Directed links for emerging technologies, transhumanism, transgenics, biotechnology, astronomy, UFOs, conspiracies, paranormal and other miscellania that may have eschatological implications....
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Mystery of farm animal mutilations in Wales
Mystery of farm animal mutilations in Wales - Wales News - News - WalesOnline: "“We are looking to the UFO connection and things people are describing, unconventional things entering the sea and leaving the sea. “We have some farmers that have seen unusual lights and found animals killed in an extremely surgical way."
Sony unveils world's first 3D head-mounted display that is as immersive as 'sitting in a cinema' | Mail Online
HMZ-T1: Sony unveils world's first 3D head-mounted display that is as immersive as 'sitting in a cinema' | Mail Online: "Technology giant Sony has unveiled a head-mounted display that takes the wearer into a 3D cinema of videos, music and games.
The HMZ personal 3D viewer is being targetted at people who prefer solitary entertainment rather than sitting in front of a television with family or friends.
Resembling a futuristic visor, the £480 ($800) device is worn like a pair of chunky goggles and earphones in one."
The HMZ personal 3D viewer is being targetted at people who prefer solitary entertainment rather than sitting in front of a television with family or friends.
Resembling a futuristic visor, the £480 ($800) device is worn like a pair of chunky goggles and earphones in one."
Drones Kill Another ‘Irreplaceable’ al-Qaida Leader
Just months after killing Osama bin Laden, the U.S. may have just taken out al-Qaida’s newly anointed second in command — a terrorist that experts consider “irreplaceable” to the organization.
U.S. officials are confident that a drone strike in Pakistan last week killed Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, the new deputy to al-Qaida leader Ayman Zawahiri. Unlike some terror leaders felled by the drone program, observers consider the loss of Atiyah — a prominent mouthpiece, ideologue and operations chief for al-Qaida — to represent a major blow to the terrorist group.
“Atiyah is irreplaceable because he combined the skills of a diplomat, an operator, and a strategist–a rare combination in any organization,” Will McCants, an al-Qaida expert at the Center for Naval Analysis, told Danger Room. “For that reason, he was one of Bin Laden’s closest confidants at the end of his life, even though he was less popular in the wider jihadi community than some of his more bellicose colleagues.”
Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/drones-kill-another-irreplaceable-al-qaida-leader/
Russian Firm Got No-Bid Pentagon Contract After Selling Arms to Iran
Russian Firm Got No-Bid Pentagon Contract After Selling Arms to Iran: "For two years, the United States regarded Rosoboronexport, Russia’s official weapons exporter, as an international pariah for selling arms to Iran and Syria. Then, in 2010, the U.S. suddenly lifted sanctions against it. By June of this year, the reversal was complete: the Pentagon awarded the company a no-bid contract worth upwards of $1 billion. How exactly did this happen?"
Black Death bug which killed 100million in 14th century plague still exists in modern day Britain
DNA taken from the skeletons of plague victims in medieval London has unearthed a shocking revelation – the Black Death is still present today.
Bodies of victims, who were buried in a mass ‘plague graves’ in the capital, show that part of the same sequence of genes still exists, hundreds of years later.
The Black Death claimed the lives of one-third of Europe's population in just five years from 1348 to 1353.
Killer: The Yersinia pestis bacteria which caused the Black Death is still present today
THE KILLER PLAGUE
Filthy living conditions in 14th Britain have been blamed for allowing the Black Death to spread.
It remains one of the most destructive pandemics in history which peaked in Europe between 1348 and 1350.
Experts say it reduced the world's population from an estimated 450 million to almost 350 million in 1400.
In 1603 the killer plague returned and killed 38,000 Londoners.
Scientists have now confirmed that Yersinia pestis which is known to cause cases of the plague today was also responsible for the brutally damaging bubonic plague which almost wiped out Europe.
NASA Practicing Asteroid Mission in Arizona Desert
NASA Practicing Asteroid Mission in Arizona Desert : Discovery News: "A team of about 150 engineers, scientists, astronauts, researchers and students started work this week on the first of several deep-space mission scenarios, part of an annual NASA field expedition called Desert Research and Technology Studies, or Desert RATS.
Staged from Black Point Lava Flow in the northern Arizona desert, the project is an opportunity to flesh-out plans, test equipment and practice techniques for a variety of proposed human space exploration missions. This year's campaign includes four asteroid mission scenarios, reflecting NASA's shift from lunar exploration to a planned asteroid visit, targeted for the mid-2020s."
Staged from Black Point Lava Flow in the northern Arizona desert, the project is an opportunity to flesh-out plans, test equipment and practice techniques for a variety of proposed human space exploration missions. This year's campaign includes four asteroid mission scenarios, reflecting NASA's shift from lunar exploration to a planned asteroid visit, targeted for the mid-2020s."
New 'Hitchhiker's Guide' to the Milky Way --Map Reveals Large-Scale Magnetic Field & Two Supernova Remnants
It may not be much use to hitchhikers through the galaxy, but it is extremely valuable to astronomers: the new radio atlas of the Milky Way. After almost ten years of work, researchers at the Max Planck Society and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have completed their investigation into the polarised radio emission in the galactic plane. The atlas is based on observations undertaken with the 25-metre radio telescope in the Chinese city of Urumqi and shows an area of 2,200 square degrees of the sky.
Dwarf Galaxies Found Cloaking Primitive Stars From the Early Universe
New observations using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have been used to solve an important astrophysical puzzle concerning the oldest stars in our galactic neighborhood hidden until recently in dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. In comparison to the Milky Way, most dwarf galaxies are blob-like, 85% smaller (around 6700 vs 100,000 light-years across), containing around 30 billion stars.
New body 'liquefaction' unit unveiled in Florida funeral home
A Glasgow-based company has installed its first commercial "alkaline hydrolysis" unit at a Florida funeral home.
The unit by Resomation Ltd is billed as a green alternative to cremation and works by dissolving the body in heated alkaline water.
Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14114555
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
"Stealth" Boat Could Revolutionize Naval Warfare
Designer is working with defense contractor on 150-foot model
The Ghost is designed to move very quickly and stealthily through water by generating a layer of gas around its underwater surfaces. Handout photo provided by Juliet Marine Systems Inc.
A stealth boat that moves through water at high speeds and with near invisibility could revolutionize the Navy's ability to carry out special operations on water.
The craft, called The Ghost, moves by generating a layer of gas around submerged surfaces, greatly reducing friction. It's unique design makes it ideal for special operations, according to Discovery News. The ship can reach speeds of 60 miles per hour and has a shape designed to reduce its visibility to radar, similar to the Navy's "Sea Shadow" project of the 1980s.
Read More: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/tech/Stealth-Boat-Could-Revolutionize-Naval-Warfare-128682913.html
Tube Burgers: The World Of In Vitro Meat
Tube Burgers: The World Of In Vitro Meat : NPR: "Imagine picking up a nice juicy burger and taking a bite, only to find out that the meaty burger you're biting into didn't come from an animal — it was grown in a lab.
