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Geopolitics On The High Seas And In Today’s Headlines | On Point – WBUR

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

wbur

With guest hostJane Clayson.

Former NATO top commander Adm. James Stavridis on the geopolitics playing out now on the worlds oceans and on land.

James Stavridis rose through the ranks of the US Navy to commander. Went on to become supreme commander of NATO. All those US military engagements you remember from the news? Gulf War, Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq 2003? He was on the bridge or in the command center. The ocean is still his touchstone as he watches this centurys geopolitics unfold today. This hour On Point: Retired Adm. James Stavridis on a world of challenges, on the ocean and on land.

Adm. James Stavridis, author of "Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World's Oceans." Former allied commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans and piracy off the coast of Africa. Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. (@stavridisj)

Listen to some of the highlights from our conversation with Stavridis.

Bloomberg:America Rules the Waves. But for How Long? "China builds fake islands in the South China Sea. Russia fires missiles into Syria from the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. North Korea launches ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. The U.S. orders three three! aircraft carrier strike groups to the Western Pacific in response. Houthi rebels shoot rockets at U.S. ships off Yemen. Pacific nations go on a submarine-buying binge. India and China start constructing their first homemade aircraft carriers. Pirates return to the waters off East Africa."

Military.com: Experts: US Must Project Cyber Warfare Capabilities to Deter Attacks "The United States must demonstrate its cyber warfare capabilities to help deter sophisticated attacks from Russia and other adversaries while building strategies on a battlefield still misunderstood by commanders and senior officials, a panel of defense experts told lawmakers Thursday."

TIME:Admiral Stavridis: 5 Reasons Trump Should Send More Troops to Afghanistan "The Administration and the Congress should support a 5,000-troop increase, apportioned equally between US and the rest of NATO forces, hopefully with significant contributions from the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Norway and Denmark nations who have considerable experience in Afghanistan. While far less likely, we should also approach Canada and the Netherlands. Indeed, all of the NATO nations have good reason to be very forthcoming to prove to President Trump that NATO is the relevant organization he finally admitted it was a month or so ago. All these commitments must be in place as the nations head into President Trumps first NATO summit."

This program aired on June 8, 2017.

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Geopolitics On The High Seas And In Today's Headlines | On Point - WBUR

World Oceans Day Comes at a Critical Time for High Seas – Natural Resources Defense Council

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

As we celebrate World Oceans Day this year, world leaders, businesses, scientists, and NGOs are gathered in New York at the first everUnited Nations Ocean Conference. Threats to the oceanincluding acidification from excessive carbon emissions, pollution, and overexploitationcontinue to mount, but at the Ocean Conference, there is strong evidence that political will is building to reverse the degradation of the ocean.

The health of our oceans and seas requires us to put aside short-term national gain, to avoid long-term global catastrophe, said United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres during the conference opening on Monday.

So far, in connection with the Conference, over 1000 countries, organizations, and stakeholders have made commitments to improve the health of the oceans. In sessions on sustainable fisheries, ocean acidification, and marine pollution, there is a steady and consistent drumbeat from nationsto save the oceans, nations must act together to share resources, intelligence, and build scientific and technological capacity.

One of the best opportunities to save the oceans is to protect the high seas, the area of ocean beyond national jurisdiction that makes up two-thirds of the ocean and nearly half the planet. When nations return to the UN next month to decide how to move forward in high seas protection, they will be making a decision critical for the future for the ocean.

Lauren Kubiak

Today, the high seas lack modern management mechanisms to address critical components of biodiversity conservation,such as the establishment of fully protected marine reserves. To fill those governance gaps, nations have been engaged in discussions at the UN to develop a new treaty to conserve and sustainably use biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Discussions continue next month, during which nations will decide whether to convene formal diplomatic negotiations to develop the text of the new treaty.

States agreeing to move forward and convene an intergovernmental conference in 2018 is vital, as this new treaty represents an unparalleled opportunity to conserve two-thirds of the ocean. Finalizing a treaty would be equivalent to a Paris Agreement for the oceana once in a generation opportunity to begin to reverse the degradation of our ocean.

At the Ocean Conference this week, countries including Argentina, Costa Rica, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Malta, Mexico, Palau, Spain, among others, have called for strong international provisions to protect the high seas. Their leadership is critical and we hope is an indication that next months discussions will be successful.

As world leaders today discuss how best to protect the ocean, I hope they recognize the high seas as our best opportunity to ensure a healthy future for our ocean. All of us depend on it.

Lauren Kubiak

International Oceans Analyst

HOPE LARSON and REBECCA MOCK Hit the High Seas with KNIFE’S EDGE – Newsarama

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

Credit: Rebecca Mock (Macmillan/Square Fish)

Last summers Compass South was a surprise bestseller among younger readers, landing on the New York Times Best-Sellers list. Now, creators Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock are back with the sequel Knifes Edge, which takes the adventure to another level.

In the 1860s, twins Cleo and Alex have an unexpected family reunion that sets them off on a high adventure across the seas, with pirates, swords, treasure and secrets aplenty.

Newsarama talked to Larson and Mock about the new book, which comes out this month from Macmillans Square Fish imprint.

Newsarama: Hope, Rebecca - how does it feel to have the second book in this series out?

Larson: It feels great!

We've been working on this project since, what, late 2010? 2011? A long, long time.

It's cathartic to finally see it out in the world.

Mock: I'm thrilled it's finally out!

We've been working together on both of these books for a few years, and I'm so proud of how they turned out.

Nrama: For those who haven't read the first book, tell us a bit about the story so far...and the set-up for this new volume.

Larson: It should be easy for folks who haven't readCompass Southto jump intoKnife's Edge.

AsKnife's Edgebegins, twin protagonists Alex and Cleopatra Dodge have been reunited with their father, and they're all preparing to sail off with Captain Tarboro and search for the treasure that is their birthright. It's a classic adventure story.

Nrama: What's your collaborative process on these books like?

Larson: I write an outline and share it with my editor. If it seems like the project is going to move forward, I share that outline with Rebecca, and she starts chewing on it. Then I write the script, and share it with her chapter-by-chapter. We've had a great exchange of sketches and script pages flowing back and forth, which helps both of us to develop the characters and the world in tandem.

Mock: Hope will send me new chapters and drafts as she writes, and I send her weekly updates of my sketches and development. I send the same weekly updates through sketching, inking and coloring too, and we keep the conversation going with new ideas and inspirations for each other through the whole process. Hope will send feedback, she has a great eye for comic layouts, making sure everything fits what she's envisioning and reads easily.

Nrama: In terms of both writing and art, what are some of the bigger challenges in depicting a story not only from the point-of-view of younger kids, but in an alternate past? What sort of research do you have to do?

Larson: We both do a ton of research. I read a lot of period travelogues and diaries, in particular, to get a sense of what ship life was like at that period. Books on the history of piracy, books on different parts of the world... I also spent a lot of time working on the voices of the characters, incorporating slang while also keeping the whole thing easy to read for kids today. Probably the biggest challenge was wrapping my head around how ships work; they're big, complicated machines with a ton of moving parts.

Mock: I was excited about this story from the beginning because I knew Icould connect with these kids, especially Cleo, a girl who disguises herself as a boy. I think period stories offer an escape for people, especially kids, who might feel a bit anachronistic - it's enjoyable for a lot of people to empathize with characters who think or act out of place in a historical setting. But depicting the historical details was a challenge - I did a lot of research on architecture from the early 1800s, on ship design, and of art from that period you can learn a lot about a time period by looking at how people from that time draw and paint it.

Hope comes to me with a lot of research prepared, which is wonderful, I get a huge boost knowing what her inspirations are for the story, even for specific details.

Nrama: How extensively have you thought through this world and this family's history? The book ends with the points resolved, but there's the sense that another major story could be coming our way...

