Here's a map of Central America and the Caribbean from the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, Univ. of Texas...
Here'a a community area map of the greater Los Angeles megacity...
From the CIA, a 1.3 MB map of Iraq, and a 1.6 MB NIMA map of Baghdad, from the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, Univ. of Texas...
Here's an 1805 allegorical map of "The Paths of Life" that outlines the different potential courses that a person's life can take...
The "Map of BCS Conferences" shows the names and locations of the college football teams that make up the different conferences, plus the Independent schools...
A new high-resolution map of American per-capita CO2 emissions. It shows the amount of carbon dioxide produced in 100 square kilometer regions of the United States divided by the number of residents in that area. I'm using a much smaller version,
but you can download the full eight megabyte ultra-high-resolution file here.
In honor of the Berlin...I mean, the Beijing Olympics. here's a pdf download Tiananmen Massacre map that points out the street locations and hospitals where the students died in and around the Square...
From Barry Cooper, narcotics interdiction expert, a Narcotics Interdiction Map showing the locations citizens are likely to encounter drug interdiction officers. Some officers are rated on their willingness to violate the 4th amendment...
From OurAmazingPlanet, here's a map of Earth's Atmosphere, which extends 200 miles out from the planet...
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From Sundown Lounge No. 259
Geeknotes:
Buddhapalooza at Cafe Ballou
Music Connection Ad of the Week
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Buddhapalooza at Cafe Ballou
W4tB presents Open Mic at the Bus Stop
Monday, June 20 · 7:30pm - 10:00pm
Cafe Ballou
939 N Western Ave.
Chicago, Illinois
Created By David Buddha-Hargarten
For Waiting 4 the Bus
Open mic at the Bus Stop is proud and pleased to present, Buddhapalooza
featured poet is David (Buddha309) Hargarten, special guest host Kristen LaTour
W4tb member Esteban Colon will request open mic performers to do certain poetic things-If you want to play, contact Esteban through Facebook or at exactchangepress@gmail.com
The seventh annual Guitar Player Guitar Superstar competition is seeking transcendent guitarists across the U.S. to showcase their chops, tone, charisma and compositional skills in a six-minute (or less) performance video that involves an original instrumental song. Entries are FREE at truefire.com/gpgs2011.
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World’s First Solar Power Plant That Generates Electricity at Night
The Gemasolar Power Plant looks like a giant art project. But this symmetrical, circular pattern of mirrored panels is the world’s first solar power station that generates electricity at night.
The Gemasolar Power Plant near Seville in southern Spain consists of an incredible 2,650 panels spread across 457 acres of rural land.
The mirrors – known as heliostats – focus 95 per cent of the sun’s radiation onto a giant receiver at the centre of the plant
Heat of up to 900C is used to warm molten salt tanks, which create steam to power the £260 million ($425 million) station’s turbines.
But, unlike all other solar power stations, the heat stored in these tanks can be released for up to 15 hours overnight, or during periods without sunlight.
The regular sunshine in southern Spain means the facility can therefore operate through most nights, guaranteeing electrical production for a minimum of 270 days per year, up to three times more than other renewable energies.
The project, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi energy company Masdar and Spanish engineering firm SENER called Torresol Energy, took two years to construct at a cost of £260million.
It is expected to produce 110 GWh/year – enough to power 25,000 homes in the Andalucia region.
Miguel Domingo, spokesman for SENER, said: ‘The on-schedule and on-budget completion of the construction and commissioning of the Gemasolar plant is a milestone for SENER.
‘Currently, SENER is the only company in the world that has developed and built a commercial plant with central tower molten salt receiver technology that has already started operation.’
Enrique Sendagorta, the chairman of Torresol Energy, added: ‘The standardisation of this new technology will mean a real reduction in the investment costs for solar plants.
‘The commercial operation of this plant will lead the way for other central tower plants with molten salt receiver technology, an efficient system that improves the dispatchability of electric power from renewable sources.’
Your Brain Can’t Handle More Than 150 Friends
Do you may boast of having an impressive list of friends on social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut? But a new study suggests that your brain can’t handle more than 150 friends.
Researchers, led by Robin Dunbar of Oxford University, have carried out the study and concluded human beings cannot develop close bonds with more than 150 people.
Indeed, so intense has been Dunbar’s research of the magic number that it has earned him a measure of fame. It is now referred to as “Dunbar’s Number” , a term ironically coined on Facebook among fans of his work.
He has researched societies and businesses around the world and has found that 150 is the optimum group for social cohesion and interaction.
From African and Native American tribes to successful companies, a typical community is about 150 people. The reason 150 is the optimal number for a community comes from our primate ancestors, according to Dunbar.