Sound far-fetched? The reality of test-tube burgers in supermarkets may be close to becoming a reality. Scientists at laboratories around the world are currently working to make meat in labs that will eventually look and taste like the real thing, without any animal parts."
Sound far-fetched? The reality of test-tube burgers in supermarkets may be close to becoming a reality. Scientists at laboratories around the world are currently working to make meat in labs that will eventually look and taste like the real thing, without any animal parts."
Google tests world's first 1GB per second broadband service - 100 times faster than normal
Google tests world's first 1GB per second broadband service - 100 times faster than normal: "Silicon Valley residents are getting the first taste of Google's experimental 1Gbps broadband service, which allows download speeds 100 times faster than normal."
When bacteria attack! Scientists make breakthrough in studying how germs infect people
When bacteria attack! Scientists make breakthrough in studying how germs infect people | Mail Online: "Understanding how bacteria infect people is crucial to preventing countless human diseases.
Now scientists have made a breakthrough with a new approach enabling them to study molecules within their natural environment.
The research, led by a team of biochemists, microbiologists and physicists at the University of Bristol, provides an unprecedented level of detail of the consequences of a bacterium approaching another cell."
Now scientists have made a breakthrough with a new approach enabling them to study molecules within their natural environment.
The research, led by a team of biochemists, microbiologists and physicists at the University of Bristol, provides an unprecedented level of detail of the consequences of a bacterium approaching another cell."
Clue to the crucifixion? 2,000-year-old biblical burial box is new 'link to the death of Jesus Christ'
A 2,000-year-old burial box which was rescued from antiquities looters could provide a new link to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, scientists claim.
The ancient limestone box - or ossuary - is believed to reveal the location of the family of Caiaphas, the high priest involved in Christ's crucifixion.
Researchers in Israel say it could reveal the biblical figure's family home before their exodus to Galilee.
Secrets of the Bible: This is the ossuary thought to reveal the home of Caiaphas' family
The Transhumanism Trap: Using Technology to Perfect the Human Race
The Transhumanism Trap: Using Technology to Perfect the Human Race: "Transhumanists hunger for technology that will take an otherwise healthy individual and enhance him or her beyond normal human ability. Transhumanism seeks not just to cure disease but to change the very nature of man. To make him more than human, even immortal, with whatever means are available, whether it is with nanotechnology, artificial limbs, artificial intelligence, or genetic enhancement. Transhumanism is a insidious philosophy because it rejects the nature of humanity and our natural limitations. Rejecting the nature of man, it also rejects the inherent dignity of every human person in the process."
When Computers Get Brains - Smithsonian
When Computers Get Brains | Innovations: "So much happened last week, what with Wall Street in need of a sedative and Gerard Depardieu in need of a bathroom, you probably missed the news that a team led by IBM has created a computer chip that mimics how a brain works.
Big deal, right? Hadn’t they already created the computer that delivered a smackdown of those two “Jeopardy” whizzes turned hapless humans?
Actually, this latest creation is something very different and potentially more momentous. Watson, the “Jeopardy” god, is a ridiculously powerful computer that, nonetheless, operated in a fairly conventional way—except it was retrieving info from a database of more than 200 million pages of content.
But the new invention, the “cognitive” computer chip, is a leap into uncharted territory. The chips, as they become more sophisticated, could eventually copy the brain’s ability to sense surroundings, recognize patterns, and—dare I say it—learn on their own."
Big deal, right? Hadn’t they already created the computer that delivered a smackdown of those two “Jeopardy” whizzes turned hapless humans?
Actually, this latest creation is something very different and potentially more momentous. Watson, the “Jeopardy” god, is a ridiculously powerful computer that, nonetheless, operated in a fairly conventional way—except it was retrieving info from a database of more than 200 million pages of content.
But the new invention, the “cognitive” computer chip, is a leap into uncharted territory. The chips, as they become more sophisticated, could eventually copy the brain’s ability to sense surroundings, recognize patterns, and—dare I say it—learn on their own."
NWO Overman is the Eupraxsophy of Transhumanism
NWO Overman is the Eupraxsophy of Transhumanism: "Before your mind hits overload, take the time to listen to the interview with Tom Horn on Future Quake Radio. If you are ambitious and have the time to delve into the extended insights of Mr. Horn, TransHumanism & Genetic Manipulation is an earth shattering experience."
The end of ageing: The remarkable new treatments doctors say will keep us young
Miracle cures: The Florida conference showcased some 'miracle' products
Orlando in Florida, home of Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom, this year hosted a fantastical event, although there wasn’t a Mickey Mouse in sight.
The city was the location for the 19th Annual World Congress on Anti-Ageing and Aesthetic Medicine, which, if the futuristic treatments on show were to be believed, heralded a new era in anti-ageing technology.
Here is a selection of the most remarkable age-reversal treatments on offer at the conference.
Doomsday 2012: Is the Apocalypse Off by Seventeen Years or So?
Anticipation and fervor continue to increase in the months leading up to December 2012, when it is widely believed that the world as we know it will end. Okay, that statement could have been be just a little exaggerated: though there has been some concern over cataclysmic world changes that would coincide with the end of the Mayan Calendar in 2012, perhaps it’s a bit silly to assume that we’re really facing Doomsday on Friday, December 21st, 2012.
Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/08/doomsday-2012-is-the-apocalypse-off-by-seventeen-years-or-so/
Why the Fukushima disaster is worse than Chernobyl
Why the Fukushima disaster is worse than Chernobyl - Asia, World - The Independent: "Japan has been slow to admit the scale of the meltdown. But now the truth is coming out. "
Monday, August 29, 2011
Meet the eyeborg: Film-maker turns his prosthetic eye into a miniature video camera
A one-eyed documentary filmmaker has revealed how he has turned his prosthetic eye into a miniature video camera.
Rob Spence, from Toronto, is able to record what he sees through his other eye. It is not linked to his brain and hasn't restored his vision.
Here's looking at you: Mr Spence's revolutionary eye camera in action
He is working with the makers of a new video game - Deus Ex: Human Revolution - that imagines a world in 2027 when cyborgs roam the streets. They asked him to look at whether this fictional world was actually so far away.
'If you think about it, all this technology is moving towards the body,' he told the Metro.
'I've already started.'
Agricultural life on Mars: Farmers and chefs likely to join astronauts on first trip to the Red Planet
Agricultural life on Mars: Farmers and chefs likely to join astronauts on first trip to the Red Planet | Mail Online: "Astronauts on the first manned mission to Mars are likely to number horticultural experts and chefs as well as more traditional ex-military personnel.
Supplying enough food for a round trip to the Red Planet is one of the greatest challenges facing mission planners, experts were told yesterday.
One solution under consideration is for astronauts to grow their own food in a hi-tech 'kitchen garden'."
Supplying enough food for a round trip to the Red Planet is one of the greatest challenges facing mission planners, experts were told yesterday.
One solution under consideration is for astronauts to grow their own food in a hi-tech 'kitchen garden'."