Mock: I don't want to give any details away, but through developing thecharacters and settings, Hope and I have talked a lot about the characters' origins and where they'll go next, so there a lot of story that's still waiting to be told.

Larson: We have lots of ideas for future stories, and I do hope we get to revisit these characters again. I can't answer this question without it being a spoiler, unfortunately!

Nrama: On that note, how long do you see this series running?

Larson: That's out of our hands, but we'd love to do more in the series.

Mock: If we get the chance to, we'd love to continue the series, but it's just two books for now.

Nrama: What's fun about writing Cleo and company?

Larson: Writing is supposed to be fun? [Laughs] My favorite part of writing Cleo was her struggle with the expectations places on her, as a girl in the 1860s, and how she rebels against them. Alex doesn't have as juicy of a role in this book, so if we got to write another one, I think he'd be in a more central role.

Mock: Hope writes some really beautiful character-driven dialogue for bothCleo and Alex, in both books. I love drawing the action sequences, but these conversations are the icing on the cake for me all I want to do is let the words sing, and show the emotions the characters are feeling as they come to their respective insights.

Nrama: And what's fun about seafaring, treasure-hunting adventure stories in general? Admittedly, the question might seem to answer itself.

Mock: For me it might be the ships themselves - I learned to draw these shipsand in doing so, I fell in love with them - ships are wonderful settings for a story. They're complicated and full of odd little details, and depending on what's happening, they can completely transform - sailing unfurling, the deck rocking at odd angles, mysterious rooms and objects discovered buried deep in the cargo hold.

Larson: I grew up reading and loving those stories. They combine my love of travel, adventure, and historical research, and they let me (and readers) visit places and time periods I could never otherwise see.

Nrama: So big picture, what should people know about Knife's Edge.

Mock: This is a high-seas adventure series, with all the drama and action of classic sea-faring treasure-hunt stories, but at its core this is a story about family, trust, and love.

Larson: It's non-stop action disguising a thoughtful exploration of gender roles, and two protagonists means boys and girls are both represented.

Nrama: What are some other books/creators you're currently enjoying?

Mock: I just read Witchlight by Jessi Zarbarsky - gorgeous and sweet! - and Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson - fascinating and lush. I'm on a witches and sorcerers kick lately! I'm also reading some books on the history of the salt and sugar trades for a project, but I can't reveal why... yet.

Larson: I just read a galley of Molly Ostertag'sThe Witch Boy. And I devouredKim Gordon's memoirGirl in a Bandon my last flight. She's brilliant.

Nrama: What's next for you?

Larson: Our next project together has been sold but not announced. It's a stand-alone graphic novel and it should be out in 2020. That's all I can say at the moment!

As for me, I'm still writingBatgirlfor DC Comics. I have a graphic novel,All Summer Long, that's coming out next year. I'm plugging slowly away on my not-for-kids webcomic,Solo. I'm not currently writingGoldie Vance, but the series is rolling on without me. Beyond that, I'm working on projects in other media that are exciting, but I'm not able to discuss them at this time.

Mock: Hope and I are working on our next book! A wonderful new story, more details soon!

I also worked on concepts for an upcoming video game, Tacoma, and I'm working on a couple short comic projects that I'll self-publish, including a new issue of my ongoing comic series The Old Woman.

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HOPE LARSON and REBECCA MOCK Hit the High Seas with KNIFE'S EDGE - Newsarama

Private islands of the rich and famous – AOL UK

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

By Sarah Coles 8 Jun 2017, 14:50

Updated:8 Jun 2017, 14:50

Once you've reached a certain level of fame and fortune, then it's hard to get away from it all. Even with a beach house in Malibu, or a flash villa in a desirable resort, you're still going to have to spend your holiday with members of the public - and risk having your sunbathing interrupted by fans and selfie-seekers.

If you want to let your stomach muscles relax, strip down to your 'dad bod', or hang out with new friends without starting all sorts of colourful rumours - then it's time to invest in a private island.

See also: The most expensive homes in the world

See also: Seven island houses where you can shut out the world

And some famous faces have done just that - in some cases spending millions of dollars on an island getaway.

Johnny Depp invested in a Caribbean island - it apparently stretches over 45 acres and has six private beaches. He named one of the beaches after his daughter Lily-Rose.

Country power-couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have an island in the Caribbean of their own - this is spread over 17 acres, and is called Goat Cay. They built a main property for themselves - and separate cottages for visiting friends.

Steven Spielberg, meanwhile, went for an island in the Madeira archipelago. It's technically two islands merged into one - and the director apparently likes to have them both uninhabited.

Some stars, meanwhile, have decided to turn their private islands into money-spinners. Leonardo DiCaprio went for a Belizean island. He spent $1.75 on the unpopulated island back in 2005, and apparently plans to build an eco-resort there.

Perhaps the most famous Brit with an island of his own is Richard Branson who bought Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands almost 40 years ago. His famous guests have included Prince Harry, Tony Blair, and Kate Winslet (who was famously there when fire broke out in 2011). The multi-millionaire is still known to visit, but when he's elsewhere, the island is available for rental for up to 34 guests - at 1,866 per person, per night.

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Private islands of the rich and famous - AOL UK

Books to read on escape, or help you escape – San Francisco Chronicle

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

Photo: Chronicle Photo Illustrations, The Chronicle

On Melissa: Club Monaco Dacko romper, $229, http://www.clubmonaco.com; and Zero + Maria Cornejo Luna sandals (on ground), $595, http://www.zeromariacornejo.com. On Amaryon: Club Monaco Connor stretch chino, $98.50, http://www.clubmonaco.com; Welcome Stranger lilac T-shirt with pocket, $55, Azalea, and Givenchy camo slides (on ground), $295, Saks Fifth Avenue, 384 Post St.

On Melissa: Club Monaco Dacko romper, $229, http://www.clubmonaco.com; and...

For those who can escape to a beach or some other retreat this summer, here are a few page-turners to keep your mind from atrophying from too much relaxation. For those who cant get away, Style offers a few beautiful books to make you feel like youre off on a dream vacation.

The beach reads:

Party Girls Die in Pearls: An Oxford Girl Mystery Vogue contributing editor Plum Sykes third novel, Party Girls Die in Pearls is a rollicking romp through 1980s Oxford University with plenty of glamour, gossipy prose and a murder! Sykes heroine, Ursula Flowerbutton, has one of the best character names since Tennessee Williams Blanche DuBois, and her love of Dynasty-era fashion and antics keep the style high and the morals decadently low in this juicy tome. Crisp and quip-filled, perfect with a cup of tea. (Harper Collins, $26.99)

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan The authors third novel chronicling super-wealthy Chinese and Chinese Americans (following the Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend), Rich People Problems takes us to the deathbed of a wealthy matriarch and lets the sparks fly as her greedy relatives compete for her fortune and any heirloom not nailed down. The novel takes readers from private schools to private islands and shows that no matter the bank balance, everyone has problems. ( Penguin Random House, $14.62)

Apprenticed to Venus: My Secret Life With Anas Nin by Tristine Rainer (Arcade Publishing, 384 pages, $25.99)Imagine being an inexperienced 18-year-old college girl from the San Fernando Valley and suddenly being thrust into the sophisticated big leagues when you find suddenly find yourself suddenly in the orbit of controversial writer and diarist Anas Nin. In Apprenticed to Venus, Tristine Rainer shares her experiences with the author of the erotic bestseller The Delta of Venus and lover of Henry Miller as she came into her own sexuality and womanhood. Nin comes across as a slightly sinister, taboo-breaking Auntie Mame, but undoubtedly one with a lot to teach. (Arcade Publishing, $25.99)

The escape books:

