A Moment of Quiet Contemplation

Posted on by

UPDATE:  SOLVED by Bill at 12:32 CDT

Is everybody ready for this today?  Remember, there is only this riddle and the one on the 13th left for a chance to qualify for the bonus riddle (on March 15th).  Good luck!

Museum of Anthropology - Calendar Stone

Today’s riddle subject is an object.

It is composed of many parts, only a few of which are commonly known or visible to the unaided eye.

This was well known to ancient man; in every civilization.

Very well represented in literature, today’s object is not only in the Iliad and the Odyssey, but also the Bible and possibly the Qur’an.

PhotoBucket - Home Library

Often discovered by accident, you are likely to mistake it for something else when you first see it.

There is usually something tremendously beautiful seen very close to it.

On a cosmic time scale, this is very young.

Venus de Milo

Well?  What do you think?  In case you’re wondering, these are the people who have solved a riddle up to today:  Bruce, Adrianus V, Jim, Patricia, Doug, Dwight Decker, Rob, Alejandro, Stuart, Jim Hammill, Nick, Stephen, Jerry Thornton, and Roger.

I sure would like to add your name to the list!

(you know I’m lurking… don’t you, Trudy)

I'm SO cute!

Dr. Rachie wins a Shorty! | Bad Astronomy

Posted on by

Thanks in no small part to my beloved BABloggees and Tweeps, Rachael Dunlop won a Shorty Award in the Health category!

Yay!

It’s nice that she gets some recognition for her debunking of quackery, hoaxery, and quite a bit of alt-meddery, but the real schadenfreudeliciousness comes from knowing that she’s helping Mike Adams’ and Joe Mercola’s heads that much more explodey. Go read her link for all the sordid, but oh-so-satisfying details.

For those of you who helped out, my sincere thanks. Ya done good.


How To: Run Windows in OS X, the Right Way [How To]

Posted on by

If you're anxious about switching from a PC to a Mac, consider this: There are a multitude of ways you can virtualize Windows within OS X, and they all work uniquely well. Here's how to choose the right one.

There are three major virtualization products for Mac, and at their core, they're all quite similar. Each creates a virtual machine, which is to say, crudely, a software implementation of a separate computer. When you install Windows in a virtual machine, Windows thinks it's installed on a PC with a somewhat generic set of hardware. In fact, the hardware it thinks it's installed on is a software construct, and any time Windows utilizes what it thinks is a hardware component, its requests are actually being passed through to your Mac's real hardware.

Anyway! What's going on under the hood is conceptually similar among the most popular virtualization apps, but the ways they install, run and integrate Windows inside of OS X vary wildly. So, assuming you're ready to take the virtualization dive, which app should you use? VMWare Fusion 3? Parallels 5? Sun VirtualBox? They're all different, but in a strange way, they've ended up falling out of direct competition—each one is right for certain kinds of users. So which one's right for you?

If You...

• Want to run Windows 7 within OS X, and basically nothing else?
• Want to run Windows apps as if they're part of OS X, visually and behaviorally?
• Think a virtual machine should integrate into OS X almost completely, rather than live inside its own window?
• Want to play 3D games in your virtual machine?

Then You Should Use…


Parallels 5! This is a paid solution, and while it's a full virtualization suite—you can run Linux and other OSes from within OS X as well—it's the one most purely dedicated to making running Windows 7 as seamless as possible. Installation is almost completely hands off, and once you've got it up and running, it can actually be themed to look more like OS X. This has the dual effect of making the OS look more natural when it's running in windowed mode (where the OS is isolated to its own window, like an app), and making the so-called "Crystal" mode, which lets you run Windows apps as their own windows in OS X, and which integrates Windows menus into Apple's operating system, such that it's barely even clear that you're not running native apps.

Parallels' strength lies in how thorough it is in trying to make Windows integration seamless. Windows 7's system-wide transparency effects, powered by Aero, work fine out of the box with Parallels; you can enable OS X's multitouch touchpad gestures for MacBooks in the OS with a simple options menu; pulling an installation over from a Boot Camp partition is just a matter of walking through a wizard; sharing files and clipboard items between OSes was trivially easy.

