Russia and Japan aim for the Moon - A New Space Race?

Source Article.

It was a rare confluence — the heads of the space agencies for Europe, Canada and Russia, along with senior representatives from the space agencies of India and Japan — all up on the dais together at a hotel in Washington DC, where they were on hand on 22 May to talk about the benefits of international collaboration at the Global Space Exploration Conference.

Vladimir Popovkin, the head of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said that Russia will pursue extensive, long-lived operations at the Moon’s surface. “We’re not talking about repeating what mankind achieved 40 years ago,” Popovkin said, through a translator.  “We’re talking about establishing permanent bases.” Similarly, JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency, issued a clear pronouncement about targeting the Moon.  “We are looking at the Moon as our next target for human exploration,” said Yuichi Yamaura, an associate executive director at JAXA.

Interesting. The last time another country beat us to a space exploration goal, we quickly caught up. Now it seems that once again those Ruskis  are excelling against us in vision regarding space exploration. I wonder if, lacking the cold war, we'll allow our indignance fuel our innovation as it did in the past. Or if we'll simply let another nation beat us.

Admiral, there be whales here!

This picture was recently taken by a NASA satellite:

There's been numerous weak attempts to explain it away through the use of proton impacts on the camera's sensor, but I think those of us who are faithful know the real explanation. Look at the blip. Now, look below:

Don't see it? Maybe from a different angle:

Here's what NASA is really trying to hide: Star Trek IV is all true. The whole thing is true, and someone just pulled a slingshot maneuver to come back to 2012 because some galactically important non-sentient species on Earth has gone extinct in the future. I find it fascinating that they even did it in a B'rel-class Bird of Prey. Star Trek has been spoon feeding us truth for decades to prepare for the eventual first contact. Good thinking there government conspiracy.

"But John," you say, "Why isn't there a bright trail of light following the ship in the photo? There's clearly a visible trail of particles following the Bounty in that glorious scene from the movie!"

It's not a comet. Ice isn't burning off. There's no reason for the trail other than Hollywood bling.

So, I give you proof that the truth is out there. You're welcome, America.

(All images blatantly ripped off the internet.)

A Charge With A New Mason

Once upon a time I posted about Benjamin Franklin's Twelve Virtues. Tonight, I was reminded that I never pursued my planned project from a full two summers ago. (I think I just found a summer project...)

The below video is one of the many being produced by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts utilizing the likeness of Benjamin Franklin (a Freemason) to promote education and discussion about the Masonic Fraternity and its ideals.

I must say, I think the video below is one of the most poignant I've seen from them. I've long said that time is our most precious resource, as it is the one which we can never accumulate more of, and our dear 'Mr. Franklin' seems to agree. All the videos in this series are worth a watch.

Mass Effect 3's Ending - A Different Interpretation

Like many, I played through the Mass Effect series, and was beyond pumped for the third installment of the series. And like many, upon play through completion, I thought the game was excellent until the very end. And, what a bitter end it was. I could understand what all the rage was about. Plot holes were aplenty, and you were left with... well, very little, considering the massive scope of the series.

Well, I was recently scouring the internet for something, anything, that would justify the ending given to us, the sad disappointment to such a work of art. And, well, I found that justification. And it is beyond anything I could have asked for.

Fair warning: Massive spoilers ahead.

The Definitive Interpretation:

I was introduced to what is being referred to as the "Shepherd's Indoctrination" interpretation. The video below is all you really need as proof, though much more can be found with a simple Google search.

A Summary:

From the moment you step onto the Citadel at the end through the Deus Ex Machina moment that is inexplicable, everything is a dream. Shepherd is knocked unconscious by Harbinger while running at the beam, and which in a dream state is going through one final fight against Reaper Indoctrination. The three choices you're presented with at the end of the cut scene and dialogue aren't deciding the fate galaxy, or even the Reapers. They're deciding the fate of Shepherd's mind.

As you'll see, there are hints the entire game. Shepherd is slowly succumbing to Indoctrination. He's had as much or more contact with the Reapers as anyone else in the galaxy. It makes sense.

And if you choose wisely, and play through the third game wisely, you're given an image of Shepherd taking a breath at the end of the other cut scenes. He's buried amidst a significant amount of rubble. How can this be reconciled with the fiery explosions of the Citadel? Easy. As mentioned before, he was never on the citadel. He was unconscious in London. The true ending of the game has yet to be seen.

I'll leave the rest to the video. It very clearly and concisely makes the arguments for this interpretation. To the point that I don't even consider it a theory at this point. This is the true interpretation in my mind. Bioware tricked us. They tricked all of us. We were indoctrinated by the game. And this is one of the most epic and genius endings to a series I can imagine.

Human survival depends on space exploration, says Stephen Hawking

From the Winnipeg Free Press:

TORONTO - Stephen Hawking says the colonization of outer space is key to the survival of humankind, predicting it will be difficult for the world's inhabitants "to avoid disaster in the next hundred years."

