How Instant Photographs Work!

In 1947, the first instant camera was built. What was so special about it was the fact that the film developed itself in only a few minutes. This was a major achievement considering that it used to be fairly complicated and time consuming to develop film. Even though it seems to be magic that makes the pictures appear, it actually is a fairly simple process.
There are not too many differences between a regular camera film and an instant camera film, thus, I will commence with explaining photography in general.
Usually, film consists of a plastic base coated with a silver compound. When light hits the film it causes a chemical reaction that forms silver atoms. The pattern created by the silver compound that has reacted with very much, very little or no light at all shows the image taken. Colour film is very similar, the only difference is that it has three layers, one sensitive to blue light, one sensitive to green light and one sensitive to red light. When the film is exposed to light, each layer reacts with its specific colour. Again, the pattern created by the reaction shows the picture taken.
While the chemicals needed to develop normal film have to be added one by one, the instant camera has all the required chemicals in the film itself.
Underneath each colour layer, there is a developer layer containing the dye chemicals for the specific colour. These light sensitive and developer layers lie in between a black base layer and the image layer, the timing layer and the acid layer. The different layers are components of a chain reaction waiting to be set in motion. The component triggering the chain reaction is called reagent layer and is a mixture of opacifiers that block light, alkali that neutralizes acid, white pigment and some more elements. It is located in between the image layer and the light sensitive layer. When a picture is taken, the film is exposed to light for a short period of time and then pressed through a pair of rollers that releases the reagent layer through pressure. The reagent chemicals change the particles exposed to light into metallic silver and dissolve the dye that make the colours of the photo appear. At the same time the reagent chemicals also move upward and activate the layers on top. Once all processes are completed, the light blocking chemical clears up and the picture will slowly appear.

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http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/instant-film.htm

A little proof!

As the article I posted a few weeks ago seems to be a little unrealistic at some points - yes, I am aware of that and I realised it myself - I thought it would be useful to describe a few things that are possible today.

I recently read an article from the webpage I fucking love science that describes how scientists grew a functioning heart using stem cell and organ-on-a-chip technology.
The research was carried out to learn more about a rare and untreatable heart disease. This disease, called Barth syndrome, is caused by a single gene (TAZ) that lies on the X-chromosome and thus appears mostly in boys.
Throughout the research, scientists took skin cells of two Barth syndrome patients and converted them into stem cells that carry the mutation. The cells were tricked into joining and forming a human heart, that even contracted as a real heart would - even though less strong. When this experiment succeeded, they even were able to cure the disease.
Modelling up the disease from a single skin cell to a real heart disease is a major achievement. It helped them to understand the illness and how it affects the body.
With regard to biological warfare I can say that, once again, dual-use dilemma appears. Even though it is absolutely magnificent that scientists came closer to finding a cure to a rare heart disease, the simple fact that they were able to create said disease using a single cell is frightening.

Another very interesting article I read on I fucking love science concerns sperm created from skin cells. What was even more interesting is that I found someone already using this article for his stem cell CAJ. As this is not the first time that I found someone else blogging about a topic that is linked to mine, I thought I'd give the link in case someone is interested.
In order to find a cure to infertility in men, or at least provide other possibilities than adoption to couples that wish to have a baby but can't because of infertility, scientists generated sperm precursors from skin cells.
These cells were taken from three infertile men and two fertile men, which served as a control group. Said cells were then turned into stem cells and transplanted into the testines of mice. It was found that the cells turned into sperm precursor cells, but not into mature sperm cells. Scientists suspect that this is due to the differences between humans and mice. While the cells of the fertile men were more likely to turn into precursor stem cells, the simple fact that the cells of the infertile men converted at all is a huge achievement.
It has to be noticed, however, that the artificial cells caused cancer in the mice which means that this research carries a certain risk. Future research might be carried out on animals that are closer to humans.
This corresponds perfectly to the possibilities described in one of my earlier posts. Using this research, it might be possible to create sperm traces of a politician on clothing and thus creating "evidence" for an affair the politician actually never had.

