STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

Physicists Want To Know If We're All Actually Living In A Hologram

Although it sounds entirely like something dreamed up in a smoke-filled dorm room, whether the entire universe is hologram is a very serious question — a question that gets at the heart of a fundamental problem in physics. A new experiment starting up at Fermilab just might hold the answer.

Fermilab, a government-funded research campus on the prairie outside Chicago, might be best known for having the highest energy particle accelerator in the world — until the LHC superseded it in 2009. Since then, Fermilab has made itself busy with physics projects smaller in physical size but no less ambitious. Craig Hogan’s Holometer experiment is one of them. For years now, Hogan has been building a pair of L-shaped instruments underground to measure “noise” that could prove the holographic principle.

Top view of the Holometer

What, exactly, is the holographic principle? Glad you asked — pull up a chair, get comfy. The holographic principle is an idea could reveal how to reconcile Einstein’s theory of gravity (aka general relativity) and quantum physics. General relativity governs at the grand scales of planets and galaxies, while quantum physics governs at tiny scales smaller than an atom — there must be an overarching theory that unifies the two.

The holographic principle says that 3D space is a hologram that emerges from information imprinted on a 2D surface. This information is stored as bits — like in c

omputers — but at scales 10 trillion trillion times smaller than an atom known as the Planck scale. “According to Hogan, in a bitlike world, space is itself quantum — it emerges from the discrete, quantized bits at the Planck scale,” explains Michael Moyer inScientific American. “And if it is quantum, it must suffer from the inherent uncertainties of quantum mechanics. It does not sit still, a smooth backdrop to the cosmos. Instead quantum fluctuations make space bristle and vibrate, shifting the world around with it.”

The interferometers that make up the Holometer.

Hogan’s Holometer is designed to measure those fluctuations, or in a wonderful turn of phrase, the “quantum jitter of space.” A laser beam of light is split down the two arms of two L-shaped instruments called interferometers. Those beams are then compared for any interference, which could be a sign of the jitter of space.

The Holometer experiment is just starting up, so don’t expect any definitive answers soon. In the meantime, it can still fuel some pretty gnarly dorm room discussions.

[MIKA27]

'Ban E-cigarette use indoors,' says WHO

The World Health Organization says there should be a ban on the use of e-cigarettes indoors and that sales to children should stop.

In a report the health body says there must be no more claims that the devices can help smokers quit - until there is firm evidence to support this.

WHO experts warn the products might pose a threat to adolescents and the foetuses of pregnant women.

But campaigners say regulations must be proportionate.

Tempting flavours

According to the WHO legal steps need to be taken to end the use of e-cigarettes indoors - both in public spaces and in work places.

And the report focuses on the potential for products to spark wider cigarette use in children.

The health experts call for a ban on advertisements that could encourage children and non-smokers to use the devices.

And they say fruit, candy or alcoholic-drink style flavours should be prohibited too, while the sales of electronic cigarettes from vending machines should be heavily restricted.

1. On some e-cigarettes, inhalation activates the battery-powered atomiser. Other types are manually switched on

2. A heating coil inside the atomiser heats liquid nicotine contained in a cartridge

3. Liquid nicotine becomes vapour and is inhaled. The 'smoke' produced is largely water vapour. Many e-cigarettes have an LED light as a cosmetic feature to simulate traditional cigarette glow.

'Health threats'

The WHO warns exhaled e-cigarette vapour could increase the background air levels of some toxicants and nicotine.

According to the team while e-cigarettes are likely to be less harmful than traditional cigarettes, they may pose threats to adolescents and the foetuses of pregnant women who use these devices.

But some researchers suggest tough regulations may prevent smokers having access to products that are potentially less harmful than conventional cigarettes.

A spokesman for the British American Tobacco company said: "We have always said that given nicotine is addictive, minimum age laws of 18 for the sale of e-cigarettes should be introduced.

"However, if overly restrictive regulations are introduced hampering innovation or adult usage, then this could simply stifle the growth of new products and prevent smokers from being aware of and having access to them - this can only be bad thing for public health."

'Proportionate regulation'

Hazel Cheeseman, at the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said there was no evidence of any harm to bystanders and warned regulation needed to be proportionate.

She added: "Smoking kills 100,000 people in the UK alone.

"Smokers who switch to using electronic cigarettes in whole or in part are likely to substantially reduce their health risks.

"Although we cannot be sure that electronic cigarettes are completely safe, as the WHO acknowledges, they are considerably less harmful than smoking tobacco and research suggests that they are already helping smokers to quit."

Global guidelines

A UK Department of Health spokeswoman said: "More and more people are using e-cigarettes and we want to make sure they are properly regulated so we can be sure of their safety.

"We have already set out our intention to change the law to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to children under 18.

"The UK has an existing licensing system for higher strength products and those that claim to help people quit.

"We are also bringing in new European rules to cover lower strength products which will ban most advertising, limit nicotine levels and set standards for ingredients, labelling and packaging."

The WHO's recommendations were published ahead of a meeting involving all countries that have signed up to an international convention on tobacco control.

New global guidelines could be agreed during the October meeting.

[MIKA27]

Japan Reveals The World's First Humanoid Newscaster

It's a development that will surely send chills around the spines of news presenters around the world, because on this evidence they haven't got long left in their jobs.

Meet 'Kodomoroid', the worlds first android newscaster and the brainchild of Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro

Not only is his robot equipped with perfect diction and pronunciation, it even has a (pre-programmed) sense of humour.

Whilst there are still a few kinks to iron out and the mannerisms need a little work, its none the less an impressive and giant leap forward in the field of robotics.

