I am torn about facebook. On one hand I don't like it. One company with effectively a monopoly having that much control over people's communications, being able to experiment on people, and collect all of that information and sell it or provide it to law enforcement, should not have as much freedom as it does. Many years ago I set up a profile on facebook but then I quickly closed it back down because of my concerns. However, over the years more and more people I know rely on facebook for communication. This has led to me being left out. My family shares pictures and communicates there. Friends I know share information. Also professionally, I am left not knowing about important information related to my job. I hate being left out of "common knowledge" information at work because my coworkers share it on facebook. I have tried setting up accounts with alternative social networking sites but my family, friends, and colleagues don't use them so it ends up being pointless. Finally, now you can't access the functionality of some websites without a facebook account to log into.
I read a few weeks ago that most people get their news via facebook than news websites. Not being on facebook this surprised me. As an exploratory experiment I set up a fake account on facebook not using my real name, image, or any personal information. A lot of the videos and games are a waste of time (although I did make 6 million rather quickly playing a few online poker games---too bad it was fake money) but wow, there really is a lot of information I've been missing out on. I was able to get updates from NASA on the SLS project, follow politics, and there was a huge amount of information about the Free Palestine movement that I had not seen before. I also liked and followed some random things just to throw a wrench in the works so it wasn't too real and close to my interests.
But then the other side of facebook came up. I received advertising and friend suggestions targeted at people in the military and places on the west coast. Facebook sent me advertisements to "meet my Muslim life partner." I tried out a profiling tool that uses facebook information and it predicted that I was single, conservative, and had an art education. People that know me in real life know this is not exactly accurate, but I can see how facebook used the information I was connected to, and the negatives that I was not connected to, in order to come up with these guesses.
What is the social effect of dividing people up so that they only see subsets of information from certain perspectives? I can guess that it might lead to more extremism. This new ways of providing news does not allow for shared dialogues over a common frame of reference---like reading the Washington Post each day when it cannot be tailored for individual interests but has to be written for all readers. That being said, in the past the common dialogue has been from a very biased perspective on certain issues---often influenced by the government and liability.
We have laws in the US about monopolies, especially monopolies over news information, for very good reasons. I think it is time we started applying them to companies like facebook. It is too dangerous for one company to be able to categorize people, link them in networks, and provide tailored information to them unchecked. At the same time, I also see a value in being able to bring people together with common interests so that they can share information and organize. However, these two aspects are not mutually exclusive.
While I like the old western movies about the lone holdout that wins the day in the face of long odds, I will probably have to start using facebook again. I don't like being forced into this. However, being out of the loop is having increasing costs both at home and at work. I just want to encourage people to push for bringing facebook under news reporting monopoly regulation so I can feel better about this.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Monday, August 31, 2015
Hurricanes all around us!
We are surrounded by hurricanes. There are three going on in our part of the Pacific right now. The map above shows Hawai'i in the middle (from WunderMap).
The Pacific ocean is unusually warm. It has been very warm and humid here with more rain than normal. Ridges in the distance like diamond head are turning green and they are usually brown this time of year. It is also hard to sleep at night because of the heat (we don't have air conditioning). The heat index last night at midnight was 90 degrees F.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
"Patriot" act still not dead
A federal appeals court reversed a lower court ruling that the NSA eavesdropping on the telephones of hundreds of millions of Americans (link). Also, have a look at this article (Patriot Act is counter to the ideals of this nation)
Here it is again people; the fourth amendment.
Of course over time various governments have tried to engineer loopholes such as the "third-party exception," the "silver platter doctrine" and even the "Barny Fife loophole." However, how can these be valid without a constitutional amendment---if the constitution is the supreme law of the United States? The fourth amendment was written to stand on its own; there is no phrase in it that says "except as determined by government loopholes."
How about we all start adding the fourth amendment to our email signatures? Just to remind the people who are reading our email how illegal that is. That is both a fourth amendment and first amendment issue.
