CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-04-28 14:35:52 (3 comments, 6 reshares, 17 +1s)

Listen to the LP recording of "Apollo 11 - The Eagle Has Landed"

If you're a fan of space and NASA, then you're in for a treat. Right after the historic event, Capitol Records made a compilation LP of the radio transmissions from the Apollo 11 mission with narration and commentary. The original album also included a single of the Sounds of the Space Age. It is a phenomenally powerful firsthand account of one of the most important events in human history. The entire album is 52 minutes long, but if you have the time, it's well worth the effort. You can listen and download the whole album here: https://soundcloud.com/futurenaut/sets/apollo-11-the-eagle-has-landed
photos of the album: http://imgur.com/a/3YGcH

2013-04-25 12:31:56 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

The evolution of family Hominidae in a 94 second song

Here's a humorous mnemonic for remembering the origin of familiy Hominidae.

sample verse:
"Neanderthalis died out only twenty thousand years ago...
but Europeans slept around and borrowed some genetic code!"

2013-04-24 12:42:42 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 13 +1s)

95% of Jupiter's stratospheric water came from the 1994 comet impact

In July 1994, a string of 21 comet fragments slammed into the southern hemisphere of Jupiter and was the first observed collision of extraterrestrial bodies in the solar system. A year later in 1995, the ESA's Infrared Space Observatory launched and one of the first discoveries it made was the presence of water in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter. Since it is impossible for any of the water from the deeper recesses of Jupiter to rise past the 'cold trap' separating the lower and upper atmosphere, the water in the stratosphere must have come from some other source, which presented a mystery. At the time, it was widely speculated that the water might have come from the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet, but there was no direct proof until now. The spectral imager on the Herschel observatory was able to accurately map... more »

2013-04-22 19:18:42 (7 comments, 11 reshares, 30 +1s)

Moscow Subway's Stray Dogs

Each morning, like clockwork, they board the subway, off to begin their daily routine amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.

But these aren't just any daily commuters. These are stray dogs who live in the outskirts of Moscow Russia and commute on the underground trains to and from the city centre in search of food scraps.

Then after a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

http://www.socialphy.com/posts/off-topic/13644/Moscow-Subway_s-Stray-Dogs.html

2013-04-07 16:34:27 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 12 +1s)

The fight between QM and GR is heating up.
http://www.nature.com/news/astrophysics-fire-in-the-hole-1.12726

Quantum Mechanics describes the very small and General Relativity the very large but unfortunately they don't get along very well. To make matters worse, they meet each other all the time on their common playground; black holes.

TL;DR - Either firewalls exist and general relativity falls apart, or information is lost in black holes and QM is off.

> Incineration instead of spaghettification?
In March 2012, Joseph Polchinski began to contemplate suicide — at least in mathematical form. He was pondering what would happen to an astronaut who dived into a black hole. Obviously, he would die. But how? According to the then-accepted account, he wouldn’t feel anything special at first, even when his fall took him through the black hole’sevent ho... more »

2013-03-30 12:02:28 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 13 +1s)

Real life version of the Jonny Quest walking spider robot

I grew up watching Jonny Quest in the mid-sixties, and that show is probably why my job is what it is today. One of the iconic images from the series is a walking robot spider that was shown in the opening credits. Almost five decades later, that type of technology is now becoming real. Here's a short video showing the Mantis, a six-legged walking robot vehicle... Awesome :)

www.mantisrobot.com

2013-03-29 14:43:38 (7 comments, 8 reshares, 23 +1s)

17 prescient things that a 1969 sci-fi novel predicted about today

As a person who is often asked to predict the future, at least in technology, I am always impressed when someone is capable of foreseeing the logical extrapololation of time. I find it even more amazing when science fiction writers manage to create worlds in the near future that turn out to be very accurate. Among those sci-fi writers that have attempted to create worlds set in the actual future, one modern writer stands above the crowd in uncanny accuracy. The John Brunner novel, Stand on Zanzibar, was published in 1969, but it was set in the year 2010. Many of the elements of his future world have come to be, including some real shockers (like a popular world leader named President Obomi). Here are the top 17 things he got right (or darned close) from an article by Ted Gioia (link at bottom).