It seems every day we're one step closer to creating artificial intelligence that will someday become superior to our own.

Whether that's something to be excited or fearful of, still remains to be seen.

MIKA: I'm just gonna say it how it is... That's F***ing creepy!

[MIKA27]

This New Invention Helps Prevent Sexual Assault… With Nail Polish

According to sexual assault statistics in the United States, nearly three quarters of all rapes occur during dates or with other people the victim knew as an acquaintance. Of these assaults, one third of women involved report that they believed drugs were a factor in their assault. In a recently National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey carried out by the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense, it wasalso determined that 18 percent of women in America will be sexually assaulted at some point in their lives.

But now, some women may be able to detect the presence of what are commonly called “date rape drugs” as simply as stirring their drink with a manicured finger.

Recently, a group of four male college chemistry students were inspired to try and help after viewing statistics like those discussed above, which led them to create what they’ve called Undercover Colors, a nail polish that changes color when it’s exposed to date rape drugs, including Xanax, rohypnol, and other substances.

“Our goal is to invent technologies that empower women to protect themselves from this heinous and quietly pervasive crime,” the group wrote on the Facebook page for Undercover Colors. As a result of the merit of their discovery, the four students have been named winners of this year’s Lulu eGames, an annual competition held at North Carolina State University that seeks to address problems through creativity.

According to the Sexual Assault and Trauma Resource Center, drugs commonly associated with sexual assault are sedatives, “usually administered by an acquaintance, to an unsuspecting person to obtain non-consensual sex. The drug is often mixed with an alcoholic beverage which, when consumed, causes varying degrees of sedation ranging from drowsiness to unconsciousness and amnesia. Victims often have no memory of the assault.”

Substances like Xanax, rohypnol and ketamine are often employed in such circumstances to drug victims, as well as gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), which can be slipped into alcoholic beverages covertly even in public places like a bar or restaurant.

What’s worse, in many instances these “date rape drugs” leave no evidence of tampering, whether by color or by scent.

“We are grateful for and encouraged by the support we’ve received over the past few days,” the group recently said in a public statement. “Through contributions to our research, personal stories, and thoughtful comments, you have inspired us! We hope this future product will be able shift the fear from the victims to the perpetrators, creating a risk that they might actually start to get caught.”

Yet again, we’re reminded that chemistry is cool, and can be helpful in dealing with societal problems.

[polarbear]

'Ban E-cigarette use indoors,' says WHO

The World Health Organization says there should be a ban on the use of e-cigarettes indoors and that sales to children should stop.

In a report the health body says there must be no more claims that the devices can help smokers quit - until there is firm evidence to support this.

WHO experts warn the products might pose a threat to adolescents and the foetuses of pregnant women.

But campaigners say regulations must be proportionate.

Tempting flavours

According to the WHO legal steps need to be taken to end the use of e-cigarettes indoors - both in public spaces and in work places.

And the report focuses on the potential for products to spark wider cigarette use in children.

The health experts call for a ban on advertisements that could encourage children and non-smokers to use the devices.

And they say fruit, candy or alcoholic-drink style flavours should be prohibited too, while the sales of electronic cigarettes from vending machines should be heavily restricted.

1. On some e-cigarettes, inhalation activates the battery-powered atomiser. Other types are manually switched on

2. A heating coil inside the atomiser heats liquid nicotine contained in a cartridge

3. Liquid nicotine becomes vapour and is inhaled. The 'smoke' produced is largely water vapour. Many e-cigarettes have an LED light as a cosmetic feature to simulate traditional cigarette glow.

'Health threats'

The WHO warns exhaled e-cigarette vapour could increase the background air levels of some toxicants and nicotine.

According to the team while e-cigarettes are likely to be less harmful than traditional cigarettes, they may pose threats to adolescents and the foetuses of pregnant women who use these devices.

But some researchers suggest tough regulations may prevent smokers having access to products that are potentially less harmful than conventional cigarettes.

A spokesman for the British American Tobacco company said: "We have always said that given nicotine is addictive, minimum age laws of 18 for the sale of e-cigarettes should be introduced.

"However, if overly restrictive regulations are introduced hampering innovation or adult usage, then this could simply stifle the growth of new products and prevent smokers from being aware of and having access to them - this can only be bad thing for public health."

'Proportionate regulation'

Hazel Cheeseman, at the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said there was no evidence of any harm to bystanders and warned regulation needed to be proportionate.

She added: "Smoking kills 100,000 people in the UK alone.

"Smokers who switch to using electronic cigarettes in whole or in part are likely to substantially reduce their health risks.

"Although we cannot be sure that electronic cigarettes are completely safe, as the WHO acknowledges, they are considerably less harmful than smoking tobacco and research suggests that they are already helping smokers to quit."

Global guidelines

A UK Department of Health spokeswoman said: "More and more people are using e-cigarettes and we want to make sure they are properly regulated so we can be sure of their safety.

"We have already set out our intention to change the law to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to children under 18.

"The UK has an existing licensing system for higher strength products and those that claim to help people quit.

"We are also bringing in new European rules to cover lower strength products which will ban most advertising, limit nicotine levels and set standards for ingredients, labelling and packaging."

The WHO's recommendations were published ahead of a meeting involving all countries that have signed up to an international convention on tobacco control.

New global guidelines could be agreed during the October meeting.

I know a number of cigarette smokers who have either cut back or quit completely thanks to e-cigs

The synic in me thinks this push by governements all over the world to ban e-cigs is in part due to the fact that governments collect no tax on them (other than standard sales tax).