Below is a draft I put together for people to use:
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Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The fourth amendment means whoever is eavesdropping on this email without permission is violating federal law. Email is a document and is the modern equivalent of "papers and effects" in the wording of the constitution. This includes federal employees working for federal agencies. No legal loopholes are allowed according to the constitution (the supreme law of the United States of America) and there is no indemnification by your employer; you are personally responsible and accountable. If you have read this I have to advise you to turn yourself in to the local law authorities for prosecution---I will be pressing charges---in order to avoid possible obstruction of justice charges being added to your case.
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Email is a form of speech and a form of press in the sense of the wording of the first amendment. This means that I am within my rights to give the notice above about fourth amendment violations.
Here it is again people; the fourth amendment.
Fourth Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
How about we all start adding the fourth amendment to our email signatures? Just to remind the people who are reading our email how illegal that is. That is both a fourth amendment and first amendment issue.
Below is a draft I put together for people to use:
-----
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The fourth amendment means whoever is eavesdropping on this email without permission is violating federal law. Email is a document and is the modern equivalent of "papers and effects" in the wording of the constitution. This includes federal employees working for federal agencies. No legal loopholes are allowed according to the constitution (the supreme law of the United States of America) and there is no indemnification by your employer; you are personally responsible and accountable. If you have read this I have to advise you to turn yourself in to the local law authorities for prosecution---I will be pressing charges---in order to avoid possible obstruction of justice charges being added to your case.
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Email is a form of speech and a form of press in the sense of the wording of the first amendment. This means that I am within my rights to give the notice above about fourth amendment violations.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Geography Quiz Answers
What is the capital of Canada? Ottowa (not Toronto)
What is the capital of Australia? Canberra (not Sydney)
By land, what is the minimum number of countries you have to cross to get from Norway to North Korea? One, Russia borders both.
What is the third largest country by population? The United States
Which country has the largest Christian population in the world? The United States
What country has most of the world's Muslims? Indonesia
How many countries in Scandinavia are not in the EU? Depending on your definition of Scandinavia: The most narrow definition is continental Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Norway is not part of the EU---so one. However, Iceland is also sometimes considered part of Scandinavia and is not in the EU---two. Greenland is politically a part of Denmark and was part of the EEC (European Economic Community, which was a forerunner to the EU) but voted to withdraw in 1982---so perhaps the answer is three. Svalbard is a semi-international area that is administered as a part of Norway, but it is complicated (see the Svalbard treaty and the Politics of Svalbard), for example, US citizens can live and work there without a visa---so maybe the answer climbs to three and a half. I am actually quite proud of knowing about this. One time while living in Europe a French citizen accused me of not knowing about geography because I was an American. Then a few sentences later he couldn't remember the name of "the country in Scandinavia that was not part of the EU" and I got to rake him over the coals with my response (he was thinking of Norway, but I didn't let him get off so easily). It is a stretch but we could try to push the number up even higher; the Kola Norwegians live in what is today a part of Russia, which is not in the EU; it is not clear to me that the Kola Peninsula and the area around Murmansk should not be considered part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, especially given the cultural and historical ties to Norway---three and three quarters. Another complicated answer is how many nations in Scandinavia are part of the EU? Read about Åland, the Faroe Islands, and Sápmi, for a start.
Apart from Mexico and Canada, which the US shares borders with, what is the closest country to the US geographically? Let's jump to one of the most extreme stretches. It could be argued that the US also shares a land border with Chile and New Zealand...to be continued.
What is the capital of Australia? Canberra (not Sydney)
By land, what is the minimum number of countries you have to cross to get from Norway to North Korea? One, Russia borders both.
