Wednesday, Science Day

Like many good geeks, I regularly visit several sciencey sites or follow them on Twitter. Like any good Tweep, I get linked random articles that other people found interesting. Like any good blogger, I save the coolest stuff I find for days when I'm not inspired to write a full-out post.

So, without further ado, I present … SCIENCE! And speculation on its uses as applied to fiction.

Spacequakes: Otherwise known as a reverberating planetary magnetic field. Obviously, the ones around Earth (the ones we've detected) aren't big enough to destroy us, but that doesn't mean they can't 1) be weaponized, 2) be used as a power source, or 3) destroy sensitive space-faring equipment. After all, some of the proposed spaceship engines make use of magnets that have to be tuned very finely to be useful. Also, we don't know how spacequakes work on other planets.

Water-purifying teabags: One of the better uses of nanotech that I've seen. This is immediately applicable the world over, but I see this really coming into its own in a post-apocalyptic environment.

They've invented a tractor beam! Well, a small one, at least. And they've proposed phasers. I don't need to say anything else for you to know how awesome that is. Do I?

Moon garden: A Moon colony is going to need to grow food, but the growing conditions are horrible up there (so I hear). Therefore, we'll need to figure out which species or breeds will cope before we ship them up there. We now have a greenhouse that is doing exactly this.

Flexible computers: I also don't need to add anything to explain how awesome that is, but I'll do it anyway. Computers that roll up and fit in your pocket. Computers that double as clothing or bracelets. Computers that wrap around surfaces, warp to contours, and take any shape you want them to. Anything can be a computer, which means more data, more applications of data, and a technology boom. I can't wait!

That's it for today. Hope the links inspire!