These are only two examples of reality and how it corresponds to my CAJ. Research is a good thing, but what I personally am really afraid of is its high potential of misuse. The further research and knowledge progresses, the higher becomes the risk of it being misused.

Abstract for "When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection"

The aim of this research is to provide a short mathematical analysis of an outbreak of zombie infection and some mathematical models for a possible reaction to the unlikely outbreak of said infection. While the author himself concedes that it is a fairly unrealistic model if used with zombies, these models can be used to provide useful information for real threats like BSE, swine flu or other diseases. It aims to show how mathematical models can be adjusted to numerous variations of factors that would complicate a fight against zombies. The methods used are several scenarios that demonstrate possible outcomes under the following circumstances: Basic Model, Model with Latent Infection, Model with Quarantine, Model with Treatment and Impulsive Eradiction. The author based his research on a species of zombies common in popular-culture movies, slow, stupid and cannibalistic. His scenarios either end with the eradiction of zombies or the eradiction of humankind, and as the model called Impulsive Eradiction proves to be the most efficient one (it leads to the eradiction of zombies within 10 days) the author concludes that, in order to survive a zombie outbreak, humans have to hit hard and hit often to exterminate zombies once and for all.

My own abstract to my CAJ!

The purpose of this CAJ is to provide information about biological warfare. The precise focus at the beginning was fairly general, what biological warfare is and what can it be used for. With further research it evolved and treated the following subjects: how can a biological weapon be created, dual-use of science in general and on the example of Botox. It continued with what might be possible in the future with regard to personalised biological weapons and a short analysis of a military review treating the subject of ethnic biological weapons (published in 1970 by the US government). The information collected was mainly found on the Internet. Several reports from the website of the National Center for Biotechnology Information and other sources were used. The articles were read, analysed and summarised so that the reviews would only include what was important for the topic. It was found that the threat of biological weapons is imminent and that it can hardly be avoided. Due to the fact that biological weapons are far cheaper and more efficient than any other weapon of mass destruction they will become increasingly common in the very near future. In conclusion it can be said that biological warfare is incredibly dangerous and could either destroy humanity or enslave them to people who have the one supervirus to kill us all. The focus of further research would thus lie on more specific examples of how biological agents can be (mis)used and maybe look into some conspiracy theories.

247 words 

How to kill Hitler in 7 simple steps!

Here are simple step-by-step instructions on how to kill Hitler. Follow the steps as precisely as possible and everything will go well. No creativity needed or allowed.
Material list:

• time travelling machine
• gun 
• many bullets
• appropriate clothing

1. Find a gun and a time travelling machine. Make sure both of them work properly and you know how to use them. 
2. Before using the time travelling machine make sure you have the gun and a sufficient amount of bullets with you. It is possible that you have to kill more people than just Hitler.
3. Choose the appropriate date for your murder. Be careful about the season and the time of the day as well. If you choose a cold winter day, make sure you wear clothes and shoes that suit the weather conditions. HINT: the weather conditions should not hinder you, so I recommend choosing a nice spring day without rain or something similar.
4. Make use of your time machine and travel to the desired date. HINT: No bother if you can’t find the time today, it won’t make a difference if you do it tomorrow or in a week’s time.
5. Leave the time machine and kill the bastard and everyone else who’s in your way. HINT: This is not the time to be sentimental, if you’re a sensitive soul you should consider outsourcing this task.
6. Get back into your time travelling machine as quickly as possible - preferably before you get caught or killed and travel back to your own time.
7. Go on with your life as if nothing ever happened. We want this to stay our little secret, don’t we?

Something to think about...

Alright guys, once again, I found something interesting.

There is a military review from 1970 by the US army that is...let's say slightly alarming. If you want to follow the link and it doesn't work try again, or go to this website and then follow the link saying "November 1970 Military Review article on Ethnic Weapons, race specific biological weapons".

I know that this post will somehow establish a few conspiracies, but it's just some things that sprang to my mind after I finished reading. I don't say that my ideas are correct or that it has to be this way, I just think that we should be careful with trusting our governments.

