PTC Expands Internet of Things Ecosystem with New ThingWorx … – Business Wire (press release)

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NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) today announced the continued expansion of its Internet of Things (IoT) partner ecosystem with the addition of new ThingWorx partners.

To date, hundreds of industrial IoT partner companiessolution builders, services providers, channel partners, and hardware and software technology companieshave chosen the ThingWorx industrial IoT platform to accelerate their IoT initiatives and deliver value to their customers. As part of the PTC Partner Network, the ThingWorx Ready Program provides partnering companies with a way to validate product integration with the ThingWorx platform, enabling solution builders to shorten their time to market by leveraging pre-integrated products, extensions, and starter kits listed in the ThingWorx Marketplace.

The most recent partners to offer ThingWorx Ready products in the ThingWorx Marketplace include HMS Industrial Networks, a leading provider of products for industrial communication and industrial IoT; MultiTech, a leader in the design, development, and manufacturing of communications equipment for the industrial IoT; Sierra Monitor Corporation, a leading provider of multi-protocol gateways that connect field devices to the ThingWorx platform for smart building, smart facility, and smart city applications; and ViziApps, a leading platform for rapidly developing engaging business apps that use ThingWorx data. BETSOL, a leading provider of enterprise technology products and services, has also joined the PTC Partner Network as a ThingWorx authorized services provider and will make its IoT services available on the ThingWorx Marketplace.

The ThingWorx Marketplace is the single source for third-party IoT solutions, technologies, and services built on or specifically for the ThingWorx IoT Platform. Targeted at both industrial IoT solution builders and buyers, the ThingWorx Marketplace aims to simplify the process of bringing together ThingWorx with third-party tools and services by providing a large inventory of pre-integrated, pre-certified products, extensions and starter kits that are easy to access and use by customers and partners to build their own solutions and accelerate their time to market.

Collaboration is one of the keys to success in todays IoT market, said Kevin OBrien, vice president of IoT partner sales, PTC. The continued expansion of the ThingWorx partner ecosystem reinforces the value of the platform approach to building new IoT solutions. Combining the world-class components of ThingWorx with the complementary technologies and market and solution knowledge of these partners will further enable IoT innovation and adoption.

Using an IoT platform is quickly becoming the go-to approach for developing IoT solutions. Partnering with PTC not only allows us to leverage the standout capabilities of the ThingWorx platform, but also enables us to offer our solution through the ThingWorx Marketplace, said Michael Finegan, director of business development, MultiTech. This combination enables us to simplify our customers experience and to gain greater exposure to the broader market.

The ThingWorx IoT platform is comprised of rapid application development functionality, connectivity, machine learning, augmented reality, and integration with leading device clouds. These capabilities combine to deliver a comprehensive IoT technology stack that enables companies to securely connect assets, quickly create applications, and innovate new ways to capture and deliver value.

PTC has built a robust and diversified ThingWorx partner ecosystem that brings together IoT solution builders to collaborate on IoT opportunities. ThingWorx is designed for IoT solution builders that have expertise in specific markets or verticals, such as manufacturing, oil and gas, or smart cities. Solution builders know the types of IoT solutions that these industries require, but they need the underlying IoT technologysuch as connectivity, application development, and augmented realityto make these solutions possible. ThingWorx provides a robust set of technology components in a fast, easy-to-use, and secure platform, allowing solution builders to focus on the end solutions that will bring value to their customers.

Additional Resources

About PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) PTC has the most robust Internet of Things technology in the world. In 1986 we revolutionized digital 3D design, and in 1998 were first to market with Internet-based PLM. Now our leading IoT and AR platform and field-proven solutions bring together the physical and digital worlds to reinvent the way you create, operate, and service products. With PTC, global manufacturers and an ecosystem of partners and developers can capitalize on the promise of the IoT today and drive the future of innovation.

PTC.com @PTC Blogs

PTC, ThingWorx, ThingWorx Marketplace, and the PTC logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

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PTC Expands Internet of Things Ecosystem with New ThingWorx ... - Business Wire (press release)

Report: Docker and the Linux container ecosystem – WebWorkerDaily

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Our library of 1700 research reportsisavailable only to our subscribers.We occasionallyrelease ones for our larger audience to benefit from. This is one such report. If you would like access to our entire library, please subscribehere. Subscribers will have access toour2017 editorial calendar, archived reports and video coverage from our 2016 and 2017 events.

Docker and the Linux container ecosystem by Janakiram MSV:

Linux container technology is experiencing tremendous momentum in 2014. The ability to create multiple lightweight, self-contained execution environments on the same Linux host simplifies application deployment and management. By improving collaboration between developers and system administrators, container technology encourages a DevOps culture of continuous deployment and hyperscale, which is essential to meet current user demands for mobility, application availability, and performance.

Many developers interchange the terms container and Docker, sometimes making it difficult to distinguish between the two, but there is a very important distinction. Docker, Inc. is a key contributor to the container ecosystem in the development of orchestration tools and APIs. While container technology has existed for decades, the companys open-source platform, Docker, makes that technology more accessible by creating simpler and more powerful tools. Using Docker, developers and system administrators can efficiently manage the lifecycle of tens of thousands of containers.

This report provides a detailed overview of the Linux container ecosystem. It explains the various components of container technology and analyzes the ecosystem contributions from companies to accelerate the adoption of Linux-based containers.

To read the full report click here.