They cannot be taxed the same as a cigarette due to the fact they contain no tobacco

A new "nicotine tax" cannot be created for them to fall under because products like nicotine patches, gum and inhailers would also fall under the same umbrella

[MIKA27]

Mind the Gap. The Great British Spaceport

Last month the British government announced eight sites, at various locations around the country, that could potentially host a new spaceport before the end of the decade. The spaceport would have two main purposes: to launch commercial satellites into orbit, and to lob tourists into space on brief suborbital hops.

Of all the nuclear powers, Britain is the only one that has never managed to develop an indigenous space-launch capability. Russia and the United States were the pioneers, of course – but France, China, India and other countries have since followed suit. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, has generally been content to use the facilities in other countries to launch its satellites into space.

The UK did make an early attempt to develop a space launcher, called the Black Arrow – but it only ever made two successful flights, one suborbital and one orbital. The latter put a 66 kg experimental satellite, Prospero, into low earth orbit in 1971. All the Black Arrow tests – successful and unsuccessful – took place on the other side of the globe, at the Woomera test range in Australia.

After 40 years of idleness, the British government seems to have woken up to the fact that spaceflight wasn’t just one of those passing fads of the 1960s. According to the newly announced plans, a full-scale spaceport on British soil would be open for business by 2018. Eight sites have been proposed: Newquay in England, Llanbedr in Wales and no fewer than six locations in Scotland – Campbeltown, Kinloss, Leuchars, Lossiemouth, Prestwick and Stornorway. The selection criteria were:

• A coastal location a reasonable distance from densely populated areas
• An existing runway capable of being extended to three kilometers in length
• Ability to introduce segregated airspace to manage spaceflights safely

Artist’s conception of the new British spaceport

UFO buffs will recognize at least two of the names on the government list. RAF Lossiemouth has been the site of several UFO sightings, most notoriously the alleged close encounter that Cedric Allingham had with a flying saucer in 1954. Allingham’s dramatic claims were reminiscent of those made by U.S. contactee George Adamski the previous year. In 1962 another Scottish airbase, RAF Kinloss, was involved in the case that David Clarke has described as “The Scottish Roswell”.

The stated aim of the new spaceport is to provide “a focus for regional and international investment for growth and establishing the UK as a leader in the rapidly-expanding space market.” In practice this is likely to mean launching commercial satellites atop conventional rocket boosters, so the evocative term “spaceport” is somewhat overblown. However, the hope is that more ambitious activities will eventually be undertaken as well, such as launching tourists into space on short suborbital flights. A British company, Virgin Galactic, is already one of the pioneers in this emerging sector.

The Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo commercial spaceplane

[MIKA27]

Apple Will Announce Its Watch At The September 9 iPhone Event

The ever-reliable John Paczkowski is reporting that Apple will announce a wearable at the previously reported event on September 9. That wearable is almost surely that “iWatch” thing everyone has been talking about, although an announcement wasn’t expected until later this year.

But why wait when you have billion of dollars to make by disrupting a burgeoning industry (again)?

[MIKA27]

Watch John Malkovich Play A Vampire In This Funny French Commercial

John Malkovich is a great actor, no doubt about it. That’s why it’s not surprising to see him nail the role of a vampire in this cinematic — and quite funny — TV commercial for a French video streaming service.

[MIKA27]

The Overgrown, Disused Railway That Still Runs Around Paris

Paris has a lot of history embedded in its sprawling urban grid, which has seen thousands of years of structural change. But even though space is at a premium, there are still spots that have evaded development and slowly drifted into obscurity.

When photographer Pierre Folk was new to the city, he happened upon Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture (or “Little Belt Railway“), a 32km stretch of disused tracks along the Parisian perimeter; then he lugged around 10kg of gear for the past four years taking pics of the overgrown, graffitied scene for his series “By the Silent Line“.

The railway was constructed in 1852; at that time, the major stations were owned by different companies, and this was a way to streamline connections through a path that tunneled, bridged, and cut a deep-walled passage within the crowded streets.

By the 1930s, service around the perimeter was discontinued, and now this dormant system has become overgrown and largely forgotten, save for the civic explorers searching for some peace and quiet — the perfect site for Folk, who says he’s always been interested in the “relationship between society and its physical environment,” he told me over email.

“This project is mostly about the notion of temporality and the way we deal with industrial and technological revolutions. It depicts our tendency, as a species, to move on to something else in a heartbeat — to the next paradigm shift, regardless of the concept of waste. Not waste in the sense of thrown away, but in the sense of being idle. It is there, only with no real purpose.”

And yet there’s still huge potential here for new life. “Of course, some parts are more damaged than others with the passing of time but overall it is maintained in state.”

In order to find the most photogenic locales, Folk would scout places out with a pal, then go back multiple times with his 4×5 large-format view camera and wooden tripod — often before sunrise, in every season — until he got the light and shots he was looking for.

As for the future of the Little Belt, it’s not surprising that developers are eager to convert this prime real estate into something new, with potential ranging from a New York-style High Line to community gardens; or even some form of transportation again. Maybe someday pics like these will be all that remain of the Little Belt’s forsaken heyday.

[MIKA27]

Pilot Takes Off From Road In The Alps To Do Some Crazy Acrobatics

I can help but to feel a mix of awe, envy and fear as I watch Red Bull Air Force pilot Hannes Arch taking off from a road in the Austrian Alps and then perform some what-the-hell-are-you-noooooo-oh-my-god-you-got-to-be-kidding acrobatics way too close to all those amazing ridges.

[MIKA27]

Does Marching Make Soldiers Fear The Enemy Less?