What is the third largest country by population? The United States
Which country has the largest Christian population in the world? The United States
What country has most of the world's Muslims? Indonesia
How many countries in Scandinavia are not in the EU? Depending on your definition of Scandinavia: The most narrow definition is continental Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Norway is not part of the EU---so one. However, Iceland is also sometimes considered part of Scandinavia and is not in the EU---two. Greenland is politically a part of Denmark and was part of the EEC (European Economic Community, which was a forerunner to the EU) but voted to withdraw in 1982---so perhaps the answer is three. Svalbard is a semi-international area that is administered as a part of Norway, but it is complicated (see the Svalbard treaty and the Politics of Svalbard), for example, US citizens can live and work there without a visa---so maybe the answer climbs to three and a half. I am actually quite proud of knowing about this. One time while living in Europe a French citizen accused me of not knowing about geography because I was an American. Then a few sentences later he couldn't remember the name of "the country in Scandinavia that was not part of the EU" and I got to rake him over the coals with my response (he was thinking of Norway, but I didn't let him get off so easily). It is a stretch but we could try to push the number up even higher; the Kola Norwegians live in what is today a part of Russia, which is not in the EU; it is not clear to me that the Kola Peninsula and the area around Murmansk should not be considered part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, especially given the cultural and historical ties to Norway---three and three quarters. Another complicated answer is how many nations in Scandinavia are part of the EU? Read about Åland, the Faroe Islands, and Sápmi, for a start.
Apart from Mexico and Canada, which the US shares borders with, what is the closest country to the US geographically? Let's jump to one of the most extreme stretches. It could be argued that the US also shares a land border with Chile and New Zealand...to be continued.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
51 Eridani b
The Gemeni Planet Imager snapped a photo of a planet 96 light years away, 51 Eridani b.
The planet is hot and glowing in the infrared. It is the dot next to the "b" in the image above. The GPI uses optical tricks to mask most of the light from the star it orbits (resulting in the circular mottled artifacts in the image), which at this distance would otherwise swamp out the light coming from the planet. It is orbiting 51 Eridani at about the distance of Saturn from the sun.
It is easy to be underwhelmed with all the news coming out about planets outside of our solar system in recent years. Just dwell on this for a moment. If someone had asked you, would you think it was possible to see the light, from a planet, 9.08 × 1015 kilometers (5.64 × 1014 miles) away?
Using nuclear exhaust and traveling at 10% of the speed of light it would take a probe about 1,000 years to travel that distance (although less time would occur on the probe because of relativistic time dilation) to get its own close up picture.
The planet is hot and glowing in the infrared. It is the dot next to the "b" in the image above. The GPI uses optical tricks to mask most of the light from the star it orbits (resulting in the circular mottled artifacts in the image), which at this distance would otherwise swamp out the light coming from the planet. It is orbiting 51 Eridani at about the distance of Saturn from the sun.
It is easy to be underwhelmed with all the news coming out about planets outside of our solar system in recent years. Just dwell on this for a moment. If someone had asked you, would you think it was possible to see the light, from a planet, 9.08 × 1015 kilometers (5.64 × 1014 miles) away?
Using nuclear exhaust and traveling at 10% of the speed of light it would take a probe about 1,000 years to travel that distance (although less time would occur on the probe because of relativistic time dilation) to get its own close up picture.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
over polarized political news
I found a nice CNN op-ed by Julian Zelizer that spells out many things about modern "news" that bother me but I have not been able to articulate as well. Here is a link to the original and I have quoted some passages that stand out to me in particular below:
"The insistence on dividing politics into clear categories of "liberal" versus "conservative" ... has remained so through our current age, when everything must be red or blue. ... public opinion is often all over the place on key policy issues, news coverage, like politicians, tends to play into a more polarized vision of politics."
"The problem is that this kind of news coverage actually plays a big role in polarizing the electorate. Rather than presenting nuance and areas of agreement, television news has tended to offer politics that stress one position or the other. The divisions are further amplified by the fact that more Americans now tune in to networks, and websites, that present the news from a partisan perspective. The cycle never ends. "
"... the fight between them was more important than the substance of what they said. While humans love to watch confrontation and conflict, there were many people like ...Walter Cronkite in this formative era of news who didn't believe that it was the job of their industry to satisfy those demands. Rather it was to provide the best information and reporting about the big stories of the day. The rest was for the entertainment shows."
