JamesSavik

Thanks for the update Bloke! It's really good to hear from you. 71 cousins!? My goodness- it would take all day to hug them all! All my best wishes to you and yours as you start Uni and married life. James

Hubble's main camera hobbles back to life October 2, 2006 David Shiga for NewScientist.com Source Link Hubble's most frequently used instrument, the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), is partially functioning again, after shutting down unexpectedly last week. Before it shut down on 23 September, the ACS was Hubble's most frequently used instrument. It uses three channels that are essentially three different cameras, and the problem began shortly after Hubble's managers attempted to switch power from the Solar Blind Channel (SBC) to the High Resolution Channel (HRC). Despite the command to switch, Hubble's computer detected that power was not getting to the HRC and automatically shut down all three channels (see Hubble's key camera shuts down again). Now, the camera's Wide Field Channel (WFC) has resumed observations, with the other two channels still offline. The WFC, the channel that had been used for most ACS observations, gets its power from an independent route that is not affected by the other two channels. Switch issue :doh: Hubble began taking observations with the WFC on Sunday. "The instrument seems to be performing nominally," says Preston Burch, Hubble's mission manager at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, US. Hubble engineers are now pretty sure that the problem with the other two channels is related to the mechanical relay that flips back and forth to send power to either the SBC or the HRC. "All indications are that the commands [to flip] were properly received by the spacecraft, but we're not seeing the voltage [expected]," Burch told New Scientist. There might be some dirt or debris that is preventing the switch from closing properly, he says. Another possibility is that the mechanism that moves the arms of the switch from one position to another is broken, he says. Short circuit Hubble's managers are thinking about trying to flip the switch back and forth, which could solve the problem by dislodging any dirt. However, there is some worry that if the switch itself is broken, moving it could cause a short circuit that would kill the ACS's power source. A short circuit is considered an unlikely event, but it would make all three channels unusable, Burch says. The Hubble team will meet on Wednesday to discuss what to do about the switch. "We're probably a couple days away from doing any on-orbit commanding of the hardware," Burch says. If the switch problem cannot be fixed, the High Resolution Camera may still be able to make observations, but with only half its original field of view.

Thanks for the laugh Dom. There are tons of Little Johnny jokes. He must really get around.

School shootings often happen in clusters which begs the question- just how much of this is driven by the publicity (media attention)? The A&E network often does hour long case studies and court trial results of these incidents. There appears to be several recurring themes in all of them: some degree of mental illness and bullying, harrassment and intimidation and ineffective or no action from administration.

You know that you are over-the-hill when you go to the fair for the food and not the rides.

I have contributed some old eighties slang to the urban dictionary. There is, of course, much more of it. This is all I've written up so far. [entries in red have not been accepted yet.] The Urban Dictionary is pretty raunchy but where was I going to find out what a filthy-Sanchez was? Wikipedia? Disgusting alert! Be warned- it gets ugly below. organ-spasm A mind-blowing, earth-shaking orgasm so intense that you never forget it. It must be something of a religious experience as most people shout, "Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!". Holy crap Jessie can give great head. That was an organ-spasm I'll never forget. synonyms: big-o wet rapture climax squirm cum try-sexual A young guy that is such a horn dog that he will try most anything sexual. My buddy Shawn is a try-sexual: he f**ked his that fag-hag girl Mandy and her pal Travis. Leg Hound 1. a male dog the humps your leg 2. a young man with a powerful sex drive that will f**k anybody, anything, anytime, anywhere. 1. What could be more awkward than meeting your girlfriends parents with their damned leg hound humping and nutting on your shin. 2. Jesus Shawn! I can understand f**king fag-hag Jamie but did you really have to f**k her buddy Travis too?

There is another force that I don't think has been factored in: magnetism. A stars magnetic field plays a huge role during its lifetime. I remember reading a theory about planetesimals forming along magnetic lines of force. We know quite a lot about the effects of gravity and magnetism but we've still got a lot to learn.