Dunbar’s Number faces certain modern day complications. He said: “You grow up somewhere, you go to school on the other side of the country, you get a job, you go to Europe for a bit — it’s much harder for us to keep those relationships working and good when they’re that distributed.”
U.N. Report Declares Internet Access a Human Right
A United Nations report said Friday that disconnecting people from the internet is a human rights violation and against international law.
The report railed against France and the United Kingdom, which have passed laws to remove accused copyright scofflaws from the internet. It also protested blocking internet access to quell political unrest (.pdf). http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/17session/A.HRC.17.27_en.pdf
While blocking and filtering measures deny users access to specific content on the Internet, states have also taken measures to cut off access to the Internet entirely. The Special Rapporteur considers cutting off users from internet access, regardless of the justification provided, including on the grounds of violating intellectual property rights law, to be disproportionate and thus a violation of article 19, paragraph 3, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm
The report continues:
The Special Rapporteur calls upon all states to ensure that Internet access is maintained at all times, including during times of political unrest. In particular, the Special Rapporteur urges States to repeal or amend existing intellectual copyright laws which permit users to be disconnected from Internet access, and to refrain from adopting such laws.
The report, by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, comes the same day an internet-monitoring firm detected that two thirds of Syria’s internet access has abruptly gone dark, in what is likely a government response to unrest in that country.
From Sundown Lounge No. 259
Geeknotes:
New City's Racist Top 50 List
Urban Twang
South Coast AQMD Lawnmower Exchange
Capitol Records Seeks Indie Bands
Once again (days before the Printers Row Lit Fest) it is that one week of the year during which anyone I know cares about what that little free magazine that you line your birdcages with, NewCity, has to say. I'm sure everyone on the "Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago 2011" list is fully deserving in their own way, and I'm not trying to take anything away from them, but come on: the list is a complete joke...
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URBAN TWANG - This Friday June 3 @ 8:00 p.m
We're back at Kevin's Gallery on Friday.
It's a fun time and there's a cooler full of beer.
URBAN TWANG
This Friday June 3
8:00 p.m
Kevin Lahvic Gallery/Studio 222
Flat Iron Arts Building
1579 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
Obligatory Links (Does anyone look at these besides Jeremy?)
The South Coast Air Quality Management District invites you to participate in its Electric Lawn Mower exchange program, coming to Pasadena on Saturday June 11th. You can trade-in your old gas-powered mower for a non-polluting electric model and save money while helping clean the air. Purchase a rechargeable, cordless electric mower for as low as $100 (saving up to $300), with the trade-in of a working gas mower. This year, AQMD has five different models to choose from. Exchange your mower in less than 10 minutes with drive-through convenience when the program comes to Pasadena or at other events planned across the Southland through July. Pre-registration is required. For details and to register for AQMD's lawn mower exchange program go to www.aqmd.gov and click on the lawn mower program banner or call 1-888-425-6247 (Tuesday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
AQMD is also hosting a Go Green Expo in conjunction with the Lawn Mower Exchange events. The Expos are free and open to the public. Come by and pick-up information on eco-friendly lawn care.
Do not reply directly to this E-mail. If you want more information about the 2011 Lawnmower Exchange, contact AQMD at: (888) 425-6247 or E-mail us at lawnmower@aqmd.gov.
Capitol Records is currently seeking indie and grunge bands. To submit your music, visit www.musicxray.com/profiles/2098. Be advised, however, since the offices do not accept unsolicited material, there is a $10 charge to submit your music.
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Donkey’s Milk Helps You Lose Weight
Cleopatra would bathe in it as part of her beauty regime. Milk from donkeys, which was still being drunk in Victorian times, contains less fat and is more nutritious than cow’s milk. Researchers have found that drinking donkey’s milk could be a good way to lose weight and protect your heart.
They also found it to be a natural protection to the heart as it contains omega three and six fatty acids, similar to fish oil, which reduce cholesterol.
As it is also much closer to human milk it could be used in young children who are allergic to normal dairy products.
High levels of calcium that make it good for your bones add to its health giving properties.
The study at the University of Naples, Italy, compared the effect of donkey milk compared to cow’s milk in diet and health.
In experiments, they found that the cow’s milk and donkey milk provided the same amount of energy but that the latter caused more weight gain as it raised metabolism.
Rodents that were given the donkey milk also showed lower levels of triglycerides, unhealthy fats that affect the heart, and less stress on the metabolic system.
The study, which was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, concluded that its “consumption should be encouraged”.
Earlier research has shown that it could even be better than semi-skimmed, soya or formula milk, especially in young children as it contains high levels of calcium for bones.
Its make up is very similar to human breast milk and because it is low in proteins it can be used in young children who are allergic to proteins in cows’ milk.
22 Year Old College Student Finds ‘Missing Mass’ of the Universe
A 22-year-old university student from Australia has solved a problem which has puzzled astrophysicists for decades, discovering part of the so-called “missing mass” of the universe during her summer break.