The renowned astrophysicist explores some of the most remarkable advancements in technology and health with the new U.K.-Canadian series "Brave New World With Stephen Hawking," debuting Saturday on Discovery World HD.

 Before its premiere, he discussed the earth's most pressing concerns in an email interview with The Canadian Press from Cambridge, England, declaring space exploration to be humankind's most urgent mission.

 "We are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history," said Hawking, who has Lou Gehrig's disease, leaving him almost completely paralyzed and unable to speak.

 "Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill. But our genetic code still carries the selfish and aggressive instincts that were of survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million.

Pretty much what the nerds have been saying for years. If only Hawking played football, maybe people would listen.

Source Article

Senate votes down anti-Net Neutrality resolution

I suppose Obama won't have the chance to veto the bill after all.

The US Senate has decided the Federal Communications Commission's Net Neutrality rules are OK after all. Senators voted down S.J. Res 6 ("Disapproval of Federal Communications Commission Rule Regulating the Internet and Broadband Industry Practices") which criticized the FCC's rules, 52-46 on Thursday morning. President Obama had threatened to veto the resolution had it landed on his desk.

The Senate's vote was cheered by advocates of Net Neutrality rules. "We are pleased that the Senate stopped this dangerous resolution in its tracks," said Free Press Action Fund President and CEO Craig Aaron in a statement. "The Senate sent a strong signal today to would-be gatekeepers that the free and open Internet needs to stay that way. The American public doesn't want phone and cable companies undercutting competition, deciding which websites will work, or censoring what people can do online."

There are still other threats to the FCC's regulatory regime, most notable lawsuits filed by telecoms opposing Net Neutrality rules.

Source Article

Obama Pledges to Veto Anti-Net Neutrality Legislation

Interesting bit of convoluted politics popping up. Not too long ago, the FCC implemented rules favoring the concept of Net Neutrality. The concept is that internet service providers could, potentially, start providing premium services to those websites and pages that can afford it. That is, if, say, YouTube wanted to buy the rights to have higher streaming priority from an ISP, they could, and when someone tried to access YouTube, their streaming would trump Obscure Website B, who would load slower, etc, because they couldn't afford to buy off the ISP.

I find this interesting, because this is regulation that spurs competition, though in a different field.

By regulating and forcing ISPs to abide by the regulations (which haven't gone into effect yet), they are essentially creating a level playing field on the internet itself. This is regulation that (in theory) actually favors the little guy (on the internet) on some level, though probably to ISPs detriment. This doesn't happen terribly often. Hurting one capitalist market in favor of another.

Anyway, the Senate doesn't like it, and proposed a resolution to end those rules, which Obama plans to veto.

WASHINGTON — The White House said Tuesday that President Barack Obama likely would veto upcoming legislation that would unwind net-neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission adopted last year.

Senate Journal Resolution 6, which is expected to go to the Senate floor perhaps as early as this week, “would undermine a fundamental part of the Nation’s Open Internet and innovation strategy — an enforceable, effective but flexible policy for keeping the internet free and open,” the White House said. The House passed a similar measure last spring, and Obama had threatened to veto that, too, if it landed on his desk.

The Senate measure, which mirrors the House resolution, says Congress “disapproves” of the FCC’s net neutrality rules, which “shall have no force or effect.” The rules, which don’t go into effect until Nov. 20, bar broadband providers like Comcast and Time Warner Cable from playing favorites with internet traffic, while a lighter set of rules applies to mobile broadband providers like

Not really sure how I feel about the whole situation. But I think I'm the FCC/Obama's side on this one. Maybe. Possibly.

Source Article

Polaroid: This time it’s digital

Never had a polaroid. Don't know that I care about it that much. But I found it interesting that it took them this long to reach this point. Technological limitations, or did no one simply connect the dots that this is a product that would sell?

Long before Facebook and Twitpic, photos were shared by simply handing someone a print. No camera made this easier than the once-ubiquitous Polaroid. Nothing represented instant gratification better in the film era than having a print develop before your eyes, ready to hand out in a minute. Unfortunately for Polaroid, the advent of digital photography sounded the death knell for its iconic instant print cameras. A brief reprieve in the form of inexpensive sticker-printing versions was ended by the cellphone camera revolution.

Now, after a decade in remission, Polaroid has returned with a full-up digital camera that incorporates instant printing technology. The Polaroid Z340 is a 14MP digital with an integrated Zink-enabled (Zero Ink) printer. In a nostalgic touch, the new camera prints 3×4-inch images, the same size as the original Polaroid film cameras. Remarkably, all this fits in a one-pound, seven-ounce package, about the same weight as a mid-range DSLR, although over twice as heavy as a typical point-and-shoot.

Speaking of unimplemented ideas, where's that pokemon MMO that no one has made yet? That's right, it doesn't exist, and somewhere there is an economist crying because of the massive opportunity cost of it all.