The Seaside House: Living on the Water If you dont have a house on the shore, flipping through Nick Voulgaris IIIs coffee-table tome is the next best thing. Douglas Friedmans photographs bring readers into some of the most jaw-dropping homes on the water, including Martha Stewarts famed Seal Harbor residence (Stewart also wrote the books foreword) and Donna Karans Zen hideaway in the Hamptons, and shows off interiors by noted designers including Steven Gambrel and Ken Fulk. (Rizzoli, $55)

House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth edited by Hamish Bowles, foreword by the Duke of Devonshire, text by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell and Charlotte Mosley, introduction by the Countess of Burlington Chatsworth is one of the most famous historic houses in England, and House Style features it magnificently alongside contemporary and historic fashion in an exquisite setting. The Cavendish family and the hereditary dukes of Devonshire have called the Derbyshire site home since Elizabethan times. Editor Hamish Bowles tells the stories of some of its most famous residents, including the scandalous Georgiana, the Dduchess of Devonshire; Kick Kennedy; and Mitford sister Deborah, the duchess of Devonshire who saved the house post-WWII. A lush feast for the eyes for anyone missing Downton Abbey or awaiting the return of The Crown. (Rizzoli, $45)

Ibiza Bohemia Riche but rustic hippie chic is the signature aesthetic of this Mediterranean hot spot that has attracted artists, musicians and decadent partygoers for decades. From the local characters to the scenic cliffs and indoor-outdoor homes that are envy-inducing escapes, Renu Kashyaps Ibiza Bohemia captures a slice of the lifestyle thats inspired numerous brands and resort collections. (Assouline $85)

Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com

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Books to read on escape, or help you escape - San Francisco Chronicle

How Are New Ecclesial Movements Changing the Church? – Commonweal

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

Priests incardinated within new ecclesial movements would not be subject to local ordinaries, that is, diocesan bishops. For the Vatican this would mean acknowledging something about how these movements have evolved from around the time of Vatican II. Originally, they were supposed to have helped renew the laity. But with the substantial reduction in the number of diocesan priests and the shrinking of religious orders worldwide over the last three decades, they instead now seem to be a source of new priests. While this could help alleviate the shortage of clergy in the short term, it might also introduce a new set of problems.

The issue is not ideological, as there is a great diversity among these fraternities: seminarians and priests from SantEgidio, for example, are more conciliar and ecumenical than those from Communion and Liberation or the Neo-Catechumenal Way. Rather, its structural: in order to replace or replenish diocesan seminaries and diocesan parishes that are short on clergy, the territorial Churchthe bishops, including the bishop of Romeare making allowances for priestly vocations coming from non-territorial organizations: the movements.

This raises four interesting considerations. The first is Church politics: the movements are not, in the eyes of Francis, the special elites for the new evangelization as they were under John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Francis has been clearly critical of any sectarian tendencies he detects. But even he realizes that these movements are producing new, desperately needed priests in a Catholic Church that still needs the clergy to function. In this sense, the move, if approved, would signal that the Church finds it much easier to change the relationship between the territorial and personal dimension in the Church than to ordain married men to the priesthood (viri probati) or ordain women deacons.

Then theres the ecclesiological consideration. Reversing the relationship between the territorial or geographical dimension of Church aggregations (parish, diocese) to the personal dimension (membership in a group not defined by geographical location) would overturn a system that dates from the early centuries of Christianity (dioceses were the successors of the provinces of the Roman Empire) and that was solidified in the second millennium, especially by the Council of Trent (1545-1563). It would also pose a challenge to the ecclesial concept of the local church that is in dialogue and tension with the universal the Church.

The third consideration is theological. The whole idea of enculturation of the Christian message is connected to the ecclesiology of the local church. It remains to be seen what kind of formation (and where) priests from new movements would receive, or whether they would be priests for the entire Church (including Franciss peripheries) or only for their movement. This issue was raised by John Paul II in the apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (1992), the apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente (1994), and the apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata (1996). The relationship between some movements and the local churches has in many cases been less than collaborative; for example, local bishops have long complained to Rome about the modus operandi of the Neo-Catechumenal Way in their own dioceses and even on a national level.

Finally, theres a historical consideration. In 1513, prior to the council of Trent and the Reformation, the Venetian Camaldolese monks Paolo Giustiniani and Pietro Querini presented to Pope Leo X Libellus ad Leonem X, the most important set of reform proposals in the immediate pre-Reformation period. Giustiniani and Querini proposed, among other things, a radical reduction in the number of religious orders (with just three typologies of rules for religious life: Augustinian, Benedictine, and mendicant) and a more centralized, reformist church under the leadership of the pope and the bishops. But what happened after Trent was exactly the opposite: a proliferation of new religious orders (Capuchines, Barnabites, Jesuits, etc.).

Something similar has unfolded since Vatican II, which envisioned a Catholic Church under the leadership of the bishops and the pope, and less autonomy for religious orders and personal, non-territorial Church structures. Instead, theres been a crisis in the episcopacy bishops now function more as CEOs than as pastors; they are called on to act collegially with the pope and synodally with their flock; and they face a fixed retirement age seventy-fiveand a shift in how it is expected to work alongside a successful papacy. This comes along with the spread of ecclesial groups and movements tied to intentional communities that claimand obtainautonomy from local ordinaries. It all would seem to be yet another example of how the living body of the Church undoes the best-intentioned and most well-thought-out reform projects of enlightened theologians.

How Are New Ecclesial Movements Changing the Church? - Commonweal

HPE’s next frontier: Space travel & memory-driven computing – IT Brief Australia

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

56 years ago, President Kennedy issued his famousmoonshotaddress to Congress. Just over 8 years later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the surface of the Moon with the help of technology no more powerful than a calculator.

Weve improved a lot since thenthe smartphone in your hand would have been considered a super computer beyond any rocket scientists dreams back then. But when we think aboutexploring our next frontiers, our excitement must also be tempered with reality.

While computing technology has improved exponentially since the Moon landing, the fundamental architecture underlying it all hasnt actually changed much in the last 60 years.

Andthatis quickly becoming a problem. As a computer engineer and researcher,thisis the thing that keeps me up at night: the idea that our current technology wont be able to deliver on our expectations for the future.

Blame it on the data. More datahas been created in the past two years than in the entire history of the human race. And yet,less than 1% of that data is ever analyzed.

By the year 2020, our digital universe will contain nearly as many bits of data as there arestars in the universe, with at least 20billionmobile devices and 1trillionapplications creating and transmitting information.

Well have smart cars, smart homes, smart factories, even smart bodies. As a species, well create staggering amounts of data every day.

The question is what are we going to do with it all?

Before we can answer that question, its important to understand our current limitationsand why were pushing up against them now, after 60 plus years of progress.

Starting around the 1950sin business and in sciencewe began automating the dreary job of number crunching. Think of a business doing payroll at the end of the month or closing the books at the end of the quarter.

Computing made this hand-to-pencil-to-ledger process faster, more efficient and automatic. It was accurate and reliable, but it sometimes took a few days or weeks to complete.

But then the 1990s gave us the web. And the 2000s gave us mobile. The amount of data we created grew exponentially, and our appetite for real-time, always-on information grew to match.

That 24x7 access stretched networks and infrastructure to new limits, so we pulled out all the stops to scale. We consolidated, moved to the cloud and eked out the last nanometers of transistor efficiency.

Now we are on the cusp of an entirely new era, driven by the Internet of Things and what we callthe Intelligent Edge.

In this new era of smart everything, we will demand much more from our computing systems. We will expect them to process and learn from zettabytes of sensor data and take action immediately. Speed, accuracy, reliability and security willallbe mission critical. A millisecond delay or a minor miscalculation could genuinely mean the difference between life and death.

But the fact is, right now, the incremental increases we are seeing in our computing power will not meet the exponential demands of our future challenges. We need Memory-Driven Computing.

Themission to Marsis a perfect way to illustrate the magnitude of this problem.