Every army does it. Whether it’s the first day of boot camp, a movement to battle or a parade before leaders to impress the masses and their enemies, soldiers march in unison. It has long been accepted that this synchronized stepping is a good way to teach obedience and instill discipline, but a new study has found that marching boosts morale and makes soldiers see their enemies as weak and less frightening.

Other than marching, we humans like to do things in unison, from religious services to line dancing to doing the wave at games. Come to think of it, so do animals like dolphins.

As reported in the current edition of Biology Letters, the study was part of an Air Force-funded project on how people make decisions during conflicts. Daniel Fessler, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, had 48 men walk in unison with another man and 48 walk but not in unison. After the walk, they were shown a photo of an angry mug shot of a criminal and asked how they felt about him. Those who walked synchronously judged the criminal to be smaller and weaker than them.

Sounds like marching is a good thing, right? The recent news stories out of Fergusen, Missouri, may suggest otherwise. With police departments getting more military equipment, their training has become more militarized as well. Fessler warns that this isn’t necessarily a good thing.

What you don’t want to have happen is police training in formation, moving in formation and then confronting peaceful protesters with the mind-set, ‘We can take these guys.’

When it comes to soldiers feeling better about themselves and superior to their enemy, a little marching goes a long way. Maybe Bill Murray was onto something.

[MIKA27]

The Star Wars George Lucas Doesn't Want You To See

In 1978, Star Wars won seven Academy Awards. But if you want to watch that original version, the first of George Lucas’s soon to be seven-part saga, you’ll find it difficult. In fact, it’s actually impossible to buy an official copy of Star Wars as it was first released. Lucas doesn’t want you to see that version. Instead, he wants you to watch the continuously updated special editions—movies with added CGI, changed sound effects, and whole new scenes.

According to some fans, every element that prompted the Academy to recognize the original Star Wars has been changed in these new versions. And some of those fans are now taking it upon themselves to recreate the original Star Wars in a process they call “despecializing.” They gather in online forums and share their work—painstakingly reassembling the movie from a handful of different versions of the film, from VHS to DVD to 35mm print scans using photography and animation software.

One of the most well known despecializers goes by the name “Harmy,” and he recently released a little behind-the-scenes look at the various sources he used for his despecialized edition.

People like Harmy who create despecialized versions of Star Wars go through and correct all kinds of additions and changes that the later special editions added. In the original versions of the films, for example, it’s clear that Han Solo pulled out his gun and shot the bounty hunter Greedo. In the 1997 version, Greedo shoots first. In the 2004 version, they shoot at the same time. With the release of the later films, later versions of the original trilogy were edited to add in appearances from Jar Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen. Lucas even replaced the voice of Jason Wingreen*—the original Boba Fett—with the voice of Temuera Morrison who played Jango Fett in Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

There are huge lists of these inconsistencies online at places likeSaveStarWars.com and OriginalTrilogy.com, where fans dissect the films and point out discrepancies. And on these message boards, Harmy is a bit of a superhero—although in many ways an unlikely one.

Harmy—a 25-year-old from the Czech Republic—never saw the original Star Wars in theaters. Instead, he had a VHS tape that he watched as a kid. And when he first saw the special editions, he actually liked them. But as his Star Wars fandom grew—he did his undergraduate thesis on the cultural impact of the original movies—so did his desire to see the film in its earliest state. Using skills he picked up in college, he created his first despecialized version four years ago. Now, he’s on version 2.5, and between new copies of the movie being made available, and the techniques he’s learned along the way, he’s confident this version is the best one yet. “I’m pretty proud of these latest ones,” he told me.

For Harmy, the project is all about being able to show people who haven’t seen the original Star Wars what the film was like when it first became a phenomenon. “Look at this awesome film that was made in the '70s,” he says, “I want to show that to people. I wanted to show my brother. He was three when I started working and I showed it to him when he was five and he loved it.”

It’s not that fans want to ban the new versions of Star Wars—no matter how much they may dislike them. They simply want to have a choice. Harmy even admits that he might watch the special edition every now and then. “If both versions were available in the same quality I would probably enjoy watching the special edition once in a while. It’s not about George Lucas not being able to do these special editions. If people like the special editing, they can continue watching those. As long as both versions are available.”

For his part, George Lucas doesn’t really care what Harmy and his cohort want. In 2004, when a new DVD special edition came out, Lucas told the Associated Press he had little sympathy for fans who yearn for the 1977 original. “It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I’m sorry if you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it,” he said. “But I want it to be the way I want it to be.”

But fans aren’t the only ones who want Lucas to release the original. Curators at the National Film Registry picked the 1977 version of Star Wars to preserve for history’s sake, but they still don’t have a copy in the registry. When they asked for a copy, Lucas refused, saying that he would no longer authorize the release of the original version. The Library of Congress does have a 35mm print of Star Wars, one that was filed in 1978 as part of the movie’s copyright deposit, but the registry, where films are meant to be preserved for history, is still without one.

And here’s the real plot twist. In 1988 George Lucas actually gave a speech before Congress about the importance of cinematic preservation. In the late 1980s, Ted Turner bought studios like MGM and began releasing colorized versions of classic movies. The directors of those movies weren’t happy, and a group of movie makers came together and argued before Congress that people had the right to their cultural heritage, in the form of original versions of classic films.

“People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society,” Lucas said in his speech. He went on:

Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with "fresher faces," or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor's lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new "original" negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control. In order to reconstruct old negatives, many archivists have had to go to Eastern bloc countries where American films have been better preserved.

There’s some irony when you compare that quote with the work of Harmy, the fan from the Czech Republic spending hundreds of hours slaving away at restoring Lucas’s original vision.