The 22 year old undergraduate Amelia Fraser-McKelvie made the breakthrough during a holiday internship with a team at Monash University’s School of Physics, locating the mystery material within vast structures called “filaments of galaxies”.
Monash astrophysicist Dr Kevin Pimbblet explained that scientists had previously detected matter that was present in the early history of the universe but that could not now be located.
“There is missing mass, ordinary mass not dark mass … It’s missing to the present day,” Pimbblet told AFP.
“We don’t know where it went. Now we do know where it went because that’s what Amelia found.”
Fraser-McKelvie, an aerospace engineering and science student, was able to confirm after a targeted X-ray search for the mystery mass that it had moved to the “filaments of galaxies”, which stretch across enormous expanses of space.
Pimbblet’s earlier work had suggested the filaments as a possible location for the “missing” matter, thought to be low in density but high in temperature.
Pimbblet said astrophysicists had known about the “missing” mass for the past two decades, but the technology needed to pinpoint its location had only become available in recent years.
He said the discovery could drive the construction of new telescopes designed to specifically study the mass.
Pimbblet admitted the discovery was primarily academic, but he said previous physics research had led to the development of diverse other technologies.
“Whenever I speak to people who have influence, politicians and so on, they sometimes ask me ‘Why should I invest in physics pure research?’. And I sometimes say to them: ‘Do you use a mobile phone? Some of that technology came about by black hole research’.
“The pure research has knock-on effects to the whole society which are sometimes difficult to anticipate.”
Scientists have known for a while that every time you retrieve a memory, you rewrite it. Remembering something is to change it, and with the help of drugs it can be changed a lot. That's the focus of research from the University of Montreal, where researchers discovered that when men who took a drug called metyrapone while remembering something painful, they couldn't recall the bad parts of the memory four days later.
This drug could be a boon to therapists trying to help people deal with trauma. But it's also terrifying when you consider how it could be used to rewrite the way people remember what's happened to them. Instead of mistrusting somebody who hurt you, you'd have nothing but neutral feelings about them. And instead of learning from your painful mistakes, you'd be left in a constant state of ill-informed naivete.
Marie-France Marin, a physiology researcher who led the study, tested the potential of metyrapone by telling a group of 33 men a story that was full of "neutral and negative events." Later, they were asked to recall the story. A third of the men recalling the story were given a dose of the drug, a third given a double dose, and a third given no dose at all. Four days after the drugging, Marin and her colleagues asked asked the men to remember the story for a second time.
Describing the results, Marin said in a release:
Metyrapone is a drug that significantly decreases the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is involved in memory recall. We found that the men in the group who received two doses of metyrapone were impaired when retrieving the negative events of the story, while they showed no impairment recalling the neutral parts of the story. We were surprised that the decreased memory of negative information was still present once cortisol levels had returned to normal.
Added Sonia Lupien, a psychology professor who worked with Marin on the study:
The results show that when we decrease stress hormone levels at the time of recall of a negative event, we can impair the memory for this negative event with a long-lasting effect.
Though metyrapone is no longer being manufactured commercially, Marin pointed out that other drugs have a similar cortisol-blocking effect.
"Further studies with these compounds will enable us to gain a better understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in the modulation of negative memories," Marin said.
One could easily imagine law enforcement officers or soldiers who've suffered through a terrifying situation being asked to recall it while under the influence of a metyrapone-like drug. Later, the fearful parts of the memory would fade. The question is whether the loss of these fearful memories will be a good or a bad thing. We learn to avoid dangerous situations by recalling moments of fear and pain. Indeed, our whole identities might change if we no longer remembered the things that have hurt us.
Read the full scientific article in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (via Pubmed).
From Sundown Lounge No. 258
Geeknotes:
Trunk Fest
Motor City Black Age of Comics Con
Los Angeles Black Book Festival
Brad Wilson
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Starting this weekend, May 28th, and once a month in June and July there will be an outdoor festival of art, music, and poetry in the fine town of Evanston, Illinois.
Announcing TRUNK FEST!
Trunk Fest #1 will be May 28th.
Trunk Fest #2 will be June 25th.
Trunk Fest #3 will be July 23rd.
It is sponsored by Simply Chicago Art and The Puddin'head Press during the "Trunk Show" Open Air Art Market. The "Trunk Show" Open Air Art Market is an exciting venture. Artists pull into the parking lot, pop the trunk of their vehicle, and sell their own creations. It is held in a parking lot.
Each festival and show will be on a Saturday from 11 AM to 4 PM. Next to Simply Chicago Art space in the Chute Middle School Parking Lot, 1400 Oakton Street in Evanston. Simply Chicago Art has a wonderful art space right next door at 1318 Oakton Street.