Extraterrestrial Hurricanes: The Most Monstrous Storms Happen in Space
Carolyn Porco and CICLOPS; NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI
An image of Saturn taken by the Cassini spacecraft shows a storm with a latitudinal and longitudinal extent of 10,000 km and 17,000 km, respectively. The latitudinal extent of the storm’s head is approximately the distance from London to Cape Town. A "tail" emerging from its southern edge extends further eastward.
By Earth standards, Hurricane Irene is a monster storm. But it's just a baby compared to the massive cyclones of Jupiter and Saturn.
Our planet is not the only one in the solar system that boasts huge, hurricane-like storms. The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, for example, churn out spinning squalls that can be bigger than the entire Earth. While these storms aren't fed by warm ocean water the way terrestrial hurricanes are, they're similar in a lot of ways, scientists say.
Colonization of Space Looms --Nuclear Power Plant for Settlements on Moon, Mars & Beyond
The first nuclear power plant being considered for production of electricity for manned or unmanned bases on the Moon, Mars and other planets may really look like it came from outer space. "The main point is that nuclear power has the ability to provide a power-rich environment to the astronauts or science packages anywhere in our solar system and that this technology is mature, affordable and safe to use," says James E. Werner of the Idaho National Laboratory
Fracking could have caused East Coast earthquake
Fracking could have caused East Coast earthquake: "Experts are looking for a reason behind Tuesday afternoon’s unlikely 5.8 magnitude earthquake that shook people up and down the East Coast, and some are saying that a recent rise in fracking could be the culprit."
'Time Cells' Weave Events Into Memories
'Time Cells' Weave Events Into Memories - ScienceNOW: "Time is what keeps everything from happening at once, the American theoretical physicist John Wheeler once said. In the mind, as in the outside world, the flow of events contains individual experiences strung together in sequence yet separated by gaps in time. New research shows that during these gaps, neurons in a part of the brain called the hippocampus encode each "empty" moment as precisely as the surrounding events, allowing the brain to make detailed representations of time."
China 'set to launch rival to International Space Station'
China 'set to launch rival to International Space Station' - Telegraph: "China's bid to rival the International Space Station is just days away from blast-off, Chinese media has reported, in a move that has raised fresh questions about the wisdom of US decisions to cut funding for space programmes."
Libyan rebels using micro UAV
Libyan rebels using micro UAV | DefenceWeb: "Libyan rebels are using the Aeryon Scout micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in their fight against pro-Gaddafi forces, after receiving one of the aircraft from Canadian manufacturer Aeryon Labs.
While numerous UAVs operate over Libya (such as the Predator, Fire Scout and ScanEagle), these are all NATO assets, leaving rebels without their own platform. However, Aeryon Labs earlier this week revealed that rebels have been using its Scout to acquire intelligence on enemy positions and to coordinate resistance efforts.
The company said that representatives from the Transitional National Council (TNC) were looking for an imagery solution to provide to the troops on the ground and chose the Scout after evaluating a series of micro UAVs."
While numerous UAVs operate over Libya (such as the Predator, Fire Scout and ScanEagle), these are all NATO assets, leaving rebels without their own platform. However, Aeryon Labs earlier this week revealed that rebels have been using its Scout to acquire intelligence on enemy positions and to coordinate resistance efforts.
The company said that representatives from the Transitional National Council (TNC) were looking for an imagery solution to provide to the troops on the ground and chose the Scout after evaluating a series of micro UAVs."
Hurricanes, Cryptozoology, and Weird Animal News
Hurricanes, Cryptozoology, and Weird Animal News: "Sometimes you hear that all the reports of apelike creatures in the southern USA, in the bottomland swamps, have been blamed on this hurricane or that hurricane causing the escape of monkeys or apes from experimental labs, roadside zoos, or personal collections. However, most of these rural legends live in the same corner of the room where you find those tales of all the mystery cats being escapees from “circus train wrecks.”"
Hurricane Irene Pictures: Storm Lashes U.S. East Coast
Hurricane Irene Pictures: Storm Lashes U.S. East Coast: "See the damage already wrought by the storm..."
Sunday, August 28, 2011
King Arthur's round table may have been found by archaeologists in Scotland
Archaeologists searching for King Arthur's round table have found a "circular feature" beneath the historic King's Knot in Stirling.
The King's Knot, a geometrical earthwork in the former royal gardens below Stirling Castle, has been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years.
Though the Knot as it appears today dates from the 1620s, its flat-topped central mound is thought to be much older.
Writers going back more than six centuries have linked the landmark to the legend of King Arthur.
Archaeologists from Glasgow University, working with the Stirling Local History Society and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society, conducted the first ever non-invasive survey of the site in May and June in a bid to uncover some of its secrets.
Their findings were show there was indeed a round feature on the site that pre-dates the visible earthworks.
Yale Researchers Use Genetic Code To Engineer a Living Protein
Yale Researchers Use Genetic Code To Engineer a Living Protein | ECN: Electronic Component News: "New Haven, Conn. — Yale University researchers have successfully re-engineered the protein-making machinery in bacteria, a technical tour de force that promises to revolutionize the study and treatment of a variety of diseases.
"Essentially, we have expanded the genetic code of E. coli, which allows us synthesize special forms of proteins that can mimic natural or disease states," said Jesse Rinehart of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology and co-corresponding author of the research published in the August 26 issue of the journal Science."
"Essentially, we have expanded the genetic code of E. coli, which allows us synthesize special forms of proteins that can mimic natural or disease states," said Jesse Rinehart of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology and co-corresponding author of the research published in the August 26 issue of the journal Science."
The nightmare world of 'trans-humanism'
The nightmare world of 'trans-humanism': "Ever since I became a newsman, I've researched events, developments and trends that are so bizarre, so frightening, so twisted and so unbelievable that they are nearly impossible to cover without being dismissed for "sensationalism."
That's the problem with a story earlier this week in WND about something called "trans-humanism."
It sounds like science fiction, but tragically it is science fact.
You've heard of bio-engineering or genetic engineering. Well, it doesn't just involve crops and animals any more. Now there are active efforts under way to "improve" mankind – even to achieve immortality through science.
If you want to get a glimpse of the experiments taking place that will remind you of "The Island of Dr. Moreau," I suggest you get a copy of a new video that introduces the brave new world of trans-humanism."
That's the problem with a story earlier this week in WND about something called "trans-humanism."
It sounds like science fiction, but tragically it is science fact.
You've heard of bio-engineering or genetic engineering. Well, it doesn't just involve crops and animals any more. Now there are active efforts under way to "improve" mankind – even to achieve immortality through science.
If you want to get a glimpse of the experiments taking place that will remind you of "The Island of Dr. Moreau," I suggest you get a copy of a new video that introduces the brave new world of trans-humanism."
Alien Archives and the FBI
Digging through the FBI’s declassified, multi-volumed, UFO files at its Vault site can be a rewarding task. Even though the files in question were declassified decades ago, there are a few stand-out nuggets of data that, perhaps years later, still shed more light on the early days of Ufology than many have realized or recognized.
