anakupto: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

US says new 'connected' power grid equipment is at risk - and 'there have been intrusions'

US says new 'connected' power grid equipment is at risk - and 'there have been intrusions' | Mail Online: "Utilities such as water supplies and the power grid face a rising number of cyber break-ins by attackers using sophisticated attacks. Acting DHS Deputy Undersecretary Greg Schaffer said that industries are increasingly vulnerable to hackers and foreign agents due to 'connected' equipment - and 'there have been intrusions.' "

Who wants to live forever? Computer model predicts that if humans became 'immortal' it might actually be bad news

Ageing and death are not something human beings generally look forward to - but, paradoxically, we may have 'evolved' ageing to help us survive.

Using computer simulations of two 'competing' populations, evolutionary biologist Andre Martins of Brazil's University of Sao Paolo 'proved' that under some conditions, it could be an advantage to age and die.

Not for the individuals concerned, of course - for the species as a whole.

'Current thinking suggest death did not evolve,' says Bryan Appleyard, author of How to Live Forever - or Die Trying, 'Evolution is only concerned with getting us to reproduce. Our genes are very protective of us up to, say, our mid-twenties, after that, they don't care what happens to us so we slide downhill.'

But Martins' simulation - using dots in a square 'landscape' to simulate two 'competing' civilisations, one mortal, one immortal- appeared to prove that ageing could often prove advantageous.

Immortality is a staple of sci-fi films such as Highlander - but the reality could actually put the human race at the a disadvantage. Unless, of course, 'there can be only one'

Immortality is a staple of sci-fi films such as Highlander - but the reality could actually put the human race at the a disadvantage. Unless, of course, 'there can be only one'

The 'immortal' jellyfish, Turritopsis Nutricula, can 'return' itself to youth and in theory live forever. But immortality may actually be a genetic disadvantage

The 'immortal' jellyfish, Turritopsis Nutricula, can 'return' itself to youth and in theory live forever. But immortality may actually be a genetic disadvantage

'A species that grows old can drive immortal competitors to extinction,' writes Martins. 'This counter-intuitive result arises from the pruning caused by the death of elder individuals. When there is change and mutation, each generation is slightly better adapted to the new conditions.'

Future cars will read our minds

Future of Technology - Future cars will read our minds: "What's on your mind as you drive down the road? Cars of the future may tap into those thoughts in order to keep you and our roads safer.
The technology builds on brain-machine interface research pioneered at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland that allows wheelchairs users to get around using their minds. "

Japan's Answer To Next Tsunami? Mini Noah's Ark

Japan's Answer To Next Tsunami? Mini Noah's Ark | Fox News: "TOKYO – A small Japanese company has developed a modern, miniature version of Noah's Ark in case Japan is hit by another massive earthquake and tsunami: a floating capsule that looks like a huge tennis ball.

japan_mini_noah_ark

Japan's Cosmo Power says its "Noah" shelter is made of enhanced fiberglass that can save users from disasters like the one on March 11 that devasted Japan's northern coast, leaving nearly 20,000 people dead or missing."

Accelerating Future » Transhuman Evolution Design

Accelerating Future » Transhuman Evolution Design: "Transhuman Evolution Design"

Night Shift Nurses and the Flying Saucer Men

What sounds like a saucy, cinematic romp that would likely have played in some dingy theater on New York’s 42nd Street in the 1970s, is actually one of the strangest and most fascinating events in the long history of UFO research. The event in question, which would soon become a full blown phenomenon, began in the wee hours of New Year’s Day, 1970, and involved a group of Canadian nurses who would bear witness to a peculiar craft and a pair of bizarre beings that would forever alter the course of their lives.

Tevatron atom smasher shuts after more than 25 years

Tevatron (Fermilab)

The Tevatron dominated the energy physics frontier until the advent of the LHC

One of the world's most powerful "atom smashers", at the leading edge of scientific discovery for a quarter of a century, is about to shut down.

The Tevatron facility near Chicago will fire its last particle beams on Friday after federal funding ran out.

Housed in a 6km-long circular tunnel under the Illinois prairie, the Tevatron leaves behind a rich scientific legacy.

This includes finding nature's heaviest elementary particle: the top quark.

Since 1985, engineers have been accelerating bunches of proton and antiproton particles around the Tevatron's main ring at close to the speed of light, then smashing them together in a bid to unlock the secrets of the Universe.

'Flying carpet' of conductive plastic takes flight

'Flying carpet' of conductive plastic takes flight: "A miniature magic carpet made of plastic has taken flight in a laboratory at Princeton University."

Gigantic gravitational waves could explain the universe’s biggest mysteries

Modern physics assumes the universe is the same all over... but that might not be the case. Until recently, physics held that the universe was contracting... now we're stuck with dark energy. But one moderately insane new theory could explain it all.