Performers and artists must be pre-scheduled to participate. There will be poets, musicians, comedians, storytellers and any other thing we can think of.
For more info you can contact Dave Gecic at phbooks at att dot net (708-656-4900) or mary at SimplyChicagoArt dot com (847-738-0716).
3rd Annual MOTOR CITY BLACK AGE OF COMICS Convention 2011!!!
Time: June 25, 2011 from 11am to 6pm
Location: Nsoroma Institute
Street: 20045 Joann Street
City/Town: Detroit, MI
Los Angeles Black Book Festival
Time: August 20, 2011 all day
Location: Sheraton Gateway LAX Hotel
Street: 6101 West Century Boulevard
City/Town: Los Angeles, CA 90045
Phone: 323-718-5678
The Los Angeles Black Book Expo is a non-profit community-based organization founded in 2004 to advance African world community literary and spoken word activity governed by an executive circle and administered by an executive director.
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Greetings Music Fans:
Welcome to the May edition of Rockin' The Blues On Two Wheels News! The excitement for the 2011 summer is building, and it all starts this weekend! Memorial Day weekend is a three day celebration of our soldiers who bravely gave their lives to defend America's freedom. It is an honor and a pleasure to join in on all the great events happening this weekend.
The band will be in Minden, Nevada, on Friday, May 27, performing at the GE Energy Family Concert Series. I am excited to be in the Silver State with friends and family. On Saturday, May 29, we will be close to home in concert at a huge event, "Sudz In The City" in Downtown Fresno. We will be onstage in centerfield at Chukchansi Baseball Stadium, joining in on all the fun! Then on Sunday, May 30, the band is Crusin' The Coast with a cool, happening festival in one of California's beloved historic towns, Arroyo Grande. The Strawberry Festival is an outstanding long running festival. We will be spending the afternoon Rockin' the Blues ob the coast and enjoying every minute of this super family event!
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Carbon Nanotube Patch Could Help Heal the Heart
According to research from Brown University, a conductive patch of carbon nanotubes can regenerate heart tissue growing in a dish. The patch, made of tiny chains of carbon atoms that fold in on themselves, forming a tube, conducts electricity and mimics the rough surface of natural tissue. The more nanotubes the Brown researchers added to the patch, the more cells around it were able to regenerate.
During a heart attack, areas of the heart are deprived of oxygen, killing muscle and nerve cells used to keep the heart beating strongly and rhythmically. The tissue cannot regenerate on its own, which disrupts the heart’s rhythm, weakens it, and sometimes leads to a repeat heart attack. Tissue engineers around the globe are searching for ways to regenerate or repair this damaged tissue using different types of scaffolds and stem cells.
Thomas Webster, an associate professor of engineering and orthopedics at Brown and senior author of the study, says his work is distinctive because he examined not just the muscle cells that beat, but also the nerve cells that help them contract and the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels leading to and from the heart. The fact that the patch helped regenerate all three types of cells, which function interdependently in the heart, suggests the newly grown tissue is similar to normal heart tissue. The research was published today in Acta Biomaterialia.
Jeff Karp, codirector of the Regenerative Therapeutics Research Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, says he’s impressed by Webster’s idea. But Karp cautions that the work is still preliminary. “It will be some time before we know how promising this approach truly is,” he says, because it has not yet been tested in animals.
Webster’s nanotube patch is just one of many approaches underway to help repair the heart. Many involve injecting stem cells collected from the patient into the damaged heart or implanting patches of muscle derived from these stem cells. He says the nanotubes could be used on their own, or as scaffolds for stem cells.
Webster’s team is now fine-tuning the nanomaterial to create a linear pattern to more closely mimic the pattern in natural tissue. Others have shown that creating this kind of structure can provide a natural scaffold that supports tissue strength and growth. The team is also working to make the patch as precisely as conductive as heart tissue, to see if that improves its function. The next step will be to figure out how to deliver the patch, which could be rolled up and transported to the heart via a catheter.
Of course, researchers need to do extensive safety testing before the technology can be used in patients. Unlike other materials used in tissue engineering, the carbon nanotube patch would not naturally degrade in the body. “The idea would be that the heart tissue would grow around these carbon nanotubes and they would continue to provide electrical stimulus to the heart,” Webster says.
To avoid regulatory delays, Webster says, he may try his carbon nanotube patch first on pets. Right now, heart attacks are usually fatal for the family dog, Webster says, because most animals don’t get diagnostic medical care or treatment, and have smaller hearts that have a harder time than human hearts compensating for damage. Treating pets “could be a way to get this technology out earlier,” he says.