"One of the worst effects of these trends has been that the public has decreasing trust in the news as an institution. A recent study by the Newseum Institute found that only 24% polled believed the news is unbiased. Last year, Gallup found that trust in the news media has reached an all-time low."
"The insistence on dividing politics into clear categories of "liberal" versus "conservative" ... has remained so through our current age, when everything must be red or blue. ... public opinion is often all over the place on key policy issues, news coverage, like politicians, tends to play into a more polarized vision of politics."
"The problem is that this kind of news coverage actually plays a big role in polarizing the electorate. Rather than presenting nuance and areas of agreement, television news has tended to offer politics that stress one position or the other. The divisions are further amplified by the fact that more Americans now tune in to networks, and websites, that present the news from a partisan perspective. The cycle never ends. "
"... the fight between them was more important than the substance of what they said. While humans love to watch confrontation and conflict, there were many people like ...Walter Cronkite in this formative era of news who didn't believe that it was the job of their industry to satisfy those demands. Rather it was to provide the best information and reporting about the big stories of the day. The rest was for the entertainment shows."
"Too much of television news is now about
the fight between the panelists, not the issues. ... For decades, there has been a premium on panelists who can
light up the airwaves with dramatic and contentious arguments. ..., viewers often tune in to see the panelists go
after one another rather than try to rationally work through the
problems of the day. The incentives for television hosts and panelists
is to be confrontational and to be shocking. That draws the ratings."
"The medium has changed even more dramatically since the 1990s. Rather than having left and right on one show, we have now divided left and right on different networks. Media personalities ... argue about the people who are no longer in the room, ..."
"The medium has changed even more dramatically since the 1990s. Rather than having left and right on one show, we have now divided left and right on different networks. Media personalities ... argue about the people who are no longer in the room, ..."
"One of the worst effects of these trends has been that the public has decreasing trust in the news as an institution. A recent study by the Newseum Institute found that only 24% polled believed the news is unbiased. Last year, Gallup found that trust in the news media has reached an all-time low."
Sunday, August 2, 2015
A Few Geography Questions
I have a few questions about geography that I like to ask people. A good one to ask people in the US is "what is the capital of Canada, a country on our own border." It is surprising how many people cannot answer that. The capital of Australia is another one.
This one is fun: By land, what is the minimum number of countries you have to cross to get from Norway to North Korea.
Some questions do not have a single answer and depend on definitions that are not always clear. Like, how many countries in Scandinavia are not in the EU. Also, apart from Mexico and Canada, which the US shares borders with, what is the closest country to the US geographically.
Most people can tell you right away what the two largest countries are by population, China and India. However, people often have a hard time saying what the third and fourth largest countries are by population. Think about it for a moment.
Okay, I'll give away one of the answers. Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world by population. A surprising number of people (and not just Americans) cannot even point to Indonesia on a map. The common language, Indonesian, is one of the easiest languages to learn. How many people do you know that have studied Indonesian? Can you take this as a class in schools in the US? I suspect Indonesia will become a larger international player in the future, definitely in an economic sense. We should plan ahead to capitalize on this.
Bonus questions: Which country has the largest Christian population in the world? What country has most of the world's Muslims?
This one is fun: By land, what is the minimum number of countries you have to cross to get from Norway to North Korea.
Some questions do not have a single answer and depend on definitions that are not always clear. Like, how many countries in Scandinavia are not in the EU. Also, apart from Mexico and Canada, which the US shares borders with, what is the closest country to the US geographically.
Most people can tell you right away what the two largest countries are by population, China and India. However, people often have a hard time saying what the third and fourth largest countries are by population. Think about it for a moment.
