67
POPSThey did not give up R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York City caught on. When Bell telephone was struggling to get started, its owners offered all their rights to Western Union for $100,000. The offer was disdainfully rejected with the pronouncement, "What use could this company make of an electrical toy." Rocket scientist Robert Goddard found his ideas bitterly rejected by his scientific peers on the grounds that rocket propulsion would not work An expert said of Vince Lombardi: "He possesses minimal football knowledge and lacks motivation." Michael Jordan and Bob Cousy were each cut from their high school basketball teams. Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." After Fred Astaire's first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, read, "Can't act. Can't sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little." When Lucille Ball began studying to be actress, she was to"Try any other profes
52
POPSGIANT Crystals! Uh, yeah, I know, it's a stupid title and I normally have something more cerebral to say, but this is just plain cool. I wonder what could possibly explain my fascination with these crystals?
30
POPSViruses can catch colds, says study that redefines life itself Prof La Scola and his colleagues were surprised to spot a smaller type of virus attached to the virus-making factory inside infected cells. The new virus - Sputnik - was unable to infect cells by itself but seemed to hijack the larger to achieve its infectious aims. By regulating the growth and death of plankton, giant viruses - and satellite viruses such as Sputnik - could be a major influence on ocean nutrient cycles and climate. "These viruses could be major players in global systems," Nature is told by Prof Curtis Suttle, an expert in marine viruses at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
29
POPSPentagon plans microchips for soldiers brains. Like with 'IBM Verichip' this seems to be an attempt to introduce 'Organic Tracking Cookies'. All they have to do is convince people they are safe, or introduce them in a way that will not bother people (Like when they are unconscious, or offline) Soldiers, maybe, but when they talk about injecting them into trauma victims, they don't mention any approval by patients. Will it be left to the discretion of the treating physician ? Will they be obliged to tell the patient ? Will they consider the ignorance of the patient to be in the best interests of the patient, and the health system. Not long ago these might have seemed stupid questions "What is there to doubt" Surely we can trust the pentagon.They won't need an electoral roll, they'll have a catalog. Whoever gets the contract is going to make a fortune.