British Inventor Plans Spectacles Revolution for Developing Countries
A British atomic physicist is liaising with the World Bank on a revolutionary project to distribute spectacles to 200 million children in developing countries. Users will be able to adjust the glasses to their own personal prescription without help from an optician. “All users have to do is look at a reading chart and adjust the glasses until they can see letters clearly,” said Professor Joshua Silver…
Silver estimates that more than a billion adults in developing nations have poor eyesight. This seriously limits their education and employment prospects. He is now working with the World Bank and the Dow Corning Corporation – which makes the silicone materials used in his revolutionary glasses – to supply 200 million pairs of self-adjusting spectacles to schoolchildren in Africa and Asia. Ultimately, he hopes a billion pairs of the glasses will be made.
Silver, a professor of physics at Oxford University and director of Oxford-based Centre for Vision in the Developing World, has created low-cost glasses that can be tuned by the wearer. His spectacles have “adaptive lenses”, which consist of two thin membranes separated by silicone gel. The wearer simply looks at an eye chart and pumps in more or less fluid to change the curvature of the lens, which adjusts the prescription.
Silver’s spectacles have two disadvantages, however. They currently cost around £15 a pair to make. “We have to get that cost down if we want to get these in numbers to children in Africa or Asia,” said Silver. “We are working on that, and I expect we’ll get the price down to around £1 a pair. At that cost, the plan to supply 200 million glasses becomes practicable.” Silver also acknowledges that his glasses – which have thick, round rims – are not particularly attractive. “If we want teenagers to wear them, we will have to make them less obtrusive and more stylish. In essence, we want to make them look just like standard glasses. I am very hopeful we will succeed.”
Swiss researchers look forth to generate power from human blood flow
In a fascinating turn of events, a research team from the Bern University of Applied Sciences has contrived of three specially made minuscule turbines that were placed in a tube that simulates the thoracic artery, millimeters-wide blood vessel. The most efficient of these three generated some 800 microwatts, which is more than what is required to power a pacemaker. With this technology, the researchers are looking forth to harvest energy from the human bloodstream.
Now, one may ask - what is the primary advantage of creating such tiny turbines? Implanted medical devices like pacemakers, blood pressure sensors or even neurostimulators require some amount of power (from an external source or battery) to function. But the problem lies with the fact that because of this power requirement, the devices have to be placed at easy-to-reach locations within the body. Hence, in this case, the scientists are trying to create a collective bio-mechanical system where the turbines can readily provide power to such implanted devices from inside the body. The consequences can be revolutionary, as that could mean - the devices can be placed in more conducive, strategic positions (thus having increased efficiency), and even can nullify the requirement of periodic surgeries of replacement of such devices, in some cases.
But in the more practical scheme of things, the scientists are concerned about blood clots that can occur due to presence of foreign substances, such as turbines (clots transmitted through blood streams can prove to be fatal in the long run). That doesn’t necessarily mean that the research has to be shelved. With further time and progression, one can only hope to see the full development of this novel technology, albeit infused with stringent safety features.
Avon Voices is searching for the next songwriting sensation. This is an opportunity for worldwide exposure for your song and a shot at a music-publishing contract. The competition is open to women and men at least 18 years of age. Submit up to three original songs that inspire or share hope and optimism. There's no entry fee. Simply upload an MP3 and lyric sheet between May 20 and July 1, 2011 at avonvoices.com.
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GENESIS SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE ISSUE #1
IT’S FINALLY HERE! GENESIS SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE (DIGITAL EDITION) ON SALE AVAILABLE NOW $4.99 PLEASE SHARE THIS IF YOU LIKE SCIFI
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Antihydrogen Could Lead to Anti-gravity
The Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus (ALPHA) at the CERN particle physics laboratory announced that they have been able to hold 309 atoms of antihydrogen in a magnetic trap for 1000 seconds, approximately 10,000 times longer than before.
When they experimented with the anti-atoms last year they verified that they were in fact antihydrogen atoms by releasing them from the trap and observing them being annihilated by hydrogen atoms. During that experiment they were only able to contain the atoms for 170 milliseconds.
They have repeated this experiment, but have made a few changes. By cooling the antiprotons that create the antihydrogen they were able to lower their energy, this allowed for more atoms to be contained with a longer life span. The longer life will allow scientists to do more experiments, like checking if antihydrogen has the same energy level as hydrogen…
Scientist also want to find out if the anti-atoms exhibit antigravity effects. This would mean the atoms would fall up instead of down. Since this would be a violation of the law of conservation of energy it is unlikely, however many scientist still find the idea worth exploring.
If these atoms did display antigravity effects it could explain why we are having issues finding the massive amount of theoretical antimatter that exists in our universe. If the two forms of matter repelled each other their could be galaxies made entirely of antimatter. It could also explain the accelerated expansion of our universe.
Experiments for these and many other theories should start taking place over the next couple months.