Some argue that here Lucas was railing against outsiders being able to alter a directors work, not against directors being able to update their own pieces. Which raises the question of who truly owns something like Star Wars—a huge cultural phenomenon—once it is unleashed. Lucas addresses that in his speech too. "American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history," he said.

And while it raises legal questions, Harmy doesn’t think that his work is in any way jeopardizing the value of Star Wars. “I’m convinced that 99% of people who download this already bought Star Wars 10 times over on DVD.”

When Disney bought LucasFilms in 2012, rumors were reignited over the possibility of a true original being released. “I’m really hoping that now that Disney has the rights that they will release the original versions in a proper restored quality, and then I can take all this stuff down and enjoy Star Wars as it’s meant to be,” Harmy told me. But that day may never come. In the meantime, fans will continue to hunt for original copies of the film, and recreate the 1977 movie’s magic.

[MIKA27]

STAR WARS HOME THEATER

There are home theaters, and then there is the home theater to rule the galaxy. This Star Wars-themed home theater is downright mind blowing, and yes it’s really in someone’s house.

Of course when you’re going to deck your theater out in Star Wars gear, you can’t just hire any schmuck off the streets to design the place – you’ve gotta hire the best of the best. That’s exactly why the owner of this high-budget build recruited the talents of Doug Chiang for the blueprints, the same Doug Chiang who was the lead designer from the first two Star Wars prequels. The blueprints (which can be seen below) were then handed off to the Washington-based crew at Dillon Works for the custom fabrication work needed to bring this thing to life. As if the room wasn’t awesome enough in itself, there’s also a lobby leading into the theater, complete with a raised floor to mimic the gangplanks in the Death Star. Mirrors running along the floors and ceilings create the illusion that the hallways go on forever, and the automatic pocket doors that lead into the theater room are the ultimate finishing touch.

[MIKA27]

NASA Gives The Go-Ahead To The World's Most Powerful Rocket

Today, NASA has officially committed to build the new Space Launch System, the world’s most powerful rocket ever, which hopefully will take us to Mars by 2030. The program is now set for development — the “first time that an exploration class vehicle has gotten this status since the space shuttle”.

According to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden:

We are on a journey of scientific and human exploration that leads to Mars. And we’re firmly committed to building the launch vehicle and other supporting systems that will take us on that journey.

The 70-tonne rocket will launch for the first time before November 2018, a remarkable achievement if everything goes as programmed.

This decision comes after a thorough review known as Key Decision Point C (KDP-C), which provides a development cost baseline for the 70-metric ton version of the SLS of $US7.021 billion from February 2014 through the first launch and a launch readiness schedule based on an initial SLS flight no later than November 2018.

“Our nation is embarked on an ambitious space exploration program, and we owe it to the American taxpayers to get it right,” said Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot, who oversaw the review process. “After rigorous review, we’re committing today to a funding level and readiness date that will keep us on track to sending humans to Mars in the 2030s — and we’re going to stand behind that commitment.”

Part of the rocket — the Orion spaceship — will be launched to space on December of this year.

[MIKA27]

This Megaphone Works Like A Sniper Rifle To Target A Single Listener

http://youtu.be/jgklkk6Jdko

We’re not sure what they have been pumping into the air at Fuji Xerox’s R&D lab, but we definitely like the results. Following up on the robot printer that delivers documents right to your desk we’ve got another bizarre creation in the form of a telephoto megaphone that can amplify your voice but only for a single far-off listener.

Made with custom electronics and a housing courtesy of a 3D printer, the Telephoto MegaFon is chock full of hardware and components that Fuji Xerox doesn’t seem keen on explaining. Hopefully that means the company plans on eventually selling this creation that has you targeting someone far away using a built-in laser scope, and then whispering sweet nothings that only they will end up hearing.

It sounds like the perfect stalking tool, or the ultimate way to harass baseball players on field from the opposing team.

[MIKA27]

Ghostbusters Honest Trailer Shows How Ridiculously Awesome This Movie Is

Ghostbusters is celebrating its 30th anniversary, so the guys at Screen Junkies have decided to dissect it in a new hilarious honest trailer that brought me back many happy childhood memories.

[MIKA27]

Switzerland Puts Secret Bacteria In Cheese To Catch Knockoffs

In parts of Europe, where cheese is taken seriously as a source of national pride, entire labs are devoted to spotting knockoff Emmental and Gruyere. Switzerland has what may be the most impressive strategy yet: secret cocktails of bacteria, sent only to licensed cheesemakers, that work as living biological tracers.

Cheese is, after all, the byproduct of milk and bacteria (and lots of time). But the bacteria in Switzerland’s secret cocktail were especially chosen to not affect the flavour or texture of the cheese. They have one purpose and one purpose only: Presence of their DNA is proof of an authentic Emmental.

The secret bacteria is sent out to registered Emmental cheesemakers, who have to adhere to strict rules like what the cows are fed and how long the cheese is aged. Cheese in supermarkets are regularly DNA fingerprinted to spot (possibly inferior) fakes.

Swiss scientists developed this bacterial blend for Emmental back in 2011 from 10,000 strains of milk bacteria now kept in a freezer in Bern, according to Bloomberg. There are actually three separate DNA markers, so a counterfeiter who gets ahold of one sample will still be found out. Bacterial tracers for another Swiss cheese, Tete de Moine, were developed last year, and Gruyere and Sbrinz will be getting markers, too.

Why use bacteria as tracers in the first place? The strict rules for making certain protected Swiss cheeses also prohibit any additives, so a synthetic tracer wouldn’t work. In the end, bacteria were an elegant, all-natural solution to fighting fake cheese.