At 20 light-minutes away, Mars is too far to rely on communication from Earth for real-time support. Where ground control once helped guide Armstrong and Aldrin to the Moon, Mars astronauts will be guided by a computer capable of performing extraordinary tasks:

In short, the Mars spacecraft will be a smart city, an intelligent power grid, and a fleet of autonomous vehicles all-in-one. And it will be controlled bythe most powerful computing system the world has ever seen.

But heres the rub. Right now, with existing technology, wed need a massive data center attached to a nuclear power plant to achieve the computing power a Mars mission would demand, and thats never going to fit in the cargo hold! What weve got today is just too big, too heavy, too slow, too inflexible and too power hungry.

We need a 21st century computer to solve 21st century problems. At Hewlett Packard Enterprise, weve spent the past three years developing exactly that.

Memory-Driven Computing is the answer

In 2014, we introduced the largest and most complex research project in our companys historywith the goal of creating an entirely new kind of computer:

One that wasnt constrained by traditional trade-offs. One that eliminated performance bottlenecks. One that threw off 60 years of convention and compromise.

We call itThe Machine research projectand its mission is to deliver the worlds firstMemory-Driven Computingarchitecture. Its more than an idea, it is the way the world will work in the future.

Without getting into too many of the technical details, let me quickly explain.

As much as90 percentof the work a computer does is simply moving information between memory and storage. That busy work wastes time and energy. And the more information we try to process, the slower the system gets and the more energy it consumes.

A huge amount of science and engineering effort has gone into working around this problem.It has to change. If youre familiar with Moores Law, you know that up until now we could count on chips to get better year after year, but that era is over.

For 60years we focused on running a tiny bit of data through a faster calculator. With Memory-Driven Computing we end the work-arounds by inverting the model. Breaking down the memory wall, accessing all the data, and bring just the right compute.

Last November, we delivered the worlds firstMemory-Driven Computingprototype. In just six months, we scaled the prototype 20-fold.

Today, Im thrilled to tell you thatHPE has created a computer with the largest single-memory system the world has ever seen, capable of holding 160 terabytes of data in memory.

To put it in context, thats enough memory to simultaneously work with the data held in approximately 160 million booksfive times the amount of books in the Library of Congress. And its powerful enough to reduce the time needed to process complex problems from days to hours. No computer on Earth can manipulate that much data in a single place at once.

But thats only the beginning of Memory-Driven Computings potential. Were engineeringMemory-Driven Computerswith up to 4,096 yottabytes of data. Thats more than 250,000 timesthe size of our digital universe today.

When we can analyze that much data at once, we canbegin to discover correlations we could have never conceived before. And that ability will open up entirely new frontiers of intellectual discovery.

The implications for an endeavor like the mission to Mars are huge.

Now think about the mission to Mars as a metaphor for life here on Earth.

In a world where everything is connected and everything computesour cars, our homes, our factories, our bodieswere going to need to take that computing power with us everywhere we go. And were going to want to discover those correlations that were never before possible.

To do that, we needMemory-Driven Computing.

That is our mission at HPE: to enable a world where everything computes.

To bring real-time intelligence to every edge of the Earth and beyond. To help the world harness that intelligence to answer some of our biggest questions. To solve some of our toughest challenges and help us better understand the world around us.

Memory-Driven Computing will benefit us, our children and their children.

It's a new world. It's here now. Welcome!

Article by Kirk Bresniker, chief architect, Hewlett Packard Labs

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HPE's next frontier: Space travel & memory-driven computing - IT Brief Australia

Singularity and Docker | Singularity

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

Singularity is good friends with Docker. The reason is because the developers use and really like using Docker, and scientists have already put much resources into creating Docker images. Thus, one of our early goals was to support Docker. What can you do?

You can shell, import, run, and exec.

The core of a Docker image is basically a compressed set of files, a set of .tar.gz that (if you look in your Docker image folder on your host machine, you will see. The Docker Registry, which you probably interact with via Docker Hub, serves these layers. These are the layers that you see downloading when you interact with the docker daemon. We are going to use these same layers for Singularity!

The Docker engine communicates with the Docker Hub via the Docker Remote API, and guess what, we can too! The easiest thing to do is create an image, and then pipe a Docker image directly into it from the Docker Registry. You dont need Docker installed on your machine, but you will need a working internet connection. Lets create an ubuntu operating system, from Docker:

Note that the default size is 768MB, you can modify this by adding the --size or -s argument like:

If you arent sure about the size? Try building into a folder first.

Next, lets import a Docker image into it!

Just like Docker has the Dockerfile, Singularity has a file called Singularity that (currently) applications like Singularity Hub know to sniff for. For reproducibility of your containers, our strong recommendation is that you build from these files. Any command that you issue to change a container with --writable is by default not recorded, and your container loses its reproducibility. So lets talk about how to make these files! First, lets look at the absolute minimum requirement:

We would save this content to a file called Singularity and then issue the following commands to bootstrap the image from the file

but just those two lines and doing bootstrap is silly, because we would achieve the same thing by doing:

The power of bootstrap comes with the other stuff that you can do! This means running specific install commands, specifying your containers runscript (what it does when you execute it), adding files, labels, and customizing the environment. Here is a full Singularity file:

In the example above, I am overriding any Dockerfile ENTRYPOINT or CMD because I have defined a %runscript. If I want the Dockerfile ENTRYPOINT to take preference, I would remove the %runscript section. If I want to use CMD instead of ENTRYPOINT, I would again remove the runscript, and add IncludeCmd to the header:

Did you know that you can commit this Singularity file to a Github repo and it will automatically build for you when you push to Singularity Hub?. This will ensure maximum reproducibility of your work.

Docker has two commands in the Dockerfile that have something to do with execution, CMD and ENTRYPOINT. The differences are subtle, but the best description Ive found is the following:

A CMD is to provide defaults for an executing container.

and

An ENTRYPOINT helps you to configure a container that you can run as an executable.

Given the definition, the ENTRYPOINT is most appropriate for the Singularity %runscript, and so using the default bootstrap (whether from a docker:// endpoint or a Singularity spec file) will set the ENTRYPOINT variable as the runscript. You can change this behavior by specifying IncludeCmd: yes in the Spec file (see below). If you provide any sort of %runscript in your Spec file, this overrides anything provided in Docker. In summary, the order of operations is as follows:

In the example above, you probably saw that we referened the docker image first with the uri docker:// and that is important to tell Singularity that it will be pulling Docker layers. To ask for ubuntu, we asked for docker://ubuntu. This uri that we give to Singularity is going to be very important to choose the following Docker metadata items:

When we put those things together, it looks like this:

By default, the minimum requirement is that you specify a repository name (eg, ubuntu) and it will default to the following:

If you provide a version instead of a tag, that will be used instead:

You can have one or the other, both are considered a digest in Docker speak.

If you want to change any of those fields, then just specify what you want in the URI.

For both import and bootstrap using a build spec file, by default we use the Docker Registry index.docker.io. Singularity first tries the call without a token, and then asks for one with pull permissions if the request is defined. However, it may be the case that you want to provide a custom token for a private registry. You have two options. You can either provide a Username and Password in the build specification file (if stored locally and there is no need to share), or (in the case of doing an import or needing to secure the credentials) you can export these variables to environmental variables. We provide instructions for each of these cases:

You can simply specify your additional authentication parameters in the header with the labels Username and Password:

Again, this can be in addition to specification of a custom registry with the Registry parameter.

You can export your username, and password for Singularity as follows:

If you are having trouble, you can test your token by obtaining it on the command line and putting it into an environmental variable, CREDENTIAL:

This should place the token in the environmental variable TOKEN. To test that your token is valid, you can do the following

The above call should return the tags list as expected. And of course you should change the repo name to be one that actually exists that you have credentials for.

