Exploding Pumpkin- Halloween Science Chemistry Demos!

Mr. Bergmann performs the exploding pumpkin trick as part of a Halloween demo day for his chemistry students. Now that's how you carve a pumpkin!

A System Perspective on Specifying Electronic Power Supplies: Source Characterization

"Last month we discussed the effects of load characteristics upon power supply specification. This month we will learn about important source characteristics for power supply specification."

http://www.eeweb.com/blog/bob_stowe/perspective-on-specifying-electronic-power-supplies-source-characterization

Fukushima Released Record Radiation Into Sea

The destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan was responsible for the biggest discharge of radioactive material into the ocean in history, a study from a French institute said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-31/fukushima-plant-released-record-amount-of-radiation-into-ocean.html

All Female Team Trains Microbes To Clean Up Nuclear Waste |

Microbiologist Gemma Reguera succeeded in becoming a role model for women in science, running a lab that's staffed nearly with all female researcher.

http://www.livescience.com/16647-microbes-nuclear-waste-reuguera-nsf-sl.html

Occupy

The Occupy Movement has been going on for over a month now and shows no sign of petering out. The protests against the Western financial system began in Wall Street in New York on September 17, and now there are tents in many of the world’s major cities, including Amsterdam.

http://www.rnw.nl/english/video/occupy-movement-still-going-strong-amsterdam

Mexico's powerful Zetas drug cartel has plenty of enemies, from the Mexican government to vigilantes and rival cartels. Now the Zetas have a new adversary: the hacker collective Anonymous

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-10/31/anonymous-threatens-drug-lords

Utilising available technology for food production.

When I talk to people about utilising available technology in agriculture to avoid future problems in food production, they automatically assume I'm talking about the patented, Monsanto style of agricultural technology. I'm not.
There is a wealth of sustainable and simple technologies that could help to avoid future shortfalls in food production, without saturating our arable land and water systems with the toxic chemicals that have become common in modern farming.
Utilising available technologies to improve water collection and distribution for irregation, methods of vertical farming which are low impact and sustainable, changing the methods by which livestock is raised and processed for consumption, alternative methods of producing fuel such as growing algae show great promise and do not require the use of arable land which can be used for food production, I could go on and on.
This also does not mean that we will have to pay more for food. I source most of my food, including meat, locally and it more often than not is cheaper and of better quality than that produced for the supermarkets, and is produced in a sustainable and less wastefull manner.
The word "technology" does not mean what many assume it to mean, and with just a small adjustment to collective thinking, huge advances could be made that would be to the benefit of all.