Tags Amazone EC2 Ansible AWS Beanstalk BOSH cAdvisor Canonical Ubuntu Centurion Chef Clocker container technology CoreOS Crane DataDog Dataloop Decking Deimos Deis Docker Compose Docker Swarm DockerUI Dokku Fig flocker FlockPort Geard i/o IT Logspout Maestro Marathon Octohost OpenShift Orchard Packer Panamax Project Atomic Rackspace OnMetal Shippable Shipper Shipyard StackDock StackEngine Tutum Virtual machines

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SpeakerCraft multi-room audio ecosystem upgraded – Installation International

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A major update to its multi-room audio ecosystem has been announced by SpeakerCraft. The new software adds streaming audio services, plus dynamic zone grouping and a new streamlined user interface.

The built-in streaming services include Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora and other popular internet radio services. These new services unlock a seventh source in the MRA-664 chassis that drives the multi-room ecosystems six zones of audio, expandable to 12 with a second chassis. The dynamic zone grouping feature allows family members to instantly group media zones on the fly for party mode, or when the entertainment moves from room to room.

These new features make the platform more user-friendly than ever, said Core Brands software product manager Tom McKeon. And as a free software update, it enables any existing MRA-664 system to easily upgrade to the new features.

Launched in 2015 as a six-source, six-zone system, SpeakerCrafts MRA664 is anchored to an ecosystem that includes two touchpanels and a wireless remote. The installation wizard enables configuration of the entire system now seven sources and six zones from a tablet or laptop.

The SpeakerCraft app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play to enable control from mobile devices. Stand: 1-N53

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SpeakerCraft multi-room audio ecosystem upgraded - Installation International

Is ‘Cyborg’ Justino destined to be the Phantom of Brooklyn at UFC 208? – MMAjunkie.com

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On Saturday night in Brooklyn, N.Y., the UFC will hold a womens featherweight title fight without the help of the worlds greatest female featherweight. Thats one way of explaining what the UFC 208 main event bout between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie is all about.

Another way of putting it is, the UFC is putting on its very first womens featherweight fight, and its doing it without the person who is the sole reason for its reluctant embrace of the division in the first place.

What are we supposed to make of that as we sit down to watch Saturday nights headliner? Just as relevant a question, what is the UFC going to make of it on the pay-per-view broadcast?

Seems to me theres two ways the company can go: 1) Act like Cristiane Justino doesnt exist, or, if she does exist, shes no more important than any other potential special guest who, for reasons we wont bore you with, couldnt be with us tonight. 2) Confront the Cyborg situation head on, acknowledging her as the greatest fighter in this new division, and explaining why its mostly her doing that shed not a part of this historic title fight.

Of course, there are some shades of gray available here. If you recall, the way this all started was the UFC wanted to have its first womens featherweight title fight, and it already had a firm date in mind.

According to Justino (17-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), she couldnt make the date, not physically or psychologically, so she passed. Instead of working with her to find a date she could make, the UFC decided to plow ahead without her, which seemed like either a slavish devotion to the schedule or a spiteful way of reminding her that fighters are replaceable parts in the UFC machinery.

To twist the narrative even further, shortly after the UFC announced its intention to go ahead without Cyborg, it also announced her potential anti-doping policy violation. Justinos camp has since dismissed it as a medical issue, but that doesnt answer all our questions when youre already a terrifyingly powerful juggernaut with one positive steroid test on your record.

Enter Holm (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and de Randamie (6-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC), two curious choices for this fight who remind us how shallow the pool is at 145 pounds.

Holm is a former UFC womens bantamweight champion whos now riding a two-fight losing skid. And while de Randamie has fought at featherweight in the past and has back-to-back wins at bantamweight coming into this fight, I doubt any of us saw her win over Anna Elmose last May and thought, yep, that ought to punch her ticket to a title fight in a division the UFC does not yet have.

Point is, its weird. These two fighters were chosen not quite at random, but also not as the result of an exhaustive search for the worlds best female featherweights. They are both a species of stand-in. Their fight feels like a contest to see who gets to hand the belt over to Cyborg at a ceremony to be scheduled later.

Seems to me that there has to be a way to acknowledge this fact without completely sucking the air out of what is still a technically historic title fight. Also seems like the alternative not mentioning Justinos place in this story at all asks us for such an extreme suspension of disbelief that its bound to backfire.

Anyone who knows enough about the goings on in MMA to think UFC 208 is worth paying for probably also knows enough to appreciate the fact that this is as much about whos not there as who is.

The shadow of Cyborg is bound to loom over this headliner, possibly lurking in the rafters like an uncommonly jacked version of the Phantom of the Opera. Pretending shes not there only heightens the sense of distraction rather than diminishing it. Because its not like anyone whos been paying attention wont already know.

For more on UFC 208, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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UFC fighter Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino is a big draw, but is facing a possible drug suspension – Los Angeles Times

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The UFC created a special event in New York onSaturday night just for Cris Cyborg Justino.

Instead of being celebrated and favored to be fitted for a new gold title band around her waist, however, Brazils powerful and vicious fighter is expected to be back near her Southland training home when the fight begins.

Justino(16-1) twice balked at proposed title bouts to start the UFCs newly created 145-pound womens featherweight division, according to UFC President Dana White.

Then, by submitting a positive test for what Justino identified as the banned diuretic spironolactone on Dec. 5, she was replaced in Saturdays UFC 208 main event at Brooklyns Barclays Center.

Former 135-pound bantamweight champion Holly Holm (10-2), best known for vanquishing then-bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey by second-round head kick in 2015, will now meet former kick-boxing champion Germaine De Randamie (6-3) of the Netherlands in Saturdays main event.

Justinois appealing to the UFCs drug-testing authority, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, for a retroactive therapeutic-use exemption for the diuretic, explaining thata doctor in Brazil prescribed her the substance for high-blood pressure.

Her challenge, according to an official familiar with the case who is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, will be proving to USADA that no other prescribed drug could have been used to treat her condition.