One of the problems with a MEGA-SITE is that there is so much material here. I want to read EVERYTHING by EVERYBODY but we've so much good stuff here that it would take you years to wade through it all. I read 60 chapters of Com's Diary of Bill Chase. Now there's 25 more of it. I love Dom's stuff but he's got a couple of stories that I have yet to read. Sorry Dom. One thing that you might think about. If horror is your genre, the fall anthology at the end of this month theme is Halloween/horror. That would be a great place to introduce yourself with a short work. Don't worry. You'll get read. If I'm not mistaken, there is a who thread in the authors forum that discusses how to get more readers.

Hubble Telescope's Main Camera Fails Associated Press 9/25/06 Source Link The main camera on the Hubble Space Telescope has shut down unexpectedly for the second time this year, the operators of the orbiting observatory announced Friday. The Space Telescope Science Institute, which coordinates use of the telescope, said the camera shut down Saturday. Program managers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt and at the institute were investigating the cause and what action to take. In the meantime, observations on the Hubble were being rescheduled to use other instruments, the Baltimore-based institute said. The orbiting Hubble telescope, launched in 1990 by the space shuttle, has revolutionized the study of astronomy with some of the most striking images ever seen in space. However, a servicing mission by the space shuttle is needed to install two new instruments as well as fresh batteries and gyroscopes to keep the telescope working until 2011 or 2012. NASA, which has not decided whether to send astronauts to repair the Hubble, is planning to replace it with a new, improved version, the James Webb Space Telescope. It's scheduled for launch in 2011. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most of us don't have cars as old as the Hubble. Those of that do have "geriatric cars" know the challenges of keeping them running: it doesn't happen unless you put serious effort into maintaining them.

Argh Vance! I had my eyes on that one. They are all cute- the black one and calico look like they've got a lot of personality. The other two with the unusual coloring are going to be very pretty. JS

It looks like bottom left, bottom left is winning. ..and Adam is apparently nearsighted

Astronomers Gain Important Insight on How Massive Stars Form National Radio Astronomy Observatory Press Release September 27th, 2006 Source Link Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope have discovered key evidence that may help them figure out how very massive stars can form. "We think we know how stars like the Sun are formed, but there are major problems in determining how a star 10 times more massive than the Sun can accumulate that much mass. The new observations with the VLA have provided important clues to resolving that mystery," said Maria Teresa Beltran, of the University of Barcelona in Spain. Beltran and other astronomers from Italy and Hawaii studied a young, massive star called G24 A1 about 25,000 light-years from Earth. This object is about 20 times more massive than the Sun. The scientists reported their findings in the September 28 issue of the journal Nature. Stars form when giant interstellar clouds of gas and dust collapse gravitationally, compacting the material into what becomes the star. While astronomers believe they understand this process reasonably well for smaller stars, the theoretical framework ran into a hitch with larger stars. "When a star gets up to about eight times the mass of the Sun, it pours out enough light and other radiation to stop the further infall of material," Beltran explained. "We know there are many stars bigger than that, so the question is, how do they get that much mass?" One idea is that infalling matter forms a disk whirling around the star. With most of the radiation escaping without hitting the disk, material can continue to fall into the star from the disk. According to this model, some material will be flung outward along the rotation axis of the disk into powerful outflows. "If this model is correct, there should be material falling inward, rushing outward and rotating around the star all at the same time," Beltran said. "In fact, that's exactly what we saw in G24 A1. It's the first time all three types of motion have been seen in a single young massive star," she added. The scientists traced motions in gas around the young star by studying radio waves emitted by ammonia molecules at a frequency near 23 GHz. The Doppler shift in the frequency of the radio waves gave them the information on the motions of the gas. This technique allowed them to detect gas falling inward toward a large "doughnut," or torus, surrounding the disk presumed to be orbiting the young star. "Our detection of gas falling inward toward the star is an important milestone," Beltran said. The infall of the gas is consistent with the idea of material accreting onto the star in a non-spherical manner, such as in a disk. This supports that idea, which is one of several proposed ways for massive stars to accumulate their great bulk. Others include collisions of smaller stars. "Our findings suggest that the disk model is a plausible way to make stars up to 20 times the mass of the Sun. We'll continue to study G24 A1 and other objects to improve our understanding," Beltran said. Beltran worked with Riccardo Cesaroni and Leonardo Testi of the Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri of INAF in Firenze, Italy, Claudio Codella and Luca Olmi of the Institute of Radioastronomy of INAF in Firenze, Italy, and Ray Furuya of the Japanese Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. Artist's Conception of Young Star Showing Motions Detected in G24 A1:(1) Infall toward torus, (2) Rotation and (3) outflow. Note: Giant stars (25+ solar masses) are something of an enigma. How they form vs how other stars form has been a riddle that scientists studying stellar evolution have been looking into for years.

