A Boy and His Atom is so small that a thousand frames of the film laid side by side would be no bigger than a single human hair. IBM says the film demonstrates the growing ability of scientists to manipulate matter on the atomic level, a development which they hope will help create new, smaller, data storage solutions.   read more

Originally passed in 1925 as a temporary answer to an alleged “helium gap” between the U.S. and European powers like Germany—at a time when military leaders believed that zeppelins or blimps filled with helium would have a decisive military role in the future—the Federal Helium Program, which has only 52 employees, pays for itself with proceeds from sales, so the budget deficit is not an issue.   read more

Prime Minister David Cameron, apparently with a design assist from his wife Samantha, gave Obama a 48” x 70” hanging rug of the Union Jack, decorated with a superimposed eagle, American flags, flowers and a few odd butterflies, made by The Rug Company and enclosed in a canvas bag with teal and orange designs. The Camerons also presented the Obamas with silver Links Sweetie Bracelets and, ever thoughtful, a 13-inch bone-shaped chew toy with the U.K. flag for Bo, the Obama family dog.   read more

In the United States, the term “Caucasian” is generally accepted as a synonym for people who are white. Historically, white Americans have been satisfied with being called Caucasians. However, when it was discovered that the Tsarnaev brothers accused of planting the Boston Marathon bombs came from the region of the Caucasus Mountains and were therefore real Caucasians, some white Americans have been wondering if “Caucasian” is now a bad word.   read more

Researchers concluded that catastrophic collisions could occur every five to nine years from abandoned rocket stages, broken satellites and other debris striking important operational equipment. Currently, there are nearly 30,000 objects about four inches in size or larger floating around the planet. There are another 670,000 pieces less than half an inch in size, and more than 170 million tinier fragments (.03 inches) up there—all of which can cause harm to satellites and spacecraft.   read more

Paul Kevin Curtis, the man accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and others before charges were dropped, wasn’t the only Elvis impersonator arrested lately. A 53-year-old Elvis impersonator from Iowa, Michael Reed (stage name “Micky King”), was jailed in Iowa after firing a shotgun at police.   read more

Officials with Mars One have made it clear that the seven-month journey is strictly one-way: Due to the difficulties of traveling so far through space and the lasting effects of being on Mars, the mission would not include a way to return home to Earth. Living in such an environment would cause significant physiological changes to the astronauts, impacting everything from bone density to circulation.   read more

Michael J. Elli claims he was ticketed by an Ellisville police officer for flashing his headlights at oncoming traffic on November 17, 2012. Elli said he flashed his lights in an effort to warn other drivers about a nearby speed trap that police had set up. In suing the small town (population: 9,200), Elli, who is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri, argues that the ticket he received represents a violation of his right to free speech.   read more

Residents of Memphis, Tennessee, aren’t nearly as positive about walking their city streets alone after dark. Only 55% said they feel comfortable doing such a thing, giving Memphis the lowest marks from the polling. Some of the other least safe cities for walking at night are New Orleans, Riverside, California, Houston and Jacksonville.   read more

USCIS was acknowledged for information contained in its “About Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” FAQ. The Center noted that the FAQ’s intended audience was people “who don’t speak English as their first language AND it involves children. The tone indicates that the writer does not see the reader as a person. This is written in such bureaucratic style that someone who was born and raised in this country may not recognize this as English.”   read more

Following the Boston Marathon bombing, critics complained about Obama’s initial public remarks, which left out any mention of “terrorism.” If anything, the president was taking a one-day break from using the word—which he’s said an average of once a day since taking over the Oval Office in 2009. Eric Ostermeier of Smart Politics, found that Obama had mentioned terrorism or one of its related usages 1,469 times.   read more

The bottom line according to Wadsworth: More sex makes people happy, but even better is knowing that you’re having more sex than those you know. In that sense, claims Wadsworth, sex is similar to income because of people’s habit of feeling better (or worse) about their situation depending on how much their friends or neighbors have.   read more

"Designed to be a gun, never redesigned to be something else, not so dilapidated as to be beyond repair, the gun fits the statutory definition and the judgment must therefore be…AFFIRMED.”   read more

Williams and his colleagues determined that if carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles within 40 years, turbulence could become 10%-40% more forceful at altitudes used by jetliners. “Turbulence strong enough to make walking difficult and to dislodge unsecured objects is likely to become twice as common in transatlantic airspace by the middle of this century,” Williams added.   read more

As for Harris, she received a personal apology from Obama. But the damage was already done, some analysts say. Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, told the San Francisco Chronicle that drawing attention to Harris’ looks was particularly unwelcome given that she holds “a traditionally-male position like attorney general, the top law enforcement officer in the state.”   read more

At the VA center in Winston-Salem, 37,000 claims folders were stored on top of file cabinets due to the office running out of space. The IG reported that the weight of the combined folders exceeded the load-bearing capacity of the building itself. Employees had to use ladders and step stools to reach some files. This situation produced at least one work-place injury when a worker was hurt trying to retrieve a file.   read more