Compact jets that shoot matter into space in a continuous stream at near the speed of light have long been assumed to be a unique feature of black holes. But these odd features of the universe may be more common than once thought.
Astrophysicists using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope recently spotted one of these jets around a super-dense dead star, confirming for the first time that neutron stars as well as black holes can produce these fire-hose-like jets of matter.
As the smaller star travels around its dead partner, the neutron star's intense gravity picks up material leaving the smaller star’s atmosphere and creates a disk around itself. The disk of matter, or accretion disk, circles the neutron star similar to the way rings circle Saturn.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
Trees - On The Shore
Link
Lp. CBS 64168 / Lp. Decal LIK 12 (1987) / Cd. Beat Goes On BGOCD 173 (1993) / Cd. Columbia 484435 (1996)
Bias Boshell/guitar, vocals; Unwin Brown/drums, vocals; Barry Clark/guitar; David Costa/guitar; Tony Cox/bass; Celia Humphris/keyboards, vocals; Michael Jeffries/harp
Released in 1970, this record soon disappeared and became a sought-after classic. This folk-rock outfit influenced by Fairport Convention only bought out two albums before they split up and this is their debut. Tobias Boshell, the main songwriter then joined Kiki Dee's Band and wrote her biggest hit, "I've Got the Music in Me".
I’ve never heard the album but I’ve always liked the cover (by Hipnosis if I remember correctly).
It’s this week’s featured album on the Freak Zone on BBC 6 Radio. You can listen to the entire show by clicking HERE.
Listen to an MP3 from their 2nd LP HERE
Geostationary Banana Over Texas Project
These things lead to the development of the Photon Engine in the 23rd century.
Father of "Antigravity" Born This Day
William Sturgeon, the English electrical engineer who devised the first electromagnet capable of supporting more than its own weight (1825) was born on this day. The 200 gram magnet supported 4kg of iron with a single cell's current.
Sturgeon also worked on improving the voltaic battery, developing a theory of thermoelectricity, and even atmospheric charge conditions. From 500 kite flights made in calm weather, he found the atmosphere is consistently charged positively with respect to the Earth, and increasingly so at increased height. Link
Sturgeon also worked on improving the voltaic battery, developing a theory of thermoelectricity, and even atmospheric charge conditions. From 500 kite flights made in calm weather, he found the atmosphere is consistently charged positively with respect to the Earth, and increasingly so at increased height. Link
SEE ALSO: Floating Bananas
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Tom Bagley Talks Albertan Dinos
Over at the PALAEOBLOG Tom Bagley talks about the recent 'discussion' between his wife, artist Kipling West, and the grandson of John Kanerva who built the historic dinosaur models ('cement-o-saurs') at the Calgary Zoo.
Tom's a great artist (see above) and is closely associated with the spooky Calgary band, "Forbidden Dimension." Spin some records on the FD jukebox HERE.
Both Tom and Kipling contribute to the excellent blog, 7 DEADLY SINNERS. Go check it out!
Tom's a great artist (see above) and is closely associated with the spooky Calgary band, "Forbidden Dimension." Spin some records on the FD jukebox HERE.
Both Tom and Kipling contribute to the excellent blog, 7 DEADLY SINNERS. Go check it out!
Experience The Monsterizer!
Lobster Johnson Vs. The Red Skull
Lobster Johnson statue from the Imperial War Museum, London; Photo of the Red Skull statue in Berlin (destroyed at the end of the war) from the National Archives, London.
Panel from the classic story,"Red Skull's Deadly Revenge", Lobster Johnson #16 (No. 1940).
“The Time: Now. The Battlefield: Europe. The Prize: The Fate of the World.Above: the opening crawl for the rarely seen 1945 Republic serial, “(Lobster Johnson and) The Cosmic Cube of Doom,” starring the then unknown ‘Ken’ (Kenneth) Toby as Lobster Johnson, and Leslie Banks as the Red Skull. The serial was due to be released just as Germany surrendered in 1945. It was pulled from distribution and slated for later release after being reedited but the negative was destroyed in a lab fire. An edited working print consisting of chapters 1, 2-5, and 7-9 is reputed to have been shown in limited release in the mid-west in the early 1950’s but this claim has never been substantiated.
The two greatest enemies of WWII collide in a fight to the death! Nazi-smasher supreme, Lobster Johnson, faces down the Third Reich’s most fiendish mastermind, The Red Skull, in a battle that will decide the outcome of the war and the very existence of the Earth! Can even The Lobster’s ‘Claw of Justice’ stop the planet-shattering, evil power of The Skull’s ‘Cosmic Cube’?!”
Banks stated that he had made the film as a favour to his friend, director Ernest Schoedsack, who was looking to raise money to make a movie based on the early film-making adventures of himself and his partner Merian C. Cooper, with whom he had co-directed the blockbuster 1933 film, King Kong. Banks is only seen unmasked in one scene, and only with his back to the camera. He claimed that for the rest of the film The Red Skull was actually played by frequent Republic stuntman, David Sharpe, and that he was only on the set for one day!
The Red Skull (© Marvel Comics) Statue from Bowen Designs. Lobster Johnson (© Mike Mignola) statue from Electric Tiki.
Daffy Duck Avoids The Draft:
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