[MIKA27]

Rally Drivers Escape From Car On Fire:

Watch Robert Consani and copilot Maxime Vilmot escaping a sudden fire quickly spreading inside their car at the 2014 Geko Ypres Rally, in Belgium. Thanks to their quick reaction and the help of the race marshals and other drivers they managed to survive unscathed.

[MIKA27]

NASA Is Tearing Down One Of The Last Vestiges Of Its Shuttle Program

How do you strap an 80-tonne Space Shuttle to the back of a 19m tall 747? You use this metal monstrosity. Or, you did, before the program ended in 2011. Now, after nearly four decades of service, NASA’s tearing it down.

While the space shuttle orbiter could circle the Earth with ease, it was entirely incapable of a simple cross country flight. So when one would set down at Dryden Flight Research Center after a mission, it would need to be shuttled back to Cape Canaveral. To do this, NASA devised the awesome solution of strapping it to the top of a modified 747-100, known as the Space Shuttle Transporter, like mounting a bike on the roof of a car.

To lift the 80-tonne space shuttle orbiter into position above the plane, NASA employed the Mate-Demate Device (MDD): A behemoth steel gantry crane system capable of hoisting as much as 109,000kg. NASA built it in 1976 at a cost of $US1.7 million.

The system utilised a central beam strung between a pair of 30m tall towers that could be raised and lowered by a trio of 45-tonne rated hydraulic lifts. Each tower has work platforms set at 6m vertical intervals up their sides, which aided in performing maintenance work on the shuttles as well.

But, unfortunately, the days of the manned orbiter mission are over now. It’s been three years since the end of the program and six years since the MDD at Armstrong was actually used.

“It’s sad to see something like this go, especially because it has a lot of history,” George Grimshaw, the center’s last shuttle landing and recovery manager, told SPACE.com. “There is really nothing like it around. Yet, at the same time, you just can’t have facilities sitting around unused, wasting away.”

And now that the federally-mandated recordation process — detailing the MDD’s design and service history — is finished, dismantling is already underway. NASA does plan to set aside a few of the machine’s smaller components for display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles though, so the MDD won’t disappear off the face of the Earth completely.

[MIKA27]

The Dying Tradition of Sri Lankan Stilt Fishing, Captured in Powerful Photos

In Steve McCurry’s famous photo of Sri Lankan stilt fisherman, men sit perched far from shore atop crude crucifixes of sticks and twine, dangling fishing rods into schools of fish. The approach looks prehistoric, a common misconception.

“It’s some 70 years old…so it’s not really ancient,” says photographer Florian Müller, who photographed the stilt fisherman himself in 2010. “Still, it’s a beautiful way that the people adapted to their situation.”

The practice started during World War II when food shortages and overcrowded fishing spots prompted some clever men to try fishing on the water. At first they used the wreckage of capsized ships and downed aircraft, then began erecting their stilts in coral reefs. Two generations of fishermen have eked out this physically demanding existence at dawn and dusk along a 30-kilometer stretch of southern shore between the towns of Unawatuna and Weligama.

“It’s more or less impossible if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Müller says.

The meager returns these fishermen pull from the sea are dwindling and may well disappear entirely. The tsunami that devastated much of the Indian Ocean coastline forever altered the Sri Lankan shoreline and reduced access to fish using this method. Fishing stops entirely during the annual monsoons, so nowadays it often makes financial sense for fisherman to rent their stilts to people who pose as fishermen for tourists.

The fishermen—both the real ones and the actors hamming it up for tourists—have been the subject of several photo projects. Müller grew interested in the practice four years ago, and wanted to see how much longer it might survive. So he spent a week with fishermen and their families, photographing them on the water and in their homes.

“When we were sent, no one really knew if there are still fishermen or not, or if there were only these tourist fisherman—not even the Sri Lankan tourism board were able to tell us where we could find these people,” he says.

They stayed with Sunil Nishanti and his family, which lost almost everything in the tsunami. Their situation has not improved much in the years since. Sri Lanka, like many countries hit by the tsunami, adopted a reconstruction program that built new homes several miles inland. That’s made fishing more difficult for many, including Nishanti. “One of the guys said, ‘How can you put a fisherman into the hills?’,” says Müller.

Few of the people Müller encountered on the stilts are true fishermen—most are imposters profiting from tourists. Many of the true stilt fisherman have taken up farming, or reselling fish purchased at larger markets. A few still fish, but from further out at sea. Whether the stilt fishing practice survives as it originated, or continues as a tourist attraction, remains to be seen. Either way, Müller says he understands that people need to survive.

They need to “make a living out of something,” he says.

Koggala´s promenade offers a touristic infrastructure with nearby hotels and shops. This guarantees a relative high income for the tourist fishermen since the tradition of stilt fishing is a well known tourist attraction.

Sunil Nishanti sells deep sea fish that he bought on the market of Mirissa. Especially during monsoon season when there are almost no fish in the shallow water, the fishermen need another source of income.

Janaka Nishanti, son of Sunil Nishanti, repairs a stilt during low tide in the bay of Ahangama. Although the situation gets worse and worse, many of the young people still follow their father's footprints.

Sunil Nishanti's son, Janaka, talks with his sister while the family's adpopted child, Sanju, sleeps in the foreground.

Sunil Nishanti and the other fishermen often spend time in the nearby tea stalls when there is no work. "It´s better than staying at home where the women cause trouble," he says.

Former fishermen Gigi sits in his shelter on the road and waits for tourist that will pay him and his brother to climb up their stilts.

Sunil Nishanti walks barefoot across the coral to his stilt in the shallow waters of Ahangama bay.

