Month: June 2009

Transcript-TWIS.ORG March 24, 2009


Synopsis: Brains, brains, brains! Cold Fusion, Bad For Baby, Kiki needs to drink less, and lots more

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer! The Earth is facing an immediate global threat of self-annihilation. And while the vast majority of Earth’s inhabitants do nothing to fight the threat of global warming, this is likely because most of its habitants are non-sentient life forms.

Yet even among these sentient thinking reasoning informational adaptive earthlings, there seems to be a little initiative taken. Either from a lack of knowledge, absence or of awareness or worse, a sense that the trouble ahead is too terrible.

The challenge is too great and so they ignore the issue resolving the Earth to a coward’s fate. And though terribly troubled earthlings much like the following hour of our programming do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of University of California at DAVIS, KDVS or its sponsors.

The fate of the world is NOT so predetermined. There are some human principles that do not back down from the challenge. Science ever thinking, never blinking, innovating answers instead of hesitating the question, inventing the tools needed to face the future instead of pretending that tomorrow will never come.

With science, a new energy portfolio is being designed. Roof tiles integrated with solar cells, algae and hydrogen fuel sources, emission-free vehicles backed up by better battery technology, rooftop, wind turbines and water turbines and ocean currents, geothermal power plants tap in deep into the Earth below and pursuit of perhaps the greatest of potential prices. Even fusion is on the table still.

Nothing is impossible. No challenge too great, no question too tricky for the brave-minded modern scientist. And speaking of brave minds, hello! Welcome to another episode of This Week in Science, coming up next.

Continue reading “Transcript-TWIS.ORG March 24, 2009”

Transcript-TWIS.ORG May 5, 2009

Synopsis: Remote Control Brains, Making Blood Crawl, Birdsong Basics, This Week in Science History, Drink To Your Sanity, and an Interview with Dr. Leonard Mlodinow re: The Drunkard’s Walk.

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

In the wake of the H1N1 worry, the world has a new wave of statistical woe on the way. As the number of confirmed deaths continued to drop, from hundreds, to dozens down to only ten within a single week.

The latest statistical projections of the un-die-ing situation now suggest that we are trending towards a potential population explosion!

If people continue to un-die at this rate, we may soon be looking at a human transmittable in fallopian pregno-demic that could grow exponentially over the next nine months.

And while this exponential growth oddly mirrors the rate of natural human reproduction it, much like the following hour of programming, does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California at Davis, KDVS or its Sponsors.

Listeners should be wary, as face masks will not be enough to protect you from the probability of procreation. Staying indoors with loved ones might actually contribute to the further spread of parental syndromes.

While the CDC sits idly by and does nothing to slow the rapid rate of confirmed un-deadenings, you can be comforted to know that we will be dedicating the next hour to keeping you reasonably safe by offering you something else to do, here on This Week In Science coming up next.
Continue reading “Transcript-TWIS.ORG May 5, 2009”

Transcript: TWIS.ORG June 9, 2009

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

What you’re about to encounter over the next hour is an elimination of information. You will hear tales of current discoveries in science. These implications will then be pondered aloud in what may appear to be an effort to add endless amounts of information to your brain.

But do not be fooled, dear Minions, science is a reductive art. Boiling off extreme news info, laser focusing beams of investigative interest spinning the center fuse of potential inferences until only the applicable data points remain — reducing reality to its most basic definitions so that it can be transmuted into useful knowledge, devoid of uninformed observation and human illusions.

And while boiling laser focused alchemist, much like the following hour of our programming, does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California at Davis, KDVS or its sponsors when all information not worth knowing can be eliminated, what is left can be called fact, can be construed to scientific truth, can be viewed in context to the role of plays within the unfiltered, uninformed extreme misinformation world of human illusions. Only then can it be discussed here on This Week in Science, coming up next.
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Transcript: TWIS.ORG June 2, 2009

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

Whatever you are planning today, whatever your mind is prepared for, whatever is expected to unfold over the next 24 hours, over the next week or over the next month or even a year, remember, such probabilities abound within each moment of time that any predictions you have made must be met with an ability to identify, adjust and adapt in the event of the unexpected.

Nothing, not even nothingness itself can be counted on ahead of its being encountered. And while preparing your mind for the unexpected sweet nothings, much like the following hour of programming, does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California at Davis, KDVS or its sponsors.

It should be the mental mantra of all free thinking minions to expect the unexpected, to welcome changes on the fly as opportunities to engage in mental gymnastics of our free will through critical thinking.

Regardless of how things end, we should look back and laugh, knowing that we have done well enough to win, or poorly enough to lose at something new and thereby learn from it.

Whether other outcomes were possible, impossible means nothing to us now. Possible and impossible are meaningless words to the free thinker. Do not be limited by words. Do not be limited by thoughts. Heck, don’t even limit yourself to listening to, This Week in Science, coming up next.

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Transcript: TWIS.ORG March 31, 2009


Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

Getting it wrong is one of the most important things you can do in the pursuit of science. The more things you get wrong, the less places truth has to hide. More than simply a process of elimination, getting it wrong can actually produce new facts.

For instance, if we go back in time to the days of early men, we can imagine an early attempt to reach the moon by throwing a rock while it is directly over head. Not only does this attempt illustrate the wrong way to reach the moon, it also produces facts about gravity, acceleration, and potentially head injuries that could be later studied.

And while throwing rocks at the moon much like the following hour of our programming does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California at Davis, KDVS or its sponsors.

We should all feel like great Liberty to get things wrong on a daily basis. For every wrong answer is a step towards the truth. Every dumb question – one less that needed to be asked. Every failed experiment eliminates the need for it to be done that way again.