DirectX support is legitimately good enough to actually run a mid-range game without terrible performance degradation. (Games like BioShock or Crysis will run, but unless you've got a top-end iMac, you'll probably suffer from serious slowdowns. If you're serious about gaming on a Mac, just install Windows natively using Boot Camp.) It's kind of like magic!

Parallels' Windows powers are unsurpassed, but come at a cost. First, in dollars: It's $80. Then, in features beyond Windows integration: There aren't a whole lot of appliances—preconfigured packages that let you install other operating systems, like variations of Linux—as compared to VMWare, and there are stability issues; I've had to close down the entire virtual machine a number of times over the course of testing, and I couldn't identify a particular trigger. One second I'd be seamlessly toggling between Internet Explorer and Safari, and the next I'd be trudging through a prolonged virtual machine restart routine.

So yeah, it's worth it, if you've got a handful of Windows apps you can't live without, or if you want to play fairly recent games without booting into a separate partition. [Parallels]

If You…

• Want to experiment with more than Windows
• Need bulletproof performance with Windows
• Want to run Windows and Linux apps as if they're part of OS X, albeit without too many interface flourishes?

Then You Should Use…


VMWare Fusion 3! VMWare's virtualization software is a reliable option no matter what you want to do. The way it integrates Windows into OS X is fairly transparent, but not quite as aesthetically consistent as Parallels. Gaming performance isn't as strong as in Parallels, though 2D rendering—like Windows 7's Aero—runs a bit smoother in Fusion than in any other solution. As with Parallels, Fusion automates the Windows installation process to a degree, and makes importing a Boot Camp installation fairly simple.

VMWare is a workhorse, and for most tasks—be it cross-platform website testing, running Windows versions of Microsoft office, or syncing with a Windows-only device like the Zune HD—it won't let you down.

Tinkerers will find a massive library of preconfigured appliances, so you can try out virtually any operating system you've ever heard of (as long as it's freely available) with little more than a file download and double click. Fusion 3 costs $80. [VMWare]

If You…

• Need Windows emulation
• Don't want to pay anything for your virtualization software
• Don't need to do any serious gaming
• Don't mind rougher integration of Windows into OS X

Then You Should Use…


Sun VirtualBox! While the prior two options are paid, and not exactly cheap, VirtualBox is free. Totally. This means that, if you've got a spare Windows license, you can install Windows to run within OS X without spending an extra dime, and without suffering too much of an inconvenience as compared to VMWare or Parallels. (Full Windows 7 installation guide here)

VirtualBox doesn't have the same level of DirectX support as either Parallels or Fusion, so while gaming is theoretically possible, it's probably not worth your time. There is a "Seamless" mode for minimizing the Windows desktop and running Windows apps as if they're native OS X apps, but it's neither as seamless nor visually integrated as Parallels' or Fusion's.

But really, these are minor complaints. If all you want to do is run the odd Windows apps, try virtualization or configure or access some Windows-specific peripherals, VirtualBox will get the job done. It doesn't have the polish of its paid competitors, but let's be real here: We're virtualizing an operating system. All solutions are by definition going to be less than perfect. VirtualBox will accomplish 85% of what Parallels or VMWare can do, in terms of running Windows apps or booting into alternative operating systems, at 0% of the cost. And for that, it deserves your attention. [VirtualBox]

If you have more tips and tools to share, please drop some links in the comments-your feedback is hugely important to our Saturday How To guides. And if you have any topics you'd like to see covered here, please let me know. Happy virtualizing, folks.


Microsoft Demos Game Across Windows Phone 7, Xbox 360, and Windows 7 [Microsoft]

Posted on by

Whoa. During the keynote presentation at TechEd Middle East in Dubai, Microsoft's Eric Rudder played the same Indiana Jones-ish game on a Windows computer, a Windows Phone 7 phone, and an Xbox 360. Gaming is about to get real ubiquitous.

