A Quiet Interlude

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Rhea peeks from the other side of Titan. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

In this tragic time, it’s good to take a time-out and reflect, and this Cassini image helps me do just that.

About the image from the Cassini website:

Rhea emerges after being occulted by the larger moon Titan.
Mutual event observations such as this one, in which one moon passes close to or in front of another, help scientists refine their understanding of the orbits of Saturn’s moons. Titan is about 1 million kilometers (621,000 miles) from Cassini in this image. Rhea is about 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Cassini.


The high altitude detached haze layer of Titan’s atmosphere is clearly visible in the image. See Titan’s Halo to learn more.
Lit terrain seen here is on the trailing hemispheres of Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) and Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across). The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Oct. 27, 2009. Image scale is 6 kilometers (4 miles) per pixel on Titan and 14 kilometers (9 miles) per pixel on Rhea.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.
For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org .

Physics of space battles | Bad Astronomy

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I’m probably the last person to mention this, but there is an interesting article on Gizmodo about the physics of space battles. It goes over some of the basics of how to think about such events, discussing attacks, maneuvering, defense, and so on.

I’ve been thinking of writing something similar for a long time. The problem is, the more I think about it, the more stuff I think of! That means writing, essentially, an infinitely long essay, and I don’t have the time for that. Seriously, there is so much fascinating material here that it’s hard to know what to leave in and what to leave out.

Still, it would be fun. Just navigating in space is a whole science fiction topic with such depth and complexity that it would take weeks to write it up… but those would be fun weeks. And there are other topics I’ve thought about as well. Someday, someday.


10 Gadgets That Terminate Snow and Ice [Tgif]

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Growing up in upstate New York, I know something about ice, snow and struggling through waist high drifts piled up by the city snow plows with a woefully inadequate Toro snowblower. God, I wish I had some of this crap back then.

This is how Russians melt snow and ice during their intense winters—by strapping a Klimov VK-1 engine from Mig-15 onto a truck. I think one of these would have taken care of the snow at the end of my driveway (and probably my entire lawn, neighbors lawn, and the woods behind my house) no problem. [Link]
This homemade flamethrower was designed to kill mosquitoes in the home, but I think it's safer to use one of these outside on the ice covering your front steps. Then again, maybe not. [Link]
Now THIS is what I really needed for my driveway—and autonomous Roomba-esque show shovel. The I-Shovel can automatically detect snowfall accumulation and clear the driveway when it determines that the depth is significant enough for action. [I-Shovel via Link]
I remember icicles the size of swords hanging from my gutters during the winter. Needless to say, that is some dangerous shit—and all that ice is hard on the gutters themselves. The solution could be to install Guttergloves to melt the ice before it accumulates. [Gutterglove via Link]
I've never used one of these before, but an electric ice scraper with a heating element makes sense. Although, I doubt that most of these things really crank out enough heat to be practical. [Amazon]
It doesn't get any simpler than this guys—if you don't have a garage, put a windshield cover on your car to prevent that situation where you're late for work, and you frantically scrape out just enough of a spot on the windshield to see, but your peephole kind of fogs up going down the road and you wind up in a ditch. Yeah, we've all been there. [Amazon]
Dealing with chains and snow tires is a pain in the ass. Supposedly, these fabric and rubber Snowbootz are easier to install and provide great traction in the snow and ice. Consumer Reports didn't agree with that assessment completely, but they did find that the system worked well on ice and packed snow—but not so well on soft snow. So, at the very least, it should prevent this type of situation. [Snowbootz]
If you can't beat the ice, you might as well make it work for you. The Eternal Ice Drop is basically a spherical glass bulb with frozen water inside that you use to chill cognac. The idea is to perfectly chill the drink without watering it down. [5.5 Designers via Link]
Remember that scene in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation where Chevy Chase blazes down a hill on a greased-up sled? Well, Ky Michaelson is living that with his homemade rocket sled. This thing should eliminate snow and ice, leaving nothing but a flaming streak of Earth in your wake. [Rocketman via Link]
Have you ever busted your ass slipping on ice in the driveway? It's painful and embarrassing. One way to conveniently prevent that problem is to wear a pair of boots with reversible cleats. When you're outside, the cleats can be turned to reveal steel studs that provide traction. When heading back indoors, the cleats can be turned around to a flat, rubber side. [Hammacher via Link]



An Aid Worker’s First-Hand Account of Haiti’s Enormous Technical Challenges [Haiti]

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Pierre Petry is a World Food Program senior ICT specialist. He's currently positioned in Haiti, and has passed along his first-hand experiences trying to help a country with virtually no telecom infrastructure left in the aftermath of the recent earthquake.