The discovery, just over a decade ago, that the universe is accelerating its expansion rocked astrophysics and forced theorists to invoke the existence of dark energy, a mysterious force that drove this expansion and accounted for as much as 74% of all the mass-energy in the universe. It's not exactly the most elegant solution, but it's the best explanation for the evidence currently available. For a more detailed primer on why dark energy makes more sense than all the alternatives, check out Dr. Dave Goldberg's primer.

China Set to Launch Its Own Space Station; Mission: Unknown

China is just days away from launching an ambitious rival to the International Space Station, pictured above. A rocket launch carrying an unmanned test module named Tiangong 1 — literally, “Heavenly Palace 1” — is scheduled for this week. Allegedly, the 8.5-ton Tiangong 1 module is designed to practice autonomous rendezvous ops in orbit, in order to prep for a manned space base around 2020. But China-watchers and space specialists are trying to figure out if there’s an additional agenda for the Heavenly Palace.

SpaceX's Future Spaceship Forgets Parachute

SpaceX's Future Spaceship Forgets Parachute: "After atmospheric reentry, but before touchdown, conventional logic dictates that the spacecraft you're riding in would deploy a parachute. I mean, that's the only sensible way to safely land a spacecraft with no wings, right?

Well, if you were paying attention to Elon Musk's announcement at the National Press Club in New York on Thursday, you'll know that SpaceX isn't necessarily following conventional logic."

Wormhole thread...? Vast Cosmic Filament Discovered Connecting Milky Way to the Universe

Astronomers at The Australian National University have discovered proof of a vast filament of material that connects our Milky Way galaxy to nearby clusters of galaxies, which are similarly interconnected to the rest of the Universe.

“By examining the positions of ancient groupings of stars, called globular clusters, we found that the clusters form a narrow plane around the Milky Way rather than being scattered across the sky,” said Dr. Stephan Keller of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at ANU.
Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/09/vast-cosmic-filaments-discovered-that-link-the-universe.html

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Spies Can Hide Secret Messages in Bacteria, Scientists Say

Microbial Messaging

Scientific espionage: microbial messaging.

Espionage just got a little more sophisticated and scientific. Invisible ink? Decoder rings? Lemon juice? Puh-lease -- that's mere child's play compared to what double agents scientists at Tufts University just created.

Is Our Universe a Hologram? In 1982 a Little Known but Epic Event Occurred at the University of Paris

What if our existence is a holographic projection of another, flat version of you living on a two-dimensional "surface" at the edge of this universe? In other words, are we real, or are we quantum interactions on the edges of the universe - and is that just as real anyway?
Whether we actually live in a hologram is being hotly debated, but it is now becoming clear that looking at phenomena through a holographic lens could be key to solving some of the most perplexing problems in physics, including the physics that reigned before the big bang,what gives particles mass, a theory of quantum gravity.

Will advanced biometrics automate future war machines?

Will advanced biometrics automate future war machines?: "TAMPA -- Biometric security breakthroughs are coming that would let the military capture from a distance an iris and facial scan of an individual and immediately match it to a biometrics-based "Watch List" of suspected terrorists, combatants or criminals."

Please Pray for this Man!! Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Nadarkhani Refuses to Convert

Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Nadarkhani Refuses to Convert - International Business Times: "Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who is facing the death penalty, again refused to convert to Islam to save his life.

Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 for the crime of apostasy because he allegedly abandoned Islam for Christianity. As a pastor, Iranian clerics believe that Nadarkhani was preaching in order to convert Muslims.

Before his last hearing Wednesday, Nadarkhani had been given three previous chances to repent, and all three times he has refused. After his final refusal Wednesday, no verdict has been announced, but many expect that he could be put to death as soon as Friday."

The Dirty Details Behind Genetically Engineering Kids

What always fascinates me about the transhumanist, is that they are so blinded by their love of technology and their desire to change humanity that they always skip over the dirty details.

In case you are unfamiliar with transhumansim, it is a philosophy that wants to use technology to surpass treating or preventing disease and use it to enhance otherwise healthy humans beyond natural capabilities. They envision a world where you can genetically enhancing your offspring to be smarter, faster, bigger and maybe even to glow-in-the-dark. They speak of this perfect world where man is no longer human, but “posthuman.” And yet the details about how to achieve this technological utopia always seem to escape their notice. They assume that whatever genetic enhancement is inflicted on the next generation can be as easily removed as it was to introduce.

Pentagon, Capitol Targeted by Massachusetts Man in Plot Foiled by FBI

Pentagon, Capitol Targeted by Massachusetts Man in Plot Foiled by FBI - The Daily Beast: "The FBI arrested U.S. citizen Rezwan Ferdaus, who planned to fly remote-controlled model planes loaded with C-4 Into the Pentagon and Capitol, in a new homegrown terror plot."

Was a Giant Planet Ejected From Our Solar System?

Fifth planet flung from solar system

A new set of computer simulations suggests that there was once a fifth giant planet in addition to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

The Fifth Planet sounds like a great name for a sci-fi movie -- perhaps a sequel to the 1997 movie "The Fifth Element." But the fifth planet may be real; a hypothesized giant world that was flung out of our solar system four billion years ago. It would have drifted tens of thousands of light years away by now.