Why wont my image bootstrap work? If you cant find an answer on this site, please ping us an issue. If youve found an answer and youd like to see it on the site for others to benefit from, then post to us here.

This entire process will hopefully change in two ways. First, we hope to collapse the image creation and bootstrapping, so you have the option to do them both in one full swing. Second, we hope to eventually figure out some kind of solution to import Docker containers without needing sudo.

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Singularity and Docker | Singularity

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation 2.3 update adds a new campaign today – PC Gamer

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, Stardocks gargantuan RTS, has a new update out today. Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation v2.3 fattens up the game with a new campaign, new ships and tweaks to improve game balance.

The update chucks a pair of Juggernaut-class bruisers into the fray, both of which can level up indefinitely, getting bonuses to health and damage every time that they do. The Leonidas is a PHC ship that boasts an incredibly powerful weapon that can tear Dreadnoughts apart. The Substrate get The Nest of the Queen, a vessel capable of summoning a fleet of frigates to lend it a hand.

We're really excited to introduce the Juggernauts," writes Stardock CEO Brad Wardell. "Fans of the game have been asking about them since we teased them several months ago, and we know these won't disappoint them. These warships are pricey to buildyou won't see them in quick matchesbut the cost is worth it. It takes some serious firepower to stop one of these guys once they hit the field."

The new campaign, Genesis, continues the Ashes story and comes with six missions. Stardock says that its increased the challenge of the higher difficulty level to please more advanced players, so that probably doesnt include me.

Stardocks also tweaked the previous campaigns. Ships and orbitals that previously werent available have been added to missions, while the maps have been tweaked and AI improved.

The update is free and available to all owners of Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation today.

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Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation 2.3 update adds a new campaign today - PC Gamer

Deloitte and Singularity University Extend Their Relationship To … – PR Newswire (press release)

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

A prime example of the strong collaboration between Deloitte and SU is this week's Exponential Finance Conference taking place in New York City. Over 700 global executives, entrepreneurs, financial advisors, insurance and banking executives, and venture capitalists are convening over three days in New York City to explore and create the future of the financial services industry. Participants will learn how disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, Blockchain, robotics, nanotechnologies and crowdfunding, among others, can be leveraged for exponential growth, and to help address the global challenges the world is facing.

Deloitte and SU continue to expand their alliance to empower a global community with the mindset, skillset and network to embrace exponential opportunities, including topics of global importance such as Smart Cities and the Future of Work.

"We live in a time where unprecedented change is disrupting nearly every way we work and live. Our personal and professional lives are shifting in response to new technologies and business models that are changing what's possible and calling for us to respond and adapt, or fall behind. Since 2014, over 1,300 Deloitte clients have participated in SU programs around the world, empowering them to envision and realize significant exponential growth and efficiency opportunities," said Andrew Vaz, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited's Global Chief Innovation Officer. "The Deloitte/SU alliance is critical to our joint mission of helping organizations recognize and embrace opportunities to grow and differentiate themselves during an era of significant disruptions, while making the world a better place."

"We are gratified that our long-term alliance with Deloitte is being renewed and welcome their expanded involvement in new global events and programs," said Rob Nail, CEO and Associate Founder of Singularity University. "Together we bring the technical expertise, global networks, business acumen, and future vision to help organizations of all sizes innovate and grow exponentially."

To learn more about any of the SU programs and events and Deloitte innovation resources, go to http://www.su.org and https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/strategy/topics/innovation-consulting.html.

ABOUT DELOITTE Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including 80 percent of the Fortune 500 and more than 6,000 private and middle market companies.Our people work across more than 20 industry sectors to deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to make their most challenging business decisions with confidence, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the "Deloitte" name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see http://www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

ABOUT SINGULARITY UNIVERSITY (SU)Singularity University is a global learning and innovation community using exponential technologies to tackle the world's biggest challenges and build an abundant future for all. SU's collaborative platform empowers individuals and organizations across the globe to learn, connect, and innovate breakthrough solutions using accelerating technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital biology. SU was founded in 2008 by renowned innovators Ray Kurzweil and Peter H. Diamandis and has partnered with leading organizations including Google, Deloitte, Genentech, and UNICEF. To learn more, visitSU.org, join us onFacebook, follow us on Twitter @SingularityU, and download our SingularityU Hub mobile app from theApp Store.

MEDIA CONTACTS Anna Roubos, singularityu@ogilvy.com 774-232-2460 Jodie Stern, jodiestern@deloitte.com 414-702-0167

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-and-singularity-university-extend-their-relationship-to-foster-innovation-worldwide-300471082.html

SOURCE Singularity University; Deloitte

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Quantum Computers Will Analyze Every Financial Model at Once – Singularity Hub

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

In the movie Office Space, Peter Gibbons has a stroke of genius. Confronted with the utter mundanity of a life slaving away at his office park software company, he convinces his friends to make a computer virus to skim a fraction of a cent off transactions into a shared bank account.

This, of course, goes horribly wrong. But the concept is actually pretty solid.

In the real world, where there are literally billions of transactions crisscrossing the globe every day, you can make a big profit buying and selling securities whose prices barely differ.

But heres the key. You have to be fast. Inhumanly so. Enter physics and computers.

Computerized high-frequency trading was born from a collision of rapidly growing computing power and an influx of math and physics PhDs into finance. These wonks worked out complex quantitative buy-sell strategies, built them into algorithms, and set their software loose.

While the practice is nothing if not controversialand there are quantitative strategies that work over longer time frames tooits impact on the market is undeniable. In any given year, high-frequency trading is responsible for up to half or more of all trades. And of course, notoriously, such algorithmic trading was also involved in 2010s infamous Flash Crash.

But all this is only the beginning of how physics and computers can flip finance upside down.

At Singularity Universitys Exponential Finance Summit this week, Andrew Fursman said quantum computers, which harness natures most basic laws, are coming sooner than you think. And while digital computing was an evolution, quantum computing will be a revolution.

Fursman is CEO and cofounder of 1Qbit, a quantum computing software startup focused on making quantum computing applications practical for industry.

Quantum computing, he said, is just in its earliest stages, more akin to the hulking special-purpose computers of the 40s and 50s instead of the sleeker personal digital machines of recent decades. But he thinks its about to get practical, and itll pay dividends to those paying attention.

In finance, computing power is really a bit of an arms race, Fursman said. And as you all know, in many of these situations, it's winner takes all.

The next revolution has been a long time coming. It began with physicist Richard Feynman.

When modern digital computers were just gaining momentum, Feynman looked far down the roadhe was a genius theorist after alland noted the most powerful computers would not be digital, theyd be quantum. That is, theyd harness the laws of nature to compute.

Its counterintuitive to think of the world as a computer, said Fursman, but its an instructive analogy if you want to grasp the speed and simultaneity of quantum computers.

Complexity is nothing to nature. Just imagine how quickly and effortlessly glass breaks, he said.

In far less time than it takes to blink your eye, the laws of nature instruct the atoms in the glass to fracture into a massively complex spider web. Not unlike a computer, the laws of physics are the underlying logic allowing the glass to compute its complex demise in an instant.

Quantum computers similarly harness natures power to compute. Instead of using 1s and 0s to calculate things, they use the rules of quantum mechanics to compute with 1s, 0s, and both simultaneously. This means they can rapidly solve massively complex problems.

[Go here to learn more about how quantum computers work.]

But todays machines, like D-Waves adiabatic quantum computers, arent like your laptop, which is whats called a universal computer due to its ability to do many tasks. Instead, quantum computers today are specialized, complicated, difficult to program, and expensive.

Fursman thinks well get universal quantum computers in future, but well before then, in something like three to five years, he thinks early quantum computers will get practical. And because they can do things no other computer can, theyll be powerful.