For the most part, when the Flying Saucer era began in the summer of 1947 with the famous sighting of Kenneth Arnold - of a veritable squadron of craft near Mount Rainier, Washington State, USA – people were reporting encounters with strange objects in the sky, a few landings, and even the occasional, alleged UFO crash. But, interaction with the intelligences behind the craft wasn’t that commonplace. There is, however, one early report in the FBI’s files that is suggestive (to me, anyway!) of some sort of immediate post-Arnold interaction of the human/non-human variety.
Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/08/alien-archives-and-the-fbi
Saturday, August 27, 2011
State of the Bionic Art: The Best Replacements for My Flimsy Human Parts
State of the Bionic Art: The Best Replacements for My Flimsy Human Parts | Popular Science: "In the event of some horrible accident, which bionic parts would I want replacing my own?"
So if it's not cheese, what IS the moon made of? Nasa hopes twin spacecraft will reveal the answer
Man may have landed on the moon 42 years ago, but we don't yet know what it's made of or how exactly it was formed.
Nasa hopes to change this with the launch of two spacecraft towards are nearest cosmic neighbour.
The GRAIL mission (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory) will place the probes in the same orbit around our natural satellite.
The Grail spacecraft will fly in tandem around the moon. They will send measurements back to Earth that will map the satellite's gravitational field
The payload (made up of two spacecraft) is added to the GRAIL booster. It is slated to launch on September 8
The dynamic duo will orbit the moon to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.
They will do this by mapping the moon's gravitational field.
As two probes fly over areas of greater and lesser gravity - caused by features like mountains and craters - they will move a little towards and away from each other.
The distance will be calculated by the Lunar Gravity Ranging System, which will measure changes down to a few microns - about the diameter of a red blood cell.
An instrument aboard each craft will then measure the changes in their relative velocity very precisely.
Using Supernovae to Measure the Cosmos
Using Supernovae to Measure the Cosmos : Discovery News: "How do astronomers know how far away that galaxy is? For starters, it would help if a star would explode."
The aliens have landed: Amazing footage shows 'little green men walking about after UFO touchdown'... but why does it always happen in Siberia?
For an alien looking to explore Earth, the frozen wastes of Siberia may not be the most attractive of landing locations.
But if this film footage is to be believed, that's exactly where these 'little green men' chose to land their UFO.
The clip, filmed in the remote Irkutsk region of Siberia, appears to show a strange glowing craft and five aliens walking about in the snow.
Proof at last? This screen grab shows an apparent UFO on the ground with what appears to be an unearthly being to its right and four other beings directly in front of the glowing craft
It shows what seems to be an alien about four feet tall, standing 15 feet away from its glowing craft, with four other similar figures nearby.
The short clip was taken two days after mysterious lights illuminated the Siberian night skies above Bayanday, also in Irkutsk.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Worldships: A Interview with Greg Matloff
Worldships: A Interview with Greg Matloff: "The first conference devoted solely to worldships takes place today in London at the headquarters of the British Interplanetary Society. It seemed a good time to check in with Gregory Matloff, a man I described when writing Centauri Dreams (the book) as the ‘renaissance man of interstellar studies.’ Perhaps best known for his continuing work on solar sails, Matloff’s interests have nonetheless ranged widely. He brought deep space propulsion to a wide audience in his book The Starflight Handbook (1989), which covers the full spectrum of interstellar options, but for over three decades has continued to produce scientific papers investigating issues ranging from laser ramjets to beamed microwave missions. A recent interest has been the expansion of the human biosphere into space, as discussed in books like Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth (Springer, 2009) and the soon to be published Biosphere Extension: Solar System Resources for the Earth, written with C Bangs. These last titles indicate that the interest in worldships Matloff first cultivated in papers for JBIS in the early 1980s continues to burn bright, as the following will confirm."
Was missing pilot snatched by aliens?
Was missing pilot snatched by aliens? - Brigg - Market Rasen Mail: "RUMOURS a RAF Binbrook pilot was abducted by aliens have been published in newly-released Government files on UFOs.
Reports describe how Capt William Schaffner was never seen again after his Lightning plane merged with a UFO over the North Sea on September 8, 1970. A second later the UFO is said to have sped off travelling at more than 20,000mph.
The Ministry of Defence files released by the National Archives cover reported sightings of UFOs from 1985 to 2007 – it includes claims Capt Schaffner spotted a dazzling blue cone-shaped object minutes before his plane disappeared off the radar."
Reports describe how Capt William Schaffner was never seen again after his Lightning plane merged with a UFO over the North Sea on September 8, 1970. A second later the UFO is said to have sped off travelling at more than 20,000mph.
The Ministry of Defence files released by the National Archives cover reported sightings of UFOs from 1985 to 2007 – it includes claims Capt Schaffner spotted a dazzling blue cone-shaped object minutes before his plane disappeared off the radar."
Ghosts and the machines
Ghosts and the machines: "RELAX. There's no cause for alarm right now. There's plenty of bandwidth for everyone, from the barefoot twangers of the back-to-blues'n'roots folk revival to the auto-tuned avatars of the electronic dance-pop frontier. But, as Mick Jagger almost said: war, children, is just a chip away.
The tipping point science fiction writers have long warned about is technological singularity, when humanity as we know it is eclipsed by artificial intelligence. Some say it's as close as 2040. In clubs and pop videos, it seems closer."
The tipping point science fiction writers have long warned about is technological singularity, when humanity as we know it is eclipsed by artificial intelligence. Some say it's as close as 2040. In clubs and pop videos, it seems closer."
Will computers ever be smarter than us?
Will computers ever be smarter than us? - The Globe and Mail: "Moore’s Law is generating a lot of animated discussion these days. Described first in a 1965 paper written by Intel Corp. co-founder Gordon Moore, the axiom predicts that the number of transistors that can be squeezed onto a computer’s integrated circuit board doubles every two years or so. Moore said that computing power would expand at that pace for a decade."'
Robots and the end of war as we know it
U.S. soldiers seeking to root out al-Qaeda and Taliban forces raid a dwelling near the villages of Sherkhankheyl, Marzak and Bobelkiel, in Afghanistan in March 2002. (Joe Raedle - REUTERS)
Rapid advances in robotics technology, combined with the need for innovative new technologies to combat insurgents on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, are turning robots and unmanned drones into the next hot area of military innovation. The most sophisticated of the new military bots weigh less than five pounds. Then there are others that can fit into your pocket, and be connected via a mesh network. That network gives them the ability to coordinate activities, such as detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or scouting out locations, in real-time as part of a robot swarm.
Not surprisingly, the U.S. Army is now seeking to deploy thousands of these tiny military bots.
Gadhafi’s Loose Weapons Could Number a ‘Thousand Times’ Saddam’s
Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi spent decade piling up a huge stash of weapons like a crazy old lady hoarding cats. Ironically, rebel forces looted his arms depots to turn Gadhafi’s missiles and guns on their old master. But the ease with which the rebels were able to arm themselves points to their next massive problem: securing those weapons before they fuel a lethal insurgency or flood the global arms bazaar.
