* The Immortalist: Uploading the Mind to a Computer

Dmitry Itskov, a Russian millionaire, has dedicated some of his fortune to making sure that one’s consciousness (thus themselves, depending on who you talk to) can theoretically exist forever.

I’m personally on the fence about this, as we haven’t been able to map enough of the human brain, but it was an interesting read. I do find it interesting to note that Itskov is only 35 and makes the statement that he’ll be dead in 35 years. He has enough faith in modern technology but not enough in modern medicine to get him to 70? Eek.

* Coastline Across the Ocean, From Where You’re Standing

This is more a graphic than an article, but it’s so cool!

When you’re staring out into the ocean contemplating the meaning of life (with little interludes of thought about what kind of tacos you want for dinner), you’re not necessarily staring due east or due west. Andy Woodruff, a cartographer, put together this image to show where exactly you’d be facing.

* All Those New Dinosaurs May Not Be New- Or Dinosaurs 

Data is very powerful and has a lot of potential uses that will benefit mankind… and then sometimes it disappoints the 5 year old in me who loved the Parasaurolophus.

Unfortunately, many discoveries of “new” dinosaurs eventually become invalidated for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it’s difficult to identify an entire animal when you only have a bone from it’s tail. Most of these bones end up being from an animal that has already been identified.

This is a good read, and while I do get a tiny bit excited when I hear about a new dinosaur (and see the “artists concept”), it is important to maintain accuracy. Because you know… science.