A decision on the matter could come later this week, the official said.

Should her appeal be denied, Justinocould be subject to either a one-year ban dating to the time she submitted the sample, or for two years should her prior positive test for a steroid in 2011 be considered.

Justinodeclined to comment.

When I first got into the UFC, everyone was asking me about fighting Ronda, Holm said in a conference call last week. I know Cris Cyborg is the big name in the 145-pound division, but right now, with her situation, Ill just let that pan out. I dont want to just obsess about one fighter.

I still have so much to do Germaine is right in front of me. There has to be a lot to happen before our fight. [Cyborg] has to deal with whatevers going on with USADA who knows whats going on with that. And Ive got to get through this fight.

One reason Justino, 31, is so popular is that she hasnt lost a fight since her 2005 mixed martial arts debut.

By 2009, she joined the now-defunct Strikeforce organization, won its featherweight belt that year and successfully defended it three times before the California State Athletic Commission nabbed her for a positive test for the steroid stanozolol aftera 2011 title win in San Diego.

In the Invicta Fight Club, she won its featherweight belt in 2013 and defended that belt three times including a watershed first-round knockout win in Costa Mesa in January 2016.

White and then-UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta attended the 2016 bout, watched Justinohammer challenger Daria Ibragimova with punches and finish her before the first round was complete.

The UFC bosses had seen all they needed, and while Justinoraised Whites ire by previously complaining shed risk death if forced to cut weight and fight Rousey at 135 pounds, she was signed for two 140-pound catch-weight fights in Brazil.

Justino needed just 81 seconds to finish Leslie Smith by punches, and after subjecting Lina Lansberg to severe first-round punishment in a Sept. 24 main event, she ended that bout halfway through the second.

It was at that event in the Brazilian capital ofBrasilia, said a UFC official, thatJustinos apparent leveraging for the creation of the new 145-pound division began to raise internal suspicions.

While she was meeting fight-week weight thresholds suggested by the organization Justinoweighed 156 pounds fully clothed at the beginning of fight week, according to a UFC official she was complaining publicly about being nearly 20 pounds overweight and describing her weight cut as excruciating.

After Justinostriumph, Holm said she was summoned to a meeting with White.

Before the 145-pound division [was formed], he said, Were offering a fight with Cyborg at 140, what do you think? I said, Im open to that, but then [Cyborg] said she wasnt ready, that she didnt want to go to that weight, Holm said.

De Randamie said she was told that Justinoturned down a 145-pound title fight against her.

On Dec. 14, the UFC announced the formation of the new womens featherweight division with the Holm-De Randamie bout, and eight days later, Justinos positive sample was revealed.

I respect everybodys opinion, about Justinobeing the best 145-pound fighter in the world, but Cris got the offer to fight Holly and Cris got the offer to fight me. She wasnt able to fight, De Randamie said.

Then Holly and I got the exact same offer and we said yes. If youre a champion, you fight the best. Holly and I are going to fight and well decide wholl be the next No. 1. If one of us has to defend the title against Cris Cyborg, it will be against Cris Cyborg.

If you look at Hollys credentials and my credentials, weve both accomplished a lot for the sport, so we absolutely belong at the top. One of us will be the 145 champion.

UFC 208

Who: Holly Holm (10-2) vs. Germaine De Randamie (6-3) for new womens featherweight belt

When: Saturday, 7 p.m. PST

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn

Television: Pay-per-view, $59.95

Undercard: No. 7 Anderson Silva (33-8) vs. No. 8 Derek Brunson (16-4), middleweights; No. 3 Ronaldo Jacare Souza (23-4) vs. No. 13 Tim Boetsch (20-10), middleweights; No. 3 Glover Teixeira (25-5) vs. No. 15 Jared Cannonier (9-1), light-heavyweights

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter:@latimespugmire

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UFC fighter Cris 'Cyborg' Justino is a big draw, but is facing a possible drug suspension - Los Angeles Times

Female Cyborg Illustrations Illuminate with Acid Colors – The Creators Project (blog)

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Images courtesy of the artist

Pop art andacid-washed colors cyber-psychedelia in the works of Californian artist Nick Giasullo, whocreates furious post-cyberpunk characterswearing futuristic uniforms.

His works focus on technology and feminism, exploring the effects that machinery has on the body.Since his childhood, Giasullo was influenced by Heavy Metal Magazine, which featuredstories that combined science fiction, horror, and erotica with dimension-bending Moebius-esque fantasy worlds, and the Ghost in the Shell-styled transgressive ideologies. These days Im getting pretty hands on, drawing and painting things Ive been wanting to do since I was a kid, which is pretty rewarding in itself, Giasullo tells The Creators Project.

The choice of drawing women is also not spontaneous. Motivated by the strength and hardships of his family, in particular the women in his life, Giasullo says that reflection has helped to better understand the larger societal struggles people have to face. These social and internal struggles are pretty big motivators, Giasullo says, I tend to get up most days and do something creative, especially with the way the world is right now.

In order to translate his dystopian vision into the visual symbolism, Giasullo works in Daz3D. Once he creates his models and compositions, he pulls the files into Photoshop to do line detailing, coloring, and post-image work. By going back and forth between hand drawing and computer editing, he takes as much advantage of technologythe entire spectrum of itas he can.

See more of Nick Giasullos work here.

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Female Cyborg Illustrations Illuminate with Acid Colors - The Creators Project (blog)

Weymouth to design boardwalk linking beaches with state grant – The Patriot Ledger

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The town will receive funding from the state to design and permit a boardwalk linking George Lane and Wessagusset beaches in North Weymouth, an idea that officials first floated three decades ago.

