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Help Name a NASA Space Station Node
If you enjoy space, NASA, and thinking of creative names then you'll want to get in on NASA's latest public relations gig. NASA is letting the general public vote on what the name of next node of the International Space Station should be.
Continue reading...Is His CPU a Neural Net Processor?
13. November 2008
Well, here we go. How long until Judgment Day? They're making real robots to look like humans in what is obviously going to bring to mind images involving a certain "electronic murderer". Luckily these robots aren't killing people...yet.
Continue reading...SpaceX did it! Falcon 1 achieves orbit right on target
29. September 2008
This is a pretty great day for any space enthusiast. Another private company has gotten off of this planet. I'm still of the opinion that while NASA's research and their achievements shouldn't be overlooked, what is going to get us off of this planet and into a permanent position in our solar system is going to be the private corporations.
Continue reading...SpaceX Falcon 4 static fire goes well, nothing exploded
23. September 2008
In a refreshing change of pace, the Falcon 4 static fire went well with no large booms or expanding mushroom clouds. They did decide to replace a component on the maxim of better safe than sorry. A 2nd stage engine LOX supply line is being changed out, which will move the for real firing to somewhere between September 28th and October 1.
Continue reading...Ever wanted to track satellites in real time from your computer for free?
22. September 2008
Well you're in luck! NASA has a neat little tool called J-Track, which you can access at the link below. Note that you'll need Java to run it (which you probably have installed) and that when you visit the link, it will launch the java app.
Continue reading...Enjoy today as the world could end tomorrow – LHC goes online on the 10th!
9. September 2008
I'm with those big fancy science types when they say they're generally fairly certian that no Earth and/or Universe destroying forces will be generated when the LHC goes online in less than 24 hours. I mean, these folks are usually right, right?
Continue reading...Book Review: You Call This the Future? by Nick Sagan
27. August 2008
The new book by Nick Sagan (son of Carl Sagan), You Call This the Future?: The Greatest Inventions Sci-Fi Imagined and Science Promised, is characterized by explanations of some of the fascinating technologies envisioned in classic science fiction along with explorations of the progress modern science has made towards achieving those visions. Classic science fiction references appear side-by-side with summaries of state of the art scientific research.
Continue reading...The Invasion Has Begun: Death Star Spotted Above San Francisco
25. August 2008
Initial reports are beginning to leak out of San Francisco that a mysterious object has been seen in the sky, blotting out the stars and staring down ominously at the peaceful inhabitants of The Golden Gate City. An intrepid amateur videographer has posted footage of the mysterious object on Youtube. Star Wars aficionados may recognize the massive moon-like invader as none other than a Death Star - a space station and weapon capable of destroying an entire planet - previously thought to be mere fiction.
Continue reading...Designing the Singularity: Intel receives the Overreaching Statement Award.
22. August 2008
"We're making steady progress toward Ray Kurtzweil's singularity," says Justin Rattner, CTO of Intel. THE Singularity, that's what he's talking about. You know, the point where machine intelligence jogs past human intelligence and brings us to a new era where combined computer cognition is the equivalent of a minor deity.
Continue reading...The planet Mars enters the ’90s with it’s new web cam
22. August 2008
That's right, the ESA has gotten into the web cam business with a simple little camera pointed at none other than Mars! While I feel the whole "look at my webcam" thing has blown over some time ago, this one is worth a gander.
Continue reading...The Bridge Across the Uncanny Valley
20. August 2008
Checkout this awesome video describing Image Metrics' animation process! Image Metrics is credited for facial animations in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Devil May Cry 4, and others.
Continue reading...Nuclear Fusion… In Your Garage? (Image Gallery)
20. August 2008
Yeah, it sounds crazy, but according to This article from the Wall Street Journal there are at least 42 functioning home-built fusion reactors worldwide. Mind you, they suck down quite a bit more energy than they produce; like expensive research reactors, they don't produce self-sustaining fusion.
Continue reading...“Of course I’m not wasting time on the web… I’m *transcribing*…”
19. August 2008
Who would have thought that reCAPTCHA's were actually for something useful instead of an annoying and yet clever way to ensure you weren't a spammer?
Continue reading...Adam Savage Is a Geeky God
19. August 2008
At the end of July, the H.O.P.E. (Hackers On Planet Earth) conference was held in New York. One of the featured speakers was Adam Savage, co-host of the Mythbusters. Savage talked about his geeky passion for creating and learning, and described (among other things) his personal recreation of a dodo skeleton. He also took questions from the audience.
Continue reading...Book Review: The Way Toys Work
15. August 2008
Did you know that the inventor of the erector set won an Olympic gold medal in the pole vault in 1908? Or that the Slinky was named by thumbing through a dictionary looking for a word that sounded like the motion of a toy? Or that (despite popular belief), Furbies do not listen for new words to add to their vocabularies (and therefore should never have been banned from government property)? Neither did I, until I read The Way Toys Work:The Science Behind the Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang, and More.
Continue reading...
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26. February 2009
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