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity Proven
Huge objects in the universe distort space and time with the force of their gravity, scientists said on Wednesday after a NASA probe confirmed two key parts of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
“Einstein survives,” chuckled Francis Everitt, Stanford University physicist and principal investigator for Gravity Probe B (GP-B), one of the US space agency’s longest running projects.
The physics experiment was more than four decades in the making, and finally launched in 2004.
“In Einstein’s universe, space and time are warped by gravity. The Earth distorts the space around it very slightly by its gravity,” he said, explaining the Jewish physicist’s theory devised nearly 100 years ago, long before the technology existed to test it.
“Imagine the Earth as if it were immersed in honey. As the planet rotates, the honey around it would swirl, and it’s the same with space and time,” said Everitt.
“GP-B confirmed two of the most profound predictions of Einstein’s universe, having far-reaching implications across astrophysics research,” he said, predicting the mission would “have a lasting legacy on Earth and in space”.
The satellite carried four advanced gyroscopes to measure geodetic effect, or the warping of space and time around a gravitational body, and frame-dragging, or how much a spinning object pulls space and time with it when it turns.
If Einstein’s theory were disproved, the “gyroscopes would point in the same direction forever while in orbit,” NASA said in a statement.
“But in confirmation of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, the gyroscopes experienced measurable, minute changes in the direction of their spin as they were pulled by Earth’s gravity.”
The probe’s measurements came remarkably close to Einstein’s projections, according to the findings published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
The satellite, which wrapped up its data mission last year, was first envisioned in 1959.
Leonard Schiff, head of Stanford’s physics department, and George Pugh of the Defense Department, dreamed up a satellite that would orbit the Earth and test the notion.
Everitt joined the project in 1962, followed by NASA in 1963.
“Forty-one years later, the satellite was launched into orbit about 400 miles above Earth,” NASA said.
The technologies created in the development of the gravity probe have been used in making precise global position systems (GPS) and in gauging the background radiation of the universe.
“That measurement is the underpinning of the ‘big bang theory’ and led to the Nobel Prize for NASA’s John Mather,” NASA said.
Hundreds of university students and dozens of high schoolers have worked on the project, including famous names such as Sally Ride, who was the first American female astronaut in space, and Nobel Laureate Eric Cornell.
Astonomers Begin Search for Alien Life on 86 Planets
In rural West Virginia, a massive radio telescope has begun listening for signs of alien life on 86 possible Earth-like planets, US astronomers said Friday.
The giant dish began this week pointing toward each of the 86 planets — culled from a list of 1,235 possible planets identified by NASA’s Kepler space telescope — and will gather 24 hours of data on each one.
“It’s not absolutely certain that all of these stars have habitable planetary systems, but they’re very good places to look for ET,” said University of California at Berkeley graduate student Andrew Siemion.
The mission is part of the SETI project, which stands for Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, launched in the mid 1980s.
Last month the SETI Institute announced it was shuttering a major part of its efforts — a 50 million dollar project with 42 telescope dishes known as the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) — due to a five million dollar budget shortfall.
ATA began in 2007 and was operated in partnership by the UC Berkeley Radio Astronomy Lab, which has hosted several generations of such experiments. It was funded by the SETI Institute and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
With ATA’s dishes in hibernation for now, astronomers hope the powerful Green Bank Telescope, a previous incarnation of which was felled in a windstorm in 1988, will provide targeted information about potential life-supporting planets.
“Our search employs the largest fully steerable radio telescope on the planet, and the most sensitive radio telescope in the world capable of undertaking a SETI search of this kind,” Siemion told AFP.
“We will be looking at a much wider range of frequencies and signal types than has ever been possible before,” he added, describing the instrumentation as “at the very cutting edge of radio astronomy technology.”
The surface of the telescope is 100 by 110 meters and it can record nearly one gigabyte of data per second, Siemion said.
The 17 million pound (7.7 million kilogram) telescope became operational in 2000 and is a project of the NSF’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
“We’ve picked out the planets with nice temperatures — between zero and 100 degrees Celsius — because they are a lot more likely to harbor life,” said physicist Dan Werthimer.
Werthimer heads a three-decade long SETI project in Puerto Rico, home of the world’s largest radio telescope, Arecibo. However that project could not observe the same area of the northern sky as the Green Bank telescope, he said.
“With Arecibo, we focus on stars like our Sun, hoping that they have planets around them that emit intelligent signals,” Werthimer said in a statement.
“But we’ve never had a list of planets like this before.”
The Green Bank Telescope can scan 300 times the range of frequencies that Arecibo could, meaning that it can collect the same amount of data in one day that Arecibo could in one year.
The project will likely take about a year to complete, and will be helped by a team of one million at-home astronomers, known as SETI@home users, who will help process the data on personal computers.