Why even suspect that such a planet existed?

Sea Dragon Discoveries Q&A

Sea Dragon Discoveries Q&A : Discovery News: "During the Age of Dinosaurs, some 200 million years ago, fish-shaped ichthyosaurs and long-necked plesiosaurs ruled the seas. Both types of sea dragons were air-breathing reptiles. They started out as lizard-esqe land animals that later inhabited shallow coastal seas. Over millions of years, they evolved body designs suitable for efficient swimming and took command of the open ocean."

REWIND: Intel Wants Brain Implants in Its Customers' Heads by 2020

Researchers expect brain waves to operate computers, TVs and cell phones

Mind Trip Intel wants into your brain Warner Bros.

If the idea of turning consumers into true cyborgs sounds creepy, don't tell Intel researchers. Intel's Pittsburgh lab aims to develop brain implants that can control all sorts of gadgets directly via brain waves by 2020.

The scientists anticipate that consumers will adapt quickly to the idea, and indeed crave the freedom of not requiring a keyboard, mouse, or remote control for surfing the Web or changing channels. They also predict that people will tire of multi-touch devices such as our precious iPhones, Android smart phones and even Microsoft's wacky Surface Table.

Turning brain waves into real-world tech action still requires some heavy decoding of brain activity. The Intel team has already made use of fMRI brain scans to match brain patterns with similar thoughts across many test subjects.

Cyborg Alert: Israeli Researchers Build a Rat Cyborg With a Digital Cerebellum

Synthetic Cerebellum In humans the cerebellum sits at the back of the brain and fields stimuli from the brain stem. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have devised and electronic chip capable of replacing the cerebellum in rats, a development that could lead to electronic brain implants that can replace damaged nerve tissue in humans. Life Science Databases via Wikimedia

The day when doctors can patch up the human brain with electronics, cyborg-style, hasn’t dawned just yet. But if the rats at Tel Aviv University are any indication, that day may not be so very far away. Researchers there have developed a synthetic cerebellum that has restored lost brain function in rats, demonstrating that artificial brain analogs can potentially replace parts of the brain that aren’t functioning properly. Paging officer Alex Murphy.

The team’s synthetic cerebellum is more or less a simple microchip, but can receive sensory input from the brainstem, interpret that nerve input, and send the appropriate signal to a different region of the brainstem to initiate the appropriate movement. Right now it is only capable of dealing with the most basic stimuli/response sequence, but the very fact that researchers can do such a thing marks a pretty remarkable leap forward.

Army Tracking Plan: Drones That Never Forget a Face

Perhaps the idea of spy drones already makes your nervous. Maybe you’re uncomfortable with the notion of an unblinking, robotic eye in the sky that can watch your every move. If so, you may want to click away now. Because if the Army has its way, drones won’t just be able to look at what you do. They’ll be able to recognize your face — and track you, based on how you look. If the military machines assemble enough information, they might just be able to peer into your heart.

The Pentagon has tried all sort of tricks to keep tabs on its foes as they move around: tiny transmitters,lingering scents, even “human thermal fingerprints.” The military calls the effort “Tagging, Tracking, and Locating,” or “TTL.” And, as the strategy in places like Afghanistan has shifted from rebuilding societies to taking out individual insurgents, TTL has become increasingly central to the American effort. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been devoted to it.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Florida Teen Murder Suspect Says She's a Vampire

Admits drinking blood of fiance

Florida Teen Murder Suspect Says She's a Vampire

An 18-year-old Florida girl accused of helping lure a 16-year-old boy into a fatal trap says she's a vampire who has drunk the blood of her boyfriend.

Stephanie Pistey confirmed assertions by police in Parker, Fla., that the people involved in the July murder of 16-year-old Jacob Hendershot were in a vampire cult. Pistey, who was arrested last Monday and charged with accessory to murder, said she sees herself as a modern day Dracula.

"Since I was like 12 every fiber in my body, basically everything, I know this is going to be crazy, but I believe that I'm a vampire and part werewolf," Pistey told WBBH-TV.

S.A. man claims he spotted UFO; video is big hit online

It was over a week ago Mario Vallejo of southeast San Antonio claims he spotted an Unidentified Flying Object, or a UFO. Regardless of whether you believe him or not he’s quickly gaining a lot of attention on-line.

“I was pointing that way and I saw that object traveling that way, going east,” said Vallejo. “First of all no navigational lights that’s what got my attention at first. Then I started zooming in and I started seeing the different configuration of the lights.”

Vallejo will even be the first to admit he sees aircraft fly by his home often, but claims this was different.

The Hybrid Revolution: Technology Will Take on a Life of Its Own

Technology Will Take on a Life of Its Own - By Ayesha and Parag Khanna | Foreign Policy: "IN THE THIRD WAVE, the Tofflers foresaw that advanced societies would no longer be content to see humankind as the pinnacle of evolution. Instead, they wrote, we are moving into a brave new world where knowledge will become an inexhaustible commodity and transform not just our economies but more deeply our sense of who we are -- and "not just for a generation, but forever," as they put it."

