Annihilation! Cool Flying Dudes! And other stories from the world of science . . .

Greg Frost has been keeping me up to date this week on the world o' science, and it's clear that science is becoming more skiffy than ever.

First up--- annihilation! A team including David Cassidy--- who will be played in the movie by David Cassidy--- has succeeded in merging di-positronium with ordinary positrons in order to produce a powerful ray called the gamma-ray annihilation laser! "The difference in the power available from a gamma-ray laser compared to a normal laser is the same as the difference between a nuclear explosion and a chemical explosion," sez Cassidy. These annihilation lasers!--- in addition to blowing up our enemies better than our enemies have ever been blowed up before--- might also be used to kick-start fusion reactors.

And face it--- doesn't "di-positronium" sound like something out of a bad science fiction film?

Plus, extra points for actually calling it an "annihilation laser."

Next, researchers at the University of Cardiff--- where, according to Dr. Who, a giant rift in spacetime is permanently moored--- are using the enormous Diamond synchrotron, which generates a light source ten billion times brighter than the sun, to read delicate or damaged ancient manuscripts without having to open them.

This is cool. I really need them to use this really soon on all those manuscripts from Herculaneum. Never mind that they probably have all sorts of other things planned for this colossal synchrotron--- I want Sulla's autobiography now!

Lastly and most coolly, those ingenius Brits aren't sitting on their Diamond synchrotron laurels, no! They've invented the Gryphon one-man strap-on stealth jet plane, tailor-made for getting special forces into all sorts of brand-new trouble!

Can I just say that I've been waiting for this for decades! I absolutely want one, I want it now, and I promise not to invade any foreign countries without permission.

Plus, when the country with the gamma-ray annihilation laser is invaded by the country with the strap-on jet planes, you could have the coolest game of Space Invaders ever!