WEYMOUTH The town will receive funding from the state to design and permit a boardwalk linking George Lane and Wessagusset beaches in North Weymouth, an idea that officials first floated three decades ago.

The town will receive an $184,000 grant from the Seaport Economic Council for the feasibility phase of the project. The council, chaired by chaired by Lt. Gov. Karyn Politio, approved nearly $5 million in awards to 13 coastal communities last week.

Upon entering office last year, Mayor Robert Hedlund revived the towns dormant waterfront committee to identity and revive opportunities for waterfront enhancements.

This idea to create access between the two beaches goes back 30 year, Hedlund said. I told the committee to identify viable capital projects and they came back with this.

Prepared in 1988, the towns waterfront plan proposed adding a pedestrian boardwalk between Wessagusset, referred to as the old beach, and George Lane, or the new beach. The two areas are separated by approximately 2,000 feet of coastline that is inaccessible at high tide and difficult to walk on at low tide because of boulders, cobble and concrete debris in the intertidal area.

The funding will allow the town to design and permit a boardwalk stretching the coastline that provides passive recreation, such as viewing vistas, seating areas, a fishing pier, and signs that highlight Weymouths history as a coastal community. The design will also improve access from the overlook shelf at Wessagusset Road to the shoreline below, and address erosion on a section of coast that backs up to Regatta Road.

This project goes along with the focus on North Weymouth, with Route 3A and the rezoning, to create positive activity down there, Hedlund said.

The town will fund the feasibility phase with the grant and a private donation, requiring no public investment. Hedlund said the town could split the project into two phases, depending on the cost of construction.

The towns waterfront committee will oversee the project with support from the planning department. Officials will present initial design concepts in public meetings, take public comment and look to build consensus on a vision for the boardwalk.

This grant is a big step forward for Weymouths vision to connect our two beaches with a waterfront resource for all to enjoy, waterfront committee Chairman George Mutch said. Most residents are not even aware of this coastal area due to its current condition.

Jessica Trufant may be reached at jtrufant@ledger.com.

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Explore the Underwater Cemetery, a Secret of the Beaches of Aruba – TravelPulse (blog)

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PHOTO: A beautiful beach in Aruba (Photo courtesy of Barcel Hotels & Resorts)

There are many treasures to be found in Aruba, and were not just talking about the beautiful views.

Barcel Hotels & Resorts details the incredible underwater cemetery that is home to wrecked ships and aircraft.

Whether they were shot down in World War II or destroyed by a storm, beneath the amazing blue waters of the beaches of Aruba lies some amazing history.

READ MORE Superior and Exclusive Service: Barcelos Premium & Royal Level

Per the Barcel blogger, one ofthe best-known wrecks is theSS Antilla, also called the ghost ship of Aruba. The most daring even cross the porthole and open the hatches to investigate this 122-meter-long ship that was set on fire by its own German crew to prevent their enemies of World War II from taking it.

Check out the video here for an inside look at divers exploring the wrecked Antilla.

Other unique finds that divers can check out include the cargo ship Jane, which is a 75-meter-long Venezuelan ship, as well as the remains of a YS-11 model airplane made in Japan. In fact, divers can actually swim inside the cabin, if they dare.

For more information on Barcel Hotel & Resorts, check out their blog here.

You may use your Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook information, including your name, photo & any other personal data you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on TravelPulse.com. Click here to learn more.

Art is a veteran travel writer.

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Explore the Underwater Cemetery, a Secret of the Beaches of Aruba - TravelPulse (blog)

Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber ready to fight for VISIT FLORIDA – SaintPetersBlog (blog)

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For beaches in the Tampa Bay region, tourism matters.

Thats why the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce is getting ready to fight, calling its members Tuesday to push back against proposed legislation to shut down VISIT FLORIDA, the states tourism arm.

Last week, House leadership introduced committee bill (PCB CCS 17-01) to kill both VISIT FLORIDA and Enterprise Florida, the states job incentive program.

As part of the $83.5 billion Fighting for Floridas Future budget for 2017-18, Gov. Rick Scott is proposing $76 million for Visit Florida, the agency tasked with marketing Florida to domestic and international visitors. Nevertheless, House leaders have threatened to pull funding after some questionable deals with racing car teams, British soccer teams and Miami-based pop star Pitbull.

But the Chamber sees VISIT FLORIDA as a vital tool to bring tourists to regions beaches.

VISIT FLORIDA is essential in bringing visitors to our state who generate 23 percent of our sales tax revenue, create over 1.4 million jobs, support small business and boost our local economy with $108.8 billion in economic impact, the Chamber statement says. It is critical to renew the focus on the value of marketing the Sunshine State.

The Chamber wants all industry members to contact legislators and remind them of the benefits tourism generates and how VISIT FLORIDA helps small businesses and communities reach new markets that they otherwise wouldnt be able to capitalize on.

The House Careers & Competition Subcommittee is set to take up the bill Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the State Capitol, Knott Building, Room 212.

For further steps to help save VISIT FLORIDA with letter templates, talking points and contact information is at tampabaybeaches.com.

comments

Phil Ammann is a St. Petersburg-based journalist and blogger. With more than three decades of writing, editing and management experience, Phil produced material for both print and online, in addition to founding HRNewsDaily.com. His broad range included covering news, local government and nightclub reviews for Patch.com, technical articles and profiles for BetterRVing Magazine and advice columns for an online metaphysical website, among others. Phil has served as a contributor and production manager for SaintPetersBlog since 2013 and lives in St. Pete with his wife, visual artist Margaret Juul and can be reached at phil@floridapolitics.com and on Twitter @PhilAmmann.

