Canadian News Stories The US Doesnt Want You To See

They tell us more about what is was like when the bombing started over Bahgdad, what is was really like to live in a fox hole with the American troops and what happened when the Palestine Hotel - where the media was based - was bombed.
http://www.cbc.ca/deadlineiraq/stories.html

Sun Sheds Its Magnetic Skin

The fact that the Suns outer layers are bubbling, and that the Sun rotates faster at the equator than the poles, and faster on the inside than on the surface, results in a solar dynamo that, over 11 years, becomes increasingly wound up. So at some stage during the magnetic cycle the Sun has to somehow shed its old, contorted magnetic skin, and allow a newer, less troubled one, to emerge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3226844.stm

iPod Jack Swapping

During his regular evening walk, software executive Steve Crandall often nods a polite greeting to other iPod users he passes: He easily spots the distinctive white earbuds threaded from pocket to ears. But while quietly enjoying some chamber music one evening in August, Crandalls polite nodding protocol was rudely shattered. Crandall was boldly approached by another iPod user, a 30ish woman bopping enthusiastically to some high-energy tune. "She walked right up to me and got within my comfort field," Crandall stammered. "I was taken aback. She pulled out the earbuds on her iPod and indicated the jack with her eyes." Warily unplugging his own earbuds, Crandall gingerly plugged them into the womans iPod, and was greeted by a rush of techno. "We listened for about 30 seconds," Crandall said. "No words were exchanged. We nodded and walked off."
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,61242,00.html

Mystery Meson

X(3872) was found among the decay products of so-called beauty mesons - sub-atomic particles that are produced in large numbers at the Tsukuba "meson factory". It weighs about the same as a single atom of helium and exists for only about one billionth of a trillionth of a second before it decays into other longer-lived, more familiar particles. Although this is extremely short-lived by human standards, scientists say that a billionth of a trillionth of a second is nearly an eternity for a sub-atomic particle this heavy. Particles smaller than the atom are grouped into families depending upon their mass, spin and electric charge. But X(3872) is peculiar in that it does not fit easily into any known particle scheme and, as a result, has attracted a considerable amount of attention from the worlds physics community.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3277579.stm

Hilarious Slashdot Thread

"...Athletes is about supply and demand. There are very few people who can supply an acurate, repeatable 50 yeard pass(or whatever) while 3 or 4 300 pound guys moving as fast as an elk bear down on them.

>As fast as an elk? Is that some kind of Canadian measure
>of velocity? Can you get a speeding ticket for going 2
>elks in a school zone? What is the speed of light in elks?

>>Its a canadian unit of velocity AND mass. (So now that I
>>think about it its a unit of momentum). Its defined as
>>the momentum of your average elk running at the average
>>maximum elk speed. A football player with all his gear
>>does about 0.2 elk.

>>Im upset that us yanks are still using Imperial Elk instead of Metric.

>>What is the speed of light in elks?
>>What do you mean? An African or European elk?

>>Are Canadian engines measured in elk-power? By the way:
>>elks can run at about 35 MPH [discovermyvillage.com],
>>and the speed of light is 186,282 miles per second,
>>so I guess the speed of light is 19,160,434 elks.

>>What is the speed of light in elks?
>>Zero. Elks are opaque."

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/11/10/1751238&mode=thread&tid=103&tid=98&tid=99

Hitchikers Guide Coming Back To BBC

Production is under way on the Tertiary Phase of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, with episodes due to begin airing on Radio 4 in spring 2004. As we reported in September, independent company Above the Title have the rights to adapt Douglas Adams novels for radio. Its now become clear that three of the Hitchhikers novels are indeed getting their first radio adaptation. A six-part adaptation of Life, the Universe and Everything will be up first in the spring. This will be followed towards the end of 2004 by an eight-week serialisation combining So Long and Thanks for All the Fish with Mostly Harmless.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2003/11/04/7768.shtml

Biggest Flare Ever Recorded

Today word came from the SEC that their best estimate was X28. We have a new number 1 X-ray flare for the record books.
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence Trailer

Man, this looks sweet...
http://www.innocence-movie.jp/information/trailer/tokuho1/480.mov