In finance, its often about optimization. And todays quantum machines excel at optimization.

Consider building a portfolio out of all the stocks in the S&P 500, Fursman said. Given expected risk and return at various points in time, your choice is to include a stock, or not. The sheer number of possible portfolio combinations over time is mindboggling.

In fact, the possibilities dwarf the number of atoms in the observable universe.

To date, portfolio theory has necessarily cut corners and depended on approximations. But what if you could, in fact, get precise? Quantum computers will be able to solve problems like this in a finite amount of time, whereas traditional computers would take pretty much forever.

The work is already underway to make this possible.

Fursman noted a paper written by Gili Rosenberg, Poya Haghnegahdar, Phil Goddard, Peter Carr, Kesheng Wu, and Marcos Lpez de Prado in which they outline a new way to solve for an optimal portfolio. Instead of finding the best portfolio at discrete times in the future, they outline a way to find the best portfolio overall through time. Such a portfolio would reduce the transaction costs of rebalancing portfolios and potentially save the industry billions.

To be clear, this isnt ready for prime time yet. But Fursman thinks it will be shortly. The key? Their proposed portfolio optimization method is compatible with existing quantum computers. Specifically, they looked at D-Waves adiabatic machines, and according to the paper, they believe it can scale up in complexity as the underlying technology improves.

It's something that has real ability to impact what's possible within your industry and to make money doing all the things you already dobut in completely new ways, Fursman said.

Exponential Finance, according to Fursman, is a bit ahead of the curve. The event has focused on the possibility of quantum computing in finance for the last several years.

But now, its poised to make an impact. Google recently announced they expect to achieve quantum supremacy by the end of this year. That means theyll have shown a quantum computer capable of solving a problem no conventional computer can.

Fursman thinks the slowing of Moores Law may be lulling some into complacency. Whereas at one point you could barely keep pace, even if you bought a new computer every year; these days, the computer you bought four years ago is basically stillable run whatever you want today.

But for businesses, the pace of progress is about to speed up again.

The quantum computing industry [today] is just [the] spark. Its just the very, very beginning of whats going to be possible, Fursman said. Those sparks are going to turn into a huge explosion, and all of a sudden, youre going to be faced with incredible amounts of computing capabilities that directly tackle the types of problems most relevant to what youre doing.

This isnt going to take 20 years, he said, or even ten years. Itll be here in three to five years. So, now is the time to start thinking about what quantum will do for you.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Revisit historical sites in Ascension – Weekly Citizen

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

If you're a history buff, Ascension Parish has no shortage of historical sites to visit. According to the National Register of Historical Places database, the Parish has 20 landmarks, ranging from churches to plantations to schools. Over the next two weeks, we will explore each of these sites. Whether your looking for something to do for the day, or wanting to take a historical tour of the parish, Ascension has much history to offer.

Evan Hall Slave Cabins: La. 405, three miles west of Donaldsonville in McCall. Built in 1840, the remaining structure includes a single cabin and double cabin.

Landry Tomb: Located in the cemetery of the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church in Donaldsonville. The family tomb was built in 1845 by James Dankin and has 24 vaults, one of which is U.S. Representative Joseph Landry who died in 1814 and was relocated in 1845.

Tezcuco: La. 44, Burnside, one mile north of the Sunshine Bridge. The Greek Revival architectural style plantation was built in 1855, but burned down in 2002. All that is left is a few columns.

Robert Penn Warren House: 16381 Old Jefferson Highway, Prairieville. The Colonial Revival architectural style home was built in 1941 as the private residence of author Robert Penn Warren.

The Hermitage: La. 942, one mile south of Marchandville and 1.75 miles east of Darrow. The Greek Revival mansion was built in 1812 as a wedding gift for Marius Pons Bringier's son Michel Dourdou. It is said Andrew Jackson and his wife visited the house in the 1820's.

Palo Alto Plantation: 33534 La. 944, Donaldsonville. The Greek Revival plantation was built in 1850 and is a one-and-a-half story building on more than 6,000 acres.

Fort Butler: Mississippi River levee in Donaldsonville. A Civil War site, it was built to guard the Mississippi River and Bayou Lafourche. It is now used for an annual re-enactment and open to guided tours by appointment.

St. Emma: 1283 S. La. 1, Donaldsonville. Built in 1847, the plantation was originally owned by Charles A. Kock, one of the biggest sugar planters in the state. It is opened by appointment only.

St. Joseph's School: La. 75 and 44 in Burnside. It is now the Cabin Restaurant. The school was established in 1867 by the Roman Catholic Church to provide elementary school to newly freed slaves. It was originally located in Convent, though was relocated to Ascension in 1985.

Ashland: La. 75 two miles south of Geismar. Also known as the Belle Helene or Ashland-Belle Helene Plantation. Built in 1841, the antebellum Greek Revival architectural style building served as a former sugar plantation. It is owned by Shell Chemical Company.

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Belarus’ drive for peaceful space exploration underlined – Belarus News (BelTA)

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

MINSK, 8 June (BelTA) Belarus is ready for international cooperation in peaceful space exploration. Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB), Academician Sergei Kilin made the statement during the 60th session of the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in Vienna, the NASB press service told BelTA.

In his speech the NASB official noted that after Belarus joined the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 2014, the country has been open and ready to join international integration and cooperation in this field. The policy in favor of peaceful exploration and uses of outer space fully conforms with Belarus' national interests and is being implemented through the relevant measures and projects in Belarus. We are proud that three cosmonauts Piotr Klimuk, Vladimir Kovalenok, and Oleg Novitsky are natives of Belarus, noted Sergei Kilin.

The official stated that the year 2017 has been declared the Year of Science in Belarus. Fundamental and applied research projects in the area of space exploration are in progress as well as the development of the accompanying technologies. For the sake of consolidating the country's scientific, technical, and industrial potentials space exploration projects and measures are stipulated by the government program on peaceful space exploration till 2020. The program includes several main directions: the development of the Belarusian system for the remote sensing of Earth using the already operational Belarusian satellites BKA and Canopus-B; the development of navigation, geodesy, and cartography projects using space technologies; the development of programs for training scientific personnel, for providing scientific, technical, organizational, and legal support for space exploration projects in Belarus.

Sergei Kilin noted that this year Belarus has started creating a new satellite for the remote sensing of Earth. It will boast a higher resolution ability (0.5m) in the panchromatic mode.

Sergei Kilin reminded that in September 2018 Belarus will host the 31st Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers. Preparations are already afoot. The congress will be properly organized. We invite representatives of all the Association countries to participate in the congress, said the academician.

The 60th session of the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space is scheduled to take place in Vienna, Austria on 7-16 June. The agenda includes the development of cosmonautics for peaceful purposes, space technologies as part of the UN system, long-term sustainable development of space industry, and a number of other areas.

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Belarus' drive for peaceful space exploration underlined - Belarus News (BelTA)

A 3D-printed rocket engine just launched a new era of space exploration – The Independent

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

The rocket that blasted into space from New Zealand on May 25 was special. Not only was it the first to launch from a private site, it was also the first to be powered by an engine made almost entirely using 3D printing. This might not make it the first 3D-printed rocket in space that some headlines described it as, but it does highlight how seriously this manufacturing technique is being taken by the space industry.

Members of the team behind the Electron rocket at US company RocketLab say the engine was printed in 24 hours and provides efficiency and performance benefits over other systems. Theres not yet much information out there regarding the exact details of the 3D-printed components. But its likely many of them have been designed to minimise weight while maintaining their structural performance, while other components may have been optimised to provide efficient fluid flow. These advantages reducing weight and the potential for complex new designs are a large part of why 3D printing is expected to find some of its most significant applications in space exploration, with dramatic effect.