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Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber ready to fight for VISIT FLORIDA - SaintPetersBlog (blog)

Astronomy trifecta this weekend – FOX31 Denver

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FOX31 Denver
Astronomy trifecta this weekend
FOX31 Denver
DENVER Mark you calendar for both Friday February 10 and Saturday February 11. The trifecta includes the Full Snow Moon, a Lunar Eclipse, and Comet 45P all visible in Colorado. The big question is the weather. Will it be clear enough to see the trifecta?
Lunar eclipse, Snow Moon and New Year Comet set to appear in the skies on the same day in FebruaryWalesOnline

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Astronomy trifecta this weekend - FOX31 Denver

Astronomers discover a white dwarf that acts like a pulsar – Astronomy Magazine

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Since their discovery by Jocelyn Bell and Antony Hewish in 1967, pulsars have intrigued astronomers as unique and exotic objects. A pulsar is a type of neutron star that emits focused beams of radiation from its poles as it spins. But now, astronomers have discovered a pulsar thats not a neutron star at all, but a white dwarf. Its the first white dwarf pulsar ever discovered, after more than 50 years of searching the skies for such an object.

The discovery, published in Nature Astronomy, was made by Professors Tom Marsh and Boris Gnsicke at the University of Warwicks Astrophysics Group, and Dr. David Buckley of the South African Astronomical Observatory. They found that the binary system AR Scorpii (AR Sco), which sits 380 light-years away in the constellation of Scorpius, contains a white dwarf acting as a pulsar.

Shortly after the first pulsars discovery, astronomers sought to understand the type of star responsible for such a signal. The pulsar that Bell and Hewish discovered had a period of slightly over one second (1.3373011 seconds); based on stellar models, this fell just within the rotational limits of a white dwarf. However, much faster pulsars were soon discovered, with periods of milliseconds. Only neutron stars were capable of rotating so quickly, so astronomers settled on these stellar remnants as the common mechanism behind pulsars.

The AR Sco system is comprised of a white dwarf and a red dwarf star, which orbit each other every 3.6 hours at a distance of about 1.4 million kilometers, or three times the distance between Earth and the Moon. As the white dwarf rotates around its axis every two minutes, it blasts its companion with a beam of radiation that excites electrons in the red dwarfs atmosphere, accelerating these particles to nearly the speed of light. This causes brightness changes that can be observed from Earth at exactly the period of the white dwarfs rotation.

AR Sco is like a gigantic dynamo: a magnet, size of the Earth, with a field that is ~10,000 stronger than any field we can produce in a laboratory, and it is rotating every two minutes. This generates an enormous electric current in the companion star, which then produces the variations in the light we detect, ProfessorBoris Gnsicke said in the press release announcing their discovery.

Whats in a name?

Neutron stars, which comprise the entire set of pulsars that had been discovered to date, are the dense remnants of a massive stars core left over after it ends its life in a supernova explosion. It takes a star several times the mass of the Sun to leave such a remnant behind. White dwarfs have a much less violent past they are the smaller, slightly less dense cores of stars like the Sun, left over once the stars outer layers have been blown away like a bubble as a planetary nebula. Most white dwarfs are roughly the size of Earth, while most neutron stars are only the size of, say, New York City. Red dwarf stars, thought to be the most common and longest-lived stars, are cool, low-mass Main Sequence stars (in the hydrogen-burning stages of their life) that only contain about 7.5 to 50 percent of the mass of our Sun.

The white dwarf pulsar in AR Sco might be Earth-sized, but its 200,000 times as massive as our planet. It also has an electromagnetic field 100 million times the strength of Earths, which is responsible for the beams of radiation it emits as a pulsar. The new data show that AR Sco's light is highly polarized, showing that the magnetic field controls the emission of the entire system, and a dead ringer for similar behavior seen from the more traditional neutron star pulsars, said Professor Tom Marsh.

This discovery, and others like it, point to the possibility that white dwarfs arent simply the inert remnants of Sun-like stars destined to simply fade away, but continue to play an active role long after the stars hydrogen-burning phase is complete.

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Scientists propose first astrophysics mission to the Moon – SpaceFlight Insider

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Tomasz Nowakowski

February 7th, 2017

An artists rendering of the LOX satellite orbiting the moon. Image Credit: UAH

A team of researchers led by Richard Miller of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has recently proposed a next-generation mission to the Moon called the Lunar Occultation Explorer (LOX), which is now under review by NASA. If accepted by the agency, it will be the first dedicated astrophysics lunar mission.

We hope that this mission will be transformational for all institutions that are involved, from a science and education perspective, Miller told Astrowatch.net.

Ten universities are involved in the project. Besides UAH, the missions primary implementing partner is Johns Hopkins University. Collaborating institutions are the University of Arizona, Clemson University, Florida State University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of New Hampshire, Ohio State University, Princeton University, and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

The LOX team includes nuclear astrophysicists, supernovae experts, simulation and modeling experts, planetary scientists, and mission operations experts. In December 2016, they proposed NASA a $237-million mission as part of the agencys Medium-class Explorer (MIDEX) program. Within the next five months, NASA will decide if the LOX project should be developed further as it will select three concepts to go into a nine-month study, with a subsequent selection of one mission for flight.

An artists rendering of the LOX satellite orbiting the Moon. Image Credit: UAH

We have written the large proposal and submitted it to NASA for consideration. The proposal includes details regarding our science, instrumentation, spacecraft, operations concept, and, of course, cost. NASAs MIDEX program is a competitive one with multiple concept submissions under consideration, Miller said.

LOX is planned to be launched and placed in lunar orbit around 2023. It would carry the BGO Array for Gamma-ray Energy Logging (BAGEL) instrument a large array of 45 to 100 gamma-ray sensors to study thermonuclear, or Type IA, supernovae. Each spectrometer is made of a bismuth germanate scintillator crystal used to detect gamma-rays.