The Difference Between a Genius and an Idiot May Come Down to a Single Gene
Out of the 3 billion letters in the human genetic alphabet only two genetic letters may spell the difference between being a genius or an idiot, according to a new report.
A genetic analysis led by an international collaboration of scientists from the Yale School of Medicine determined that that tiny variation — just two genetic letters within a single gene — determines the intelligence potential or lack thereof of a human brain.
The report appeared online May 15 in the journal of Nature Genetics.
In normal brain function, convolutions, the deep fissures of the brain, increase the overall surface area, one of the primary determinants for intelligence. Deeper folds in the brain allow for rational and abstract thought, scientists believe.
In the latest finding, a team of researchers analyzed a Turkish patient whose brain lacks those characteristic convolutions in part of his cerebral cortex, a sheet of brain tissue that plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language and consciousness.
The cause of this drastic cerebral deformity was pinned down to a gene called laminin gamma3 (LAMC3) with similar variations discovered in other patients with the same medical condition.
“The demonstration of the fundamental role of this gene in human brain development affords us a step closer to solve the mystery of the crown jewel of creation, the cerebral cortex,” said Murat Gunel, senior author of the paper, co-director of the Neurogenetics Program and professor of genetics and neurobiology at Yale.
The folding of the brain is seen only in mammals with larger brains, such as dolphins and apes, and is most pronounced in humans. These fissures expand the surface area of the cerebral cortex and allow for complex thought and reasoning without taking up more space in the skull. Such foldings aren’t seen in mammals such as rodents or other animals.
Despite the importance of these foldings, no one has been able to explain how the brain manages to create them. The LAMC3 gene may be crucial to the process.
“Although the same gene is present in lower organisms with smooth brains such as mice, somehow over time, it has evolved to gain novel functions that are fundamental for human occipital cortex formation and its mutation leads to the loss of surface convolutions, a hallmark of the human brain,” Gunel said.
From Sundown Lounge No. 256
Geeknotes:
Urban Twang
Rusty Wright
Richard Fammeree
Music Connection
East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention
Black Bookstore Link
Kaneabis
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URBAN TWANG - This Friday, May 13 @ 10:00 p.m.
The last gig was a lot of fun and many thanks to Laura's husband Jake for filling in for the soundman.
Hard to believe but the soundman called in sick but Jake saved the night.
Again thank you Jake.
This Friday, URBAN TWANG is at the Bird's Nest with two other bands.
We have the middle set.
If the night's entertainment were an Oreo cookie, we would be the cream center.
And that's the best part.
URBAN TWANG
Friday, May 13 @ 10:00 p.m.
Bird's Nest
2500 North Southport Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
Also appearing Mark Hetzel @ 9 p.m. and Forte @ 11:30 p.m.
Richard Fammerée died on Thursday, May 5, of Lou Gehrig’s disease. The poet, composer and singer founded UniVerse of Poetry. The group’s mission is universal dialogue, compassion and peace.
On Sunday, May 15, members of UniVerse will gather at the Chicago Cultural Center to celebrate Fammerée. The ceremony won’t be traditional, which is fitting, because Fammerée was known for being a bit of a wanderer.
Fuel House Coffee in Vineland, NJ (west of Atlantic City) is looking for Indie on the Movers to fill multiple dates from May until July. All genres are accepted except for Hardcore and Screamo.
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East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention 2011
Time: May 21, 2011 all day
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel
Street: Philadelphia
City/Town: Philadelphia
Website or Map: http://www.ecbacc.com/
The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention is set for May 21st, 2001 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia, and if you've never made the trek it's a good time to start planning. This year marks the 10th anniversary and this convention promises to be more exciting than ever. As in year's past there'll be something for all ages... Informative discussions, workshops, exhibits, screenings and best of all comics! As more information becomes available I'll post it here. Here are a few related links to give you a feel for what ECBACC is all about. Don't miss it!
First, the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention is set for May 21st at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the confab, featuring Informative discussions, workshops, exhibits, screenings and best of all comics!
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Author Milton Davis has performed the arduous task of compiling a list of black book stores throughout the US and Canada. This is actually an update of his existing list, cause he knows this ain't complete, but 100 bookstores is a great point to progress from...
Mr. Davis is a chemist pursuing his dream to write. He writes african based fantasy and science fiction, with a little historical fiction thrown in, and he established his own publishing company to promote his work in the Metro Atlanta area where he lives.
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Kaneabis Newsletter
A righteous cat I met over a year ago who worked as a broker in the investments field, Robert Kane, has a new paid quarterly report and free newsletter geared toward investment opportunities in the burgeoning medical cannabis industry. It's called Kaneabis and I have a link to his website. If you have an industry-related business, or a potential investor who wants in on the ground floor - literally - check this brother out...
