Speed Racer | courtesy of Warner Brothers
monday, may 26
Gush
100th Anniversary of the First Major Commercial Oil Find in the Middle East
Masjid-i-Suleiman, Iran
Lucky strike? At the start of the 20th century, many oilmen dismissed the Middle East as a barren backwater. That changed on May 26, 1908, when British geologists found a gigantic oil field in Persia. Realizing that exploration rights could be bought from local sheiks for next to nothing, Western firms rushed in. Oil was tapped in Iraq in 1927, Saudi Arabia in 1935, and Kuwait in 1938. -- TB
wednesday, may 28
Engineer
12008 International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Informatics
Sanya, China
Words we're sure you never expected to read: Biomedical engineering and informatics are hot. Amid the boom in personalized medicine and consumer genome analysis, scientists from around the world will convene in the tropical Chinese resort of Sanya. Lest they feel too far from the lab, they're bringing to Sanya a full range of research on topics from the cutting edge (artificial organs) to the soporific and wonky (medical-data compression). -- EG
wednesday, may 28
Shake, Not Stir
Devil May Care
By Sebastian Faulks
Double-0 Seven may serve Queen and country, but in his sixth decade, he's mostly just making money. The Bond films alone have grossed more than $11 billion (inflation-adjusted); tie-ins, merchandise, and, of course, books -- where Bond began, with Casino Royale in 1953 -- have earned billions more. The guardians of creator Ian Fleming's estate, who oversee the books but not the films, are trying to keep funds flowing by recruiting novelist Sebastian Faulks to pen Devil May Care, the 36th official Bond novel, to mark the centenary of Fleming's birth. Judging the book by its cover, we can say that it has a much better title than the 22nd Bond film, out in November. Even star Daniel Craig admitted that Quantum of Solace "doesn't trip off the tongue." But as long as Craig's 007 shows off his six-pack, we'll contribute to keep the franchise going. -- EG
Email
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Buzz Up!
LinkedIn