This crystal lights up when a gamma-ray interacts within it, and the resulting signal is detected with associated optoelectronics, Miller told Astrowatch.net.

He added that each spectrometer also has a plastic shield that rejects charged particles.

Together they work in a configuration called a phoswich. The individual detectors are similar to ones flown previously, have high spaceflight heritage, and are low-risk, Miller noted.

In order to study supernovae, the LOX spacecraft would rely on the Lunar Occultation Technique (LOT), which is currently under development by Miller and his team. In this technique, the Moon acts like a large occulting disk. Therefore, as thesatellite orbits the Moon, distant sources such as supernovae are seen to rise and set over the edge of the Moon.

These occultations would allow the scientists to reconstruct the location of individual sources, measure their spectra, and monitor changes over timescales ranging from days to months or more. The LOT method would use the temporal modulation generated by the Moon blocking the sources, to do what other approaches do in more complex and expensive ways.

Millers team has already used LOT to find the first high-energy astrophysical source ever detected from the Moon, a galactic X-ray source known as Cygnus X-1 that is thought to include a black hole. That discovery gave the researchers the confidence that they could move forward with this technique and propose a full-scale mission utilizing LOT.

LOXs primary science goal is to resolve the enigma of Type-IA (thermonuclear) supernovae in three ways:

We will do this by detecting nuclear gamma-rays, the fundamental radiation produced by these objects, Miller said.

He concluded that LOX is expected to provide new insights into the nature of supernovae while continuously monitoring the sky.

In this business, the most exciting discovery is often the one you never expected. From a supernovae perspective we will certainly gain new insights into these objects, and perhaps for the first time definitively identify the progenitor systems and their diversity. We will also continuously monitor the sky and perform an all-sky survey in the nuclear gamma-ray regime, which has not been done for almost 20 years, Miller said.

Tagged: astrophysics Lunar Occultation Explorer Moon NASA The Range

Tomasz Nowakowski is the owner of Astro Watch, one of the premier astronomy and science-related blogs on the internet. Nowakowski reached out to SpaceFlight Insider in an effort to have the two space-related websites collaborate. Nowakowski's generous offer was gratefully received with the two organizations now working to better relay important developments as they pertain to space exploration.

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Scientists propose first astrophysics mission to the Moon - SpaceFlight Insider

Is an astrophysics-ecology drone the best new tool for saving endangered species? – Treehugger

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It's a mouthful, but an astrophysics-ecology drone has been developed by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and they say that it could be the key to boosting global conservation efforts.

Drones have been used to study and protect endangered species for years now, from patrolling for poachers to counting chimpanzees in forest canopies. A recent study even concluded that drones are far better at wildlife monitoring than humans because they can cover a greater area in the same amount of time and they can get a bird's eye view that captures more of the landscape and allows for more accurate head counts.

So, what is this new version? It's a fixed-wing drone like those that we've seen used in previous conservation efforts, but instead of just having a normal camera, it's outfitted with thermal cameras and coupled with analysis techniques used to study objects in space. Created through a partnership between the ecology and astrophysics departments at the university, it will use technology that is used to find and identify objects in the distant Universe to monitor endangered species, look out for poachers and track habitat destruction.

"The World Bank estimates that ecosystems provide $33 trillion every year to the global economy and biodiversity loss and consequent ecosystem collapse is one of the ten foremost dangers facing humanity. We hope this research will help tackle these problems by allowing anyone in the world to upload their aerial data and in real time get back geo-locations of anything, whether that be survivors of natural disasters, or poachers approaching endangered species, or even the size, weight and health of livestock," said Professor Serge Wich from LJMU's School of Natural Sciences and Psychology and founder of conservationdrones.org.

The images taken by the drones will be analyzed to create libraries of thermal heat profiles for each species, including humans, so that they can be automatically detected and identified when the drones are in the field. This could enable conservationists to act quickly when poachers are spotted or habitat destruction is occurring.

The next phase is to expand the techniques to natural disaster relief. The technology could make search and rescue operation much more efficient.

You can see what a crash of rhinos looks like with the cameras below.

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Is an astrophysics-ecology drone the best new tool for saving endangered species? - Treehugger

Neil deGrasse is Dropping Football Astrophysics on Us | Inverse – Inverse

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Neil deGrasse Tyson is a brilliant scientist who seems like he would be a miserable companion if you like, had an extra ticket to a Jets game. The 58-year-old director of the Hayden Planetarium spent Super Bowl Sunday sharing some football astrophysics facts on Twitter.

Momentum & energy transfer. Elastic & Inelastic Collisions. Spin-stabilized projectiles. Nothing like a good game of Football, Tyson wrote before the kickoff, clearly leaning into his well actually nerd persona. The Cosmos host then proceeded to share some scientific Super Bowl trivia. Some of it was, to be honest, pretty loosely related to football.

As space enthusiasts know, the first word of the first comment uttered by Neil Armstrong from the Moons surface is Houston, Tyson wrote, since Super Bowl LIs host city is also the NASA HQ mentioned in Neil Armstrongs iconic the Eagle has landed quote.

In North-South oriented stadiums, like NRG in Houston, Earths rotation deflects a 50-yd field goal to the right by 1/2 inch, Tyson wrote.

Check out more of Tysons tweets below.

Whatever Super Bowl party Tysons attending tonight is probably thrilled.

Photos via Getty Images / Cindy Ord

James Grebey is a writer, reporter, and fairly decent cartoonist living in Brooklyn. He's written for SPIN Magazine, BuzzFeed, MAD Magazine, and more. He thinks Double Stuf Oreos are bad and he's ready to die on this hill. James is the weeknights editor at Inverse because content doesn't sleep.

