Acronyms Master is a tool for MS Word that can create a table of Acronyms, optionally with their “discovered” definitions/expansions at the end of the the document. No, sorry, the table can’t be anywhere except at the end of the document. However, if all you want is a list of the acronyms/abbreviations in a document, it is the perfect tool. Saved me a minor headache, and I hope it comes in handy for those who are dealing with their thesis/dissertation/papers/documentation etc.
Edit: The tool is not free. The first time you use it, it’s free, and then you have to purchase it. I remember it as being free for personal use, but now it’s not. Something else might suit you better if you are looking for free software.
PicBreeder is an ongoing effort at UCF (where I study/work) to create images using Genetic Algorithms. It is a community-based website where you can create an account and breed your pictures. I saw Mutating Pictures doing the rounds, and thought of how PicBreeder deserves some attention too. For one, you have more options for fun at PicBreeder, and you can turn a Butterfly into a Bat!
Craig Venter, the guy who paid to sequence the genome, is at it again. This time, a team of 20 scientists including a Nobel Laureate have created an artificial chromosome from first principles, using artificial chemicals. They intend to introduce this into the cell of a bacterium on whose genetic makeup the whole thing was based off. The cell will be taken over, and a new species will be created. Technically.
As a post script the article mentions that Venter’s lab is filing for a patent for the newly created life form. Patents never seemed like too good an idea to me. Patenting a life form seems downright ridiculous, and very dangerous.
Cool stuff, and I would cheer the Venter Lab on, if not for the patent, and the unbridled, bombastic script that issues from them, a sample of which follows:
“We are not afraid to take on things that are important just because they stimulate thinking,” he said. “We are dealing in big ideas. We are trying to create a new value system for life. When dealing at this scale, you can’t expect everybody to be happy.”