Landing on a Comet: A Love Song

For those of you who somehow haven't heard the news, a man made space craft has landed on a comet for the first time.  Hello 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko!

The Rosetta mission has been in the works for a long time.  This mission was approved in 1993, and the craft itself was launched in 2004.  You can see a timeline of the mission HERE.  This is an amazing moment, not only for the ESA, but for humanity as a whole.  Let's celebrate!




You can also hear the comet "sing" to you!  Apparently the sound is caused by weak oscillations in 67P's magnetic field.  You can find a more in-depth explanation for this HERE.  Keep in mind, we wouldn't normally be able to hear these sounds.  The frequency has been increased by a fair bit (about 10,000 times) to make your enjoyment possible.




A big congratulations and thank you to all the scientists who made this achievement possible!

B is for the Borg

Cyborgs represent the combining of the biological and the synthetic.  They are a complex amalgam of flesh and metal, and have frequently been viewed in science fiction with unease.  The Borg from the Star Trek universe are a prime example of this.

The Borg add to their numbers through assimilation.  This assimilation process bears a striking similarity to Colonialism.  The invaders, in this case being the nanoprobes, spread throughout the host’s body, sprouting implants and erasing the host’s autonomy.  They rid them of emotion.  This is the kind of invasion that frightens us most.  The kind that purges us of our freedom, wiping away that which distinguishes us.  That which makes us unique.  This is reminiscent of the way invaders have operated in the past, subjugating indigenous peoples and replacing their cultures with the culture of the conquerors.

In science fiction, we often see technology as that which destroys our humanity.  Is this really how it will turn out to be?  As we devise implants to regulate bodily functions that have gone awry, to treat conditions that would otherwise be devastating, or to hook in to technology in more intimate ways for our own pursuit of pleasure, are we truly sacrificing a piece of our humanity in the process?  As we engage the world in increasingly technological ways, are we changing what it means to be human?

A Flight Through the Universe

Insane Human Powered Rube Goldberg Machine

We all like a good Rube Goldberg machine.  Now, have you ever seen one powered by insane humans?  Check it out!

Tweets in Space!

Do you want to send your message to the stars?  Here's how you can!

On Friday September 21, 2012, log onto Twitter and add #tweetsinspace to your message. Now remember, timing is of the essence.  This must be done 8:30 – 9:00 PM Mountain Time, or 7:30-8PM PST; 9:30-10PM CST; 10:30-11PM EST.  I know all these time zones can make life confusing when it comes to coordinating an interstellar event like this, so thanks to the people at Tweets in Space for spelling it out so clearly on their webpage.

To learn more, watch this groovy video!  It's fun to watch, and the little girl at the end is WAY too cute!

Now You Really Can Say Your Dance Moves Are Electrifying!

Tiles that are designed to generate electricity from foot traffic! Not only is that a step in the right direction environmentally speaking, it may give people more incentive to walk. I know if I had a similar tile in my kitchen, I'd be dancing all day to reduce my electric bill!

ROBOTS!

Thank you George Takei for sharing this on Facebook.  Wall-E is the new Waldo.  It is now my desktop background and brings me much happiness.

How many ways are there to classify these?  Well, too many to count, probably.  Here are some ways that have come to mind, but this is by no means an inclusive list.

• cartoon vs. live action robots
• movie vs. T.V. robots
• by era (decades shown or time period of show featuring them)
• genre (sounds obvious, but Tom Servo from MST3K is comedy; Bender from Futurama, a comedy; Kryten from Red Dwarf, which is sci fi and comedy)
• by size, shape, or color
• by function
• humanoid vs. non-humanoid robots

Can any of you think of additional ways to classify them?  Or maybe point out one of your favorite robots.

The Tesla Gun

Science fiction inspires all sorts of magnificent things.

The man in this video built a gun using a Tesla coil.  This gun can shoot out up to 20,000 volts of electricity.  Trust me, it's cool.  And the music in the video is kind of fun too.

3D Dreams

When I first heard about this, I thought I had to be dreaming.  Oh the beauty of it all.

There are more videos on You Tube demonstrating this capability. Perhaps it isn't practical technology, but having seen some of the other 3D printers out there, I'm encouraged by the sophistication of technology. Who knows where it might go from here? Here's an example of the practical applications of 3D printing (not in chocolate though).  The implications for the space program alone are enormous.te


 

Poster Girlfriend

How many of us as teenagers, or even adults for that matter, looked at posters of movie or music stars and fantasized about what it would be like to be with them?  Except I recall fantasizing about the real person.  I never dreamed about making out with the actual poster.

Apparently some have.




Fascinating technology, but I'll admit that I don't understand the appeal. The interaction is very limited, and even if they do add in the flavor, you're still kissing a screen. And if it's in public, who would really want to kiss something that's been who kissed by who knows how many people? Yuck!

Even so, I'm at least curious how the technology will progress beyond this. How long before we fulfill the predictions of science fiction and have fully interactive companion robots? Time will tell.

She Powered Me With Science!

I just read about a new fabric called  Power Felt that is able to produce electricity using lost heat.  Think of a world where you have something that uses your body heat to power your personal electronic devices.  How much money could we save this way?  According to the video linked here, it would only cost $1 to have the fabric attached to a device.

What an interesting way to pursue greener technologies.  Not to mention there can be a whole new market for making this material fashionable.  Instead of wearing tin foil suits like they do in old science fiction movies, we can be bouncing around in brightly colored clothes that can be used to charge your cell phone.  Now when you meet someone new, there might really be sparks flying! (Bad joke, I know.  I can't help myself.)