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Neil deGrasse is Dropping Football Astrophysics on Us | Inverse - Inverse

Heisenberg’s Astrophysics Prediction Finally Confirmed After 80 Years – Forbes

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Heisenberg's Astrophysics Prediction Finally Confirmed After 80 Years
Forbes
Light coming from the surface of a neutron star can be polarized by the strong magnetic field it passes through, thanks to the phenomenon of vacuum birefringence. Detectors here on Earth can measure the effective rotation of the polarized light. Image ...

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Heisenberg's Astrophysics Prediction Finally Confirmed After 80 Years - Forbes

#AskTheMayor; Berkeley Protests; Music and Astrophysics; NY’s Immigrants Join the Resistance – WNYC

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WNYC
#AskTheMayor; Berkeley Protests; Music and Astrophysics; NY's Immigrants Join the Resistance
WNYC
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, takes calls from listeners and discusses this week in NYC. Todd Gitlin, professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University and the author of The Incredible '60s: The Stormy Years That Changed America ...

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#AskTheMayor; Berkeley Protests; Music and Astrophysics; NY's Immigrants Join the Resistance - WNYC

Waves Passing in the Night: a talk about astrophysics, harmony, and boundaries – UC Santa Cruz (press release)

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UC Santa Cruz alumnus Lawrence Weschler graduated from Cowell College in 1972, where he studied Philosophy and Western Civilization. His new book (above) was just published in January.

The occasion is a conversation on astrophysics, acoustics, and disciplinary boundaries celebrating Weschlers brand new book, Waves Passing in the Night: Walter Murch in the Land of the Astrophysicists, just published by Bloomsbury, USA.

The book profiles Murch, a film legend and amateur astrophysicist who is well-known for his work on such classic films as Apocalypse Now, The Godfather trilogy, and The English Patient.

It focuses on Murchs passion for astrophysics, in particular the rehabilitation of Titius-Bode, a long abandoned 18th century theory regarding the patterns by which planets and moons array themselves in gravitational systems across the universe.

An amateur scientist investigates oddly musical mysteries in the motion of the planets in this scintillating true-astronomy saga, noted a review by Publishers Weekly. Weschler remains sympathetic to both sides in this debate between an inspired novice and skeptical pros, expanding it into a fascinating lesson on the nature of scientific understanding and the ways people seek it.

Or as film director Errol Morris described it: An inviting portrait of an admirable and accomplished man. We come to see science as a closed club, science as abstruse and narrow, science as caste. But Weschler allows that it could be the other way around, too--science as protector of truth and progress, science as guardian against kooks.

What began as an exploration of a 'far out' but relatable idea from a 'far out' but relatable guy has become instead a study of the praxis of science, adds Morris. Weschler leaves us pondering how firmly we know what we think we know.

Weschler graduated from Cowell College in 1972, where he studied Philosophy and Western Civilization. A critic, journalist, and author, he was a staff writer at the New Yorker for more than 20 years.

Weschlers books include Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder, for which he was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; Boggs: A Comedy of Values; and Everything That Rises, which received the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism.

This event is part of the UC Santa Cruz Original Thinkers series and is sponsored by Cowell College, the Institute for Humanities Research, the Film & Digital Media Department and the Astronomy & Astrophysics Department at UC Santa Cruz.

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Waves Passing in the Night: a talk about astrophysics, harmony, and boundaries - UC Santa Cruz (press release)

Professor publishes astrophysics article – The Winonan

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Wednesday, February 1st, 2017

Kilat Fitzgerald / Winonan

Discovering the forces at play beyond Earth, is, quite literally, an astronomical challenge. Winona State Universitys assistant physics professor, Carl Ferkinhoff, has recently been recognized for a contribution to that challenge.

His work has been published by the Astrophysical Journal, in an article he co-wrote with Cody Lamarche, a graduate student at Cornell University, titled CO-Dark Star Formation and Black Hole Activity in 3C 368 at z=1.311: Coeval Growth of Stellar and Supermassive Black Hole Masses.

The galaxy being featured in the study is named 3C 368.

Were looking at galaxies in the early universe, Ferkinhoff said. The universe is about 14 billion years old, and this galaxy, 3C 368, was around about 7 billion years ago.

The purpose of the research was to grasp the interaction between the active galactic nuclei of a galaxy and the stars that form within it.

The Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is the bright center region of a galaxy that consists of massive black holes that act as gravity wells for everything around them. Much of what gets sucked into the black hole is lost to the intense pressure within, but some particles find themselves riding outward. On the wave of energy emitted from the center of the black hole, particles are shot into space with jets emitting energy in the form of light and whatever other elements are caught in the reaction. Measuring such activity as it takes place light years away, takes creative forms of investigation.

The method of measuring the age of the galaxy used by this astronomer includes the use of an Infrared Spectrograph, or IRS for short. The process is similar to a prism breaking light into a rainbow. Incoming infrared light is broken into a spectrum, and each unique element is analyzed according to its chemical footprint.

This device, which is on board the Spitzer Space Telescope, a telescope that was launched into space in 2003, provides data that makes it possible to estimate the approximate age of the starburst within the galaxy. It was found that the age of the starburst coincided with the latest episode of AGN activity.

What were seeing is a powerful black hole in the center of vigorous star formation, Lamarche said. There may be a correlation between black hole activity and star formation. Its certainly been an interesting study, and we look forward to a follow up article.

The unexpected discovery made about galaxy 3C 368 was the lack of carbon monoxide, which comes with a new set of theories on its own.

We detect absolutely no carbon monoxide, which is kind of shocking, Ferkinhoff said.