I was in Cap-Haitien sub office located in the north of the country giving the "GVLP Driver Training" when we felt the earthquake for about 15 seconds. Everybody rushed outside the old building.

Some minutes later, we learned that Port-au-Prince was badly hit by an earthquake. We tried to contact the WFP country office by FoodSat phone, mobile phone and landlines without any success. Finally we got in touch with the HF radio on 3.xxx Mhz.

The Port-au-Prince VSAT is out of order, the landlines and GSM phones are dead. Port-au-Prince (PaP) Country Office can not be reached anymore even by e-mail or LotusNotes as the FoodSat is probably damaged.

The following day I travelled from Cap-Haitien to PaP, but the WFP security officer denied me and my driver access to the capital. So we drove back to Gonaives sub-office.

Fortunately in Gonaives I found an unused iDirect BitSat. It was used for the Inter Agency cybercafe in 2008 during the "Ike cyclone" emergency. It was installed in the MINUSTAH base. With the help of local staff we took down the antenna and the router, loaded the equipment on an old M6 truck and got the security clearance for PaP. Now we are ready to go tomorrow morning to PaP with an MINUSTAH military escort.

—Provided by the United Nations Foundation

You can help out those affected by the Haiti earthquake at Unicef here



No Sony OLED TVs for 2010, PS3 Getting Bravia Link Video Streaming [Sony]

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Sony Insider's interview with Sony COO Stan Glasgow turned up two nuggets of gold: Sony's OLED TV strategy for 2010 is, evidently, not to release any new OLED TVs in 2010; and the PS3 will get Bravia Link video streaming.

That OLED TV innovation is still stalled is no surprise, since during lean economic times, companies—even huge ones like Sony—are hesitant to throw down the capital outlay necessary to ramp up production on larger OLEDs:

We're working on all sorts of prototypes, but I don't see production of product in 2010. There's a wonderful 3D OLED prototype here at CES; that's the real way to do 3D and TV – because you've got direct transmission, rather than back lighting and all the other reflective ways of doing it. But getting it to be commercially reasonable in price, we've got a long way to go. That's the whole problem in OLED, great technology, great feature set, but it's really hard to get the costs down. Smaller form-factors are easy to do.

We were warned, so the most I can say about that news is that it's predictably disappointing. But the revelation that the PS3's video streaming features will be merged with Bravia Link is actually kind of awesome:

We're beginning to port that network to other Sony products. We're doing BRAVIA Internet Video Link – which is more of a streaming service than a downloading service. We've got that growing at a fantastic rate in our televisions right now, we added it to Blu-ray players, and we're adding it to the PS3.

Bravia Link currently supports Netflix natively, so this could mean PS3 users get to ditch the disc for Instant Watch. Other than that, it would change a whole lot as is, but the prospect of new streaming widgets being added to the Bravia Link platform—assuming it consistent across hardware—is definitely exciting. [Sony Insider via Engadget]



Jules Verne Was (Almost) Right [Space]

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If John Hunter—a former physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—is successful, the International Space Station may start receiving their supplies from a cannon. No, it's no joke.

First postulated by Jules Verne in his novel From the Earth to the Moon, the idea of space cannons is not new. Many engineers have toyed with the concept, but nobody has came up with an actual project that may work. Hunter's idea is simple: Build a cannon near the equator, submerged in the ocean, hooked to a floating rig. At the cannon's bottom there is a combustion chamber, which uses natural gas to heat hydrogen up to 2,600ºF, increasing the pressure 500%. When released, the gas will launch a capsule with half a ton of material into space, at a swooshing 13,000mph.

The project itself would only cost $500 million, which is a really stupid amount considering the potential benefits: A system like this will cut launch costs from $5,000 per pound to only $250 per pound. It won't launch people into space because of the excessive acceleration, but those guys at the ISS can use it to order pizza and real ice cream. [Popsci]



American-Made Products: A Letter to Lowe's

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Dear Lowe's,

Every single tool or appliance made in America that I have purchased from Lowe's in the last 18 months has been defective. Every single one. To wit:

Item: Black & Decker Variable-Speed Electric Drill.

Failure: Drill does not operate when the chuck-rotation switch is in the

NASA Workers: Flying High on Cocaine? | Discoblog

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KSC-orbiter-discoveryFlying high, NASA style!

One of the space agency’s employees seems to have been inspired by the space shuttle’s soaring trajectory. A baggie containing a small amount of white powder residue, later found to be cocaine, was found at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Way to go, NASA-employee-doing-coke-on-premises. You have forever altered our image of clean-cut astronauts standing around in space suits, chatting with diligent rocket scientists. But NASA is not so amused.

