunity to learn about high level science is available in the first place."

Very well said.

"WHY?
Ashley Rawlings (co-author / editor) and I (Craig Mod — co-author / designer) love this book. Lots of people love this book. But nobody can get it. We crafted this book out of our blood and sweat (and mikan oranges) in 2008. It's been sold out since the spring of 2009. So we got the rights to republish it and are doing it on our own — with your help."

Neat. [via @leebryant]

"Even as some grounded planes began returning to the skies yesterday, stranded travelers were piling into buses, trains, and high-priced taxis in a frantic scramble to accomplish an increasingly tricky mission to escape from Europe."

Glad to not have been stuck anywhere. But wishing I was able to enjoy the plane-free skies and possibly amazing sunsets.

So cool. But remind me why people live there?

"Daniel Oyier has been eating only once a day since a volcano more than 5,000 miles away caused him to be laid off from his $4-a-day job packing red roses and white lilies for export to Paris and Amsterdam."

One big village all dependent on each other, innit?

"Their frequent long separations must have been torture for them, but the letters such distance occasioned are a treasure to read. The Adams marriage was strong, surprisingly equal, at times combative, nearly always tender. We should all be so lucky."