(1) Random acts of... more »

2013-03-30 10:39:08 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

Time for a little fantasizing

If you have an extra $64.5 million laying around, then you might want to consider the newest executive jet from Gulfstream, the G650. It's capable of sustained mach 0.9 speed with a range of 6,000 nm or mach 0.85 for up to 7,000 nm. I've flown in the G550 and it was amazing. But this version is the widest, tallest, and fastest private executive jet on the planet (that wasn't built from a converted airliner). Here's a short video about the luxury plane. Enjoy :) #fridayfantasy

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_03_25_2013_p40-559416.xml

2013-03-28 11:16:10 (17 comments, 0 reshares, 39 +1s)

Dear Lucian,
Are you looking for something in our Science Fiction & Fantasy books department? If so, you might be interested in these items...
Sincerely, Amazon

Dear Amazon,
Thank you for your wonderful suggestions. I am indeed interested in Science Fiction... But I'm pretty sure I've already read these books.
Sincerely, Lucian ツ

2013-03-25 22:12:22 (14 comments, 23 reshares, 85 +1s)

Japan is about to break China's stranglehold on rare earth metals

In what could be a gigantic technological coup, Japan has announced they have been able to locate an easily obtainable source of rare earth metals, especially those in the heavier end of the spectrum. The team of Japanese scientists first discovered huge reserves in the mid-Pacific two years ago. However, these current deposits are thought to be 1,000 times more concentrated than all the land-based deposits on the planet. Since China controls 97% of the global supply, this is a big deal for Japan because they use over 50% of all rare earth metals that are mined and produced each year.

This latest bonanza is contained in the deep sea mud around the island of Minami-Torishima at 5,700 meters below sea level and in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. According to the researchers, the deposits are contained in... more »

2013-03-20 14:10:33 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 10 +1s)

Mr. Rogers graduated magna cum laude from Rollins College

That's right down the street from where I live... Who knew? If you're a fan of Mr. Rogers, you'll love this short video from Mental Floss with 35 really interesting facts about everyone's favorite neighbor :)

h/t +Robert Misner 

2013-03-18 12:03:43 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 16 +1s)

Unfortunately this will be banned n the US since it has too large a magazine

2013-03-15 19:00:11 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 21 +1s)

⚠ ♀ ♂ ⚡ ⛽ = ⚤ ⚛ ⛾² ㋡ - Where do all these symbols come from?

If you've ever wondered where those cool keyboard symbols come from, here's an amazing Unicode Character Table that has a map on the side telling you what language it's from (including the language of math and assorted other symbols). The list seems to go on forever, and all you have to do is scroll down to see the interesting types of graphic symbols we use to write our different languages and how they are geographically distributed and related. If you need to find the source of a unicode symbol, this is your resource. If you want to write unintelligible symbolic sentences and make all your texting buddies jealous, you'll want to bookmark this page. ㋡ :http://unicode-table.com/en/

h/t +Adam Riley

2013-03-15 15:02:31 (14 comments, 4 reshares, 17 +1s)

Australian windfarm sickness found to spread by word of mouth

An Australian research study published in the American Psychological Association PsycNet has found an interesting disease vector for the recently discovered "windfarm sickness" that has plagued parts of Australia. It seem that healthy volunteers, when given information about the expected physiological effect of infrasound, reported symptoms that aligned with that information, during exposure to both infrasound and sham infrasound. Symptom expectations were created by viewing information readily available on the Internet, indicating the potential for symptom expectations to be created outside of the laboratory, in real world settings. Results suggest psychological expectations could explain the link between wind turbine exposure and health complaints.

Things that make you go, "Hummmm?"
... more »

2013-03-12 13:50:15 (10 comments, 8 reshares, 22 +1s)

CISPA - It's back !

#internetfreedom   #aaronswartz   #piracy   #euromaestro   #cispa  
#justiceforaaronswartz  #antisec #anon  

It was two months ago today that Aaron Swartz took his life, let's not forget.

As you know, last year CISPA was withdrawn after a very loud public outcry. Now the legislation is back again. Back without any modifications whatsoever. Is this democracy ?

In addition to some of the people listed below, the proponents include the +US Chamber of Commerce and the Broadband Association.

Some of the opponents include +Rackspace, Demand Progress, and the +American Library Association Washington Office and of course +Tim Berners-Lee. 