Before I start to explain what the review is about, I want you to remember a few things:

• this was written in 1970
• this review is based on the knowledge and technology they had back then, over 40 years ago
• the fact that there is a review on such topics makes clear that the government is interested in biological weapons and their use against ethnic groups
• one subheading says "search continues" which states clearly that the US government still had plans

The military review begins by describing how the Nazis discovered the nerve gas they used in their concentration camps and explaining how the gas actually works. It points out the medical use of similar drugs and substances and continues to say that the effect these drugs have can vary from ethnic group to ethnic group.

Scientists found out that gene mutations can cause enzyme failures to occur which can lead to early death or severe mental retardation. Some of these mutations can be overcome by a special diet (e.g. lactose intolerance), but others are much harder to treat. The issue is illustrated by the example of milk and lactose intolerance. The enzyme that helps us digest milk is fairly common in Caucasians, but seems to be almost non-existent in southeastern Asian population. Even though this is nothing all too dangerous it demonstrates the differences pretty well. 

While most of the review mostly offers explanations and descriptions of scientific findings of the time, the last paragraph "search continues" is where it becomes interesting.

It is pointed out that:

• psychochemicals could paralyse entire population centres while infrastructure and buildings would remain intact. Even though it is not explicitly said, this kind of left me with the impression that they want to use infrastructure and buildings themselves, once the resident citizens and governments are eliminated.
• the fact that only small quantities of the agent are necessary would make logistics problems almost non-existent.
• these agents can be used for covert activities as well as for purposes of mass destruction - pretty useful for a weapon, right?
• agents can be built to target all of humanity but one country/city by tolerance building. This would work the same way as vaccination: repeated exposure to the agent over a longer period of time causes resistance to its toxic effect.
• An agent can be used to eliminate enemy units when they are mingled with friendly ones if the allies are immune or simply not responding to the agent.
• a special agent can be used to lower belligerence (Kampfeslust) in enemies by slowing down their physical and mental activity, triggering disorientation and unwillingness to carry out commands. This can even go as far as taking over civilians and reeducating and using them for slaves. 

The caption to one of the pictures says "Innate differences in vulnerability to chemical agents between different populations have led to the possible development of ethnic weapons", and the review ends with the sentence "Thus, the functions of life lie bare to attack".

Even though the review doesn't give away anything as to how far these possibilities were already developed, I think it's very likely that scientists had already developed possible weapons for ethnic groups. And if not they surely were working on it. 

Considering the fact that, as I pointed out right at the beginning, this review is already over 40 years old, I think it's disturbing what they were already able to do back then, and in consequence what they might be able to do today.

Who knows when the next genocide will happen...

Rating Instructions: How to make a Camera Lucida!

At first, the instructions for making a camera lucida looked quite promising and appealing thanks to the drawings, the font and the design in general. After taking a closer look, however, we realized that they are actually quite confusing and not very helpful.
What we first noticed was the missing material and tool list. It was only after carefully reading the instructions that we were able to make our own list. This fact alone takes out the fun of building the camera lucida with theses instructions.
In addition, chronological step-by-step instructions would be a lot easier to understand than writing everything in one paragraph as it is done on the sheet. It is far easier to follow a chronological list than a full text, especially because you want to refer back to the instructions from time to time. Moreover, the instructions are not very detailed, we were fairly confused from time to time.
What we recognized as well was that the drawings do not match the instructions Neither did we know where to start, nor could we make any sense whatsoever of the first drawing.
The firstly believed nice handwriting turned out to be hard to read: We could not decipher whether the figures given were in millimeters, centimeters or even meters.
What confused us the most was the mentioning of David Hockney, what has he to do with all this? Even if he is important in relation to the camera lucida, his name should not be in the instructions.
When analysing the instructions we realized that if we were to build a camera lucida by only using these instructions, we would give up completely frustrated and discouraged. Unless we try to find better instructions on line there will be no camera lucida for us.

[295 words]

How to make your own Camera Obscura!