Not only is the game itself playable on all three platforms, but the session is maintained when you move from device to device: if you're playing on your Xbox and have to run out the door, you'll be on the same level when you fire it up on your Windows Phone 7 Series phone. Basically, you'll never have an excuse not to be gaming.

I'm sure this is very exciting to some of you and a little scary to others. Regardless of its potential for crippling your productivity and taking out your social life at the knees, it's pretty amazing stuff. Presumably we will be seeing more cool tidbits like this in the next few weeks when MIX and CTIA roll around. [Engadget]


Vers Handcrafted Wood iPad Case Beautifies Your Bezel, Props Your Pad [Cases]

Posted on by

Now that you know you'll have your sweaty hands on an iPad on April 3, you can start fussing over the other stuff you'll need for your shiny new gadget. This Vers case is pretty and has one of those..um...

One of those things that keeps a bicycle upright. What do you call those? Footprop? No that's not it. Lean-to? No that's something else I think. Quicksand? Quicksand! Oh that's close—it's on the tip of my tongue. Oh yeah. KICKSTAND.

That's right, the Vers case will not only let you forget that your iPad's chunky black bezel ever existed, it will also prop your iPad up with a convenient wooden peg. If you'll remember, the possibility of a kickstand was a topic of much debate in the months leading up to the iPad's unveiling, and though the device itself does not sport one, this looks to be pretty close to the simple, effective implementation most of us had in mind.

The case itself is crafted by hand from hardwood and bamboo and is reinforced with steel to keep your iPad safe. It has openings for the 30 pin connector and volume controls and is top-loading so you can slip your iPad in and out without much trouble.

The case will be available for preorder soon from Vers for $80 (they make a snazzy iPhone one, too). Did I mention it had a kickstand? [Vers Audio]


Best Buy Goes 3D At 200 Stores On March 10; 900 Stores By March 21 [3D]

Posted on by

If you're sick—literally or figuratively—of 3D now, just wait until the end of the month. HD Guru has Best Buy's schedule for rolling out 3D capable HDTVs and Blu-ray players from Samsung and Panasonic, and they're coming soon.

The Guru claims that sales and demonstrations of 3D gear will commence at 200 Best Buy locations on March 10—as in, like, Wednesday. According to his sources, that initial blast will feature Panasonic's 50" TC-P50VT20 plasma 3D HDTV—we've heard it will retail for around $3500—in tandem with their DMP-BD350 3D Blu-ray player.

On March 21, Samsung will apparently join the fray, showing and schilling their LED 3D HDTVs—the 46" UN-46C7000 and the 55" UN-55C7000—along with the awesome-looking BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player at 900 Best Buy locations. TechRadar checked out this package earlier this week and said that if you decide to take the plunge, you won't be sorry you did.

We've heard for a while now that Monsters vs. Aliens will be the first 3D Blu-ray movie available, and HD Guru reports that it will be available as part of a promotional package with Samsung's gear on the 21st. [HD Guru]


RoboPlow Is Man’s Secret Weapon In the Battle Against Mother Nature [Robots]

Posted on by

Though it seems like the weather's warming up now, think back to February when Mother Nature was piling on the snow with callous indifference. Feel that bitter cold on your face, that strain in your lower back. Now meet RoboPlow.

This is the idea that every geek has had, but the guys at IdeaLaboratories were just fed up enough to actually see it through. The RoboPlow sports a 50" blade, six wheel drive, and a bad attitude when it comes to all things snow.

In fact, watching this formidable machine slice its way through snowbanks, I'm wondering if the RoboPlow isn't a little too powerful, if we didn't let this arms race with Mother Nature push us to create a technology that should never have been created. Watching this video and seeing the RoboPlow barrel down the driveway, I felt a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was just going to keep going into the street, plowing straight on through the traffic.