Links to the positions can be found here
http://readwrite.com/2013/03/11/cispa-supporters-opponents-and-you

AlanSchoenbaum of ... more »

2013-03-10 13:08:03 (11 comments, 23 reshares, 70 +1s)

Tom Hanks is a legend

This pic is hilarious already, but here is the back story:

The fella in the white doesn't know Tom hanks, never met him and surely never will 

Tom was sitting at the bar with his friend and having a few beers when he noticed this guy passed out. He went over to see if he was ok noticed the guys mobile phone was on the table, shot off a few pics, put the phone in the guys pocket, and left the guy passed out and 

Seriously, can you imagine finding this on your phone after a drunken night out ???

2013-03-10 01:31:14 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

2013-03-07 12:37:06 (16 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

This is not good...

h/t +Kitty Sutton 

2013-03-01 14:46:26 (14 comments, 6 reshares, 13 +1s)

This is why it sucks to be an astronomy textbook publisher

Something we thought we understood completely, turns out to be much more complicated than we originally thought. Now we have to rewrite all those textbooks. Darn! Oh well, such is the march of scientific knowledge. It turns out NASA's Van Allen space probes have discovered a third radiation belt around Earth. I know what you're thinking, "That can't be right... there are only supposed to be two Van Allen belts." Yeah, well, things change. According to the instruments, which according to the researchers are really good instruments, the new belt consisted of super-high-energy electrons embedded in a stable outer ring over 12,000 miles above the planet's surface. For those of you not willing to live in a world with more than two Van Allen belts, don't worry. The outer belt was only a temporary feature and... more »

2013-02-25 13:14:20 (10 comments, 5 reshares, 28 +1s)

Real is always better..

2013-02-24 16:40:43 (28 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

My son and I are about to compete in the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby

This is his entry, called Quicksilver. It's based on a design sketch by him, and started as a block of wood. I had to handle the bandsaw and drill press (he's only six) but he put it together and painted it himself. The finite element analysis, wind-tunnel testing, and vectored load balancing was probably overkill, but when your father is me, what can you do? Anyone wanna race?

2013-02-24 13:36:44 (6 comments, 6 reshares, 22 +1s)

When mathematicians and engineers get bored, this happens...

As a robotics and biomechanical engineer, kinematics is very close to my heart. Here's a short video showing how to create chaotic motion in a mechanical system using a triple pendulum. As simple as it is to demonstrate, the math behind the dynamics of this system is very complex. (4 min video)

2013-02-22 14:55:45 (15 comments, 119 reshares, 126 +1s)

When numbers don't really mean what they claim

It's usually easy to spot when a politician or news group tries to manipulate statistics to mislead. But it is much more difficult to spot when scientists do it, especially if the scientists themselves are unaware of the pitfalls of statistical analysis. Alex Reinhart has updated his excellent page on statistical fallacies and how they (sometimes innocently) end up in many scientific studies. If you have ever wondered about things like data analysis, p-values, or statistical power, then this article will provide you with a solid introduction to the subtle traps of statistical misinterpretation.

http://www.refsmmat.com/articles/statistics.html

2013-03-08 17:24:48 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Introducing the SPAWG

I must apologize for being absent lately from G+. This is my new project, and (in addition to writing) it's been keeping me busy. We are currently preparing our venture capital pitch and I'm finalizing the group of strategic manufacturing partners. As part of that preparation, the lucianrandolph.com site has been remodelled and is being updated daily. If you're interested (or bored) drop on over and have a look around :)


Water… it can truly be called the substance of life.

It’s possible that life as we know it may never have begun without liquid water. And it is absolutely true that we cannot exist without the presence of liquid H2O. Next to air, water is the most important substance needed for our survival. Without any water at all, we will die in as little as two or three days. Humans can live for weeks without eating…but o... more »

2013-02-15 18:17:58 (11 comments, 29 reshares, 36 +1s)

Four minutes of video too important to miss

h/t: +Philena Rush

2013-02-07 00:10:42 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 13 +1s)

I've been locked in my lab writing

While I've been working on the fifth novel in the series, the first book, The God in the Clear Rock, has been in multiple top ten lists at Amazon for several months now (Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YF1D4E). This has certainly helped to keep me motivated :) For everyone who is waiting for the next novel, here's a rough draft of a short little teaser. If you have read the fourth book, you'll recognize where this scene is from.


 - - - - -


"So Maya, how do you fit into all this?" Jay-L almost sounded like he was flirting.

“Maya?” Luke and Marissé both looked at Jay-L with incredulousness.