One thing the set of technologies known as additive manufacturing or 3D printing does really well is to produce highly complicated shapes. For example, lattice structures produced in exactly the right way so that they weigh less but are just as strong as similar solid components. This creates the opportunity to produce optimised, lightweight parts that were previously impossible to manufacture economically or efficiently with more traditional techniques.

Boeings microlattice is an example of taking this to the extreme, supposedly producing mechanically sound structures that are 99.9 per centair. Not all 3D printing processes can achieve this, but even weight savings of a few percent in aircraft and spacecraft can lead to major benefits through the use of less fuel.

3D printing tends to work best for the production of relatively small, intricate parts rather than large, simple structures, where the higher material and processing costs would outweigh any advantage. For example, a redesigned nozzle can enhance fuel mixing within an engine, leading to better efficiency. Increasing the surface area of a heat shield by using a patterned rather than a flat surface can mean heat is transferred away more efficiently, reducing the chances of overheating.

The techniques can also reduce the amount of material wasted in manufacturing, important because space components tend to be made from highly expensive and often rare materials. 3D printing can also produce whole systems in one go rather than from lots of assembled parts. For example, NASA used it to reduce the components in one of its rocket injectors from 115 to just two. Plus, 3D printers can easily make small numbers of a part as the space industry often needs without first creating expensive manufacturing tools.

In orbit

3D printers are also likely to find a use in space itself, where its difficult to keep large numbers of spare parts and hard to send out for replacements when youre thousands of kilometres from Earth. Theres now a 3D printer on the International Space Station so, if something breaks, engineers can send up a design for a replacement and the astronauts can print it out.

Astro printing (Barry Wilmore/NASA)

The current printer only deals with plastic so its more likely to be used for making tools or one-off replacements for low-performance parts such as door handles. But once 3D printers can more easily use other materials, were likely to see an increase in their uses. One day, people in space could produce their own food items and even biological materials. Recycling facilities could also enable broken parts to be reused to make the replacements.

Looking even further ahead, 3D printers could prove useful in building colonies. Places like the moon dont have much in the way of traditional building materials, but the European Space Agency has proven solar energy can power the production of bricks of lunar dust, which would be a good start. Researchers are now looking at how to use 3D printing to take this idea further and develop complete printed buildings on the moon.

To make many of these applications a reality, well need to research more advanced materials and processes that can manufacture components to withstand the extremely harsh conditions of space. Engineers also need to work on developing optimised designs and find ways of testing 3D printed parts to prove theyre safe. And then theres the irritating issue of gravity, or rather the lack of it. Many current processes use powders or liquids as their raw materials so were likely to need some clever tricks in order to make these function safely in a low or microgravity environment.

Some of these barriers may even require entirely new materials and techniques. But as research goes on, 3D printing is likely to be used more and more in space, even if a fully printed space vehicle isnt going to launch any time soon. The sky is no longer the limit.

Candice Majewski is a lecturer in mechanical engineering at the University of Sheffield. This article was originally published on The Conversation (www.conversation.com)

A 3D-printed rocket engine just launched a new era of space exploration - The Independent

Ocean vs Space: Exploration and the Quest to Inspire the Public – Marine Technology News

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

By Dr. Jyotika I. Virmani June 7, 2017

Both space and ocean exploration can boast world firsts, extreme risks, unknown challenges and mind-boggling discoveries that captivate our imagination and advance our understanding of our world and, fundamentally, of ourselves. So why does space exploration and research capture our collective attention and imagination more than ocean exploration and research?

The answer to this question has remained elusive for ocean professionals and enthusiasts alike. A case can be made that until the mid-20th century the oceans held an equal, if not a greater, fascination for the general public as compared to space. What changed? A frequently given reason for this shift in public interest is the 20th century space race, which triggered greater funding for space exploration and resulted in greater outreach. Added to this, space is generally considered to be more exciting and more visible; people need simply to look up into the night sky and see billions of stars and imagine the vast possibilities. Conversely, the oceans remain psychologically distant from the human mind (e.g. Schuldt et al., 2016), only directly visible to those who live along or visit a coast; even then, most people just see the sea surface the wonders that lie beneath remain hidden. But are these the only reasons?

For decades, the ocean community has worked to engage the public in ocean issues by, for example: highlighting the potential solutions for food security or pharmaceutical discoveries; raising the alarm over the damage we are causing and the long-term consequences to our own livelihoods; and making it more relatable by emphasizing the human connection. Some progress has been made but the fact still remains that space, although inaccessible for the majority, is more appealing to the general public than the oceans. Consequently, given the magnitude of discoveries waiting to be made, ocean exploration and research are generally underfunded. This can clearly be seen through a number of metrics including social media, which can be used as a proxy for the level of interest by the public. For example, search engines show at least four times as many hits on space exploration versus ocean exploration (e.g. Schubel, 2016) at any given time.

Lets take a deeper look at how weaving the human element into a narrative makes the story more appealing and relatable for people. In November 2011, NASA launched the Mars Curiosity Rover, a mission that successfully landed a robot 54.6 million kilometers from Earth, on Mars, in August 2012. This phenomenal achievement made front-page news globally and, with each new finding, continued to generate massive global interest. At approximately the same time, in March 2012, James Cameron, one of the worlds best known movie directors, personally embarked on an extremely dangerous mission to the bottom of the Mariana Trench (approximately 11 kilometers deep and approximately 300 kilometers from the nearest land). As the third person in human history to do this (Jacques Piccard and Capt. Don Walsh made this journey for the first time in 1960), it was an incredible testament to human achievement. In one example, we have a robot on a daring mission of exploration and discovery. In the other example, we have a very famous person on a daring mission of exploration and discovery. Both showcase the sense of adventure and human achievement. Yet the epic journey by Cameron is not as well-known (a Google search shows 251,000 hits for James Cameron reached Mariana Trench) compared to the Mars Curiosity journey (a Google search shows 446,000 hits for Mars Curiosity Rover landed). Clearly, the ingredients for a compelling and memorable story are more complex than the human element alone.

As an ocean community, we should continue to talk about the importance of issues such as conservation and protection, but to reach a broader audience there are lessons we can learn from the space community. We should take these to heart and turn the tide on ocean communication. And perhaps, as space becomes more commercialized and easier to access, the space community can take lessons from the recent experiences of the ocean community. By inspiring the public we shape public perception, which in turn influences policymakers and, more practically, changes funding levels. We need to embark on a Quest to Inspire the Public about the oceans for the sake of everyone.

The Author

Dr. Jyotika Virmani is Senior Director for Planet & Environment at XPRIZE and prize lead for the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE. Dr. Virmani has over a decade of professional experience in oceanography. She has a Ph.D. in physical oceanography.

References

Schubel, J. R., 2016, Positioning Ocean Exploration in a Chaotic Sea of Changing Media. National Ocean Exploration Forum, October 20-21, 2016

Schuldt, J. P., K. A. McComas, and S. E. Byrne. 2016, Communicating about Ocean Health: Theoretical and Practical Considerations. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 371: 20150214. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0214

Tversky, A., and D. Kahneman, 1981, The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice. Science, 211(4481): 453-458. doi: 10.1126/science.7455683

Weiss R. K., and A. Cochrane, 2010, Days of Future Past: Film Visions of Space Exploration, Commercialization and Tourism. IAC-10.E5.3

Woodman, J., 2016, Just Waiting to be Discovered: Finding Hope in Earthbound Mysteries, IEEE Earthzine

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Ocean vs Space: Exploration and the Quest to Inspire the Public - Marine Technology News

Watching the Tape Move for Nanotech Security Corp (NTS.V) – Stock Rover

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

Nanotech Security Corp (NTS.V) shares are moving today onvolatility1.56% or $0.02 from the open.TheTSXV listed companysaw a recent bid of $1.30 and12900shares have traded hands in the session.