RoboPlow, like RoboCop before him, has a singular directive. In this case it's to annihilate snow. But I'm sure somewhere in one of those RoboCop sequels there was a lesson to be learned about the dangers of giving robots too much power.

You can't help but wonder: in a post-snowpocalyptic world, will the RoboPlows have any reason not to plow us? [Reddit]


Steve Jobs Says "No," iPad Won’t Tether To iPhone [Ipad]

Posted on by

In his hundred-word inquiry to Steve Jobs as to whether or not the iPad will tether to the iPhone, Jezper Söderlund started by saying, "I'll keep it short." Steve's response kept it really short: "No." Updated: Is Jobs wrong?

OK, Steve's answer hardly comes as a surprise, but I'm always tickled when there's a report of Steve Jobs responding personally to someone's e-mail. I imagine him sitting on the can, flicking idly on his iPhone, and finally deciding to open that massive folder of his inbox where all the e-mail from the plebs gets redirected. Oh, what's this?

I'll keep it short.

I'm Jezper from Sweden, a long time Apple fan, currently about to replace the very last computer at home with a brand spanking new iMac i7. I'm also awaiting the release of the iPad. However, I have one question:

Will the wifi-only version somehow support tethering thru my iPhone?

Two devices, based on the same OS, with already built-in technology to share one data plan suggests a secondary contract could possibly be redundant.

From the look of your keynote, where the iPad sits well between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone, I was hoping the three of them could interact as seamless as possible.

All the best,
Jezper Söderlund

Whether or not he knew that Jezper was a Swedish DJ of some acclaim (he didn't), King Steve couldn't be bothered to type more than a single word before he rose up off his throne.

No.

Sent from my iPhone

What do we learn from this? 1. You won't be able to skimp on an iPad data plan by tethering to your iPhone. 2. There's still the outside chance that someday "sjobs@apple.com" will pop up before your eyes, delivering a disappointingly terse (but change of pants-requiring nonetheless) message directly to your inbox. [9 to 5 Mac]

Update: Assuming his response is the real deal, we're wondering if Steve might be a little bit confused about how his precious gadgets actually work. The iPhone officially supports tethering, just not in the United States. But we can't see any reason why the iPhone shouldn't be able to share its connection with the iPad on international carriers that do support tethering (seeing as DJ Jezper is from Sweden, he could well be a costumer of one of them). In any event, it seems like Steve's answer isn't only short but perhaps just plain wrong.


Clavilux 2000 Keyboard Makes Music Look As Beautiful As It Sounds [Visualizations]

Posted on by

Learning to play the piano has lingered on my to-do list for a long time. But watching this video of the Clavilux 2000 keyboard generating a spectacular light show in real time, I might have to make it a priority.

The Clavilux is a digital keyboard rigged up to a projector, letting the audience see the music they're hearing. And it really is the music they're seeing: each stripe of light corresponds directly to a key that is struck, the individual bands representing the velocity and length of each note played.

The notes are assigned colors, as well, giving a visual overview of the harmony of the piece. Play a note that's out of key and its color will contrast with the bigger picture.

The player can switch between two types of visualization. A 2D view results in the colorful barcode seen above while a 3D view resembles the cockpit view of some spaceship jumping into hyperdrive.

The Clavilux 2000 is the brainchild of Jonas Heuer, the same guy who put together the Noteput, an awesome interactive musical table. Music has always been a joy to listen to, but Heuer's work lets the other senses get in on the action, to spectacular effect. [Infosthetics]


Local Political Reaction Continues

Posted on by

Houston mayor plans visit with NASA chief, Bay Area Citizen

"Houston Mayor Annise Parker will take the community's fight to save the Constellation program straight to NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden next week, while a group of Clear Lake area businessmen will make a similar trip to Washington March 22. Parker's trip to the nation's capital comes as Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership President Bob Mitchell, who will head the Clear Lake delegation, works to rally Texans to save America's manned space flight program."

