kg
Latest
Why scientists are redefining the kilogram
Physics is a funny thing. Despite dictating the behaviors and states of everything from atoms to stars, our interpretation of its effects are rooted in very human constructs. Meters, amperes and seconds were all defined using arbitrary terms and methods. For years, the kilogram and meter weren't just terms, they were physical objects held in a Paris vault that some Victorian-era committee just decided would be the standard. But now, for the first time since the international system of units (SI) was launched in 1960, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) is redefining four basic units of measurement, not by any human metric but by the immutable forces of the universe. "This is the most important decision that the BIPM has made in maybe 100 years, which may be a slight exaggeration, but at least since 1960 when they adopted the international system of units," Dr. Terry Quinn, emeritus director of the BIPM, said. A committee from the BIPM met in Paris this week and voted on Friday to recommend redefining the kilogram, mole, ampere and Kelvin. The motion will be put up for a vote at the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) next November. "For the scale that's in your grocery store or bathroom, nothing's going to change," Dr. David Newell of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) said. Instead, as Dr. Quinn explains, "it will give you the ability to make accurate measurements on scales far different from the current scale."
Friday Video: Sgt. Frog
If you're not a huge anime fan, you may not have heard of Keroro Gunso. That's okay; you don't have to know anything to watch this week's featured video. In fact, it may be even funnier if you have no idea what's going on. Whether you're a fan or not, however, we hope everyone can agree that the trailer for the second Keroro Gunso game on the DS is a pretty wacky finisher for the week. It's bright, it's colorful, and it's monumentally silly. Just sit back and enjoy the trials and tribulations of Sgt. Frog.
LG KG338 launches in China
We'll refrain from the obvious "Chocolate candybar" jokes here, but it is true that LG's new KG338 is a candybar in the Chocolate series. Having just launched in China for about $300 US, the GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 handset appears to retain the touch-sensitive concept with its two soft keys, but adds a wheel into the mix for mechanical scrollin' goodness. Though seemingly music oriented, the KG338 packs a fairly pathetic 32MB of internal memory, leaving the user little option but to plug up that MicroSD slot with all due haste; add that to the 220 x 176 display and 1.3-megapixel camera, and we're left without much to love.
