Born This Day: Carl Sagan

Nov. 9, 1934 - Dec. 20, 1996


Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996)
"I maintain there is much more wonder in science than in pseudoscience. And in addition, to whatever measure this term has any meaning, science has the additional virtue, and it is not an inconsiderable one, of being true".





Joseph Turner: Shade and Darkness - the Evening of the Deluge
1843; Oil on canvas, 78.5 x 78 cm; Tate Gallery, London

The Edge of Forever:

Robots Taste Human Flesh: Crave More!

Researchers at NEC System Technologies and Mie University have designed a robot that can taste. Last month, they unveiled the fruits of their two-year effort — a green-and-white prototype with eyes, a head that swivels and a mouth that lights up whenever the robot talks. The "tasting" is done elsewhere, however.

At the end of the robot's left arm is an infrared spectrometer. When objects are placed up against the sensor, the robot fires off a beam of infrared light. The reflected light is then analyzed in real time to determine the object's chemical composition.

When a reporter's hand was placed against the robot's taste sensor, it was identified as prosciutto. A cameraman was mistaken for bacon. Link

Robot Monster Destroys All Humans...!

Transit of Mercury

The Transit of Mercury Webcast is being hosted by the NASA Digital Learning Network. From their home page just choose the Transit of Mercury feature. On the information page you will find many activities and lesson plans.

Webcast Air Time:

Start: 1:30 ET - End: 2:30 ET TODAY!

During the webcast NASA will feature:

A panel of scientists live from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

A telescope 'safety viewing' demonstration with instructions on how to view the transit using a classroom solarscope.

Live images of the transit from 2 NASA satellites, SOHO and TRACE.

Live ground based images from Kitt Peak and Hawaii!

VISIT THE PERIODIC TABLE OF COMIC BOOKS.

Children Prefer Those Smiled On By Fate

5- to 7-year-olds more attracted to lucky individuals and groups than victims of bad luck.

Children as young as five to seven years of age prefer lucky individuals over the less fortunate. This phenomenon, the researchers say, could clarify the origins of human attitudes toward differing social groups and help explain the persistence of social inequality.

"Young children express stronger liking for the beneficiaries of good luck compared to the victims of bad lack and generalize this preference to those who share membership in a group. Because the disadvantaged are more likely to experience negative events beyond their control -- such as the tendency for the poor to be most impacted by natural disasters -- this innocuous preference for the privileged may eventually grow more harmful, further increasing negativity toward the disadvantaged. Such preferences may, in turn, help explain the persistence of social inequality." Link.

The work is published in the latest issue of the journal Psychological Science.

Images: link and link

Pick you Lucky Number...:

Speed Racer Goes Hollywood

"Speed Racer" is on a fast track to the big screen in an all-new, live-action feature film that will reunite the filmmaking team behind "The Matrix." Speed Racer" will be written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, marking the brothers' first writing/directing collaboration since their groundbreaking "Matrix" movies.

Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, the big-screen "Speed Racer" will follow the adventures of the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory in his thundering Mach 5. It will feature other characters that fans of the show will remember, including Speed's family and his mysterious arch-rival, Racer X. Link

Speed Racer Sells Out...:


Why would Speed Racer turn to the Dark Side? Could these two 'Racy Speed Racers' have something to do with it?

(Click to enlarge)

Or maybe it's the cool bikes they ride...

Link
Rocker Biker Girl

Z Machine Melts Diamond To A Puddle

link

Sandia's Z machine, by creating pressures more than 10 million times that of the atmosphere at sea level, has turned a diamond sheet into a pool of liquid.

The object of the experiment at the National Nuclear Security Administration facility was to better understand the characteristics of diamond under the extreme pressure it would face when used as a capsule for a BB-sized pellet intended to fuel a nuclear fusion reaction.

Why use diamond at all? It was hoped that diamond would help smooth out the applied pressure loads and keep the capsule implosion symmetric.

In the experiments, the applied pressure came from shock waves passing through the diamond. The waves were created by impacting the diamond with tiny plates hurled using Z's huge magnetic fields at about 20 times the speed of a rifle bullet.
LINK

This N-man, This Model!

N-Man © and TM Stephen R. Bissette, all rights reserved, 1993, 2006]

A few years back I wanted to experiment with a block of ‘Super-Sculpty’ that I had acquired. Inspired by ‘Sturdy’ Steve Bissette’s “N-Man” (a co-creation with Alan Moore) for the lamentably never-finished ‘1963’ series for Image Comics, I sculpted the half man-half lobster hero.

Pete Von Sholly then turned a photo of the 12” model into the cool faux-Aurora box seen above. Steve's recent post of of Pete's faux box has forced my hand in putting up this post.





The above illos are all from the ash can edition of “The Unbelievable N-Man” that Steve sent me all those years ago. Below is the ash can cover (left) and the 1st N-Man cover feature.



Below are two better shots of the finished painted model:




N-Man © and TM Stephen R. Bissette, all rights reserved, 1993, 2006]

And a big Halloween thanks to Steve and Pete!