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From Venue Verite: "Sound Advice TV Vol 5: Twitter Basics Part 1"
In this episode of Sound Advice, Ariel and Carla talk about the basics of Twitter. The first of this two part episode covers Twitter handles, @ Replies and Direct Messages.
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First Practical Artificial Leaf Developed
Scientists debut development of the first practical artificial leaf, one of the milestones in the drive for sustainable energy. The scientists described an advanced solar cell the size of a poker card at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. The solar cell mimics the process, called photosynthesis, that green plants use to convert sunlight and water into energy.
“A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades,” said Daniel Nocera, Ph.D., who led the research team. “We believe we have done it. The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries. Our goal is to make each home its own power station,” he said. “One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology.”
The device bears no resemblance to Mother Nature’s counterparts on oaks, maples and other green plants, which scientists have used as the model for their efforts to develop this new genre of solar cells. About the shape of a poker card but thinner, the device is fashioned from silicon, electronics and catalysts, substances that accelerate chemical reactions that otherwise would not occur, or would run slowly. Placed in a single gallon of water in a bright sunlight, the device could produce enough electricity to supply a house in a developing country with electricity for a day, Nocera said. It does so by splitting water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen.
The hydrogen and oxygen gases would be stored in a fuel cell, which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of the house or beside it.
Nocera, who is with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, points out that the “artificial leaf” is not a new concept. The first artificial leaf was developed more than a decade ago by John Turner of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. Although highly efficient at carrying out photosynthesis, Turner’s device was impractical for wider use, as it was composed of rare, expensive metals and was highly unstable — with a lifespan of barely one day.
Nocera’s new leaf overcomes these problems. It is made of inexpensive materials that are widely available, works under simple conditions and is highly stable. In laboratory studies, he showed that an artificial leaf prototype could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The key to this breakthrough is Nocera’s recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts, made of nickel and cobalt, that are capable of efficiently splitting water into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen, under simple conditions. Right now, Nocera’s leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural leaf. However, he is optimistic that he can boost the efficiency of the artificial leaf much higher in the future.
“Nature is powered by photosynthesis, and I think that the future world will be powered by photosynthesis as well in the form of this artificial leaf,” said Nocera, a chemist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.
World’s First Interactive Paper Computer
The world’s first interactive paper computer is about to revolutionize the world of interactive computing.
“This is the future. Everything is going to look and feel like this within five years,” says creator Roel Vertegaal, the director of Queen’s University Human Media Lab,. “This computer looks, feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper. You interact with it by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages, or writing on it with a pen.”
The smartphone prototype, called PaperPhone is best described as a flexible iPhone – it does everything a smartphone does, like store books, play music or make phone calls. But its display consists of a 9.5 cm diagonal thin film flexible E Ink display. The flexible form of the display makes it much more portable that any current mobile computer: it will shape with your pocket
Dr. Vertegaal will unveil his paper computer on May 10 at 2 pm at the Association of Computing Machinery’s CHI 2011 (Computer Human Interaction) conference in Vancouver — the premier international conference of Human-Computer Interaction.
Being able to store and interact with documents on larger versions of these light, flexible computers means offices will no longer require paper or printers.
“The paperless office is here. Everything can be stored digitally and you can place these computers on top of each other just like a stack of paper, or throw them around the desk” says Dr. Vertegaal.
The invention heralds a new generation of computers that are super lightweight, thin-film and flexible. They use no power when nobody is interacting with them. When users are reading, they don’t feel like they’re holding a sheet of glass or metal.
An article on a study of interactive use of bending with flexible thinfilm computers is to be published at the conference in Vancouver, where the group is also demonstrating a thinfilm wristband computer called Snaplet.
The development team included researchers Byron Lahey and Win Burleson of the Motivational Environments Research Group at Arizona State University (ASU), Audrey Girouard and Aneesh Tarun from the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University, Jann Kaminski and Nick Colaneri, director of ASU’s Flexible Display Center, and Seth Bishop and Michael McCreary, the VP R&D of E Ink Corporation.
A Virus Could Help You Lose Weight
How would you like to trick your brain into making you feel less hungry? Scientists show how a virus could be used to alter your brain so you don’t get as hungry in a new study.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins gave a group of rats a virus which inhibited the neuropeptide Y (NPY) protein in the dorsomedial hypothalamus of the brain, which is linked to appetite and hunger. As a result, the rats exposed to the virus ate and weighed less than the control group.
But the effects went further than that.
By giving the infected rats an insanely high calorie diet, the researchers found something unexpected: rather than the usual build-up of white fat at the base of the tail, there were indicators that the rats were forming brown fat, which is much easier for the body to burn through than the stuff that usually builds up around our bellies.
Basically, this virus kept the rats thin, and even when they ate fat, it was good for them. Get ready for designer health virii!