Anil Madushanka ties his turban that conatins everything that he needs to fish: hooks, fishing lines, cigarettes and matches as well as pieces of broken glass to polish the hooks to attract fish.

Anil Madushanka leaves his stilt while his neighbor Kalu and his cousin Sunil keep fishing.

Anil Madushanka watches for fish from his stilt while his younger cousin tries his luck.

[MIKA27]

Signs of Ice Melting Inside the Barðarbunga Caldera in Iceland

The biggest development in the ongoing volcanic crisis surrounding Barðarbunga in Iceland was the discovery of a number of depressions in the ice that fills the volcano’s caldera. The four “cauldrons” in the ice are relatively shallow, only 10-15 meters deep but are 1 km across and make a string that spans 4-6 km along the surface of the ice. UPDATE 2:45PM EDT: No changes were noticed in the ice cauldrons since yesterday, suggesting whatever formed them is not ongoing. Scientists from the Icelandic Meteorological Office and University of Iceland took a number of flights over the region to observe these features that have come to two main preliminary conclusions: (1) these depressions are likely caused by melting of the ice from below and (2) these depressions lie along the water divide Jökulsá á Fjöllum River, which flows beneath 400-600 meters of ice. Now, this water from melting can’t just disappear, so the IMO scientists have been surveying potential places where water drains from the caldera and found that Grímsvötn Lake has risen 5-10 meters over the last week, so that seems like the destination of the 30-40 million cubic meters of meltwater. Flights over the area also revealed cracks in the Vatnajokull ice cap and cracks in the Holuhraun lava flow fields (see above; check out video here) that could be related to the intense seismicity that the area has been experiencing over the past week, although there is some debate about how new these features (see above) might be. Large earthquakes (M5+) continue to occur along the caldera rim at Barðarbunga, including one this morning.

Cracks in the land surface (?) near Holuhraun near the Barðarbunga caldera, seen on August 27, 2014.

UPDATE: It appears that the Coast Guard image is not of one of the ice cauldrons but rather cracks in the land surface like the image at the top. These cracks may be older features or may have formed during the recent activity. I will look for new images of the ice cauldrons and post once they are made public.

Now, the question on everyone’s mind is: What is causing the melting? It doesn’t have to be a subglacial eruption. In fact, just intense hydrothermal activity brought on by the intruding basalt beneath can easily melt ice that is resting at/near the land surface. So, although they have seen these cauldrons and signs of water leaving the caldera, there is little-to-no other evidence that any eruption of lava as taken place. That being said, this is all happening under half a kilometer of ice, so really we just have circumstantial evidence with which to work.

The second interesting development today is the extension of the intrusion to the northeast into the Askja basaltic fissure zone, which runs for 100 km NW to SE near Askja. Now, this isn’t under the main edifice of the volcano, but rather the peripheral areas where basaltic lava flows have issued in the past. With this new development, the IMO has raised the volcanic alert level at Askja to Yellow (with Barðarbunga remaining at orange). In all likelihood, this new development means that we have an increased chance of a new basaltic fissure eruption in the area between Askja and Dyngjujökull … but just in case the intrusion continues towards the caldera, I’ve speculated on some potential scenarios (which are still highly unlikely).

So, the waiting continues as Barðarbunga keeps on rocking and melting.

[MIKA27]

The Dark Side of Almond Use

This week another large study added to the body of known cardiovascular benefits of eating almonds. Every ounce eaten daily was associated with a 3.5 percent decreased risk of heart disease ten years later. Almonds are already known to help with weight loss and satiety, help prevent diabetes, and potentially ameliorate arthritis, inhibit cancer-cell growth, and decrease Alzheimer's risk. A strong case could be made that almonds are, nutritionally, the best single food a person could eat.

Almonds recently overtook peanuts as the most-eaten "nut" (seed, technically) in the United States, and Americans now consume more than 10 times as many almonds as we did in 1965. The meteoric rise of the tree-nut is driven in part by vogue aversions to meat protein and to soy and dairy milks, and even by the unconscionable rise of the macaron. But the main popularity driver is almonds' increasingly indelible image as paragons of nutrition.

This week's research, led by the eminent David Jenkins, professor and research chair in nutrition and metabolism at the University of Toronto, suggests that in addition to almonds’ idyllic monounsaturated fats, the cardiac benefits may be due to vitamin E, fiber, antioxidant phytochemicals (phenols, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and phytosterols), or arginine—and that’s just a partial list of almondic virtues.

This follows a massive study released last fall from Harvard that found eating nuts decreased mortality rates by 20 percent, and it builds on Jenkins’ work done more than 10 years ago which suggested, in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation, “Almonds used as snacks in the diets of hyperlipidemic subjects significantly reduce coronary heart disease risk factors.”

That's all wonderful, but coverage of almond-nutrition research necessarily affords a narrow vantage on health. It seems like every day someone asks me to dichotomize a health trend: good or bad. Almonds are a great example of why I'm terrible at doing that.

It was around the time of Jenkins' prior study, and amid the broader "actually, fat isn't categorically bad" movement in the U.S. that almonds really got traction. We eat about the same amounts of other nuts as we did decades ago, but almond consumption singularly soared. (Pistachios are on the rise, but they are nowhere near almonds.)

The only state that produces almonds commercially is California, where cool winter and mild springs let almond trees bloom. Eighty-two percent of the world’s almonds come from California. The U.S. is the leading consumer of almonds by far. California so controls the almond market that the Almond Board of California’s website is almonds.com. Its twitter handle is @almonds. (Almost everything it tweets is about almonds.)