It’s a concern familiar to those who watched Iraq’s insurgency evolve. Saddam Hussein, like Gadhafi, amassed a vast array of conventional weaponry for defense against enemies both foreign and domestic. In the aftermath of the U.S. invasion in 2003, looters made off with tons of explosives from unprotected military arsenals, making arms available to a brewing insurgency. With the end of Gadhafi’s rule seeming nigh, arms control and human rights experts are paying close attention to the security of the country’s weapons stockpiles, fearing they could end up in the hands of a pro-regime insurgency or other militants outside the country.
The subterranean Amazon: Mighty river found flowing 13,000ft below ground
The Amazon river is known to be the second longest in the world, shorter only than the Nile but, remarkably, scientists have discovered another river flowing thousands of feet beneath it.
Researchers from Brazil's National Observatory believe the subterranean river is 3,700 miles long, about the same length as the Amazon on the surface.
The great Amazon: Now scientists say another river is flowing 13,000ft beneath it
Dr Valiya Hamza, from the BNO, said the discovery of the underground river came from studying temperature variations at 241 inactive oil wells drilled in the 1970s and 1980s by Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras.
How Zoo Animals Predicted The DC Earthquake
How Zoo Animals Predicted The DC Earthquake: "Moments before a rare, 5.8-magnitude shook Washington, D.C., the National Zoo said Wednesday many of its animals showed signs of distress -- some letting out cries, others fleeing to higher ground and some huddling together.
In the seconds before the quake struck Tuesday afternoon, several gorillas and orangutans abandoned their food and climbed to the top of a tree-like structure in the National Zoo, part of the Smithsonian Institution.
One orangutan named Iris began "belch vocalizing," which the zoo described as "an unhappy/upset noise normally reserved for extreme irritation," just before the tremor and continued the call after"
In the seconds before the quake struck Tuesday afternoon, several gorillas and orangutans abandoned their food and climbed to the top of a tree-like structure in the National Zoo, part of the Smithsonian Institution.
One orangutan named Iris began "belch vocalizing," which the zoo described as "an unhappy/upset noise normally reserved for extreme irritation," just before the tremor and continued the call after"
Horses Domesticated 9,000 Years Ago in Saudi Arabia
Horses Domesticated 9,000 Years Ago in Saudi Arabia : Discovery News: "Saudi Arabia has found traces of a civilization that was domesticating horses about 9,000 years ago, 4,000 years earlier than previously thought, the kingdom said."
Nibiru: Imaginary Planet Blamed for Earth's Woes
Nibiru: Imaginary Planet Blamed for Earth's Woes : Discovery News: "The earthquake that ratted the Northeast U.S. this week is already being attributed to an imaginary celestial interloper called Nibiru.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, there are crazy ideas, damn crazy ideas, . . . and soothsayers.
If you have never heard of Nibiru here's the skinny: a rogue planet is supposedly barreling toward Earth. When does it arrive? You guessed it, in 2012, the doomsday year some folks say they have derived from the Mayan calendar. Nibiru has also been blamed for the great Japan earthquake that happened on March 11 this year."
To paraphrase Mark Twain, there are crazy ideas, damn crazy ideas, . . . and soothsayers.
If you have never heard of Nibiru here's the skinny: a rogue planet is supposedly barreling toward Earth. When does it arrive? You guessed it, in 2012, the doomsday year some folks say they have derived from the Mayan calendar. Nibiru has also been blamed for the great Japan earthquake that happened on March 11 this year."
Attack of the killer ravens: Flocks are suddenly slaughtering lambs - what is going on?
High in the darkening sky, a flock of enormous ravens swoop and swirl - narrow black wings stretched wide, heads protruding forward and huge hairy beaks scything through the air.
Every few minutes they let out deep, throaty, honking calls as they soar effortlessly, circling around until, finally, they spot their prey and swoop.
But forget dormice, voles or even small furry rabbits; these sinister looking birds are feasting on something far larger - newborn lambs.
Raven attack: Farmers report a rise in the number of calves, lambs and sheep pecked to death
And instead of hanging around for a few discarded bones or a forgotten carcass to pick and claw at, they've started killing live farm animals - by pecking them to death, in horrific scenes reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's The Birds, turned by Alfred Hitchcock into one of the most chilling movies of all time.
Throughout Britain, traumatised farmers have reported a sudden and disturbing rise in the number of livestock being attacked by ravens.
Farmer John Kirk, 50, from Nethybridge, near Aviemore, has lost more than 40 animals in the past few weeks.
"It's like something out of a horror film. They are horrible, horrible birds. They see the young lambs and just fly down and help themselves," he said.
"Sometimes you find a carcass with the eyes and tongue pecked out, but sometimes all you find is the skin. They peck away until nothing is left." And while some animals have been pecked to death, others have been left to die in agony after birds have feasted on their eyes, tongues and the soft flesh of their underbellies.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Fukushima caesium leaks 'equal 168 Hiroshimas'
Fukushima caesium leaks 'equal 168 Hiroshimas' - Telegraph: "Japan's government estimates the amount of radioactive caesium-137 released by the Fukushima nuclear disaster so far is equal to that of 168 Hiroshima bombs."
Astronomers discover planet made of diamond
(Reuters) - Astronomers have spotted an exotic planet that seems to be made of diamond racing around a tiny star in our galactic backyard.
The new planet is far denser than any other known so far and consists largely of carbon. Because it is so dense, scientists calculate the carbon must be crystalline, so a large part of this strange world will effectively be diamond.
Read More:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/25/us-planet-diamond-idUSTRE77O69A20110825
Yours for £33,000: The real-life Tron Lightcycle superbike that can hit speeds of 120mph
If you have a spare £33,000 and are in the market for the ultimate boy's toy, then this might be the treat for you.
A motorbike painstakingly engineered to replicate the computer-generated bike in science fiction film Tron: Legacy is now on sale.
In the film, the bike was created using state-of-the-art CGI graphics and is controlled by computer programs and gamers.
The real version, created by Parker Brothers Choppers, is 8ft long, 23 inches wide and weighs 474lbs. It can also reach a cool 120mph.
The incredible £33,000 pounds motorbike is inspired by the science fiction movie, Tron: Legacy
A still from the new Tron: Legacy film which shows computer programmes and humans racing on Lightcycles
Its hubless wheels are produced using former truck tyres that have been custom-shaped to fit and decorated with electro-luminescent strips.
A fibreglass cover encases a steel frame and, unusually, riders have to lie at a near-horizontal position just as in the film.
The bike is powered by a fuel-injected Suzuki 996cc, four-stroke engine and is spring-loaded at the front and back.
Every bike is custom-built and are available to buy online from Hammacher Schlemmer.
Super-massive black hole caught shredding a star to pieces for the first time
A stunning cosmic jet from a super-massive black hole which shredded then swallowed a star has been observed by astronomers for the first time.
The extremely rare phenomenon caused by stellar debris being consumed by the hole has never been observed before.
Known as 'relativistic jets', they can reach hundreds of thousands of light years in length.
Stunning: This illustration shows plasma shooting out of the black hole after it devours a star. Such an event took place four billion light years from Earth
Nobody Knows Who Has Control of Libya’s Deadliest Weapons
The Libyan rebels are winning. But nobody knows who has control of Libya's massive stockpile of chemical weapons and nuclear material. Wait, what?