Okay, I'll give away one of the answers. Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world by population. A surprising number of people (and not just Americans) cannot even point to Indonesia on a map. The common language, Indonesian, is one of the easiest languages to learn. How many people do you know that have studied Indonesian? Can you take this as a class in schools in the US? I suspect Indonesia will become a larger international player in the future, definitely in an economic sense. We should plan ahead to capitalize on this.
Bonus questions: Which country has the largest Christian population in the world? What country has most of the world's Muslims?
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Trump leading the Republicans
I was really surprised to see the results of a Washington Post poll showing support for various republican candidates for the 2016 election. Trump is leading with almost 25% support (blue upper left). Trump, Walker, and Bush are the three front runners with almost half of all the support (blue, orange and yellow, left).
If I were a member of the republican party I would be very embarrassed about this. As a US citizen that cares about my country I am embarrassed that this is the best that one of the two major parties can come up with. Again, maybe this just goes to show that we need to get rid of the party system in elections to keep it from becoming a farce of media clowns.
Here is how the democratic candidates are breaking down.
Clinton has a major lead. I didn't used to have a problem with her until her support of the "patriot" act and Iraq war. At this point I am either voting for Sanders or a third party candidate (which is also Sanders, he is not a declared democrat) in order to not throw my vote away showing false support for one of the two ruling parties. The current green party candidates are Darryl Cherney, JillStein, Kent Mesplay, Bill Kreml and SKCM Curry. The libertarian party candidates are Marc Feldman, Cecil Ince, Steve Kerbel, Darryl Perry, Derrick Michael Reid, and Joy Waymire.
It seems self evident that no one person, or one political party, should be in control of the government pushing their agenda over other people. Imagine if the representation of people better reflected the diversity of people in the United States. This would encourage working together to achieve common goals.
Here is how the democratic candidates are breaking down.
Clinton has a major lead. I didn't used to have a problem with her until her support of the "patriot" act and Iraq war. At this point I am either voting for Sanders or a third party candidate (which is also Sanders, he is not a declared democrat) in order to not throw my vote away showing false support for one of the two ruling parties. The current green party candidates are Darryl Cherney, JillStein, Kent Mesplay, Bill Kreml and SKCM Curry. The libertarian party candidates are Marc Feldman, Cecil Ince, Steve Kerbel, Darryl Perry, Derrick Michael Reid, and Joy Waymire.
It seems self evident that no one person, or one political party, should be in control of the government pushing their agenda over other people. Imagine if the representation of people better reflected the diversity of people in the United States. This would encourage working together to achieve common goals.
V is graduating!
Okay, I've really dropped off with the posts over the last year, especially ones about family. The reason is that things have really intensified at work and I have had to shift practically all of my focus to that. However, there is something happening today that needs to be mentioned.
V has been taking CNA classes on the weekends (it can't be during the week because of my job and the little kids). Today is the graduation. V passed with honors and was selected as one of the three students in the program to speak today at the graduation. Usually I drop her off in the mornings (Saturday and Sunday) for classes and pick her up in the afternoon when she is finished (so that I have a car during the day to get around). However, today we are doing things differently. M and T went with her in the car to see her graduate and I am staying home with the little kids.
V has been taking CNA classes on the weekends (it can't be during the week because of my job and the little kids). Today is the graduation. V passed with honors and was selected as one of the three students in the program to speak today at the graduation. Usually I drop her off in the mornings (Saturday and Sunday) for classes and pick her up in the afternoon when she is finished (so that I have a car during the day to get around). However, today we are doing things differently. M and T went with her in the car to see her graduate and I am staying home with the little kids.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Rental prices in Honolulu
Here is an excerpt from an article posted a few days ago on Hawai'i News Now "Honolulu home rents go through the roof":
"... a 3 bedroom home rental in Honolulu is now nearly $2,675 per month. That's about $700 a month more than California and twice as much as the national average. That's more than a 14-percent increase from last year...a trend far ahead of anywhere else."