'NASA-enabled' is new mantra, Huntsville Times

"Late last week, reports said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was working on a "Plan B" in the face of bipartisan congressional opposition to the Obama plan, but Bolden denied it. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, has introduced legislation that would keep the space shuttle flying to 2015 and keep parts of Constellation, specifically the Orion crew module and the heavy-lift rocket needed for exploration beyond Earth orbit."

Following criticism, Obama to host NASA forum on 'next steps', The Hill

"While the White House did propose an additional $8 billion for NASA as part of its new budget, some lawmakers are apoplectic that the boost comes at the expense of NASA's Constellation program -- a project commissioned in 2005 by former President George W. Bush, who tasked the agency with plotting a second trip to the Moon."

Geert Wilders: Europe’s 21st Century Winston Churchill

Posted on by

Address to the British House of Lords

Dutch Member of Parliament, and leader of the right-libertarian Party of Freedom made a two-day publicity swing through the United Kingdom last week. During his stay he addressed the House of Lords.

The following is an excerpt:

Ladies and gentlemen, not far from here stands a statue of the greatest Prime Minister your country ever had. And I would like to quote him here today: “Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. No stronger retrograde force exists in the World. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step (…) the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.” These words are from none other than Winston Churchill wrote this in his book ‘The River War’ from 1899.

Churchill was right.

Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t have a problem and my party does not have a problem with Muslims as such. There are many moderate Muslims. The majority of Muslims are law-abiding citizens and want to live a peaceful life as you and I do. I know that. That is why I always make a clear distinction between the people, the Muslims, and the ideology, between Islam and Muslims. There are many moderate Muslims, but there is no such thing as a moderate Islam.

Islam strives for world domination. The Quran commands Muslims to exercise jihad. The Quran commands Muslims to establish shariah law. The Quran commands Muslims to impose Islam on the entire world.

Islam is merely not a religion, it is mainly a totalitarian ideology. Islam wants to dominate all aspects of life, from the cradle to the grave. Shariah law is a law that controls every detail of life in a Islamic society. From civic- and family law to criminal law. It determines how one should eat, dress and even use the toilet. Oppression of women is good, drinking alcohol is bad.

I believe that Islam is not compatible with our Western way of life. Islam is a threat to Western values. The equality of men and women, the equality of homosexuals and heterosexuals, the separation of church and state, freedom of speech, they are all under pressure because of islamization. Ladies and gentlemen: Islam and freedom, Islam and democracy are not compatible. They are opposite values.

No wonder that Winston Churchill called Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ “the new Quran of faith and war, turgid, verbose, shapeless, bur pregnant with its message”. As you know, Churchill made this comparison, between the Koran and Mein Kampf, in his book ‘The Second World War’, a master piece, for which, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Churchill’s comparison of the Quran and ‘Mein Kampf’ is absolutely spot on. The core of the Quran is the call to jihad. Jihad means a lot of things and is Arabic for battle. Kampf is German for battle. Jihad and kampf mean exactly the same.

Islam means submission, there cannot be any mistake about its goal. That’s a given. The question is whether we in Europe and you in Britain, with your glorious past, will submit or stand firm for your heritage.

You can read the entire text of the speech at the pro-defense libertarian blog Gates of Vienna.

Waterpebble Encourages Shorter, Water-Saving Showers [Waterpebble]

Posted on by

Feeling shame in the shower can arrive for many reasons, but here's a new one that centers on water conservation. It's called the Waterpebble, and the LED illuminates red, yellow or green depending on the amount of water used. Simple!

So simple, in fact, that even a crying, shame-ridden man in the shower could use it to accurately gauge whether or not he's using just enough, or too much water. Hey, it's better than wrinkly gingers telling you that you've been in there too long. [Waterpebble via Design Blog]


Robot Pokemon: Kojiro Would Destroy Asimo with Musculoskeletal Jujitsu [Robots]

Posted on by

Kojiro here is the work of Tokyo's JSK Robotics Laboratory. With his 60 degrees of motion, provided by a network of Super Effective! artificial muscles and tendons, he'll utterly destroy Asimo in the inevitable slow-motion robot battle in their future.

