Comment Common misconception (Score 0, Redundant) 478
The immaculate conception refers not to the virgin birth of Jesus, but to the conception of Mary without original sin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Conception
Comment Re:They need a proofer (Score 1) 321
No kidding. The show had a ways to come back after starting on that note.
North Korea Announces Achieving Nuclear Fusion 372
aftertaf writes "North Korea claims to have achieved nuclear fusion by building what it describes as a 'unique thermo-nuclear reaction device.' This announcement was met by skepticism on just about every news website this side of Saturn. Pyongyang claims its latest scientific breakthrough coincides with the birthday of the country's founder and eternal president Kim Il-sung. This is not the first time it seems that the laws of nature have been bent in his honor. According to official biographies, when his son, Kim Jong-il, was born, a new star appeared in the sky." No doubt the Dear Leader combined the atomic nuclei by hand.
Comment Cape Town (Score 1) 157
I stayed at the Breakwater Lodge in Cape Town, SA. They were charging ~$10/hour.
Spitzer Telescope Sheds Light On Colony of Baby Stars 34
astroengine writes "NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope had the unprecedented opportunity to observe the heart of the Orion Nebula for 40 days, returning 80 images of the star-forming region. In doing so, the observatory has been keeping track of 1,500 young stars as they undergo rapid variations in brightness, caused by large 'cool spots' on the surface of the stars and obscuring dust. However, the high resolution images Spitzer is returning take center-stage, showing a tight cluster of stellar birth amid the nebulous clouds of dust. This is an incredible achievement considering its primary mission is over (after using up all of its liquid helium coolant in May 2009) and only two instruments are still working."
Comment Re:"antivax" people (Score 1) 416
My 3 year old and 11 month old were both diagnosed with atypical chicken pox, today. The doctor told me that the 3 year old's vaccine prevented them from being about 50 times worse (in terms of number of rashes, severity of symptoms & fever, etc). He also immediately ordered the vaccine for the younger one, as it has a proven benefit if given immediately after diagnosis. So I'll go ahead and recommend that you give your hypothetical kid the vaccine.
As an aside, the doctor was asking about where they could have picked it up. I mentioned that they had recently started at a new daycare. The doctor immediately remarked that it was probably an un-vaccinated classmate. So, once again, I recommend you vaccinate your hypothetical kid. If not for your own kid, then for everyone else's.
As an aside, the doctor was asking about where they could have picked it up. I mentioned that they had recently started at a new daycare. The doctor immediately remarked that it was probably an un-vaccinated classmate. So, once again, I recommend you vaccinate your hypothetical kid. If not for your own kid, then for everyone else's.
Comment Re:The Sun (Score 2, Informative) 377
This is incorrect. Saturn's rings are clearly visible in my 2.5" telescope. Banding is visible on Jupiter if the moon is down and seeing is good.
Also, the brightest moons will be clearly visible for both planets.
Comment Acronyms... (Score 3, Informative) 155
Not mentioned in the summary or the first two linked articles is what ACTA actually is.
It stands for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement
M.U.L.E. Is Back 110
jmp_nyc writes "The developers at Turborilla have remade the 1983 classic game M.U.L.E. The game is free, and has slightly updated graphics, but more or less the same gameplay as the original version. As with the original game, up to four players can play against each other (or fewer than four with AI players taking the other spots). Unlike the original version, the four players can play against each other online. For those of you not familiar with M.U.L.E., it was one of the earliest economic simulation games, revolving around the colonization of the fictitious planet Irata (Atari spelled backwards). I have fond memories of spending what seemed like days at a time playing the game, as it's quite addictive, with the gameplay seeming simpler than it turns out to be. I'm sure I'm not the only Slashdotter who had a nasty M.U.L.E. addiction back in the day and would like a dose of nostalgia every now and then."
Ten Things Mobile Phones Will Make Obsolete 778
An anonymous reader writes "recombu.com has an article examining ten things mobile phones will make obsolete, including phone booths, wristwatches and handheld games consoles. It's interesting to see how many devices have been absorbed into mobile phone technology, and it raises the question: are we better off having everything in one device? The author poignantly concludes that while it's great to have so much power at our fingertips, it does mean that some of us will rely on mobile phones for even basic mental tasks, which is great until the battery runs out." See also Isaac Asimov's The Feeling of Power.
Comment Re:96 pixels wide by 128 pixels tall (Score 5, Informative) 102
I'd guess it uses a spinning mirror.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FiR2rGv7i4
Comment Re:G-forces ???? (Score 1) 384
From the article, they acknowledged that this would be unsuitable for cargoes sensitive to high G-forces. They suggested that rocket fuel would be a suitable payload.
Comment Re:Orbiting the moon is exceptionally difficult (Score 2, Insightful) 186
While that sounds pretty good, I'm fairly certain from a logical standpoint the odds of impacting the moon are as good or worse than the odds of leaving orbit and flying out into space. (Especially with the low gravity levels of the moon.)
I'm less than certain. Intersecting with the Moon would only require changes in ellipticity, whereas causing the satellite to become unbound would require a considerable increase in the satellite's kinetic energy.
Comment Re:CO2 cartridges to break earth's orbit? (Score 1) 208
That's a neat thought, but how are you planning on communicating with your experiment once it gets out into deep space?
Comment PUFF? (Score 1) 211
There's a nice bit of software called PUFF that was written at Caltech. It is available as an MS-DOS binary, which you can run on XP or Mac through DOSBox. Also, on the PUFF website they report that the source code comes with the program, and some have had success in compiling it for Linux.
Unfortunately, you can't buy the software directly. Some textbooks come packaged with it, though. I can recommend the Rutledge book as a nice overview of lab electronics.
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