That was Excellent Justyn!

No risk, no reward. Talk to the guy about anything- preferably a matter of mutual interest- a band you like, a CD you want to burn, a movie or DVD you want to see... An excellent way to win points is if you have a CD that he wants. Burn it for him. When he says thanks, say no problem and ask him about his CD collection and trade rips. You live pretty close to each other. Something you might try is to bike or walk by his house when he is outside. (If you run or jog, make his place part of your route) At home he is in his comfort zone and a lot of the walls people put up at school won't be there. Good luck! JS

The coolest thing about looking at the original work is that you get to see the reasoning processes of some of the worlds gretest thinkers. Kant worked out the idea that those swirly nebula in the sky were actually galaxies swarming with stars and that our own sun was part of one. He did this by pure reasoning in the 17th century- 200 years before that idea was accepted and proven by observation. You are right, some of their math looks like a recipe for Klingon biscuits. Maxwell's equations look like heiroglyphics. I found a paper in which a mathematician translated the math into modern symbols. What I really like about the old papers is that the equations are actually DERIVED- something that I never saw in my undergraduate classes. I think this a HUGE missing piece in American mathematical education. When you see an equation derived, you OWN it. You've seen how it works from the inside out and there is no fear anymore. You also learn a LOT about how math really works seeing it done. Instead of the abstracts of (a, and (x,y), seeing an equation derived puts dimension where there was only abstracts. Oh- just so our young friends here think math is just for people with umpteen degrees, Lord Kelvin, the inventer of thermodynamics, entered Glasgow University at the tender age of 10 and published a very important paper when he was 16. JS

While I agree that emo boyz are whiney and annoying, some of them are pretty cute and they might grow out it if they don't get a brain damaging beating. If we must beat on a group of annoying people, I say Mimes are a much better choice. They are adults who choose to be annoying and creepy. If you don't like clowns, Mimes are WAY worse. [yes- the Beast is clown-a-phobic] And WTF is that crazy "I'm stuck in a invisible f-ing box" thing they always do. Gaah! Get a BAT!

The latest science suggests that it has to do with developmental physiology in the womb rather than a purely genetic cause. A recent study showed a strong correlation in birth order and the incidence of homosexuality. Another study from a couple of years ago suggests that a persons sexuality may be affected by the balance and ratio of certain hormones while the child is in the womb. What I am beginning to think is that there may well be a genetic cause for homosexuality but they are looking for it in the wrong place. They should be looking at the MOTHER and her endocrine system, not at the gay son.