Source Article

A Laser to Give the Universe a Hernia?

Think back to 2008, when the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was about to be switched on for the first time. Remember all those "micro-black hole," "spacetime-ripping," "stranglet-creating" doomsday headlines?

Although much of the hype was complete nonsense, those pesky physicists are at it again; they want to build a laser so powerful that it will literally rip spacetime apart. 

The headlines write themselves.

What's more, by giving spacetime a hernia, it is hoped that theorized "ghost particles" may spill from the fissure, providing evidence for the hypothesis that extra-dimensions exist and the vacuum of space isn't a vacuum at all -- it is in fact buzzing with virtual particles.

Such a laser could also help in understanding the nature of dark matter, the "missing" mass that is thought to pervade the entire observable Universe.

Big "Frickin' Laser Beams"

As we all know, all good megalomaniac plans for world domination start with lasers (not necessarily attached to sharks' heads). But the lasers planned by the Extreme Light Infrastructure Ultra-High Field Facility, known as "ELI," would concentrate 200 petawatts of power -- that's 100,000 times the world's energy production -- and fire it at a single point for less than a trillionth of a second.

The combined power of 10 separate lasers would be focused down to a very small volume, creating conditions more extreme than in the center of our sun. It is hoped (yes, hoped) that this immense energy will punch a hole through the fabric of spacetime itself, heralding a new era of exotic physics discovery.

No one sees an issue with this? Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but we only have one planet, and no feasible way to escape it if we somehow manage to destroy it, and we're trying to, on our only planets surface, rip apart the fabric of existence itself just to see what happens?

I totally appreciate the curiosity and search for knowledge, but maybe this isn't the best experiment to try. Seriously people. This is tried a lot in science fiction. Many, many variations on a theme. And in every variation, it goes completely wrong. And do you know why? Because it's a terrible idea. Never mind how cool this many super powerful lasers is on the surface, it's a bad idea past the awesome 'splosion factor.


And people wonder why the public defunds science.

That said, if we do destroy the planet, I hope this monstrosity makes the Death Star sound, and we go out Alderaan style. I might forgive them if that's how it plays out.


Source Article

Frozen Puck Hovers Over Track Using “Quantum Levitation”

This is beyond awesome.



When do I get my own hover car?

Researchers at the school of physics and astronomy at Tel Aviv University have created a track around which a superconductor can float, thanks to the phenomenon of “quantum levitation".

This levitation effect is explained by the Meissner effect, which describes how, when a material makes the transition from its normal to its superconducting state, it actively excludes magnetic fields from its interior, leaving only a thin layer on its surface.

Source Article.

Prejudice and Bigotry

It's been my experience that only libertarians truly want to end prejudice and bigotry. For only libertarians truly want you to be free.

I know plenty of people who want to end prejudice against people whom they identify with. Many conservatives want to end prejudice and bigotry against religious freedom. Many liberals I know hear even a mention of race and will let you know that you must be a racist, especially if you're a conservative.

But what I consistently find is that this defense of various cultures and beliefs only extends as far as the familiar, especially when considering the traditional (and highly flawed) left/right political spectrum.

Because you also find the conservatives who are only concerned about Christian religious freedoms, not the freedoms of other religions. And you find the liberals who look down their nose at those they consider 'uneducated', or worse yet, 'prejudiced' themselves. (No, they don't see the irony.)

Only libertarians think you have the right to believe what you want to believe, and no, we shouldn't try to legislate our beliefs onto others, save that one essential belief, liberty for all. Not for some. Not for those we like. Who we consider Christian enough. Or elite enough. Liberty for everyone, even if your beliefs are distasteful to others.

So, if you have a strong dislike for a culture that isn't your own, if you look down on others because they don't fit your mold, that's fine. But be considerate enough to think twice before you label someone else prejudiced, a racist, or a bigot. Because you probably, in some area of your life, fit into the same mold, whether you'd like to admit it or not.

Gamers succeed where scientists fail

Gamers have solved the structure of a retrovirus enzyme whose configuration had stumped scientists for more than a decade. The gamers achieved their discovery by playing Foldit, an online game that allows players to collaborate and compete in predicting the structure of protein molecules.

After scientists repeatedly failed to piece together the structure of a protein-cutting enzyme from an AIDS-like virus, they called in the Foldit players. The scientists challenged the gamers to produce an accurate model of the enzyme. They did it in only three weeks.

Source Article

Scientists using a widely distributed game as a think tank for solving real life problems? Stargate Universe called it.

Interestingly, if you too would like to fold proteins for science, foldit beta is available here. Going to check it out myself when I have a chance. While I doubt it'll be the next Call of Duty installment, I'm glad someone is actually putting this idea into practice. Now if they'd only take it that one final step and capitalize on the most detail oriented and obsessive gamers there are, MMO players...