And every intuitive false belief refuted finds us a more objective understanding upon which to stand. In fact, wrong thinking makes the impossible possible.

If only by learning new ways of not going about attempting it, it could be said and therefore it’s about to be that getting things wrong is the easiest way to learn new things.

And while you ponder the possible wrong things you can think today, we will eliminate a few facts so as not to make your efforts in vain. You’re on This Week in Science, coming up next.
Continue reading “Transcript: TWIS.ORG March 31, 2009”

Transcript:TWIS.ORG Sept 9, 2008

Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

While political campaigns heat up and tropical storms gather strength, while major cities evacuate their populations and other cities inundate with delegations, while the focus of a nation is deeply engaged in witnessing the coming change in direction that is but a few months away, the changes of an altered climate have already set new courses for us all.

And while changes in any form under any banner or backdrop including that of the following hour of our programming do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California at Davis, KDVS or its sponsors. Change will come to those who wait. It also happens to come to those who do not wait but rather participate.

In the latter case, the change is often more predictable and much more beneficial. In no other spectrum of participation, can the changes in future events be more lasting, more impacting and more crucial to the health and prosperity of the nation than the changes science seeks to make in every facet of our knowledge.

The economy, health, security and mental acuity of any nation are best assured by advances in science and the dedication to learning. Science is the rope society must climb to lift itself above the suffering of selection, be it social, economic, or genetic in nature – science and science alone.

So, the super host delegates of this show would like to nominate Science as our candidate in the following election. And offer each event reported here as a tribute in testimony to its character and resolve.

Minions and gentle listeners, please welcome the next president of future knowledge here on This Week in Science, coming up next.
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Transcript:TWIS.ORG Sept 16, 2008


Justin: Heading through the Large Hadron Collider, the Physics world buzzes with excitement about the many potential discoveries, confirmations and unexpected revelations, the media and the general public are scrambling to learn the basics of the Physics at play.

Why – what is a Hadron? What is a Higgs? How did they accelerate one? Is it safe to do so? Are Proton beans colliding going to cause a big bang? What is a Big Bang anyway? And I heard they want to make a big black hole and it’s going to swallow the whole Earth. Is that true? Have they gone mad? Should we stop them? And where, oh where on earth is the country of CERN I keep hearing about anyway?

While the location of CERN much like the following hour of our programming, does not represent the views or opinions of the University of California, Davis KDVS or its sponsors. The real benefit of the LHC may lay as much in the minds and imaginations of the curious public as it does in the 17 miles of buried tunnel.

As fears of impending doom circulate, like rumors in a mill, the incredible need for the man on the street to know his Higgs from a Hadron Collider in the ground becomes clear. And so, too the solution to such dire need also becomes clear. For where else can the public turn to for on the fly science learning but This Week in Science, coming up next.
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Transcript:TWIS.ORG April 7, 2009


Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

The future is rapidly approaching. This has always been the case, of course throughout the whole of human history. Tomorrow always seems to be on a hurry to reach the present. What may separate our presently encroaching future from future’s past?

The seemingly limitless landmarks that beacon this new age, from nano-engineering to synthetic-genetic manipulations; stem cell progenitors to microbial biofuels; from the nature of neural networks to a universe made of strings; the science that we are living in golden age of discoveries only clouded by the sheer volume of discoveries and the speed at which they are being made. Making the amazing a common place occurrence.

As human knowledge expands well beyond the familiar seemingly intuitive world we were born into, rerun the risk of falling behind in our time of being primitive thinkers in the modern world.

In all primitive thinking much like the hour of our programming does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of University of California at Davis, KDVS or its sponsors.

The speed that which the secrets of the universe are being revealed to us is increasing at such a rate that if we turn our attention away too long, if will allow ourselves to be mired in daily destruction, we may miss our chance to glimpse the world made naked by knowledge.

The universe as revealed by This Week in Science coming up next.
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Transcript: TWIS.ORG April 14, 2009


Justin: Disclaimer! Disclaimer! Disclaimer!

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. The mortal words of the anthropomorphic little engine that did while face the seemingly undoable task of scaling a steep mountain grade. Much like the little engine, bound to travel the rails laid before it, science too has little choice but to take head on the obstacles and its path.

There are less treacherous tasks to tackle in life than those of astrophysics quantum unification and autoimmune disease. There are much smaller mountains to master than those of global climate, cancer or the multitude of mental afflictions that assault the human line.

And just like the moralistic little engine tail, it is the belief that anything can be accomplished through persistent thinking and doing that science ultimately makes a grade.

And while making the moralistic mental grade, much like the following hour of our programming, does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of California at Davis, KDVS or its sponsors, the plain old fashion pluckiness of science continues to push us to new heights chugging away with pistons of persistent PhDs patiently plodding out data proofs like pops of smoke from the stack of a story book steam engine.

“I think I can” unify all forces under one theory. I think I can cure cancer. I think I can put a man on Mars. And while the plucky mountain climb continues, other trains are just now returning to the station here on This Week in Science, coming up next.
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Transcript:TWIS.ORG April 21, 2009

Kirsten: Hey there minions, this is Kirsten. Before we start the show I just want to let people know that this week’s show occurred during our home radio station’s fundraising drive.

KDVS is fabulous example of how great freeform community non-commercial radio can be. But it does have to pay bills just like any business and fundraising has become a major part of the station’s income.

KDVS has been home to TWIS for ten years. And both TWIS and KDVS have matured quite a bit in that time. I hope that you will consider donating to the place that has supported and continues to support a unique brand of science reporting.

And even if you don’t care for supporting a radio station you barely know, consider supporting the show. Regardless, thank you for being a part of our exploration of science and journey of discovery. With that note, on with the show!
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