Japan launches Sun 'microscope' By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News Source Link Scientists have high hopes for Japan's Solar-B mission which has been launched from the Uchinoura spaceport. The spacecraft will investigate the colossal explosions in the Sun's atmosphere known as solar flares. These dramatic events release energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs in just a few minutes. The probe will attempt to find out more about the magnetic fields thought to power solar flares, and try to identify the trigger that sets them off. The ultimate goal for scientists is to use the new insights to make better forecasts of the Sun's behaviour. Flares can hurl radiation and super-fast particles in the direction of the Earth, disrupting radio signals, frying satellite electronics, and damaging the health of astronauts. Solar-B lifted off from Uchinoura, at the southern tip of Japan, at 0636 local time on Saturday (2136 GMT Friday). "It will take two to three weeks to transfer the spacecraft into its so-called Sun-synchronous polar orbit. From this position, Solar-B will be able to observe the Sun without having any nights for eight months of the year," said Professor Tetsuya Watanabe, of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). As is customary on Japanese missions, the satellite will get a new name once it is ready to begin its work. The spacecraft, developed by the Japanese space agency (Jaxa) and the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, has scientific and engineering contributions from, principally, the US and the UK. 'Fine detail' The Sun behaves like a giant twisting magnet; and when contorted field lines that have lifted up off the surface of the star clash, they release a colossal maelstrom of energy. A blast of intense radiation is emitted, and charged particles are accelerated out into the Solar System. Some of these particles are moving so fast they can cover the 149 million km to Earth in just tens of minutes. Whilst scientists understand the flaring process reasonably well, they cannot predict when one of these enormous explosions will occur. Solar-B is expected to transform our understanding. It carries three instruments: a Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), an X-ray Telescope and an Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer. They will make continuous, simultaneous observations of specific solar features, to observe how changes in the magnetic field at the Sun's surface can spread through the layers of the solar atmosphere to produce, ultimately, a flare. "Solar-B acts essentially like a microscope, probing the fine details of what the magnetic field is doing as it builds up to a flare," said mission scientist Professor Louise Harra, from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL, UK. "What we don't know is what triggers a flare; we don't understand the physics of that phase at all. Solar-B will show us how tangled the field is, and how the field lines collide to produce all that energy." Space dependence Solar-B is but one of a fleet of spacecraft now dedicated to understanding the relationship between the Sun and the Earth; and more are set to follow. Next month, the US space agency (Nasa) plans to launch its Stereo mission - twin spacecraft that will make 3D observations of our star. As we become more reliant on space-based systems - to provide us with everything from timing and positioning services to the relay of telecoms data - the need to understand the tempestuous Sun-Earth interaction just gets more urgent. Losing a satellite because of solar flare effects could prove costly, not just in economic terms but in human lives. Spacecraft like Solar-B should give scientists the data they need to make better "space weather" forecasts. "The information that Solar-B will provide is significant for understanding and forecasting of solar disturbances, which can interfere with satellite communications, electric power transmission grids, and threaten the safety of astronauts travelling beyond the safety of the Earth's magnetic field," said John Davis, Solar-B project scientist at Nasa's Marshall centre. Scientists would like to predict the onset of solar flares which can have a tremendous impact on both earth and space based systems. [image credit: NASA/SOHO]

DAN! You rock. Good to see you pal. Hope this means that you are back. **crosses fingers** JS

Ugh... my brain hurts after reading that. Must resist urge to edit...

Come on guys. According to the gay agenda, we're supposed to be taking over the world. How can we take over the world unless you do your homework? I wouldn't want to rip you off mate. Your tensor calculus is higher on the mathematical totem pole than complex polynomials. You might like this J. C. Kolecki,Introduction To Tensors

Hey- I love this place. I occassionally declare a cake day of my very own.

Something really awesome is happening on the web! The Royal Society of London is opening 340 years worth of its archives to the public until December. Now, free of charge, you have the oppertunity to download and look at the works of some of the giants of science like Hawkins, Einstien, Pauling, Chandrasekhar, Bohr, Herschel, Kelvin, Liebnitz, Maxwell, Newton, Rutherford and many, many more. Of course I'm biased towards the physical sciences, but biology is covered too. Watson, Crick and Edmond Stone's breakthrough in 1763 that willow bark cured fevers, leading to the discovery of salicylic acid and later the development of aspirin. This is an immeasurable treasure! For people that study or work in the sciences, this is a chance to see our understanding of chemistry, math, physics, biology evolved with time. For historians it is a chance to look at the impact of the earth shaking discoveries like gravity, electricity and DNA. Imagine having tea with Sir Isacc Newton or attending a lecture by Chandrasekhar. This rocks! I'm so going to be downloading like a maniac! 340 Years of Science

Having taken Calculus I, II, III, IV and Differential Equations, been there, done that. It's worth it though. It opens doors for you that widen your horizons. BTW- anybody got change for a complex polynomial?