What you need:

• a large piece of card (70x90cm) 
• a marker pen 
• a magnifying glass lens 
• a biro 
• a craft knife 
• duct tape 
• a long ruler 
•  tracing paper 

How to do it step by step:

1. For your two cardboard tubes, measure and mark a piece of 60x40cm (Piece 1) and next to it one of 58x20cm (Piece 2). WARNING: Place the pieces carefully on your cardboard, you need to cut out three pieces in total: 60x40cm, 58x20cm and 15x15cm. If you don’t place them carefully you won’t have enough space for all of them. 
2. Cut the two pieces out with your knife. HINT: In order to make your cuts straight, use the ruler to steady your hand. 
3. Measure four times the length of 15cm on the long side of Piece 1. 
4. Measure four times the length of 14,5cm on the long side of Piece 2. 
5.  Now use the biro to score the card of both pieces. Your Piece 1 should now show four sections of 15x40cm, your Piece 2 should show four sections of 14x20cm.
6. Once folded, use your duct tape to hold Piece 1 and Piece 2 together incividually. 
7. Now you need to cut a piece the size of the end of the outer tube, 15x15cm (Piece 3). 
8. With your marker, make two lines (from corner to corner) which cross in the middle to show you the center of your piece. 
9. Now place the lens in the middle of this cross and mark its outer lines. 
10. Remove the lens and mark and cut a small square in the middle of the circle. The size of this square depends on the size of your lens, if your lens has a diameter of 7cm, your square should have a side length of 5-6cm. 
11. When the square hole is cut out, place the lens in the middle of Piece 3 again and stick it on the card with duct tape. Make sure the duct tape does not cover the entire lens, you need to be able to look through the square you cut out. 
12. Place Piece 3 on the end of Piece 1 and fix it with duct tape. 
13. Cut out a piece of tracing paper the size of 16x16cm and tape it on the end of your Piece 2. 
14. Now slide Piece 2 into Piece 1 so that both covered ends are on the same side. 
15. Your Camera Obscura is ready for use: go outside and try it out. HINT: You can focus by sliding Piece 1 to and fro. Your image will be upside down, this is a natural effect caused by the lens. 

Special Idea: It will be even more fun to use your Camera Obscura when you paint it and make it more colorful.


[479 words]

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0wenfVfHuo

Compare two Polaroid advertisements

When looking at advertisements 1 and 2, the differences are quite substantial, especially considering they were both advertising for the same product and are both composed of a picture of a Polaroid camera and a text underneath it. Whilst comparing the two pictures we noticed that the first advertisement is from 1956 and the second advertisement is from the 21st century. One thing that struck us immediately when comparing and contrasting the two advertisements is the main focus. While the modern one focuses on the Polaroid camera itself and shows nothing but the product, the older one chooses to feature on a gentleman on a lively street who is looking at a Polaroid camera in a shop window. In addition to this, the texts are very different as well. From analyzing advertisement 2 it is clear to see an explicit reference to the NSA scandal in 2013, the issue of privacy and how this official government organization was spying on basically the entire world. It appeals to everybody’s wish to maintain their human right to keep their private life private by saying that this fantastic Polaroid camera leaves your photos to you and nobody but you, unless you want to share them. However, advertisement 2 does not really tell you to buy the camera. It only implies that it might be favorable if you bought it. The older advertisement, on the other hand, describes the actual process of purchasing the magnificent new camera. It actually tells you to purchase the product by saying “go ahead...get it!”. These substantial differences in message can be explained by the fact that the 1950s were a period of wealth and economic growth. People had money and were eager to spend it. In conclusion we can say that these two Polaroid advertisements are very distinct indeed, even though it does not seem that way at the first glance.

[313 words]

Abstracts Biologial Warfare!