One possibility is that all the carbon monoxide has been destroyed, which could happen if the AGN emitted a lot of radiation. Another possibility is the jets shooting out of the AGN into the gas outside the galaxy could also stir the cosmos, creating small, dispersed clouds of hydrogen and other elements scattered throughout the galaxy.

Only future research will answer the questions posed by this data, as levels will continue to be monitored by collaborative efforts.

By Kilat Fitzgerald

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Professor publishes astrophysics article - The Winonan

Artificial intelligence: How to build the business case – ZDNet

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"The acceptance of AI in the business is going to involve an evolution."

There's plenty of excitement around artificial intelligence: analyst Gartner places it at the top of its top 10 strategic technology trends for 2017. The analyst says the technology has reached a tipping point and AI is beginning to extend its tentacles into every service, thing, or application, and that it will become the primary battleground for technology vendors looking to make money through 2020.

Interim CIO Christian McMahon, who is managing director at transformation specialist three25, acknowledges interest in AI has exploded recently, but he also voices a word of caution.

AI and the Future of Business

Machine learning, task automation and robotics are already widely used in business. These and other AI technologies are about to multiply, and we look at how organizations can best take advantage of them.

"All the major corporates, accelerators and venture capitalists are desperate to find a foothold," he says. "However, I don't think the current AI market is at a stage where breakthrough technologies are about to be unveiled. Rather, it's a vibrant market which seems more conceptual than one of tangible substance."

It is a sentiment that chimes with Omid Shiraji, interim CIO at Camden Council. His organisation holds a huge amount of data and aims to use its knowledge to help people with complex needs. AI could provide a breakthrough in data insight, yet Shiraji says CIOs must focus on value creation.

"The business case for these projects is not easy -- you can take a step into the unknown," says Shiraji. "You sometimes have to rely on intuition rather than ROI to place your investments in these types of projects."

Gartner suggests executives who take a risk on AI projects will be rewarded and should consider experiments in one or two high-impact scenarios. So how will pioneering organisations build a business case for AI? Two IT leaders -- one each from the private and public sectors -- give us their take.

Sizing up the opportunity

Matt Peers, CIO of global law firm Linklaters, draws a parallel between the use of big data and the growing importance of AI. Peers says success in big data is all about being able to make the best use of the information you possess -- and Linklaters, a 175-year-old firm, is a business with more knowledge than most.

Peers says his organisation should be able to turn its history into a competitive advantage. Lawyers need knowledge about legal precedent, previous projects, and internal skills specialisms. He believes advances in AI will help his firm to create more sophisticated approaches to search.

"The key to success is getting the right information to people quickly," he says. "Some of the tools that are being developed for AI will help us search big data. Most of the technologies on the market today are good at clustering and reading contracts, and enabling you to search vast volumes of data for legal themes."

He expects the ability to digitise and search contracts for key legal themes to become commonplace very quickly. Linklaters has already created an AI working group to help analyse services in the marketplace and to work out how these technologies might impact the business.

"Firms in some key sectors are already making a move," says Peers. "We've spent a lot of time in the past 18 months sizing up the opportunities by talking to people, seeing demonstrations, and running proof of concept studies."

Peers recognises AI could also help change the way lawyers work, yet he also expects a cultural challenge. Senior partners trust their associates to spend hours considering the details of legal documents. Trusting computers to undertake the same task in seconds presents a different form of dependence.

"It's a big shift because the reputation of that lawyer and firm is on the line," he says. "The acceptance of AI in the business is going to involve an evolution. It's important to remember that there are many matters in the legal world where AI is not going to be useful for quite a long time. It's going to take a while for computers to provide trusted advice and opinion."

Using data to save lives

Toby Clarke, interim head of IT at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, says AI will have a huge impact on the work of publicly-funded organisations. Moorfields has been working closely with DeepMind Research, a project that involves the Trust sharing a set of one million anonymised eye scans.

The project between Moorfields and DeepMind relies on historic scans, meaning that while the results of the research might be used to improve future care, they will not affect patients today. However, the hope is that discoveries through the initiative will lead to earlier detection and help reduce preventable eye disease.

"What they're doing with that information is truly amazing," says Clarke, referring to the DeepMind project. "It's cutting edge and will make a significant difference."

He says the key to long-term change through AI is being able to use information to inform patient care. And that use presents challenges, particularly in terms of data security and confidentiality. "The real value will come from using non-anonymised data," he says.

"If you have a large repository of information, and you can add big data from demographics, you can start to take make predictions about patient healthcare. You could potentially say when people should be coming in for tests in terms of early warnings."

The current project uses anonymous data. "It has to be that way," says Clarke. "In terms of healthcare, there will always be issues around how you commercialise data, and how you deliver value back to the host organisation and its patients."

Clarke, however, is keen to point out that similar projects could sponsor significant change. "It's difficult for humans to understand the impact of AI right now but the potential is huge," he says. "The technology self-learns and I find it exceptionally exciting. AI is different and new, and it's something everyone involved in IT should be investigating."

In contrast to reports that automation simply leads to job cuts, Clarke says AI - particularly in the role of predictive medicine - could lead to a whole new range of data science roles. "It's not about removing jobs but it is potentially about saving lives," he says.

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Artificial intelligence: How to build the business case - ZDNet

Actress Kristen Stewart’s Research Paper On Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Evaluation – Forbes

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Actress Kristen Stewart's Research Paper On Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Evaluation
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There are perhaps two different questions to answer here: (1) What do we think of the paper? (2) What do we think of the headlines that the paper generated? Let me address the second question first, because I think that is the root of the (possible ...

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Actress Kristen Stewart's Research Paper On Artificial Intelligence: A Critical Evaluation - Forbes