SpaceX to Build 'Grasshopper' Rocket

SpaceX to Build 'Grasshopper' Rocket : Discovery News: "The rocket is likely a test to chase the elusive holy grail for rocket scientists -- reusable launchers."

Fifty-Nine-Million Year Old Protein Resurrected --A Potent Antibiotic

Ben Cocks, Research Director of the Bio-Sciences Research and a Professor in Animal Genetics and Genomics at La Trobe University has been working with DNA from a 60 million year-old wallaby to combat drug-resistant bugs or pathogens. The wallaby genome was recently published, and identified a number of genes encoding anti-microbial peptides. The team reconstructed what a certain segment of DNA would have looked like 60 million years ago when Australia was part of Gondwana.

Sunspot 1302 unleashed towards Earth, detected on shortwave radio

Greenbelt - Scientists are monitoring a sunspot that produced an X1.9-category solar storm that was unleashed over the weekend and could be headed towards Earth. Sunspot 1302 was so strong that it has been detected shortwave radio on this planet.

Digital Journal has reported in the past about intense solar storms and so far nothing catastrophic has occurred. The worst thing that has transpired thus far has been loss of radio signals in some parts of the United States.

You, Too, Can Be Iron Man ... Almost

What's it take to be a superhero? For the most part, it's luck: born at the right place at the wrong time, such as Superman on the eve of Krypton's destruction; or exposed to ionizing radiation to somehow develop superhuman abilities instead of cancer, such as Spiderman and Hulk.

Then there are those overly ambitious multi-millionaires — Bruce Wayne, Oliver Green and Tony Stark — who kick bad-guy butt as Batman, Green Arrow and Iron Man, respectively. [Latest News on Iron Man]

These non-mutated superrich superheroes have no superhuman powers. They instead rely on their wits, skill and strength. This begs the question: Given a few million dollars in discretionary spending, could you be such a superhero? [7 Amazing Superhuman Feats]

Two-Faced Cat From Worcester Sets World Record

Two-Faced Cat From Worcester Sets World Record « CBS Boston: "WORCESTER (CBS) – To most people meeting Frank ‘n Louie for the first time he looks like any ordinary cat.

Frank and Louie, a cat born with two faces, has been named the longest living Janus cat in the new edition of the Guinness World Records. (Photo credit: David Niles-Telegram.com)

Frank and Louie, a cat born with two faces, has been named the longest living Janus cat in the new edition of the Guinness World Records. (Photo credit: David Niles-Telegram.com)

“They initially walk up with the look of ‘oh what a beautiful cat’ and then as he turns I see the look of horror come across their face.”"

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Spiritual Paths to Space: A Classic Among Interdimensionals

Is it really possible that within the realms of “spiritual sciences”–the arcane mystic arts of magic and ritual practiced over the centuries–there may be incredible ways to access other worlds? An even stranger notion involves the possibility that those realms may be inhabited by beings as strange as their ethereal surroundings… and capable of providing unique insights to those brave enough to meet them on their own terms.

Nightmare in Libya: 20,000 Surface-to-Air Missiles Missing - ABC News

Nightmare in Libya: 20,000 Surface-to-Air Missiles Missing - ABC News: "U.S. officials had once thought there was little chance that terrorists could get their hands on many of the portable surface-to-air missiles that can bring down a commercial jet liner.

But now that calculation is out the window, with officials at a recent secret White House meeting reporting that thousands of them have gone missing in Libya.

"Matching up a terrorist with a shoulder-fired missile, that's our worst nightmare," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D.-California, a member of the Senate's Commerce, Energy and Transportation Committee."

EMP: The Greatest Threat to America, and What We Can Do about It

EMP: The Greatest Threat to America, and What We Can Do about It: "It's bewildering. Pathetic. Frightening. And it seems that the mainstream media avoids talking about it for fear that Americans will panic. Well, Americans ought to be panicking -- anything to get them to bang on Congress's door and force our representatives to immediately act on the pending legislature now in Congress called the SHIELD Act -- a bill based on the previous HR 5026 -- that unanimously passed in the House of Representatives on June 9, 2010."

Scroll over this: Dead Sea Scrolls now online - and your mouse pointer instantly translates into English

The Dead Sea Scrolls, the world's oldest known biblical documents, are now available to read online - and simply scrolling over phrases from one of the 2000-year-old scrolls instantly translates them into English.

'It’s taken 24 centuries, the work of archaeologists, scholars and historians, and the Internet to make the Dead Sea Scrolls accessible to anyone in the world,' said a post on the official Google blog today. A Google video of the hi-tech process is below.

