Cody Taylor

KentuckyFC writes “While preparing for the job of US Secretary of Energy in the incoming Obama administration (and being director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a Nobel Prize winner to boot), Steven Chu has somehow found time to make a major breakthrough in the world of atom interferometry. One measure of an interferometer’s sensitivity is the area that its arms enclose. Chu and colleagues have found a way to increase this area by a factor of 2,500 by canceling out the noise introduced by lasers, which work as beam splitters sending atoms down different arms (abstract). One thing this makes possible is the use of different types of atoms in the same interferometer, allowing a new generation of tests of the equivalence principle. (This is the assumption that the m in F=ma and the m’s in F= Gm1.m2/r^2 are the same thing). Let’s hope he’s got equally impressive breakthroughs planned for his encore as US Secretary of Energy.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

As the multitudes arrive for the historic inauguration of Barack Obama, the most high-tech security bubble ever created is in place to protect the him from any foreseeable act of God, nature or man. Officials say that a lone wolf could still slip through protective measures and cause chaos but that contingency plans would keep Obama safe.

Barack Obama and his historic presidential win inspired artists across the country. “His likeness has gone beyond who he is as a person,” said painter Phil Fung. “He represents the spirit of change.” Fung was one of several iReporters to send images of paintings, sculptures and sketches of the president-elect

President-elect Barack Obama said Friday he wanted legislation in Congress to permit federal funding on stem cell research and overturn a ban imposed by President George W. Bush.

Children write letters to President-elect Barack Obama, expressing their thoughts and hopes and even giving advice. These are real letters, from children who attend programs at the various 826 programs nationwide.

Before Barack Obama and his team act on their talk about “labor standards,” I’d like to offer them a tour of the vast garbage dump here in Phnom Penh.

President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to prohibit the use of waterboarding and harsh interrogation techniques by ordering the CIA to follow military rules for questioning prisoners, according to two U.S. officials familiar with drafts of the plans.

This is interesting, to say the least.