The AP has an extremely troubling report this morning. In areas that are still being contested, we have no idea what's going on or who has control over what weapons. 30,000 shoulder-fired rockets. 11 metric tons of mustard gas. Raw uranium yellowcake. And we're not entirely sure who they belong to right now.
Read More: http://gizmodo.com/5834305/nobody-knows-who-has-control-of-libyas-deadliest-weapons
Strange Sensations: Can Animals Sense Earth Changes?
It started with a curious noise outside… I actually thought there may have been an explosion. I stepped outside, with Eik, a trusty Rottweiler I’ve been watching for the past few days courtesy of some friends who are out of town, following directly behind me. Scanning the sky, as well as the rest of the neighborhood for anything strange, we couldn’t seem to find the source of this strange “explosion.” But this would hardly be the end to our strange day… in fact, it was only the beginning!
I went back to work, answering emails and trying to crank out a few more articles (like this one) before a mid-day radio interview promoting the newest book in the Exposed, Uncovered and Declassified series that I’ve contributed to, titled Ghosts and Hauntings: Am I being Haunted? There had been phone calls coming in all day too, in addition to everything else going on, and at the moment in question my father had called to check in about a rendezvous time for an engagement we were attending together later that day. That’s when the sudden, blood-curdling howling began…
Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/08/strange-sensations-can-animals-sense-earth-changes/
British Admiral was tireless UFO advocate at the House of Lords
British Admiral was tireless UFO advocate at the House of Lords: "The recent release of UFO files from the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) include two files, DEFE 24/2033/1 and DEFE 24/2034/1, dealing with Parliamentary Questions. A substantial amount of these—over 350 pages—show the tireless advocacy for UFOs in general and the December 1980 incidents in the Rendlesham Forest near the RAF bases of Woodbridge and Bentwaters in particular, by Admiral of the Fleet Peter Hill-Norton, a former Chief of Defence Staff and a peer in the House of Lords until his death in 2004."
UFO draws astronomers into debate over its origin
Eastday-UFO draws astronomers into debate over its origin: "THE huge, glowing UFO spotted hovering above Shanghai, Beijing and other regions in China on Saturday evening has led to a debate among astronomers who are trying to explain the phenomenon.
The "white ball" was spotted about 9pm above Shanghai by pilots who reported the sightings to the East China Air Traffic Control Bureau. At almost the same time, residents in Beijing, Shanxi and Anhui provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also witnessed and photographed the similar, round bubble-like object rapidly expanding in the sky."
The "white ball" was spotted about 9pm above Shanghai by pilots who reported the sightings to the East China Air Traffic Control Bureau. At almost the same time, residents in Beijing, Shanxi and Anhui provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also witnessed and photographed the similar, round bubble-like object rapidly expanding in the sky."
History Channel Puts The Strongest UFO Evidence Under The Microscope
• In 1986, a Japan Airlines pilot saw what he described as an unidentified flying object over Alaska closely tailing his 747. He made an evasive move. His career was thrown into turmoil, but he never recanted what he claimed he saw.
• In 1987, a Federal Aviation Administration executive says the CIA warned him not to talk about UFOs because the public would panic.
• In 1997, former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington mocked thousands of people who said they saw mysterious lights over Phoenix, calling out a staffer dressed in a cheesy ET costume at a press conference. Ten years later, he apologized for lying to the media and the public.
What these events have in common is that they are unveiled on a new two-hour History Channel special, "Secret Access: UFOs On The Record," that features in-depth accounts from people who have been willing to risk their jobs and reputations to speak out about their remarkable experiences with UFOs.
"The theme of the program is that UFOs exist, but there's a small percentage of sightings that are significant and haven't been explained," said Leslie Kean, author of The New York Times bestseller UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On The Record, which forms the basis of the History Channel special.
Of all UFO sightings reported, most can be explained as ordinary phenomena, and therefore discarded. However, there are some spectacular, well-documented UFO events have been officially investigated by government agencies, witnessed by pilots and confirmed by Air Force generals. No conventional explanations were found despite extensive efforts by experts to do so. These are the cases explored in "UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record" and in the History Channel special, "Secret Access: UFOs On The Record."
US food supply in serious jeopardy after Obama’s decision
US food supply in serious jeopardy after Obama’s decision - National natural health | Examiner.com: "According to Jeffrey Smith, The leading consumer advocate promoting healthier, non-GMO choices, “The person who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death than anyone in history has just been made the US food safety czar. This is no joke.” Michael Taylor, the man that was once Monsanto’s lawyer then became part of Monsanto and headed up the “GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) movement” has just been basically appointed over your food.
Obama has done it again, he appointed this man to be senior advisor to the commissioner of the FDA. That means the same company that produces the world’s most deadly substance (Round-up) and the man that is behind getting GMO foods on the market shelves is now in charge of the US’s food production. You will be eating this man’s creation instead of nature’s creation. Think obesity, food allergens, allergies, incurable diseases, sugar diabetes, cancer and unheard of diseases are bad now?"
Obama has done it again, he appointed this man to be senior advisor to the commissioner of the FDA. That means the same company that produces the world’s most deadly substance (Round-up) and the man that is behind getting GMO foods on the market shelves is now in charge of the US’s food production. You will be eating this man’s creation instead of nature’s creation. Think obesity, food allergens, allergies, incurable diseases, sugar diabetes, cancer and unheard of diseases are bad now?"
The Obama administration love affair with GMOs is selling America down the river to agricultural ruin
The Obama administration love affair with GMOs is selling America down the river to agricultural ruin: "(NaturalNews) – The freedom to grow one’s own food is a foundational pillar of civilization, and one that absolutely must persist if humanity itself is to exist. But this freedom is rapidly disintegrating in the US, as multinational corporations like Monsanto seize control of the American food supply through the widespread propagation of patented, genetically-modified (GM) seeds and crops. And the Obama administration is currently at the helm of orchestrating this hostile takeover, as it continues to openly support any and all efforts to spread GMOs far and wide, whether it be on private farmland or public wildlife refuges."
For Alex -- Russian Scientists Decode Extraterrestrials’ Messages – Grave Warning for Humanity
Press Release: "During fifteen years of research they discovered two keys – analog and digital – for decoding crop circles and others extraterrestrials’ pictograms in stone. Among them are Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles in the UK, Machu Picchu, Chavin de Huantar and the Nazca Lines in Peru, the pyramid of Chichen-Itza and the pyramids of the moon and the sun in Mexico and the Moai of Easter Island and others. All extraterrestrials’ pictograms in stone transmit preliminary information about the development of consciousness. Crop circles transfer the emergency information and instructions for salvation. Unfortunately, there are many hoaxes that can ruin our future."
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Pentagon Isn’t Sweating China’s New Weapons of Doom
You’d think the Pentagon would be chewing its nails down to the nub over China’s military buildup. After all, in the past few months, China unveiled its first stealth jet, reached the early operating phase of a “carrier-killer” missile, and took its first-ever aircraft carrier out for a stroll. Instead, the Defense Department’s Asia hands don’t seem any more freaked by the Chinese military than they were last year. In fact, the Pentagon’s annual report on its Chinese counterpart reads a lot like the previous edition.
