American writer Kurt Vonnegut passed away on Wednesday at 84 years old. Born in 1922, he later attended Cornell University before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, where as a prisoner of war he witnessed the bombing of Dresden, Germany. The event became the basis for one of his many famous works, "Slaughterhouse-Five" (now considered one of the best American novels of the 20th century, appearing on the 100 best lists of Time magazine and the Modern Library).

With his absurdist humor, the world became funnier, more dangerous, more exciting. If you were looking to send up authority, question life's meaning or face the worst and keep your sense of humor, Vonnegut was your man to study.

Now, 84 years is a long time for anyone, but Vonnegut often seemed frankly amazed at his longevity. He was, famously, a heavy smoker and prone to depression.

Vonnegut's other novels include "Player Piano" (1952), "Mother Night" (1961), "Cat's Cradle" (1971), "Breakfast of Champions" (1973), "Slapstick" (1976), "Deadeye Dick" (1982), "Gallapagos (1985), "Bluebeard" (1987), "Hocus Pocus" (1990) and "Timequake" (1997). In 2005, he published "A Man Without a Country," a work of essays.

All-Girl Roboticists
An unprecedented number of all-girl teams brought their best robots to compete in this year's FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Silicon Valley Regional match, reports IEEE Spectrum.

These competitions have been going on for 18 years now, but for the first time, the all-girl concept really caught on this year: California has 10 all-girl teams, out of 19 nationwide, according to IEEE Spectrum.

Segway scooter inventor Dean Kamen founded the FIRST competition in 1989 to inspire young people to take a greater interest in and participate more in learning about science and technology. The national championship takes place in Atlanta this month.

Fishy Blimp
Most blimps today both are propeller-driven and are inefficient and noisy. According to Machine Design, however, scientists at the European Maritime Pilots' Association (EMPA) may have solved both problems with technology that would let blimps swim through the air like a fish through water.

A blimp would glide through the air by bending its body in one direction, while at the same time moving its tail in the opposite direction — just like a trout swimming in a brook. This would not only [give blimps] a sleek look, but would also make [them] more aerodynamically efficient.

Credit: Machine Design

The key breakthrough: electroactive polymers (EAPs) that convert electrical energy directly into mechanical work. They are made of elastic polymer films that, when subjected to an electrical charge, become thinner and expand in area, and they do it noiselessly and without wasting energy.

So far, experiments show that EPAs can achieve the deformation levels and stresses required by the propulsion system. The next task is to construct EPAs that meet aerostatic, aerodynamic and structural requirements, as well as reliability and durability goals.

Once the kinks are tweaked, the team hopes their swimming blimps will eventually replace satellites and helicopters.

Quick Takes
• Apple Inc. said on Monday that it has now sold more than 100 million iPods, describing the iconic device as the fastest-selling music player ever. Since the first iPod was sold in November 2001, the company has introduced more than 10 models.

• Bill Gates may or may not be seriously considering a trip into space, as has been suggested in countless news reports this week. Gee, could we be vaguer? (via NetworkWorld)

• NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed a remarkable eclipse of a supermassive black hole, allowing a disk of hot matter swirling around the hole to be measured for the first time. (via NASA)

• A 59-year-old trucker has gone something like 1 million or 3 million miles without a wreck, which is pretty remarkable in itself. "The fact that he did that with one company is also a pretty outstanding feat," notes the Alabama Trucking Association. (via The Associated Press)

• Serenity, the 2005 movie spin-off of aptly acclaimed but untimely canceled series Firefly, has outstripped Star Wars as the best sci-fi movie of all time in a poll of 3,000 fans by SFX magazine. Serenity picked up 61 percent of the vote, relegating George Lucas's magnum opus to second place with 28 percent of votes. Blade Runner picked up third place in the poll. (via SFX)

• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has demanded that more be done to make DIYers aware of the dangers of nail guns following a massive rise in injuries provoked by the tools: since 1991, nail gun-inflicted injuries have risen by 200 percent. Yet "work-related nail gun injuries had stayed stable since 1998 … meaning that cack-handed amateurs were bearing the brunt." (via The Register)

• Autodesk is holding a Spy Gadget Design contest for members of the Autodesk Manufacturing Community. The contest seeks inspired spy gadget designs that are inventive, humorous or just plain intriguing and will award prizes for the top entries in each category. Submissions are being accepted, and the contest will run through April 18, 2007.

In Space, No One Can Hear You Splash
For the first time, evidence of water has been detected in a planet outside our solar system.

An astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said on Tuesday that water vapor has been found in the atmosphere of a large, Jupiter-like gaseous planet located 150 light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. The planet is known as HD 209458b, Reuters reports.

Credit: JPL-Caltech/Handout/Reuters

Although the findings provide good reason to believe other planets beyond our solar system also have water vapor in their atmosphere, the findings "are not adequate to really address a question as deep and profound as the existence of life elsewhere," according to Travis Barman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory. "We're not there yet," he told Reuters.

The conclusions stemmed from an analysis of Hubble Space Telescope measurements by Harvard University's Heather Knutson and new theoretical models developed by Barman, Lowell Observatory said.

Other scientists reported in February that they were unable to find evidence of water in this planet's atmosphere, as well as another Jupiter-like planet.

Lost in Translation
Beijing is preparing to host the 2008 Olympics by correcting more than 6,500 traffic signs to avoid past embarrassments such as a venue dedicated to ethnic minorities, called "Racist Park."

Inspectors have fanned out looking for the offending language in an unprecedented effort affecting transport, medical, sanitation, tourist and other facilities that could be frequented by visitors from around the world for the '08 Games.

Among the next moves will be to inspect 129 museums in the city for bad translations, including those in the explanatory notes in various exhibits, and such tasty-sounding menu items as "fried crap," "cow bowel in sauce," "corrugated iron beef" and "acid food."

How Many OSHA Violations Can You Find?
Here's a visual quiz prepared by MANCOMM, a company that specializes in safety products.

The imaginary company depicted in the picture below is doing some redecorating in their reception area and is also about to celebrate an employee's birthday. Some of the violations shown are fairly obvious, while others will require a strong knowledge of OSHA regulations.

MANCOMM says to consider yourself well-versed in OSHA matters if you can spot at least 10 violations. How many OSHA violations can you find?

Click here for full-size image.

Answers to come this time next week.


Cheers.