8
POPSAn Underground City Beneath Beijing, Why? Beijing's Underground Hideout With Khrushchev and the Soviets breathing down his country's metaphorical neck, Chairman Mao ordered the construction of a vast underground city to serve as a shelter during an invasion, air raid or nuclear war. This was no minor undertaking. In the late 1960s, the population of Beijing reached 7.5 million residents . In short order, the residents of the capital city were put to work excavating their enormous air raid shelter. Most of the digging was done by hand, and the work was shared by adults and schoolchildren alike. This communal venture fit nicely into Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution -- a massive campaign to support the communist movement and thwart counterrevolutionary ideas. From 1969 to 1979, the people of Beijing focused their attention underground. Watch Reuters video at website: Building the $500 million Beijing Olympic Stadium
24
POPSSingularity by 2045 - incredible life in a tamed world Other possible advancements from 2050 to 2100 could include colonies on Moon, Mars and beyond, finding and harnessing wormholes that break “light speed” barriers in extraterrestrial travel, and whisking information through time to meet ourselves at an earlier age, or go forward and see what the future has in store for us. It may even become possible to gather scanned minds from lost loved ones before their death enabling them to continue living in our time. How wild would that be?
3
POPSPrayer At The Pump Here's one you'll never hear: Oh most merciful Jesus, forgive us Bush LUVIN' fools for our "family values" by slashing social spending and bankrupting the government to pay for tax breaks for the rich, corporate welfare, and an insane, cold war-style buildup, for reversing a half century's work of hard-won environmental protections and ignoring the constitution, for making a human being a king, and for making our "moral values" our issues to shroud our wickedness in Godliness. Please forgive us for our vision, oops, hallucination that we are officially authorized by YOU to decide which values are "family" and "traditional" and how everyone should live by not promoting better wages, work conditions and job security. Forgive us Father, for we have sinned. And please lower the price of gas? AMEN.
2
POPS"Tropic Thunder" Comedy Mocks Hollywood And Movie-Makers
To save the movie, director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) decides to shoot it documentary-style, with his actors improvising in the jungle. But that idea also goes awry, and the gun-toting actors find themselves up against a drug lord and his minions' real guns. The premise is amusing, though the actual plotting doesn't always make sense, especially when the actors have to face the real-life villains. And as it goes along, the pleasure is not so much from character development as a series of set pieces, such as African-American Chino's view of Lazarus' vision of an African-American, or Grossman's attempts at crisis management. Indeed, Cruise may be the funniest thing in the movie, although he gets competition, notably from Downey and from Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, the non-star in the acting ensemble. And movie buffs will have fun picking up on the allusions to other films, especially Apocalypse Now. http://www.tropicthunder.com/home.html
4
POPSOpen Source Learning - Richard Baraniuk He talks about the way education will be more interactive, and reciprocal. Some of what he was saying reminded me of the way clipmarks, or wikki work. "Can you imagine there was a time when the books in a library didn't talk to each other?" Marvin Minsky The video is about 13min and 64 MB
6
POPS10 Traits for Lifelong Fulfillment 9. Full engagement Though you may play several different roles during the day, you only do one thing at a time. You are present to your current experience. 10. Long term perspective You are committed to a grand vision and purpose for your life. You are not swayed by short term urgencies. While many others are thinking only days and weeks ahead, you are looking years and decades forward.
17
POPSBloomberg calls for a new New Deal A great piece by Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. I think this man is one of the country's greatest assets - i sure hope we find a way to empower him. He has, in my opinion, been a great mayor for new york city.
6
POPSStinging Tentacles Offer Hint of Oceans’ Decline The explosion of jellyfish populations, scientists say, reflects a combination of severe overfishing of natural predators, like tuna, sharks and swordfish; rising sea temperatures caused in part by global warming; and pollution that has depleted oxygen levels in coastal shallows. These problems are pronounced in the Mediterranean, a sea bounded by more than a dozen countries that rely on it for business and pleasure. Left unchecked in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, these problems could make the swarms of jellyfish menacing coastlines a grim vision of seas to come. “The problem on the beach is a social problem,” said Dr. Gili, who talks with admiration of the “beauty” of the globular jellyfish. “We need to take care of it for our tourism industry. But the big problem is not on the beach. It’s what’s happening in the seas.”
4
POPSStrategy Or Magic Numbers And Stump Politics? Yet, unlike the Iraq surge he opposed (and still opposes), where increased numbers were based on a mission transition in 2007 and requirements to fulfill that mission, Senator Obama’s surge plan for Afghanistan appears on its face to have little concrete vision beyond sending in more troops. What’s more telling is that there is little in the way of detailing how that specific number of additional troops was arrived at. The lack of accompanying explanation - suggests it may be just that, a number. This, if so, is not a plan. Perhaps his military advisors may want to sharpen their pencils and share a thought or two. Perhaps we simply missed them amid the frequent criticism. Or perhaps the senator may reverse course and return to his once-stated predisposition to send US troops into Pakistan. Otherwise, it all rings as hollow criticism without serious alternative. That’s not a plan. And it’s not a strategy. That’s simply stump politics.
3
POPSMr. Murdoch Goes To War This would be music to the ears of any newsroom, so hope mingled with the professional dread in Murdoch’s audience that afternoon. He may be awful, but he is rich and awful, smart and awful, powerful and awful, and while he may well be crazy to still believe in the future of print, he is determined and crazy. Murdoch might be the last person The Journal would have chosen as its savior, but newspapers may well be down to last hopes. What does he see that others do not? What is his vision for one of America’s most venerated dailies? Can he really grow The Journal in such a hostile economic climate? And if he succeeds, might The Wall Street Journal as we know it, and as millions of readers have loved it, cease to exist?
20
POPSNew You By 2018 Therapeutic: Cloning for tissue replacement is already happening, as stem cells have successfully grown new heart tissues in patients. Researchers believe replacing muscle, bone, skin; even neurons, teeth, eyes, and other organs could be in beginning stages by 2018. Augmentation: Procedures expected to be in place by as early as 2015 include improved memory recall, simultaneous language translation, long range and microscopic vision on demand, wide spectrum hearing, distinctive voice projection, and stronger muscles. And by mid-to-late-2020s, “nanobots” monitoring each of our cells could keep us ageless and forever healthy. Designed Evolution: These could include memory, intelligence, speed, agility, and other behavioral and physical attributes. Eliminating undesired genes that might pre-dispose a child to cancer, heart disease or alcoholism could be possible by about 2015.
2
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update