The Great Isaiah Scroll - the most famous of the Dead Sea Scrolls - can be translated instantly, simply by moving your mouse over the text

The pictures of the scrolls appear at a resolution of 1,200 megapixels - hundreds of times sharper than even the most expensive professional cameras, created using a 'one-shot' technique where a camera 'scans' for up to 50 minutes to absorb huge amounts of information from artefacts.

The day the world went 'Phut'? Earth in crosshairs of gigantic solar storm that could blow circuits of ANYTHING from satellite TV to the electric power grid

'Northern Lights' seen over southern England as a result
Bursts of solar radiation could wreak havoc with communication systems

A sunspot, 62,000 miles across - so big it would dwarf the Earth - is releasing gigantic solar flares that could in theory wreak havoc with electrical communications ranging from handheld electronics such as iPhones to sections of the power grid.

Nasa has detected two X-class solar eruptions from 1302 – the most extreme possible – in the past week. One that occurred on September 24 produced an amazing light show over England last night – but it’s far from over, as the sunspot isn’t yet directly aligned with Earth.

NASA experts have said 'anything electrical' can be affected by such activity.

Hot stuff: The behemoth sunspot 1302 has been unleashing huge solar flares

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/earth-blasted-by-one-of-the-most-intense-geomagnetic-storms-seen-in-years/

PIRANHAS ATTACKING BEACHGOERS IN BRAZIL

At least 100 people were attacked by piranhas at beaches in Brazil last weekend.

Environmental officials have added tilapia to the waters to try and discourage the piranhas from biting people.

Authorities in a state in Brazil's northeast are scrambling to take the fright and the bite off the beach after piranhas sunk their teeth into about 100 beachgoers, UOL Noticias reported.

The problem -- rather fearsome given piranhas' horror-movie teeth and ability to sink them into human flesh -- has been the biggest at the main beach area in Piaui state; authorities said they need to act fast to reduce a piranha overpopulation situation.

20 Reasons Why Millions Of Americans Under The Age Of 30 Are Giving Up On The U.S. Economy

20 Reasons Why Millions Of Americans Under The Age Of 30 Are Giving Up On The U.S. Economy: "So are we in the process of creating a "lost generation"?

The following are 20 reasons why millions of Americans under the age of 30 are giving up on the U.S. economy....

#1 Only 55.3% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 were employed last year. That was the lowest level that we have seen since World War II.

#2 Today, there are 5.9 million Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 that are living with their parents.

#3 The economic downturn has been particularly tough on men. According to Census data, men are twice as likely to live with their parents as women are..."

For Alex: Major Transhumanist/Immortalist Activism in Moscow

Major Transhumanist/Immortalist Activism in Moscow: "Called “the first political meeting on immortality in history”, around 100 Russian transhumanists met in the center of Moscow, across the street from the Bolshoy theater, to “support immortality, creating new technologies, regenerative medicine, genomic research and everything related to fighting aging and radical life extension.”"

Will the Human Species Evolve a Quantum Consciousness?

The possibility of evolving a quantum consciousness depends on numerous variables, and requires that we are not first exterminated by an asteroid impact, a nearby supernova, or gigantic volcanic eruptions, or our civilization is not decimated by global warfare over resource scarcity exacerbated by climate change.
Stephen Hawking has voiced concern about the dangers that he believes are posed by aliens who may arrive some day on Earth: "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like..."
According to Hawking aliens "would be only limited by how much power they could harness and control, and that could be far more than we might first imagine...Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach...I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet...If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans."

Supernova Shockwave -The Death Ray of the Universe?

Most astronomers today believe that one of the most plausible reasons we have yet to detect intelligent life in the universe is due to the deadly effects of local supernova explosions that wipe out all life in a given region of a galaxy.
While there is, on average, only one supernova per galaxy per century, there is something on the order of 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe. Taking 10 billion years for the age of the Universe (it's actually 13.7 billion, but stars didn't form for the first few hundred million), Dr. Richard Mushotzky of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, derived a figure of 1 billion supernovae per year, or 30 supernovae per second in the observable Universe!

Certain rare stars -real killers -type 11 stars, are core-collapse hypernova that generate deadly gamma ray bursts (GRBs). These long burst objects release 1000 times the non-neutrino energy release of an ordinary "core-collapse" supernova. Concrete proof of the core-collapse GRB model came in 2003.

Did our solar system once harbor an extra planet? (Planet X, Where Are You?)

A computer simulation has shown that our solar system couldn't have formed without an extra planet. But if that theory is true, what happened to it?

Alien planet

A new study based on computer simulations has demonstrated that our solarsystem might be missing a planet. In fact, without an extra planet, it seems unlikely that our solar system could have formed at all, reports PhysOrg.com.

The startling discovery suggests that Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were not the only gas giant planets around during the formation of our solar system. There had to be a fifth gas giant, similar to Uranus and Neptune, orbiting some 15 times further from the sun than our planet Earth.

'Antimagnet' joins list of invisibility approaches

BBC News - 'Antimagnet' joins list of invisibility approaches: "Researchers have designed a "cloak" that is invisible to magnetic fields both coming in and coming out."

