rememberful

Tell it to the Spartans. The true story of the 300 at Thermopylae?

Link:    Historical Myths: The 300 who held Thermopylae

Robert Wilde  from About.com provides a clear summary of the story of the 300 Spartans whose sacrifice at Thermopylae still inspires us over 2,500 years later.  

The eventual defeat of the Persian superpower by a backwater group of Greek states is seen by many historians as the start of modern Europe.  That first battle with the invading Persians in the narrow pass at Thermopylae is by now as much myth as history.  This article does a good job disentangling the history from the myth.

Quick - where's Timbuktoo?

Link:  TravellerIQ Challenge

Here's a game from Trip Advisor to sharpen up your memory for geography trivia.    Ok, its not an article but it is fun. 

While you are at it, show the world you're #1 on national capitals, if you can.

Motrin Moms use Twitter when cross(ed).

Link:  "Motrin Moms," a-Twitter over ad, take on Big Pharma and win.

A 60-Second Science story in Scientific American tells how this time the big battalions were on the side of moms angry at the condescending tone of an ad promoting the pain killer Motrin.  Marshalling a ground swell of support using the Twitter community they got the ad pulled along with an apology from McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the maker of Motrin.

Science's magic moments. (Well, sometimes it is like that.)

Link:  The 7 Most Exciting Moments in Science.

Brittany Grayson writing in Discover Magazine acknowledegs that science generally moves forward at a glacial pace and with little excitment.  But there are times when insight arrives un-announced.  In this article she describes her favourite instances of great scientific breakthroughs.

Computers are still as dumb as toasters. Once in a while it's fun to pretend otherwise.

Link: "I'm Afraid I Can't Do That": 17 Dangerous Cinematic Computers”

This list from the A.V. Club is a fine roundup of anthropomorphic computers that aren’t quite as cute as Bugs Bunny. 

The pieces  are by  Christopher Bahn, Donna Bowman, Scott Gordon, Jason Heller, Genevieve Koski, Sean O'Neal, Tasha Robinson, Kyle Ryan, Scott Tobias

Too Bad Hippocrates Wasn't an Engineer

Link: Too Bad Hippocrates Wasn't an Engineer - New York Times.

We make our own calamities even when helped along by "acts of God".   JOHN SCHWARTZ of the New York Times writes a thoughtfull article on the responsibilities of engineers taking as his starting point the ancient Code of Hammurabi that stated "If a builder build a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death." What's more, "If it kill the son of the owner, the son of that builder shall be put to death."

Not all scientists are irreligious.

Link: Math Professor Wins a Coveted Religion Award - New York Times.

Given the bad press scientists recieve for their attitude to religion, here's an interesting twist.  John D. Barrow recieved the 2006 Templeton Prize for research in spiritual matters - which Dennis Overbye of the New York Times covers in this article.   

Your WiFi just might get you into trouble, possibly.

Link: Techdirt: Are You Liable If Someone Does Something Illegal On Your WiFi?.

Apparently you are not liable for illegal acts committed by people hijacking your network, probably.  The article is reassuring, just about. 

The Theory of Evolution does not fit some teachers' survival strategies.

Link: Arkansas Times.

Jason R. Wiles writing in the Arkansas Times describes how evolution is missing from Arkansas classrooms, as much through self censorship as any school-mandated restrictions.

The 9/11 attacks on the US still inspire conspiracy theorists everywhere.

Link: PM: Debunking The 9/11 Myths - Mar. 2005 Cover Story.

Popular Mechanics did a great job drawing together into one place a sane, coherent story debunking the incredible lies still told about that day.