When southeastern China was struck by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake two days ago, it was the latest in a string of disasters offered the world over by Mother Nature. Now it has unraveled into a full-blown crisis. The official death toll has passed 12,000, but experts believe it will climb beyond 18,000. A number of factors are contributing to the fatalities, such as blocked roadways and a series of at least 30 aftershocks in Sichuan province. The quake itself is no surprise—the region is well-known for its seismic activity—but the persistent threat of earthquakes and, despite decades of research, the lack of warning technology, is alarming. So what can scientists, engineers and lawmakers do to prepare for the next shockwave?
Geologists who specialize in earthquakes have become expert gamblers. By analyzing seismic data from sensors and historical records of past events, researchers attempt to calculate the odds in a given region within a specific timeframe. But that timeframe is generally measured in decades—or even centuries. For example, it’s estimated that, on average, San Francisco’s Hayward fault generates an earthquake every 140 years—and we just passed the 140-year mark. “That would basically be our equivalent of the Kobe earthquake that hit Japan in ‘95,” says Michael Blanpied, associate coordinator of the Earthquake Hazards Program at the United States Geological Survey (USGS). “That led to 5000 deaths.” So while a major quake in San Francisco is no certainty this year, or even in the next decade, the odds are getting worse, and the danger harder to ignore.
In Sichuan province, the danger was clear. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the region in 1933, killing more than 9000 people, and geologists have detected smaller events with relative frequency. “We estimated the seismic hazard and risk for that region,” says Kaye Shedlock, who worked with China when she headed the USGS’s hazard and risk program. “It’s riddled with large faults, to accommodate that sort of motion. It moves more often than our San Andreas fault.” Compared to some areas that might expect an interval of a century or more between major earthquakes, then, the Sichuan Basin is an extremely active spot. Unfortunately, it also appears to lack the level of monitoring required for accurate forecasting. “In the sliding scale of where you put your resources,” Shedlock says, “that’s an area where it’s difficult to monitor—difficult to get to, because of the mountains—and it’s less populated than other vulnerable cities, like Beijing.”

popularmechanics.com

This is a quick heads up to all the Halo 3 fans who haven't already downloaded the add-on Heroic Map Pack. The three maps were released back in December for $10, but starting today, they'll be free for anyone to grab. It will certainly be nice to see them in much wider circulation. For those people who forget what three maps were included, here's a quick run down:
Standoff. Standoff is a big-ish symmetrical map—great for Team Slayer, excellentfor Objective games and big enough for a couple of vehicles. It haslocked-down Bunkers for bases and lots of cover for players trying tomake their way from one base to the next. Although some say it has asimilar feel to Blood Gulch, the geometry and terrain are very different.
Rat’s Nest. Rat's Nest is a massive level set in the corridors and tunnels of aHuman Base near Kilimanjaro. You may recognize parts of it from Halo3's Campaign mode. Effectively, it's a giant Oval, kind of like anunderground NASCAR track, with lots of vehicles and plenty of tunnelscriss-crossing the center area. It's designed for big team games,Objective and Slayer, but also works brilliantly for game types likeInfection and Territories.
Foundry. Foundry is a unique map designed from the outset to be the mostcustomizable Halo 3 Forge map ever created. It's a large Warehouse,which can be emptied quickly and then rebuilt any way you like, with abrand new palette of objects such as walls, ramps, Mancannons, and more.Stuff you never had access to before and objects that can be used tocreate fully functioning level designs, rather than simply altering ourexisting map.
The next bundle of content, the Legendary Map Pack, will be made available on April 18, again for $10. According to Bungie's update, there is currently no plan to release that pack for free, although hopefully in a few months it'll repeat the plan they had with the Heroic maps and open them up for everyone.

arstechnica.com

March is like a mad tea party, as Lewis Carroll knew only too well. Spring bursts onto the scene even as winter winds blow and needle-sharp rains pelt down; one day is sylvan and the next miserly and chill. The best option is to leave nature’s nonsense behind and head to the theater.
At the top of my concert-going list this month is Shen Wei Dance Arts. I have to confess that I had little patience for the work a few years ago. I went to the theater after one of those long, deadly days unhappily glued to a computer terminal, and in my edgy state I found the geologically slow pacing and Shen Wei’s subtle analytical ambitions maddening. I belonged at a table with the March Hare and Mad Hatter, not in a theater seat.
I ventured again last year and discovered the deep craft in Shen Wei’s artistry, and, beyond craft, the choreographer’s visionary gifts that include riveting visuals and design (he is a painter and designer as well as dancemaker, and 2007 winner of a MacArthur “genius” award).
His five years with the Hunan State Xian Opera, his exposure to the work of Alwin Nikolais and his role as one of the founding members of the Guagdong Modern Dance Company, China’s first such troupe, have shaped a theater that has no contemporary parallel.

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The seventh edition of Barker’s Coalfield Map of South Africa was published, last November, by Books on the Wall, a wholly–owned subsidiary of integrated earth science and mining firm Banzi Geotechnics. The map of the coalfields, coal mines and coal production in South Africa has been updated to include coal information from Botswana and a simplified stratigraphy of each of the coalfields.
Since its inception in 1982 as Barker and Associates, now Banzi Geotechnics, the company has published five editions of the Barker’s Coalfields Map of South Africa, two editions of the Platinum Map of Southern Africa as well as a map on the gold mines and projects of South Africa. The maps are referred to in South Africa and internationally.
When the Coalfield maps were originally complied in 1986 they were compiled manually. With the development of computer-aided mapping and publishing, the products are now drawn digitally from the digital database that has been established over the years.
The 1995 edition of the Coalfield Map achieved a number of firsts. The map was the first edition to be completed entirely using computer techniques, as well as the first to achieve a significant penetration in the international market. It was awarded the prize for the best geographical information systems (GIS) submission to the Autocad Expo.

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