CIA Says Global-Warming Intelligence Is ‘Classified’

CIA Says Global-Warming Intelligence Is ‘Classified’ | Threat Level | Wired.com: "Two years ago, the Central Intelligence Agency announced it was creating a center to analyze the geopolitical ramifications of “phenomena such as desertification, rising sea levels, population shifts and heightened competition for natural resources.”

But whatever work the Center on Climate Change and National Security has done remains secret.

In response to National Security Archive scholar Jeffrey Richelson’s Freedom of Information Act request, the CIA said all of its work is “classified.”"

Monday, September 26, 2011

Stock trader: Europe will collapse because ‘Goldman Sachs rules the world’

Stock trader: Europe will collapse because ‘Goldman Sachs rules the world’: "Speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) this morning, independent stock trader Alessio Rastani predicted that a European market crash is imminent and many investors know it.

“This problem cannot be solved,” he said. “I’m fairly confident that the Euro is going to crash, and it’s going to fall pretty hard.”"

'via Blog this'

Spaceplane engine tests under way

Spaceplane engine tests under way: "Testing is under way to demonstrate the heat exchanger technology crucial to a hybrid air- and liquid oxygen-breathing rocket motor that Oxford-based Reaction Engines believes will enable single-stage-to-orbit flight.

The Sabre engine is intended to power a reusable, runway take-off and landing unpiloted spaceplane called Skylon, which promises to put payloads of up to 12t into orbit - and as much as 6t to a high geostationary orbit - for 10% of the cost of a traditional rocket launch."

reaction engines skylon, reaction engines

U.S. Government Used Taxpayer Funds To Buy, Sell Weapons During 'Fast And Furious,' Documents Show

U.S. Government Used Taxpayer Funds To Buy, Sell Weapons During 'Fast And Furious,' Documents Show | Fox News: "Not only did U.S. officials approve, allow and assist in the sale of more than 2,000 guns to the Sinaloa cartel -- the federal government used taxpayer money to buy semi-automatic weapons, sold them to criminals and then watched as the guns disappeared. "

‘Iran, Russia, China mulling joint missile shield’

‘Iran, Russia, China mulling joint missile shield’ - Tehran Times: "TEHRAN - Unofficial sources have announced that Iran, Russia, and China are currently holding talks on a proposal to establish a joint missile defense shield as a counterweight to a NATO defense shield, according to a recent report.

The report, which was published in the Iranian daily newspaper Kayhan on Sunday, said that the sources cited two reasons why serious consultations have been held on the initiative. "

But where's the farmer? Robot tractor plants and harvests on its own - and even avoids cows

'Robot' workers have replaced human beings in many industries - in fact, it's difficult to imagine a car factory without robot arms doing the heavy lifting.

But 'autonomous' machines have largely stayed away from traditional farms - until now.

Video from Kinze Manufacturing Inc (below) shows a 'robot tractor' capable of planting crops all on its own, while steering out of the way of fence posts, vehicles and even farm animals. It can even work at night.

Kinze's tractors can plough, harvest and maintain crops - without a human at the wheel. They can even steer clear of fences, pipes and wandering sheep

But the American company insists that its aim is not to put farmers out of business.

New Air Force Microwave Missile Could Disable Enemy Electronics

Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile

A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches on June 16, 2010, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Modern armies rely on a wide range of electronics to help detect their enemies, coordinate their forces and aim their weapons. Today, knocking out those electronics requires sophisticated jamming aircraft, targeting the people using the electronics or the tech-frying side effects of a nuclear blast. But in the future, disabling enemy electronics may only take a single rocket totally harmless to humans, thanks to a new microwave missile developed by the U.S. Air Force.

The missile showed its ability to take aim at many targets and locations during a first flight test at the Utah Test and Training Range at Hill Air Force Base earlier this year. Upcoming tests could demonstrate its disabling power with high-power microwaves capable of burning out the electronics of even the most sophisticated air defenses, command and control centers, fighter jets and drones.

Fantastic Flying Folk!

Certainly, one of the most mystifying aspects of the strange realm of Forteana is that relative to sightings of flying humanoids. Now, when I say that, I’m specifically not talking about vaguely human-like forms that seem far more monstrous in nature – like the famous Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, or its transatlantic English cousin, Owlman. Rather, I’m referring to sightings of literal, flying people. Sounds strange? Of course it does! But, that doesn’t take away the fact that such “things” have been seen for centuries – and continue to be seen, too.

'Massive jobs shortfall' predicted for global economy

'Massive jobs shortfall' predicted for global economy | Business | guardian.co.uk: "International Labour Organisation said the group of developing and developed nations had seen 20m jobs disappear since the financial crisis in 2008"

SHAPE MEMORY MATERIALS READY FOR MASS PRODUCTION

E! 3704 RSSMA - EUREKA Success Story - EUREKA: "Materials that can remember their shape and switch from one form to another may sound like science fiction, they are actually real and already in use all around us. But the alloy used to produce shape memory materials, based on nickel and titanium is expensive. Some researchers have started looking for cheaper options."