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/29602319/honolulu-home-rents-go-through-the-roof
"... a 3 bedroom home rental in Honolulu is now nearly $2,675 per month. That's about $700 a month more than California and twice as much as the national average. That's more than a 14-percent increase from last year...a trend far ahead of anywhere else."
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/29602319/honolulu-home-rents-go-through-the-roof
Bernie Sanders
I like what I am hearing and reading about Bernie Sanders for the next president. He is an independent that was dead set against the US-Iraq war. He is also interested in controlling the rising cost of education, creating jobs for people, and helping to build back up the decaying infrastructure in the US. Look at some of these links for more about him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders#Political_positions
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liam-miller/bernie-sanders-president-2016-campaign_b_7557714.html
https://berniesanders.com/issues/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders#Political_positions
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liam-miller/bernie-sanders-president-2016-campaign_b_7557714.html
https://berniesanders.com/issues/
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Kepler-452b
Check this out: http://www.nasa.gov/keplerbriefing0723
NASA is announcing an earth-like planet today. It is larger and warmer than Earth, but not that much larger and warmer. It's star is in the same class as our sun. It is on the edge but within the conservative habital zone and well within the optimistic habital zone. Interestingly, it is 1.5 billion years older than Earth so there has been much more time for life to evolve. The only problem is it is 1,400 light years away. However, "Earths" are out there; it's only a matter of time until we find one a lot closer. I calculated in 2011 that the nearest one may only be 155 light years away: http://ploener.blogspot.com/2011/11/fermi-paradox-and-flightless-birds.html
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update: I noticed this posting had 100's of views seconds after posting it. I ran a search for "Kepler-452b" in google and this post came up on the top page!
NASA is announcing an earth-like planet today. It is larger and warmer than Earth, but not that much larger and warmer. It's star is in the same class as our sun. It is on the edge but within the conservative habital zone and well within the optimistic habital zone. Interestingly, it is 1.5 billion years older than Earth so there has been much more time for life to evolve. The only problem is it is 1,400 light years away. However, "Earths" are out there; it's only a matter of time until we find one a lot closer. I calculated in 2011 that the nearest one may only be 155 light years away: http://ploener.blogspot.com/2011/11/fermi-paradox-and-flightless-birds.html
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update: I noticed this posting had 100's of views seconds after posting it. I ran a search for "Kepler-452b" in google and this post came up on the top page!
Monday, May 4, 2015
Government Mass Surveillance Petition
https://sendto.mozilla.org/page/content/surveillance-interstitial/
I urge you to try the link above to take a short quiz and sign a petition to stop the US government from collecting data on us without any transparency or accountability.
Here is a link directly to the petition
https://sendto.mozilla.org/page/s/section-215-petition
By the way, this is an unconstitutional violation of the fourth amendment:
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Again, the government feels that it can just ignore the constitution and it is our fault for letting them get away with it.
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Update May 7th
Court Rules NSA Bulk Data Collection Was Never Authorized By Congress
Saturday, May 2, 2015
EM Drive Buzz
The controversial EM drive has created some new results lately.
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/04/evaluating-nasas-futuristic-em-drive/
Several groups have worked on versions of this. In the UK, China, and the US. NASA tested it in a vacuum for the first time and is reporting evidence of thrust---that's thrust without propellant!
IF this pans out it will be huge. Not having to carry propellant with you can change everything about how we currently do space travel. It only depends on energy, which can be collected from the sun or generated in reactors...
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/04/evaluating-nasas-futuristic-em-drive/
Several groups have worked on versions of this. In the UK, China, and the US. NASA tested it in a vacuum for the first time and is reporting evidence of thrust---that's thrust without propellant!