Yes, Beijing is rapidly modernizing its forces, as it has for years, upping its military spending by 12.7 percent last year while the Pentagon prepares for deep cuts. Yes, China’s pursuing an “expanded regional maritime strategy and presence.” And yes, in the eyes of the Pentagon’s top Asia wonk, that modernization is “potentially destabilizing.”
Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/chinas-new-weapons-of-doom/
Russian Space Station Cargo Ship Crashes : Discovery News
Russian Space Station Cargo Ship Crashes : Discovery News: "The unmanned Progress M-12M vehicle failed to reach orbit and may have crashed into Siberia or Russia's Altai region."
Wake Up America! 10 Very Obvious Reasons Why The Devastating U.S. Jobs Famine Is Going To Suck The Hope Right Out Of America
Wake Up America! 10 Very Obvious Reasons Why The Devastating U.S. Jobs Famine Is Going To Suck The Hope Right Out Of America: "Do you have friends, neighbors and relatives that can't find work? Well, unfortunately the current U.S. jobs famine is about to get a whole lot worse. Right now there are approximately 13.9 million unemployed Americans. That does not count those that "are not looking for work". That does not count those that are working part-time jobs but that are desperate for full-time work. The truth is that we need tens of millions more full-time jobs in order to give one to everyone that wants one. Sadly, the long-term trends that have caused this mess continue to get worse. Unless truly dramatic changes are made, the U.S. economy is going to continue to bleed jobs and that is going to suck the hope right out of this country. It is time to wake up America! It is not a big mystery why we don't have enough jobs. But sadly, very few of our leaders are talking about the real issues."
Pentagon Quake Nightmare: Fukushima on the Mississippi
In May, the federal government simulated an earthquake so massive, it killed 100,000 Midwesterners instantly, and forced more than 7 million people out of their homes. At the time, National Level Exercise 11 went largely unnoticed; the scenario seemed too far-fetched — states like Illinois and Missouri are in the middle of a tectonic plate, not at the edge of one. A major quake happens there once every several generations.
But Tuesday’s earthquake along the East Coast is a reminder that disasters can hit where they’re least expected. And if the nightmare scenario comes, government officials worry that state and federal authorities won’t be able to handle the “cascading failures” that follow. The results of May’s disaster exercise won’t be released to the public. But privately, these government officials say they’re glad that this earthquake was just a drill — and not the big one. Especially because there are so many nuclear power plants in the fault zone.
“A couple of things keep me up at night,” Paul Stockton, the Defense Department’s senior homeland security official, told the Aspen Security Forum last month. A quake, like the one simulated in National Level Exercise 11, is chief among the sleep-takers. “It’s so much bigger than anything we’ve faced — way beyond Hurricane Katrina.”
Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/quake-nightmare/
The ultimate hot air balloon: Capsule that can take brave (and wealthy) explorers into Earth's stratosphere to launch in two years
A helium balloon that will take enterprising travellers into Earth's stratosphere is due to take off in just two years.
The 'Bloon' will climb to a height of 22miles thanks to a huge balloon measuring 420ft in diameter.
The five-hour experience would cost an astronomical £90,000 per person but would offer 'space tourists' the chance to glimpse the curvature of the Earth.
Pod with a view: Space tourists will be able to see the curvature of the Earth during their five-hour trip
Conditions on the 'near-spaceship' should be fairly comfortable as the pressurised pod, which is 13ft in diameter, would offer plenty of space for the two pilots and up to four guests. The room temperature would allow visitors to be in 'shirt sleeves.'
On 'their trip of a lifetime' visitors would experience a three-hour cruise at an altitude where they could watch the Sun dawning over our planet.
Then the sail would be vented and descend until the sail separated from the pod. A parachute would then deploy to fly the pod back to Earth.
The pod, due to fly its first mission in 2013, is the brainchild of Spanish company Zero 2 Infinity.
They claim is can be flown 25miles in any direction to safely guide it to a predetermined landing site.
Entrepreneur and CEO Jose Mariano Lopez-Urdiales said he was inspired to do the project while having a conversation with his astronomer father.
Going up: The pod holding two pilots and up to four guests will ascend thanks to a helium balloon 420ft in diameter
Earth, home to mankind and 8.7m other species - but it will take 1,200 years to find them all
Scientists claim to have worked out how many species there are on Earth - 8.7million.
They reached the figure using an advanced mathematical model which they believe is the most accurate ever.
Previous estimates ranged from three million to 100million.
New find: This new species of monitor lizard was discovered in Papua New Guinea recently
The Canadian researchers hope their ‘telephone book’ for the planet will help find undiscovered species and quantify how many are being lost.
Zoologists and botanists have been cataloguing species for 250 years, but so far only 1.2million have been logged. Each year 6,000 are discovered, but even at that rate, it would take another 1,200 years to find them all.
The authors reached their total using a model based on known species groups. Each was divided into categories, then re-divided again and again into theoretical sub-categories.
'God Particle' May Be a Mirage, Scientists Hint
A proton-proton collision at the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator at CERN laboratory in Geneva that produced more than 100 charged particles.
Scientists chasing a particle they believe may have played a vital role in creation of the universe indicated on Monday they were coming to accept it might not exist after all.
But they stressed that if the so-called Higgs boson turns out to have been a mirage, the way would be open for advances into territory dubbed "new physics" to try to answer one of the great mysteries of the cosmos.
The CERN research center, whose giant Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been the focus of the search, said it had reported to a conference in Mumbai that possible signs of the Higgs noted last month were now seen as less significant.
A number of scientists from the center went on to make comments that raised the possibility that the mystery particle might not exist.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/23/god-particle-may-be-mirage-scientists-hint/#ixzz1VwuJjN7z
Black Holes and Pulsars Could Reveal Extra Dimensions of the Universe
Black holes and pulsars could reveal extra dimensions, solving that thorny problem of testing string theory, which attempts to unify all the known forces. String theory calls for extra spatial dimensions beyond the three we experience. Testing the theory has proved difficult, however.
But that hasn't stopped John Simonetti of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and colleagues who say black holes orbited by neutron stars called pulsars could do just that – if cosmic surveys can locate such pairings. “The universe contains ‘experimental’ setups we cannot produce on Earth,” he says.
Black holes are predicted to cast off their mass over time by emitting particles, a phenomenon called Hawking radiation. Without extra dimensions, this process is predicted to be incredibly slow for run-of-the-mill black holes weighing a few times as much as the sun, making it impossible to measure.
Extra dimensions would give the particles more ways to escape, speeding up the process. This rapid weight loss would loosen a black hole's gravitational grip on any orbiting objects, causing them to spiral outwards by a few metres per year, the team calculates.
Scorpion-shaped UFO seen in the skies over Los Cristianos, Spain
Scorpion-shaped UFO seen in the skies over Los Cristianos, Spain: "In one of the most unusual recent UFO sightings, a scorpion-shaped object was spotted in the skies above Los Cristianos, Spain on Saturday, August 21, 2011. Jamie O'Rourke saw the unidentified flying object near his home around 8:00am and managed to snap several photos before the object disappeared."