Worst Year For Natural Disasters In U.S. History

There has been a natural disaster that has caused at least a billion dollars of damage inside the United States every single month so far this year.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there have been 10 major disasters in the United States this year. On average, usually there are only about 3 major disasters a year. At this point, disasters are happening inside the United States so frequently that there seems to be no gap between them.

We just seem to go from one major disaster to the next. Last year, FEMA declared an all-time record of 81 disasters inside the United States. This year, we are on pace for well over 100. We just got done dealing with Hurricane Irene, and now we are dealing with historic wildfires in Texas and unprecedented flooding up in the northeast part of the country.
This has been the worst year for natural disasters in U.S. history, and we still have nearly four months left to go. Hopefully after everything that has happened this year it has become abundantly clear to all of us why we need to prepare for emergencies. The world is becoming an increasingly unstable place, and you never know what is going to happen next.

A history of map monsters

A history of map monsters. (IMAGES) - By Ken Jennings - Slate Magazine: "In the early days of mapmaking, the seas were full of monsters. Close to port or in well-explored shipping lanes, stout frigates and galleons were depicted in full sail, but farther out, a remarkable diversity of sea serpents and other bizarre creatures ploughed the waves. On land as well, uncharted territories were generously populated with legendary figures both pagan and religious, both human and … clearly otherwise."

Click to view a slide show.

New Yorker photographs Diamond UFO

A New York photographer shooting the new Freedom Tower from Manhattan's Lower East Side submitted images of a diamond-shaped object that appeared in three frames shot at a fast exposure rate, according to September 23, 2011, testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The photographer submitted Image # 1, Image # 2 and Image # 3.

Does Our Solar System Exist Inside a Bubble? Astronomers Say "Yes"

We seem to be inside a "local bubble" in a network of cavities in the interstellar medium, probably carved by massive star explosions millions of years ago. The interstellar medium (or ISM) is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, dust, and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

UK Paranormal Research Gets Professional

UK Paranormal Research Gets Professional - The Morton Report: "Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena recognized by UK government"

Is The U.S. Government Stockpiling Food In Anticipation Of A Major Economic Crisis?

Is The U.S. Government Stockpiling Food In Anticipation Of A Major Economic Crisis?: "Is the U.S. government stockpiling huge amounts of food and supplies in anticipation that something bad is about to happen? Is something about to cause a major economic crisis that will require large quantities of emergency food? "

Chinese UFO report affirms reality of Manipulative Extraterrestrial abduction

The following report extracted from various sources had claimed that an entire Chinese village had been abducted by Manipulative Extraterrestrials. Chinese government media sources later claimed that the entire UFO story was a “hoax”. But, would you expect the Chinese government to admit to the truth to such a mass abduction event?

Whether this report is accurate or a hoax, the report helps bring attention to the reality of Manipulative Extraterrestrial abduction. Watch the above video, which reportedly shows security cameras capturing an alien abduction of an unidentified passerby.

The GMO Salmon Struggle

FDA May for First Time Ever Approve Genetically Modified Animal for Human Consumption

I met Elliott Entis, the entrepreneur and former president of AquaBounty, more than 15 years ago at a symposium on food products derived from genetically engineered plants and animals. Even then he was sure that regulatory approval of his fast-growing transgenic salmon, AcuAdvantage, was “just around the corner.” After a decade and a half, federal approval of these fish has recently met opposition from a group of eight senators from salmon fishing states on food safety and environmental grounds. I will review each of these claims in turn, but first, a quick review.

WHO IS REALLY SPONSORING TRANSHUMANISM?

Envision a world in the not too distant future in which immortality has been achieved in the form of virtual databases containing all the information biological and psychological of each individual human being. These electronic databases can be used to reconstruct individuals even if the original model is long gone. Before 2050, Ray Kurzweil predicts that AI and nanotech will have advanced so far that our brains, with their memories, capabilities and characteristics, can be reduced to pure information and programmed into a non-biological interface be it a supercomputer, or a swarm of nanobots. He believes the essence to our immortal existence without end lies in a ‘continuity of pattern.’ A purely secularised pattern and no more.

But we are entitled to ask; how would the bridging mechanism work, how would the programme be transferred?

Transhumanist Avatars Storm Second Life

More than 80 transhumanist avatars stormed the virtual world of Second Life for a community event organized by Humanity+ on September 15. This has been by far the largest virtual transhumanist event that I have seen, and I believe I have seen them all.

Two or three years ago the Second Life system would have been slowed down to a halt by 80 participants, but now everything worked without a glitch: virtual reality technology has evolved, and transhumanists want to bring the same fast evolution to RL (Second Life slang for “Real Life.”)

Martine Rothblatt, owner of the virtual meeting venue at Terasem island, said after the event “It is a really positive sign to have a standing room only crowd turn out for a workshop on leading transhumanism to social ascendance.”