IF this pans out it will be huge. Not having to carry propellant with you can change everything about how we currently do space travel. It only depends on energy, which can be collected from the sun or generated in reactors...
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Our solar system in more and more detail, the year of dwarf planets
Two unexplored corners of our solar system are coming into focus this year, which seems to be the year of the dwarf planet. New Horizons is approaching the dwarf planet Pluto, currently about 90 days out from its nearest flyby, and has just started sending back the first fuzzy color images with orbiting Charon (actually Pluto and Charon orbit each other in space as a double dwarf planet) clearly visible.
Expect to see more and more detail into July. I wonder if there will also be good images of the moons, Hydra, Kerberos, Nix, and Styx.
Dawn is mapping Ceres in amazing detail, seeing the surface in the image below it is hard to imagine the best we had a few months ago was a fuzzy image of the entire dwarf planet.
NASA has also released a software download to let people explore the surface of the asteroid Vesta, south pole imaged below.
Expect to see more and more detail into July. I wonder if there will also be good images of the moons, Hydra, Kerberos, Nix, and Styx.
Dawn is mapping Ceres in amazing detail, seeing the surface in the image below it is hard to imagine the best we had a few months ago was a fuzzy image of the entire dwarf planet.
NASA has also released a software download to let people explore the surface of the asteroid Vesta, south pole imaged below.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Mars Two Application!
You have probably heard of the Mars One Project (link).
They have selected the top 100 applicants, the Mars 100, for a one way trip to Mars starting in 2020, which is only 5 years away, with teams of four landing every couple years. Landing and not taking the material with you to return is much cheaper and efficient and makes the project possible. The return trip capability can be left up to future missions.
There is a less well known parallel program the Mars Two Project (Mars 2). This is a manned trip to mars but it will not land. Instead it is designed to establish a permanent manned orbital presence at Mars like the ISS (international space station) on Earth. It will be a minimal module at first but then components will be added to build it up in teams of two every couple years. It will be supplied by unmanned capsules scheduled to arrive every six months (but they have to be launched in asymmetric clusters every other year because of the relative position of earth and mars in their orbits). Again, not landing or returning makes it possible with current funding and technology and eventually it will link up with the Mars One Project and future return trips. (In the concept below the communication dish is so large because of the massive distance between earth and mars and the need to operate on as little power as possible.)
When I first heard about Mars 2 I talked it over with V and we sent in our applications. Our children are getting older and will be able to take care of themselves and each other soon. Also, we have been having trouble finding additional employment here so our job prospects on Earth have not been looking so good lately. There's not much to spend your money on in space, so the income from this (now just PR to raise funds) would be able to support college for the kids over the next few years. Apparently the selection committee really liked that we have been married so long (given that we are not really that old and our health is good compared to how long we have been married put us in a very small pool already) and that we have lived in different cultures and climates; this indicates that we are likely to be more stable on long missions, plus between us we have a lot of technical (electronics, physics, chemistry, medicine, engineering, math) do-it-yourself knowledge, and they put us in the top 100 applications for Mars 2! The official announcements have not been made yet but the committee gave me the go ahead to inform our friends and family (I also think this is part of a PR plan to leak the news unofficially).
We will be moving from O'ahu to the big island in July to start training at the NASA and University of Hawai'i run dome on the Mauna Loa volcano (link). (The current 8 month long project at the facility will end in June.) Ironically it is very similar to mars like conditions with the temperature, terrain, and low air pressure because of the altitude.
They have selected the top 100 applicants, the Mars 100, for a one way trip to Mars starting in 2020, which is only 5 years away, with teams of four landing every couple years. Landing and not taking the material with you to return is much cheaper and efficient and makes the project possible. The return trip capability can be left up to future missions.