I say slow motion because, I mean, look at this thing. He's getting more hand holding help than grandpa at the retirement home. Hell, even grandpa doesn't need someone fiddling with an original PlayStation controller and a UI to get him to perform basic tasks. Like turning at the waist (see video).

Geezer speed aside, it's the musculature that's the takeaway here. Modeled after human muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments, the system is incredibly flexible for a robot, and its 60 degrees of motion bests the aforementioned Asimo by a good 26 degrees. It's also lighter than your traditional humanoid robot, which designers content will make it more friendly when humans have to interact with it.

Mental note: Lighter materials also mean one can chuck it farther, perhaps off a cliff, should "more friendly" actually be "more deadly" if and when it goes haywire. [IEEE Spectrum via Engadget]


Transforming Nissyoku Solar Eclipse Lamp Powered By LED, Not Fusion [Lamps]

Posted on by

Things I thought of while viewing the solar eclipse-inspired Nissyoku lamp: GLaDOS, a glowing tennis ball and, oh yeah, a solar eclipse:

The designer says that unlike those fleeting solar eclipses we see in the sky, this lamp lasts for up to 10 years.

It's also capable of morphing from one simple shape to the next, and can be suspended from the ceiling, a la a chandelier, or placed on a table, where it will neither burn out your eyes nor damage your table.

The light source, sadly, is not fusion or even fission, but a 5W LED in each of the two panels. [Igendesign via Design Blog]


Portal 2 Confirmed for Mac [Steam]

Posted on by

If Matt had to change his pants over the Valve Apple teasers the other day, what will today's wardrobe malfunction be? I only ask because the latest GameInformer confirms Portal 2 is coming to Mac.

Scheduled for a fall release, Portal 2 will be a full-fledged Portal experience distributed to the Mac, presumably, by an all-but-confirmed Steam service for that platform. [MacRumors]


Road Train Autopilot Saves Money, Would Mercifully Restore Driving-While-Texting [Road Train]

Posted on by

It was only a matter of time before some compulsive texter found a way to get text messaging and driving together again. Called the Road Train, it's mean to save fuel, but we know it's true purpose, don't we? [BBC]

The Road Train is based on drafting, that age-old technique that NASCAR drivers use to make passing easier and that those suicidal Mythbusters proved was legit when they coasted 10 feet behind a big rig at constant velocity.

In this case, however, the system is automated. Cars opt in and opt out at the driver's convenience, forming a moving, amorphous "train" of vehicles that maintain constant speed and distance form one another thanks to software.

Unlike many cool ideas/concepts, this one is actually being tested, right now, in Europe by Ricardo UK.

The three-year trial will see seven wireless-linked vehicles traveling the continent as part of an attempt to achieve a 20% fuel consumption reduction per vehicle. Reduced travel times and congestion are also goals.

And don't forget texting. We may soon return to a world where texting while driving is just obnoxious, not deadly, as it is today. [BBC via Treehugger]


Jame Goldstein, Long Time LP Activist and Wife Of Chairman Sam Goldstein, Passes Away

Posted on by

Friends,

  It is with great sadness that I have to write of the passing of Jame Goldstein, wife of LPIN Chair Sam Goldstein. Jame was a long time Libertarian Party activist, candidate, lawyer,  loving friend, and above all, a loving mother and wife. She has battled breast cancer for many years, and passed away yesterday.

  Jame's funeral will be on Wednesday, March 10th at 2:00pm at Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Funeral Home located at 11411 N. Michigan Rd, Zionsville, IN. It will be followed by burial at Crown Hill Cemetery at 700 West 38th Street Indianapolis, IN. After the burial, anyone who wishes to join in a celebration of Jame's life is welcomed to Sam's home at 8074 Claridge Road, Indianapolis, IN following the burial Wednesday evening and Thursday, March 11th at 6:00pm for a memorial service in Jame's honor.

read more