Jay-L turned away from the artifact and quickly looked at them. “Well, we have to call her something.” Behind him, he heard the woman on the lifelike hologram speak again.The sound... more »

2013-02-11 18:59:55 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

DARPA releases update for satellite recycling project

DARPA has released a new video of the Phoenix Program - a satellite recycling project I've been involved with. The $180 million dollar initiative needs to develop several new technologies before it will be possible. As simple as the idea may sound, there are technical challenges that have never been attempted and legal hurdles that have yet to be vetted involved in the concept of recycling satellites. This is typical of a DARPA project, however. Those of us who work with the agency are familiar with the "impossible" nature of the projects handled by the military research group. I'm personally working on creating one of the new technologies that will be needed. Here's a few links to some more info:

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/01/darpa-unveils-robotic-plan-to-reuse-recycle-satellites-in-2015/... more »

2013-01-22 13:14:21 (4 comments, 6 reshares, 29 +1s)

2013-01-17 12:30:40 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 18 +1s)

Redefining what it means to be human

Humans and our ancestors used to be the only hominids. However, using new genetic analysis our relationship to the animal world has changed. The new taxonomic definition of hominid reminds us that we are far less removed from our ape cousins than all our fancy cities and science might suggest.

http://io9.com/5892387/the-last-time-we-redefined-what-it-means-to-be-human

2013-01-16 00:42:37 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

Who knew Arnold the Governator could draw?

Arnold Schwarzenegger just finished an AMA on Reddit. It generated 12,691 comments and over 92,000 up and down votes (as of last count). When he finished, he uploaded this hand drawn sketch of the Reddit logo. Go Arnold :)

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/16mq0g/iamarnold_ask_me_anything/

2013-01-15 20:26:46 (9 comments, 7 reshares, 15 +1s)

Darth Vader gives an alternative view of the petition to build a Death Star

"I find your lack of faith... disturbing."

So says Lord Vader in a scathing letter to President Obama regarding the White House petition to build a working Death Star. It seems the Dark One believes the power of a Death Star is worth the cost even if the current administration doesn't. I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna disagree with Vader. President Obama has to deal with him now ツ

http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelpeck/2013/01/15/darth-vader-responds-to-obama-rejection-of-u-s-death-star/

2013-01-11 11:02:39 (15 comments, 34 reshares, 48 +1s)

Our understanding about how brain cells communicate is WRONG

Apparently, the adult brain communicates in a much more complex manner than we previously thought. A new study out today in the journal Science turns two decades of understanding about how brain cells communicate on its head. The study demonstrates that the tripartite synapse – a model long accepted by the scientific community and one in which multiple cells collaborate to move signals in the central nervous system – does not exist in the adult brain. This is one of several current revelations we are discovering about the depth and complexity of the electrical functioning of the brain. It is also affecting our research for Artificial Intelligence.

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-brain-flawed.html#jCp

2013-01-09 15:07:36 (27 comments, 5 reshares, 22 +1s)

10 Ways 'Buckaroo Banzai' Has Infiltrated Pop Culture

Okay, admit it. How many of you were "Blue Blaze Irregulars?" I love this movie and feel it's rightfully considered a cult classic. I must also admit that I have jokingly been called "Buckaroo Banzai" because of my unique line of work; a comparison I won't ever complain about (although I don't have my own rock band). Here's a short article outlining how this 80's sci-fi classic influenced many of the following years in Hollywood.

And don't forget, "No matter where you go, there you are."

http://www.thegeektwins.com/2013/01/10-ways-buckaroo-banzai-has-infiltrated.html#.UO2E3bamDud

2013-01-08 12:08:40 (7 comments, 5 reshares, 9 +1s)

Fans of G.R.R. Martin - free 50 pg preview of his sci-fi classic

Before George Martin created the Game of Thrones fantasy world, he was a sci-fi author. Del Rey Spectra has reissued one of his early works, Tuf Voyaging. It's been out of print for 20 years but will be available in a few weeks. They've put up a 50 page excerpt on Scribd for fans who can't wait. Enjoy :)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/119003178/TUF-VOYAGING-by-George-R-R-Martin-Excerpt

2013-01-05 14:20:15 (20 comments, 2 reshares, 17 +1s)

Direct Reply to comments = awesome

This is probably old news, but I really like the new "Reply" feature on the comments. You need to hover over the +1 button to see it. When you click the "Reply," it auto includes the commenter's link in a new comment. This process was sometimes a hit or miss operation, and this has solved it completely. Well done Google+ Team :)