According to CNN, Bob Cabana, the director of Kennedy Space Center, issued a terse statement that read in part:

“This is a rare and isolated incident, and I’m disappointed that it happened, but it should not detract from the outstanding work that is being done by a dedicated team on a daily basis.”

About 200 employees and contractors have access to the restricted hangar where the drug was found, and they’re now being being tested for the drug. For NASA, the incident is not just a blow to its image–the drug’s presence in a restricted area also raises questions about the work done by NASA’s elite workers. The hangar is being used to prepare for space shuttle Discovery’s launch, which is scheduled for this March.

The Internet, meanwhile, is tittering with amusement, with one reader commenting on a news article: “There’s just so much coke in Florida, this bit probably just settled there, like pollen or something. Although! I think it makes for a great new sitcom idea. Miami Vice, Interstellar Unit!”

Related Content:
80beats: NASA Considers Keeping Space Shuttles in Flight Past 2010
80beats: Cocaine Scrambles Gene’s Behavior in the Brain’s Pleasure Center
80beats: Pepper Spray and Cocaine Make Lethal Combo
80beats: One-Third of U.S. Cocaine Tainted with Dangerous Livestock Drug

Image: Kennedy Space Center


Modeling a Diesel Engine with Simulink

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Hello,

I am currently currently on an engine and I would like to make a simple of it for example using simulink. For example for a specified amount of diesel injected 9and a certain load), I would like to know how much time it will take for the rpm to stabilize,...

I know I have to es

Comcast Remote DVR Scheduling Now Working in Some Markets [DVR]

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Comcast's remote DVR scheduling is up and running, allowing users to manage DVR recordings online. Quick, you've still got time before One Life to Live!

The service seems to be available only to Comcast digital users with a Motorola set-top box, and will roll out across the entire subscription base over the next several months. It's part of a larger Comcast UI overhaul that also includes filters, folders, and clean-up functions. If you're eligible (and given the size of the initial roll-out, sad to say that you're probably not), you should be able to start recording shows from your computer here. [Comcast via ZatzNotFunny]



ThermaHelm: Helmet Cools Biker’s Brains In Case of Accident [Bikes]

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Here's a pretty simple idea that may save a lot of lives: A motorbike helmet that cools down the rider's head in case of impact. According to the manufacturer, their new ThermaHelm prevents overheating and swelling of the brain.

They also claim that there are head injuries in 80% of all motorbike accidents. When that happens, the brain usually starts swelling. Traditional helmets act as insulators, and the brain's temperature may increase to the point in which it can cause death or permanent damage. The ThermaHelm prevents this by firing a chemical reaction on impact, which activates a layer that cools down the biker's head. [ThermaHelm]



Can an iPhone App Clear up Your Acne? | Discoblog

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acne-appA Texas doctor claims that you can now kill your acne while you chat on the phone with your friends. Houston dermatologist Greg Pearson says that his AcneApp, available at Apple’s app store for $1.99, is a great way to clear your mug of unseemly spots.

Fox TV, Houston reports:

The AcneApp emits alternating bursts of red and blue light from the iPhone’s screen. All users have to do is run the program then hold the phone up to their faces.

Dr. Pearson says the phone needs to be held to the face for about two minutes a day, and callers have to remember to switch sides for maximum benefit. He isn’t quite sure of the results, and he can’t promote the app’s medical benefits because it hasn’t been FDA-approved. Nevertheless, Pearson told Fox TV that the app has been designed with “some science” in mind.

The New York Times explains how the app is supposed to work:

The AcneApp emits an alternating blue (antibacterial) and red (anti-inflammatory) light technology, believed to kill bacteria associated with acne and promote healing, and even act on wrinkles by stimulating collagen growth.

Dr. Pearson also claims that light treatments have been shown to be more effective in treating acne than over-the-counter meds.

Discoblog claims that without any testing of the light’s wavelength, intensity, duration, coverage, and orientation, it’s a laughable attempt to sell a snake oil iPhone app. But give him points for creativity.

Related Content:
Discoblog: True Crime, Real Time: Live Streaming Mug Shots To Your iPhone
Discoblog: Texting and Walking Made Easy With iPhone App

Image: AcneApp


Pigtails and Electrical Drawings

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Pls can anyone tell me what a pigtail means in an electrical earthing layout diagram.

what is a 25x3mm copper tape,air terminal with base,oblong test point,earth inspection chamber (i saw it in an earthing layout for workshop/store building roof plan for a gas power station).