The bioscience revolution & the biological weapons threat: levers & interventions:

In December 2008, the US Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, released a report, World At Risk. The Report points to the fact that, not only is the use of a weapon of mass destruction in a terrorist attack before the end of 2013, more likely than not, but also to the fact that terrorists are more likely to be able to obtain and use biological weapons than nuclear. This paper examines the recommendations of the report in the context of the historic and geopolitical changes, in particular globalization. The authors highlight the "dual-use" dilemma, as described in the report, as the paradoxical use of technology developed for the benefit of mankind being used for sinister purposes. The mitigation of such a threat lies in broad stakeholder involvement and cooperation, including non-state actors, governments and the bio-tech industry itself. The importance of vigilance measures within the life science community is emphasized and, the authors propose, could include a web-based didactic course in bioterrorism and weapons of mass destruction identification. The site could outline safety protocols, have detailed disaster management tutorials, and could be specifically tailored for different subsets of industry and health professionals. The paper concludes with an endorsement of a multi-pronged approach including strong international guidelines and intelligence cooperation and preparatory measures such as the wide-spread use of detection systems as well as diagnostic decision support systems for bioterrorism detection at the local level.

• I can find: Aim of research, precise focus, the methodology/theories/techniques used, the materials & subjects involved, time & location, a summary of the main results 
• Purpose, Scope, Methods and Findings/Interpretation ar included in the acstract. 
• I thus think that it is a good descriptive abstract.

Biological Warfare Agents:

The recent bioterrorist attacks using anthrax spores have emphasized the need to detect and decontaminate critical facilities in the shortest possible time. There has been a remarkable progress in the detection, protection and decontamination of biological warfare agents as many instrumentation platforms and detection methodologies are developed and commissioned. Even then the threat of biological warfare agents and their use in bioterrorist attacks still remain a leading cause of global concern. Furthermore in the past decade there have been threats due to the emerging new diseases and also the re-emergence of old diseases and development of antimicrobial resistance and spread to new geographical regions. The preparedness against these agents need complete knowledge about the disease, better research and training facilities, diagnostic facilities and improved public health system. This review on the biological warfare agents will provide information on the biological warfare agents, their mode of transmission and spread and also the detection systems available to detect them. In addition the current information on the availability of commercially available and developing technologies against biological warfare agents has also been discussed. The risk that arise due to the use of these agents in warfare or bioterrorism related scenario can be mitigated with the availability of improved detection technologies.

• There is a lot of bla bla at the beginning, like a general introduction, that is not needed. 
• The focus of the author's intention is given in the last few sentences, and a hint of the findings can be found in the last sentence. 
• I think it's a bad abstract because it just gives too little information.

Recognizing the real threat of biological terror:

Weapons of mass destruction can be used to harm and terrorize populations. Such weapons include those with chemical, nuclear or biological properties. Obviously computer viruses can add additional barriers to a quick response. The most effective, least costly and greatest threats are biologicals. Biological terror is not new, and biological weapons have been used for centuries. However, as a result of modern technology, the risks are greater now and the outcomes more terrible. Today they include live pathogens, various toxins, and theoretically "bioregulators"--biochemicals affecting cell signaling. Altered cell signaling could be used to induce apoptosis-cell death, or a heightened outpouring of cytokines mimicking overwhelming sepsis, or even an intracellular, biochemical "strike" causing cellular paralysis. Biological weaponeers now have the frightening ability to alter the genetic makeup of pathogens, rendering them resistant not only to available antibiotic therapy but also to currently effective vaccines. In dark corners of some fringe groups, bioweaponeers are searching for the capability of designing pathogens that target specific races, by virtue of discriminating ligands (1). The resulting morbidity and mortality from use of any biological weapons will be accompanied by chaos, governmental and social instability, panic, an extraordinary utilization of available resources, and an ongoing epidemic of sleepless nights (2,3). Herein I will review some of the issues and some of the currently available biological weapons. The major goal is to highlight the clinical presentations of patients with infections that could be used as biological weapons.

• Again, an awful lot of bla bla. 
• The last two sentences describe the scope in very basic terms, but all the other information is missing. 
• I think it's a bad abstract because it just doesn't give away anything.

