Derren Brown’s 3D Magic Spectacular
Channel 4 is to begin showing programmes in 3D within weeks as part of moves which could change the way people watch TV in the future. The channel will air a range of shows including footage of the Queen’s Coronation and a new magic spectacular from Derren Brown using the technology. This comes amid growing optimism that the moves could help revolutionise British TV viewing after earlier attempts at 3D television failed to catch on.
Sky has already announced it is planning to launch Europe’s first 3D TV channel next year that will require a special TV set. Channel 4 is using different technology which will mean people can view the more lifelike content on their normal televisions. Channel 4 will be giving away special glasses, with amber and blue lenses, in supermarkets ahead of the shows it has lined up for the project. Channel 4 itself will air a week of prime-time 3D content this autumn and if the move proves to be a success, it could become a regular feature on the channel.
Channel 4 has done a deal with Sainsbury’s to stock the glasses for free in most of its major stores in the week before the programmes air. Those doing their supermarket shopping over the internet will also be handed a free pair when their shopping is delivered.
The highlight of Channel 4′s week of 3D programmes will be two hour-long documentaries featuring footage of the Queen. One will show 3D colour newsreel of her Coronation in 1953 while a second will look at a Garter Ceremony at Windsor Castle earlier this summer. Illusionist Derren Brown’s 3D Magic Spectacular will feature specially shot tricks from a range of magicians, plus archive 3D footage.
Huzzah for medicine that works
Well, good news. The hard work of Sense About Science has brought about a definitive statement from the World Health Organisation that condemns the use of homeopathy for serious diseases, clarifying that it cannot treat such things. Turns out the preference is for medicine that works, and stands up to trails and testing. How ‘western’ and ‘narrow-minded’!
From Sense About Science:
The WHO has responded to a call from young medics and said that it DOES NOT recommend the use of homeopathy for treating HIV, TB, malaria, influenza and infant diarrhoea. In an open letter to the WHO in June this year, the group of early career medics and researchers from the UK and Africa asked the body to make clear that homeopathy cannot prevent or treat these serious diseases in the face of its growing promotion by manufacturers and practitioners. The Director General’s office has confirmed that the responses from WHO departments (below) “clearly express the WHO’s position”. Today the Voice of Young Science network, who coordinated the letter, has written to the health ministers of all countries to publicise the WHO’s position, asking them to combat the promotion of homeopathy for these dangerous diseases.
Comments from the WHO:
Dr Mario Raviglione, Director, Stop TB Department, WHO: “Our evidence-based WHO TB treatment/management guidelines, as well as the International Standards of Tuberculosis Care (ISTC) do not recommend use of homeopathy.”
Dr Mukund Uplekar, TB Strategy and Health Systems, WHO: “WHO’s evidence-based guidelines on treatment of tuberculosis…have no place for homeopathic medicines.”
Dr Teguest Guerma, Director Ad Interim, HIV/AIDS Department, WHO: “The WHO Dept. of HIV/AIDS invests considerable human and financial resources […]to ensureaccess to evidence-based medical information and to clinically proven, efficacious, and safe treatment for HIV… Let me end by congratulating the young clinicians and researchers of Sense About Science for their efforts to ensure evidence-based approaches to treating and caring for people living with HIV.”
Dr Sergio Spinaci, Associate Director, Global Malaria Programme, WHO: “Thanks for the amazing documentation and for whistle blowing on this issue… The Global Malaria programme recommends that malaria is treated following the WHO Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria”.
Joe Martines, on behalf of Dr Elizabeth Mason, Director, Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development, WHO: “We have found no evidence to date that homeopathy would bring any benefit to the treatment of diarrhoea in children…Homeopathy does not focus on the treatment and prevention of dehydration – in total contradiction with the scientific basis and our recommendations for the management of diarrhoea.”
(more…)
Competition Winners – Identifying Eyes
We asked you to identify which prints the following eyeballs are from:
The correct answer was:
1. George Bush
2. James Marsden
3. Edward Norton
4. David Blaine
5. Brad Pitt
6. Orson Welles
Congratulations to the five lucky winners: Sian A, Rebecca D, Sarah C, Victoria C and Emma W.
The fantastic Portraits postcard sets will be on their way to you shortly.
Keep your eye on the blog, more competitions coming soon!
Robots evolve to deceive one another
In a Swiss laboratory, a group of ten robots is competing for food. Prowling around a small arena, the machines are part of an innovative study looking at the evolution of communication, from engineers Sara Mitri and Dario Floreano and evolutionary biologist Laurent Keller.
They programmed robots with the task of FINDING a “food source” indicated by a light-coloured ring at one end of the arena, which they could “see” at close range with downward-facing sensors. The other end of the arena, labelled with a darker ring was “poisoned”. The bots get points based on how much time they spend near food or poison, which indicates how successful they are at their artificial lives.
Science Blogs (Thanks RM)
Just how small are we?
OK – enough talk about all this hidden encoded stuff. How about things that are so TINY compared to things that are MASSIVE.
“This image has the most impact if you make it fill your whole screen and then turn off all the lights in the room” suggests Olbrich. “Stare at it for a while and try to imagine that you’re out in space looking back through some kind of bizarre porthole.”
Go to Forgetomori to check the image in higher resolution versions. And speaking of higher resolution, while I was contemplating this image I started thinking of what would be the size of the Apollo spacecraft travelling the distance: 250,000 miles.
It would certainly be so tiny that it would not be visible, being less than a pixel in size. The obvious question then is: what should be the image’s minimum resolution to have the Apollo spacecraft appear as a single pixel?
HIDDEN COMPETITION WINNER
Well done to David G who sent in the first successful response to our hidden competition. David has won exclusive signed Derren Brown stuff including as yet unseen items. The best part is he doesn’t even know it yet.
Edit: There’s 4 more to come. Keep your eyes peeled for them. We will continue to drop more and more hints until you find each one. (The above IS real – you can do it with a print out or the real thing). Want proof – look back through the posts of last week, trailers, sites – hiding letters in blog posts, folding notes, hidden messages and you’ll see there are hints to each competition – keep talking and emailing (but not to say your confused or ask for more clues – some are bigger than others). Enjoy – Phillis & Abeo.
Early footage of neurosurgery
The Wellcome Trust is putting its archive of medical films online which includes some fascinating footage of some 1933 neurosurgery to remove a tumour from the frontal lobe. The film says the tumour is a tuberculoma. While we typically link tumours to cancer, the name also refers to other types of abnormal growths.
In this case, it’s an abnormal growth caused when tuberculosis (TB) reaches the brain and leads to an infected mass that can have a similar effect – damaging the cortex by taking up space where the brain should be.
Even though it is in black and white – this is not for the squeamish in any way!!!
Does the US $20 note contain hidden messages of 9-11
Money Can Mangle Your Brain – by folding various U.S dollar bills from $5-100 you’ll notice 2 things – firstly that you can find some “hidden images” and animals in them and secondly that they nearly all contain traces of cocaine?!!
Hidden messages in logo design.
One of my favorite chocolates…yummy!! But trust me I never noticed the brilliant logo while enjoying my bar. You must be thinking what is there to find out as it clearly shows the Swiss Alps? Let me explain…Toblerone originated in Bern, Switzerland – A city whose name is rumored to mean, “City of bears”. When you look at it again you will find a bear in the logo.
The Events – Win Tickets
As some of you have already spotted there is a competition to win tickets to the events.
All you have to do is find it. (Clue: Watch the trailer)