TV Industry Turns Blind Eye To Non-3D Viewers [3dTv]

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When it comes to 3D television, I don't see it. Literally. The technology that's supposed to convince me that a 3D image exists when I look at a 2D screen doesn't work for me.

Nor does it work for a small but significant percentage of the population—4 percent to 10 percent, depending on which expert you ask. Millions of people like me are being left behind by content and hardware companies as they move to 3D.

I don't mean to complain. It's not the end of the world. Flat-viewers, like me, can watch 2D versions of 3D content. I saw "Avatar" in the non-3D version. As a bonus, the theater was nearly empty—the 3D showing down the hall was more crowded. Plus, we didn't have to wear those dorky glasses.

Of course, we are social beings, and not being able to view 3D means that group or family outings to 3D showings are awkward for the flat viewers, who may have to sit through a showing that will cause headaches or just look bad to them. But the flat-viewer's experience with 3D imagery can vary. While I find viewing 3D imagery uncomfortable, Daniel Terdiman, another person at CNET who can't see 3D, saw the 3D version of Avatar and wore the 3D glasses. It looked fine to him, just not 3D.

Manufacturers are mute
At CES this year, the trend toward 3D in home television sets was unmissable, but there was no mention by the manufacturers of how this move would affect flat viewers. I was curious how the hardware companies, which fight for every point of market share jealously, could cavalierly ignore the large number of us who won't like this new direction. It's a lot of market. How are they planning to deal with losing it?

Oddly, none of the HDTV manufacturing companies I reached out to could provide a direct comment on this topic, but I did talk with people familiar with the industry and with an optometrist who has a vested interest in promoting the growth of 3D content viewing.

Bruce Berkoff of the LCDTV Association and formerly a marketing executive at LG, noted that for all the hype around 3D, the television manufacturers are not really investing much in putting products on store shelves, nor are they expecting consumers to pay for it yet. Adding the capability for televisions to display alternating images for stereoscopic viewing through electronic shutter glasses is not expensive. It's the glasses themselves that are, and only a few 3D-capable sets actually come bundled with them. So consumers will be able to soon buy televisions ready for 3D without spending much.

Berkoff, and everyone else I talked to about 3D TV, reminded me that a good 3D TV is also a good 2D TV. You should be able to turn off the 3D display features and view content designed specifically for 3D but in 2D: You just show the view for only one eye. If the refresh rate of the program is high enough, you should not notice much of a difference in picture quality.

Get your eyes examined
From the optometrist's perspective, the inability to process stereoscopic imagery is, for many people, a treatable condition. Dr. Brad Habermehl, president of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, told me, "You don't have to be a 3D refugee if you get to the root of the problem. The majority of stereo-blind people really can be helped."

Habermehl says that there are methods to teach people to see in 3D. Using graduated methods and physical aids (lenses) as "training wheels," he says, people can eventually learn how to "point both eyes to focus on the same space." It's like riding a bike. Once you learn, the training wheels come off and you can't imagine not doing it. "Vision is definitely learned," he says. "That's what vision training is."

The doctor sounded to me suspiciously like a spokesperson for the 3D television manufacturers, or at least a recipient of some marketing dollars from them. But he's not. "It would be nice if they would fund us," he said. But after reminding me that "Avatar" had already made $1 billion in box office receipts, he added, "I don't think the industry is worried about this."

Personally, I have no interest in undergoing medical treatment just so I can spend more money on consumer electronics. Although Dr. Oliver Sacks, in a compelling New Yorker article, Stereo Sue, did make me wonder what my kind is missing. (Related reading: Fixing My Gaze, by Sue Barry, a subject of Sacks' story.)

And regardless of whether you see in 3D or not, the technology is inexorably changing the visual language of movies and television shows. When directors create shows for 3D, they can't rely on cinematic methods viewers are used to in 2D for conveying action, depth, and movement. Hard cuts and swooping camera moves can disorient viewers new to 3D. The new standard of practice is to lock down the camera and move the action around it, instead of the reverse, which is the case in today's 2D movies. Good 3D movies today will appear subtly more stately and cinematic than 2D shows.

The future of the 3D feature
For all the hype at CES, 3D for the next few years is likely to be a "feature" in the new crop of TVs, according to Gary Merson of the HDGuru3D site. "It's not black-and-white to color," Merson says. "It's a feature, like Internet connectivity and stereo." He also points out that the content is not there yet, and that many consumers have only recently upgraded their tube televisions to HD flat screens.

For people like me, for whom the world is flat, this feature can not roll out slowly enough.

This story originally appeared on CNET