![Scorpion-shaped UFO seen in the skies over Los Cristianos, Spain [photos]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tJFyT4LQFoXsswcEVN_wQmbIaz2dmhGegQDoAXDp1lFmu_JThtJQUbM0i0qdQ7XdslAcEQFIrW8FOxwS-D5mggMLI6WIdaZmnHk2hLvc0rE3-MCcSBF-Ji3GjUq935Yd9IonOHn0c--QeThUuVpgDUx-JOgU7MRLnpP0Uthb_8RcvKlWihsRb0jqcyDMQ=s0-d)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
IBM UNVEILS CHIPS BASED ON THE BRAIN
One of the bigger challenges in designing a computer that works like a brain is that computers are not very bright. They can do math faster than humans, and they can run through thousands of data points in a fraction of a second. But ask a computer to read the bad handwriting on your prescription, or recognize an object based on seeing just a fraction of it, and it stumbles.
On top of that, the fastest and most sophisticated computers are power hogs. A typical human brain may not compute very fast, but it uses only about a watt or so of power. A late-model Cray supercomputer uses about 45,000 watts per cabinet; such computers can eaily consume megawatt levels of energy in some configurations.
Read More: http://news.discovery.com/tech/ibm-unveils-chips-based-on-brain-110823.html
NASA's New Space Technologies
NASA has selected three proposals to transform space communications, deep space navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities. The projects will develop and fly a Mission-Capable Solar Sail, Deep Space Atomic Clock, and space-based Laser Communications Relay optical communications system. Launches are anticipated in 2015 and 2016.
"These technology missions will improve our communications, navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities, enable future missions that could not otherwise be performed, and build the technological capability of America's space industry," said NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/08/nasas-new-space-technologies-.html
ET Technology Could Appear as Natural Objects in the Universe
According to the British physicist Stephen Wolfram, intelligent life is inevitable. But there is a hitch. Although intelligent life is inevitable, we will never find it -at least not by looking out in the Milky Way. As evidence Wolfram points out In order to compress more and more information into our communication signals - be they mobile phone conversations or computer- we remove all redundancy or pattern. If anything in a signal repeats, then clearly it can be excised. But this process of removing any pattern from a signal make it look more and more random - in fact, pretty much like the random radio "noise" that rains down on Earth coming from stars and interstellar gas clouds.
According to Wolfram, if someone beamed our own 21st-century communication signals at us from space we would be hard pressed determining whether they were artificial or natural. So what chance do we have of distinguishing an ET communication from the general background radio static of the cosmos?
A Flying Saucer at 50
A Flying Saucer at 50 | Mysterious Universe: In March 1960, the U.S. Air Force and NASA became deeply embroiled in a controversial UFO event involving a man named Joseph Perry, of Grand Blanc, Michigan, who claimed to have photographed a UFO in the night sky approximately two weeks earlier. It was an affair that – officially, at least, finally came to a close 50-years ago this very week.
Warning as children shun books in favour of Facebook
Warning as children shun books in favour of Facebook - Telegraph: One in six children is failing to read books as they spend an increasing amount of time text messaging friends, sending emails and browsing social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a study has found.
DARPA Prepares for Meme War
DARPA Prepares for Meme War: “Potent memes can change minds, alter behavior, catalyze collective mindshifts and transform cultures. Which is why meme warfare has become the geopolitical battle of our information age. Whoever has the memes has the power.”–Kalle Lasn
Galaxies are running out of gas: study
Galaxies are running out of gas: study: (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study has shown why the lights are going out in the Universe. The Universe forms fewer stars than it used to, and a CSIRO study has now shown why - the galaxies are running out of gas.
Scottish prehistoric mummies made from jigsaw of body parts
BBC News - Scottish prehistoric mummies made from jigsaw of body parts: DNA tests on British prehistoric mummies revealed they were made of body parts from several different people, arranged to look like one person.
New Report: Aliens Will Fix Global Warming ... Or Kill Us
An artist's illustration of a potential alien attack as depicted in the science television series "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking."
If or when intelligent extraterrestrials discover us, it's anybody's guess what they'll do. They might befriend us. They might eat us. As Carl Sagan once noted, they might find amusement in some talent we have that they lack and use us as entertainment, just as we keep sea lions in captivity because of their remarkable ability to balance rubber balls on their noses.
All of these scenarios and more are fleshed out in a new article in the journal Acta Astronautica by researchers at Pennsylvania State University. One possibility they've raised has garnered more attention than any other: An extraterrestrial civilization might notice our planet by detecting changes in the spectral signature of Earth — the light radiated by our planet and atmosphere — caused by greenhouse gas emissions. And they might frown upon our behavior.
The group's thinking goes like this: From the rate of change of the chemical composition in our atmosphere, the aliens will deduce our rapid expansion and, because of that, possibly view us as a threat, thinking we'll soon pursue resources on other worlds. [Look! Up in the Sky! A Recent History of UFOs]
"If [they] doubt that our course can be changed, then they may seek to preemptively destroy our civilization in order to protect other civilizations from us," the researchers write. (Several media outlets have inaccurately reported that NASA is behind the new report. One of its authors, astrobiologist Shawn Domagal-Goldman, recently began working at NASA, but wrote the paper with former colleague Seth Baum and others at Penn State, whose institution was solely responsible for funding their research.)
Read More: http://www.livescience.com/15678-aliens-attack-earth-global-warming.html
Monday, August 22, 2011
Secret U.S. experiments to prompt 2nd Coming?
'It's the destruction of humanity and introduction of 'its' and 'things' that will make war against God'
Are men and women about to become superhumans who could hasten the 2nd Coming of Jesus?
Is mankind's quest for knowledge, power and longer life about to backfire and wipe human beings off the face of the Earth?
Secret experiments now underway in the U.S. and elsewhere are sparking fears of a potential extinction-level event hastening the 2nd Coming of Jesus.
For decades now, there have been science-fiction stories portraying a future filled with spectacular abilities for people, where the definition of what makes someone a human being is blurred by blending high technology and even animal traits into the humanbody.
In the 1970s, TV's "Six Million Dollar Man" featured Lee Majors as a critically injured astronaut rebuilt by the government to "make him better than he was – better, stronger, faster."
In 1982's classic film "Blade Runner," Harrison Ford portrayed a futuristic cop who falls in love with a genetically engineered female "Replicant" while he looked to kill renegade androids seeking immortality.
Since then, there's been no shortage of tales with similar themes, from "Dollhouse" and "The Terminator" to"Spider-Man," "Splice" and "The Matrix."
And with major advances in technology in recent years, science fiction of the past could become science fact of our immediate future, with human minds connected wirelessly to computers and bionic bodies outperforming top athletes by leaps and bounds. That prospect has some sounding alarm bells about the fulfillment of End-times Bible prophecy and the possible vanishing of mankind through global warfare, disease, starvation or even – as strange as it sounds – replacement by other entities.
Read more: http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=334589