Some dedicated market watchers will preach the old adage, nothing ventured nothing gained. Some may adhere to the slow and steady mindset. The correct play for one investor may not be the same for another. Some may choose to be fully invested while others may keep some cash on the sidelines. Active stock market investors may have to find that perfect balance between being too risky or playing it too safe. If the market keeps charging higher in the second half of the year, investors may have to decide whether to take profits, or let it ride.

Digging deeping into the Nanotech Security Corp (NTS.V) s technical indicators, we note that the Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R currently sits at -17.65. The Williams %R oscillates in a range from 0 to -100. A reading between 0 and -20 would point to an overbought situation. A reading from -80 to -100 would signal an oversold situation. The Williams %R was developed by Larry Williams. This is a momentum indicator that is the inverse of the Fast Stochastic Oscillator.

Nanotech Security Corp (NTS.V) currently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of 67.14. Active investors may choose to use this technical indicator as a stock evaluation tool. Used as a coincident indicator, the CCI reading above +100 would reflect strong price action which may signal an uptrend. On the flip side, a reading below -100 may signal a downtrend reflecting weak price action. Using the CCI as a leading indicator, technical analysts may use a +100 reading as an overbought signal and a -100 reading as an oversold indicator, suggesting a trend reversal.

Currently, the 14-day ADX for Nanotech Security Corp (NTS.V) is sitting at 14.96. Generally speaking, an ADX value from 0-25 would indicate an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would support a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would identify a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would lead to an extremely strong trend. ADX is used to gauge trend strength but not trend direction. Traders often add the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) to identify the direction of a trend.

The RSI, or Relative Strength Index, is a widely used technical momentum indicator that compares price movement over time. The RSI was created by J. Welles Wilder who was striving to measure whether or not a stock was overbought or oversold. The RSI may be useful for spotting abnormal price activity and volatility. The RSI oscillates on a scale from 0 to 100. The normal reading of a stock will fall in the range of 30 to 70. A reading over 70 would indicate that the stock is overbought, and possibly overvalued. A reading under 30 may indicate that the stock is oversold, and possibly undervalued. After a recent check, the 14-day RSI for Nanotech Security Corpis currently at 54.42, the 7-day stands at 61.16, and the 3-day is sitting at 75.27.

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Watching the Tape Move for Nanotech Security Corp (NTS.V) - Stock Rover

The forgotten role of a DJ John 00 Fleming – Trance Hub (satire) (press release) (blog)

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

Veteran Trance Producer & DJ John 00 Fleming shares his view on the art of DJing. John is all set to embark on his Australia tour later in June. He will be playing at Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

I often fear were going to lose a generation of DJs, in todays world a producer makes a few popular tracks, gets signed to a management company then heads on the road touring having the DJ tag slapped on them. As with most musical genres, the DJ tag and meaning is now blurred. Playing a load of your own tracks crammed into an hour set is now classed as a DJ? But a DJ is a lot more than that, authentic DJs never had the need to produce music as they were too busy doing something a lot more important. DJs have always been the lead figures in creating new scenes, investing into a foundation for the future, finding new exciting music, exposing and supporting new music/producers and creating underground parties rebelling against the mainstream. I remember watching a documentary about a new style of music called Northern soul in the UK in the late 60s, the pivotal driving force leading this scene were DJs who traveled to the US to discover obscure offshoots of Motown, they put their own hi energy twist on it and created an underground dance movement that in return became a commercial success that boomed in the UK. Its no different as we move forward through the decades, I was part of a 90s rave culture, many DJs worked tirelessly against the mainstream machines to create new musical experiences. DJs were the foundation that created many scenes on a local level that in return built actual musical movements such as Chicago House, Detroit Techno, Spanish Baleric, Belgium Nu Beat and more. DJs worked hard getting this music onto radio to give more exposure thus helping these scenes grow and flourish. Eventually when a certain scene got embraced by the commercial masses, DJs were already two steps ahead creating the next scene.

Dont underestimate the importance of a DJ. Many of the most powerful figures in the music industry started their careers as DJs due to their knowledge in music, first hand historic experience in music culture along with being human musical encyclopaedias.

Myself being an authentic DJ , get extremely worried what the future holds as I dont see too many other authentic DJs breaking through and fear for the future of whom will move things forward. I see light in the Techno and Progressive House worlds as they have a lot more DJs involved in that scene and the boom and growth is testament to this. When I look at the Trance world, I worry its predominately producer driven, heavily weighed around self promotion, as a result things are going stale musically not moving forward and the next generation are heading to other places to experience forward thinking music. Again looking back, the most successful Trance brands were run and programmed by authentic DJs, today the musical curve and set time is dictated by an artists manager, then hijacked into it being their mini concert focused around them. Theres no collective input, no union focussed on investing back into the Trance scene as a team. Self promotion is the theme.

This is by no means a dig at producers, its highlighting a change in the buisness model. For years DJs have always worked closely with producers (and promoters) as we need each other and seen the rewards. Thousands of producers have been discovered and exposed by DJs, but DJs are nothing without the music. Were a team that need each other whom collectively create musical history. Today the important role of a DJ is completely overlooked. A DJ cant sustain a career without music production as promoters look at Beatports top 10 as benchmark, in many cases a DJ doesnt want to produce music, they want to move forward and create the next musical cycle and be apart of a movement offering something new. Authentic DJs like stepping into the musical future, to experiment with you on the dance floor and to push new boundaries testing those obscure finds, and thats a big part of what clubbers want too, being stimulated on the dance floor. A concert is a place to hear your all your favourite radio tracks performed live. Two very different things.

Im always thankful to those forefathers in the 60s/70s whom created Motown, Northern Soul then Disco that in return created House music and all its offshoots. They provided the platform for my career that Im enjoying today, something Ill forever be in debt. I also understand, respect and can relate to the dedication, the uphill struggle, financial sacrifices and fight against the mainstream they had to endear, without them we wouldnt be enjoying the scenes that we have today. Without my generation and our battles we wouldnt be were we are today and enjoying this huge electronic scene. Ill always continue that same ethos as they did, I dont care about fame, glory and domination, I care about the next generation and want to continue to lay these foundations knowing the baton will be passed on so that they can move things forward.

Take a moment to discover your local DJs. Take a moment to look around at the DJs whom run labels and offering a different take on the masses. Take a moment to discover those local parties and support them. Go get involved and support and enjoy what they bring musically.

Ill follow up this blog shortly, giving advice to the next generation of DJs and producers of how to get gigs.

Source John 00 Fleming Facebook page

Co-Founder of Trance Hub, Curator of The Gathering events in India and ALT+TRANCE in Czech Republic. By day, a Digital Marketing Enthusiast with love for Food and Technology. By night, a dreamer who wants to grow the Trance scene in India.

Talk about albums that have been a game changer in the genre, and the first name that...

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The forgotten role of a DJ John 00 Fleming - Trance Hub (satire) (press release) (blog)

Watch Sleepmakeswaves Crush A ’90s Trance Classic For ‘Like A Version’ – Music Feeds

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Danzig

News Written by Tom Williams on June 9, 2017

Aussie instrumental outfit sleepmakeswaves have taken to the triple j studios to rework a classic 90s trance track into all all-out post-rock banger for Like A Version, and no, its not Sandstorm.

Sleepmakeswaves used their debut Like A Version appearance to cover the 1995 Eurodance and dream trance classic Children by late producer Robert Miles, who died in May at the age of 47 after a nine-month battle with metastatic cancer.

The band gave the track their unique icy touch, complete with huge swells of guitar and complex rhythms. It was also the first time a Like A Version segment has featured both an instrumental original and instrumental cover.

While in the triple j studios, sleepmakeswaves also performed their original track Tundra, from their latest album Made Of Breath Only. Watch both performances, below.

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Watch Sleepmakeswaves Crush A '90s Trance Classic For 'Like A Version' - Music Feeds