The Daily Flash -Eco, Space, Tech (10/02)

Warmer Seas Blocking Nature’s Carbon Pump

Climate change isn’t just warming the atmosphere, it’s also warming the ocean’s surface and deeper levels of the water column. This is known as the pelagic ocean (the “pelagic zone” is any part of the water column other than that at the sea floor) and it just so happens to harbor the most productive ecosystem on planet Earth. The pelagic ocean is responsible for an estimated half of the world’s primary production (i.e., the basic food or nutrient making needed to sustain other life), and sustains most of the world’s natural fisheries.

The 10 Best Internet Memes of the Decade (2000-2009)

Richard Dawkins minted the term “meme” to explain the movement of information—as genes are to biology, memes are to culture. And though the word has some true-blue egghead roots as a term thrown around by evolutionary biologists, the Internet has bastardized it into a shorthand for all things viral. Throughout the aughts, we’ve seen an onslaught of viral media: indie bands on treadmills, prairie dogs turning heads, and LEEROY JENKINS. A list of the best of these memes reads like a super-abridged history of Internet culture, a rap sheet full of LOLs and WTFs.

iPhone Trumped? Yes, This Is the Droid You've Been Looking For

The Droid is Motorola's second attempt at an Android phone but the first one they've actually gotten right. More importantly, it's one of the first phones that can legitimately stand head-to-head with the iPhone -- and come out ahead in some significant respects. Like get decent reception! The Droid is offered by Verizon in the United States and enjoys all the benefits of their extensive network. In our tests around San Francisco the Droid rarely dropped a call, loaded web pages quickly, and pulled up navigation screens without an ounce of hesitation. Overall, network performance trumped our AT&T iPhone.

E-Readers May Not Solve Publisher Woes Yet

Publishers hoping to halt a slide in sales with new electronic reading devices will struggle to get consumers to embrace them until the technology improves, experts say.The gadgets — such as Amazon.com’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s new $259 Nook — have created an enormous buzz in the publishing world and marketers hope they will become popular Christmas gifts. In some respects the new devices still compare unfavorably to the tactile experience of the printed page and lack multiple functions of more advanced technology such as smartphones, industry experts say.

Facebook Plans to Geotag Your Life

Even as we busily plug our personal information into Facebook, the powerhouse social network is about to get a whole lot more personal. It's getting ready to link geo-location information to your actions on the social site.