Botulinum toxin: Bioweapon & magic drug:

Botulinum neurotoxins, causative agents of botulism in humans, are produced by Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic spore-former Gram positive bacillus. Botulinum neurotoxin poses a major bioweapon threat because of its extreme potency and lethality; its ease of production, transport, and misuse; and the need for prolonged intensive care among affected persons. A single gram of crystalline toxin, evenly dispersed and inhaled, can kill more than one million people. The basis of the phenomenal potency of botulinum toxin is enzymatic; the toxin is a zinc proteinase that cleaves neuronal vesicle associated proteins responsible for acetylcholine release into the neuromuscular junction. As a military or terrorist weapon, botulinum toxin could be disseminated via aerosol or by contamination of water or food supplies, causing widespread casualties. A fascinating aspect of botulinum toxin research in recent years has been development of the most potent toxin into a molecule of significant therapeutic utility. It is the first biological toxin which is licensed for treatment of human diseases. In the late 1980s, Canada approved use of the toxin to treat strabismus, in 2001 in the removal of facial wrinkles and in 2002, the FDA in the United States followed suit. The present review focuses on both warfare potential and medical uses of botulinum neurotoxin.

• Once again, a long general introduction, and only the last sentence tells the focus of the review. Everything else is simply missing, so, not a good abstract.

The bioscience revolution & the biological weapons threat: levers & interventions

Go to:

Abstract

In December 2008, the US Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, released a report, World At Risk

Average Joe: "How I was blackmailed into destroying our oceans and everything within"

Dear John,

when you receive this letter I will already be dead. I am truly and deeply sorry for finally having to take that step, but maybe you will understand by the end of this letter.

You know how it was my decision to authorise the drill for oil only 150km from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary last year. You saw my suffering, my fear, my helplessness, but you never understood why I was so terribly afraid. I knew that it was too risky to drill for oil there. Anything can happen at any time in these regions, the weather is unpredictable and so are the oil fields. These reserves are not explored enough, and we do not know how to react to the potential risks and dangers there.

Yet I approved of the drill. Me, who was the first CEO of HansonOil who ever cared about nature, cared about animals and wanted to find a middle course between men's greed for oil and conserving our ever so fragile ecosystem.

I authorised this catastrophic drill, and now everything's lost.

What made me take this decision is something so common at the moment, I should have expected it to happen to me as well. They blackmailed me. I don't know who it was, but they said that, should I not approve of the drill, they would kill me. But not the humane way with a bullet in the head or a decent amount of poison, they threatened to infect me. When I read that message I could only think of Jack Glomber. There was nothing but his picture in my head. How he suffered throughout the two years after his infection. How the doctors thought they'd cured him over and over again, yet after a week he was coughing blood again. It never ended until he jumped off that bridge. Honestly, I don't think it would ever have ended. The doctors found treatment for his symptoms but never a cure for his - yes, what was it? I only know that he took many unpopular decisions, and that his illness was not natural. His first symptom showed only two weeks after his decision to ban nuclear power plants in Australia. And you know his last words before he jumped off that bridge: "I regret nothing, it was the right decision".

I did not want to approve of this horrific drill, but fear pushed me there. And then, only two months after the drill started it happened. The worst oil spill in human history. Even worse than the one in 2020, and everyone thought that was impossible. Do you know that the oil has not even stopped to spill yet? It's been eight months now, and we were not able to find the leak. Oil still spills out of this stupid hole in the ground, all into our beautiful oceans. Almost half of the liquid surface of our planet is covered with this disgusting oil, and there's barely any life left in our oceans. Which will lead to human extinction as well. There's no way out.

In retrospect I was selfish. Overly selfish. I could have endured an infection, and if not I could have killed myself. I should never have given in to these terrorists or whoever they were! I only bought myself a few months, but now I don't want to live anymore. I just can't stand the guilt anymore. It's overwhelming.

I don't want your forgiveness, I just want you to understand why I did it - even though I hardly understand myself anymore. After all you are the only person I ever truly loved, I am so sorry that this has lead to our divorce.

Please forgive me, and never make the same mistake,
love,

Jennifer Millton