The invitation said “Join us in Second Life to brainstorm how to move forward together! Our upcoming event is for our members and friends, and will focus on the intersection of leadership and the future.”

BBC turns its back on year of Our Lord: 2,000 years of Christianity jettisoned for politically correct 'Common Era'

The BBC has been accused of 'absurd political correctness' after dropping the terms BC and AD in case they offend non-Christians.

The Corporation has replaced the familiar Anno Domini (the year of Our Lord) and Before Christ with the obscure terms Common Era and Before Common Era.

Some of the BBC's most popular programmes including University Challenge, presented by Jeremy Paxman, and Radio 4's In Our Time, hosted by Melvyn Bragg, are among the growing number of shows using the new descriptions.

=BBC goes PC with BCE: The birth of Jesus will no longer be used as a reference point at the Corporation. The Before Christ time marker will be replaced with Before Common Era

BBC goes PC with BCE: The birth of Jesus will no longer be used as a reference point at the Corporation. The Before Christ time marker will be replaced with Before Common Era

The BBC's religious and ethics department says the changes are necessary to avoid offending non-Christians.

Dimension-hop may allow neutrinos to cheat light speed

Dimension-hop may allow neutrinos to cheat light speed - physics-math - 23 September 2011 - New Scientist: "Some theories posit that there are extra, hidden dimensions beyond the familiar four (three of space, one of time). It's possible that the speedy neutrinos tunnel through these extra dimensions, reducing the distance they have to travel to get to the target. This would explain the measurement without requiring the speed of light to be broken."

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Iran Running Drone Competitions to Upgrade Unmanned Air Force

Drones: every military wants ‘em. But if you’re a country like Iran, sanctions can put a bit of a crimp in your efforts to build an unmanned aerial vehicle fleet. To get around the problem, Iran is turning inward, using drone development competitions to gin up new ideas for homebrew UAVs.

Today America enjoys a distinct military advantage, thanks to its unmanned air force. Tomorrow, that advantage is likely to vanish, thanks to contests like Iran’s Div-e-Sepid. Competitors from up to 65 teams square off by racing their homemade drones around Mount Damavand, Iran’s highest mountain peak.

KILLER BLACK HOLES DRESSED IN PLANETARY CORPSES

It's obvious that playing near a black hole can only end in tears. Now, a new study may have shed light on why many black holes are shrouded in a thick, choking doughnut of dust. The doughnut may be a result of planetary bodies being smashed and ground-up after being flung from their parent stars.

But it's not all doom and gloom, this planetary massacre may spawn new star birth in the centers of galaxies.

Magnetic Invisibility Cloak Could Hide Weapons

Magnetic Invisibility Cloak Could Hide Weapons : Discovery News: "Using layers of superconducting materials, the device could help patients and terrorists."

Future Motors to Harness Light Like Plants : Discovery News

Future Motors to Harness Light Like Plants : Discovery News: "FUTURE MOTORS TO HARNESS LIGHT LIKE PLANTS
The secrets of photosynthesis are unlocked to make new solar cells, storage devices or even engines."
leaf car

Rolling off the 3D printing press... the world's first 'printed' car - and it actually works

The world’s first 'printed' car has finally rolled off the printing press.

The 'Urbee' was made using a special printer which built up layer upon layer of bodywork - almost as if the car was 'painted' into existence, except using layers of ultra-thin composite that are slowly 'fused' into a solid.

But unlike most 'innovations' in cars, this one won't break down after 5 years - Urbee is built to last 30. Project leader Jim Kor, told MailOnline today: 'For us, this unveiling was quite a milestone.

Built to last: The highly-durable material used in 'additive layer manufacturing' is said to last for 30 years

Underneath is a petrol and electric hybrid engine which helps make it one of the greenest cars in the world.

Experts have said the car uses eight times less energy than a similar vehicle and can go can go 200mpg on the motorway.

It also has a sleek, futuristic design which makes it look like a prop from a science fiction film like the Fifth Element.

The ‘printing’ process, however, it what has attracted so much attention: it was completely different to the normal way car manufacturers build a car, which is to bolt chunks of bodywork on where they need to go.

Engineers on the Urbee instead put layers of ultra thin composite material on top of each other so they become fused together to make it 3D in a process called ‘additive layer manufacturing’.

Challenging Einstein is usually a losing venture

albert einstein

Famed physicist Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity — the famous E (equals) mc2 equation — is facing unprecedented scrutiny.

GENEVA — Betting against Einstein and his theory of relativity is a way to go broke.

For more than a century, everyone from physicists to the Nazi Party — which encouraged the publication of the tract "One Hundred Authors Against Einstein" — has tried to find cracks in his work. And all have failed.

On Thursday, the world's biggest physics lab unveiled a shocking finding: that one type of subatomic particle was clocked going faster than the speed of light. If true — a big if, even the scientists there concede — it could undercut Einstein's theories. Physicist Michio Kaku of City College of New York called it "the biggest challenge to relativity in 100 years."

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