California’s almonds constitute a lucrative multibillion dollar industry in a fiscally tenuous state that is also, as you know, in the middle of the worst drought in recent history. The drought is so dire that experts are considering adding a fifth level to the four-tiered drought scale. That's right: D5. But each almond requires 1.1 gallons of water to produce, as Alex Park and Julia Lurie at Mother Jones reported earlier this year, and 44 percent more land in California is being used to farm almonds than was 10 years ago.

That raises ecological concerns like, as NPR’s Alistair Bland reported last weekend, that thousands of endangered king salmon in northern California’s Klamath River are threatened by low water levels because water is being diverted to almond farms. Despite the severe drought, as of June 30, California's Department of Agriculture projected that almond farmers will have their largest harvest to date. If more water is not released into the river soon, Bland reported, the salmon will be seriously threatened by a disease called gill rot. If there's one disease I never want to get, it's gill rot.

Even as almond production increases in California, demand is driving prices ever higher. Other producers are getting into the game. In England, for example, the cost of almonds has almost doubled over the past five years, and sales of almond milk increased 79 percent in a year. "The value of each kernel has gone up dramatically, and growers are looking for the best return on their investment, so they're still planting almond trees at an alarming rate," one farmer told BBC’s Peter Bowes. "If you decided to plant an orchard right now, you would wait two years for available root stock to actually plant."

The crop is so valuable in the U.K., Bowes reported in February, there had been a spate of thefts and missing almond trucks. He wrote, "Nut-nappers, as they have become known, have been making off with produce by the lorryload." A truck loaded with nuts can be worth more than $160,000.

Almond theft is not a major issue in California, but as almond skeptic Tom Philpott put it in Mother Jones, the ecological implications of almond farming during a drought are “potentially dire.” Over-pumping of aquifers threatens infrastructure like roads, which stand to collapse into sunken ground. Farmers can fallow vegetable fields during droughts, but almond trees need steady supplies of water.

California's almond industry is also completely reliant on honeybees to pollinate its almond trees. The industry requires 1.4 million bee colonies, according to the USDA, most of which are brought to the state from across the country. Because of colony collapse disorder, honeybees are a commodity. The almond farmers' requirements represent approximately 60 percent of the country's managed colonies. This year many of the mercenary pollinating bees brought to California died due to exposure to pesticides.

Anyway, when I buy almonds, I don't think about having a hand in killing bees or salmon, or getting someone's truck stolen or collapsing a road. It's just a jumble of what's "good for me," what I feel like eating, and how much things cost. Michael Specter’s feature on GMOs in last week's New Yorker gets into how seven billion people on the planet will be 10 billion by the end of the century, and feeding that population might well be the greatest challenge to humanity ever. Thinking about going easy on almonds is sort of analogous to GMO dilemmas or buying organic, where the point isn’t really nutrition, it's environmental consciousness and sustainability, which always come back to water. Thinking about that side of food makes it hard to write about nutrition in isolation. Anyway, almonds are good for our hearts.

[MIKA27]

ELEPHANT GIN

If you're after a Gin that can take you around the world in one glass, look no further than Elephant Dry Gin.

Inspired by African exploration and its spirit of adventure, Elephant Gin is distilled in Germany using 14 botanicals that include African ingredients like Devil's Claw, Baobab and Wormwood. The unique gin can be enjoyed neat or in a cocktail, and not only tastes like a well-rounded Gin, but comes in a tremendous looking bottle as well. It also stays true to its name, as 15% of the profits go to two African elephant foundations.

[MIKA27]

SAMSUNG GEAR S WATCH

While Apple's wearable still sits squarely in the rumor-mill department, their rival in Seoul has released yet another smart watch: the Samsung Gear S Watch. The first of its kind to feature an onboard 3G modem — albeit a slightly slower one than you'd expect in a fully-fledged phone — this watch can connect to the web, make calls, and receive messages even when it's outside of Bluetooth range. It's also packed with all the sensors you'd expect from a wearable (various motion sensors, GPS, a heartbeat sensor, and more) while sporting a keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a curved AMOLED display. Your move Cupertino.

[MIKA27]

'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Refutes 'Tony Is Alive' Comment

It's considered one of the most divisive finales in television history: Tony Soprano sitting at a restaurant table with his family, Journey blasting, when suddenly the screen goes black. The Sopranos, over. The ending was intentionally ambiguous, and the overall tone of those final scenes were meant to encapsulate how mob boss Soprano's lifestyle forced him to stay ever vigilant and paranoid, even at moments of solace in safe, familiar places. Yet the abruptness and open-endedness of the finale has left millions of fans of the series searching for a firm answer regarding whether Soprano is killed or lives to hear another "Don't Stop Believing."

Upon being asked by Vox for what was probably the millionth time whether Tony Soprano is dead, The Sopranos creator David Chase frustratingly responded simply, "No. No he isn't," alluding that the character made famous by actor James Gandolfini survived the series finale. But today in a statement, Chase's representative says his words were misinterpreted and that the question dogging Sopranos fans about the finale is still unanswered.

"A journalist for Vox misconstrued what David Chase said in their interview," Chase's representative Leslee Dart said in a statement. "To simply quote David as saying, 'Tony Soprano is not dead,' is inaccurate. There is a much larger context for that statement and as such, it is not true. As David Chase has said numerous times on the record, 'Whether Tony Soprano is alive or dead is not the point' To continue to search for this answer is fruitless. The final scene of The Sopranos raises a spiritual question that has no right or wrong answer."

While the cut-to-black was controversial and frustrating at the time, in retrospect, The Sopranos works better with an ending that "has no right or wrong answer," since many of series finales have fallen victim to trying to tie things up neatly before leaving the airwaves (cough, Lost).