2013-01-05 12:17:24 (27 comments, 61 reshares, 93 +1s)

Out of sight, out of mind - Where Children Sleep

American journalist Chris Booth and photographer James Mollison have created a photo exposé showing the conditions that children sleep in across the world. I can't get the images out of my mind.

http://wineandbowties.com/art/where-children-sleep/

2013-01-04 16:07:21 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 12 +1s)

Shaken, Not Stirred: The Science behind Bond's Martini

Moderate alcohol consumption reduces risks of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cataracts. As Mr Bond enjoys perennial robust health, scientists investigated whether the mode of preparing martinis has an influence on their antioxidant capacity.  Reporting in the British Medical Journal, they concluded that 007 was not only astute in matters of clandestine affairs both personal and international, he also had keen scientific and medical insights.

Anti-Aging Antioxidants: Wonder why 007 looks so young? Shaken martinis were more effective in deactivating hydrogen peroxide than the stirred variety, and both were more effective than gin or vermouth alone (0.072% of peroxide remaining for shaken martini, 0.157% for stirred vs. 58.3% for gin and 1.90% for vermouth). More data: http://goo.gl/N44xc
more »

2013-01-03 20:01:58 (5 comments, 7 reshares, 15 +1s)

Did You Know? - Your baby knows statistics

Well... maybe not in the sense that you're thinking. But according to research done by Fei Xu and Stephanie Denison, both now at the University of California-Berkeley, a very sophisticated understanding of random sampling develops early in life. They found that by the time infants are only one year old, they are capable of making simple statistical inferences about samples and populations. Even more interestingly, infants are also capable of overriding these inferences when warranted by the specifics of the situation. Babies and math... who knew?

http://theamericanscholar.org/your-baby-is-a-statistician/

2013-01-03 17:06:41 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 18 +1s)

USC scientists create new way to recycle fluoroform

A team of chemists at USC have developed a way to transform a byproduct of Teflon manufacture into reagents for producing pharmaceuticals. Fluoroform is a powerful ozone-destroying greenhouse gas that is 11,700 times more damaging than CO2. Up till now, there has been no real way to dispose of the chemical, so Teflon manufacturers just put it in containers and store it. As a result of the broad use of Teflon, gigantic stockpiles of fluoroform exist and can now be used as a feedstock for the pharmaceutical industry. Go science :-)

Edit: dyslexic spelling of fluoroform

http://scienceblog.com/58843/scientists-discover-new-use-for-harmful-greenhouse-gas/#r6uQMRTYOioGOqT2.99

2013-01-03 14:39:38 (11 comments, 3 reshares, 14 +1s)

Model train city used to study "kinetic effects" of cyberwarfare

One of my primary areas of research is the dangers of space weather to infrastructure and electronics. A complimentary area of intense research is the cyberwarfare arena. In an effort to understand the potential "kinetic effects" of cyber attacks on infrastructure and facilities, the US military has built a miniature city out of toy train equipment. CyberCity takes up a mere 48 sq ft, but it has a working electric grid, transportation system, and banking network.

"Kinetic effects" is the code name for blowing things up, and the military has now become aware of the potential for hackers to be able to use cyber attacks to cause physical damage in the real world. Although the threat of cyber attacks has been well documented in the world of digital data, the threat to real world facilities... more »

2012-12-28 13:04:47 (5 comments, 7 reshares, 16 +1s)

Aside from nearly 375 classic books, this treasure trove includes a list of over 600 free online courses from leading universities, including Stanford, Yale, MIT, UC Berkeley and Oxford.

2012-12-26 14:56:11 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 28 +1s)

My six-and-a-half year old son: "Papi, look how many presents Santa brought me. I was really good this year."

Me: "How come I don't remember all this good behavior?"

My six-and-a-half year old son: "I snuck around and did it behind your back."

Me: "Well, that certainly explains a lot." ツ

2012-12-23 22:16:12 (5 comments, 5 reshares, 22 +1s)

My first children's book is now on Amazon - Woohoo

Baracus is a double-dapple dachshund with a shiny white chest. Double-dapple dachsies are very special, but his seven pack-mates don't think so. They've come up with a devious plan to get rid of Baracus, and they're using Santa to help them. But Santa has other ideas...

A funny and poetic tale with 43 pages illustrated by my wife Marie! If you have young children, you'll love this story ツ

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AS02QOK/