There is a less well known parallel program the Mars Two Project (Mars 2). This is a manned trip to mars but it will not land. Instead it is designed to establish a permanent manned orbital presence at Mars like the ISS (international space station) on Earth. It will be a minimal module at first but then components will be added to build it up in teams of two every couple years. It will be supplied by unmanned capsules scheduled to arrive every six months (but they have to be launched in asymmetric clusters every other year because of the relative position of earth and mars in their orbits). Again, not landing or returning makes it possible with current funding and technology and eventually it will link up with the Mars One Project and future return trips. (In the concept below the communication dish is so large because of the massive distance between earth and mars and the need to operate on as little power as possible.)
When I first heard about Mars 2 I talked it over with V and we sent in our applications. Our children are getting older and will be able to take care of themselves and each other soon. Also, we have been having trouble finding additional employment here so our job prospects on Earth have not been looking so good lately. There's not much to spend your money on in space, so the income from this (now just PR to raise funds) would be able to support college for the kids over the next few years. Apparently the selection committee really liked that we have been married so long (given that we are not really that old and our health is good compared to how long we have been married put us in a very small pool already) and that we have lived in different cultures and climates; this indicates that we are likely to be more stable on long missions, plus between us we have a lot of technical (electronics, physics, chemistry, medicine, engineering, math) do-it-yourself knowledge, and they put us in the top 100 applications for Mars 2! The official announcements have not been made yet but the committee gave me the go ahead to inform our friends and family (I also think this is part of a PR plan to leak the news unofficially).
We will be moving from O'ahu to the big island in July to start training at the NASA and University of Hawai'i run dome on the Mauna Loa volcano (link). (The current 8 month long project at the facility will end in June.) Ironically it is very similar to mars like conditions with the temperature, terrain, and low air pressure because of the altitude.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Sea level rise, 10', 20', or more?
It is hard to understand the magnitude of change predicted from the effects of global climate change. Just take a moment and read this Washington Post Article. Not only are there huge ice sheets on land in Antarctica and Greenland with the individual potential to raise sea levels on the scale of stories on a building as they flow into the ocean---and they have started flowing into the ocean. The mass of ice above sea level in Antarctica is hard to visualize. This huge volume of matter has a gravitational attraction and pulls the southern ocean upward to meet it. As it melts, not only is it adding the water from the ice above ground, the mass is spreading out over the ocean which causes the sea levels to lower around the antarctic relative to the rest of the world. Where does that extra water go? It moves north and adds to the effect of sea level rise.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
When "thank you" is an insult
This is something that is irritating and has become much more clearer to me after moving outside of the US for a few years then coming back. First of all, thank you is way overused when interacting with seemingly anyone in a business role to a consumer, or at work depending on the context. It has now become an automatic throw-away phrase and has lost almost all meaning. People can start off with a thank you, then answer thank you with a thank you, then you end with a thank you... It used to be that a thank you could rightfully be answered with a "you're welcome." This was an older meaning of thank you that seems to have been lost today. That you were actually thanking someone for doing something helpful, and they were acknowledging there willingness to do so in a polite way. If you think I am exaggerating just think about how often you have heard "you're welcome" lately. Be that as it may, I have noticed an even newer meaning of thank you arising, that has always been there at some low frequency but is now becoming more common.
One place I see this all the time is with the people trying to raise money at the entrance/exits to the grocery store. Here is Hawai'i it is not uncommon for people to set up stands and, usually children, try to sell snacks to people going in and out of the store to raise money. In principle I have nothing against this and have tried to be polite and smile and nod and go around them. However, if I say "no" or, heaven forbid, "no thank you" to their offer to sell me something they often say "Thank You" to me in a loud flat voice. It is cut right on the edge of almost, but not quite, being too loud to sound aggressive and almost, but not quite, of being too flat to sound sarcastic. It is almost, but not quite passive aggressive but at the same time it is hard to say out of hand that it is not authentic---until the other day. For some reason I was feeling off and said "you're welcome" in reply. The person looked upset with me. Why? I think it revealed the true meaning of the "thank you" in that context. It was an insult. If it were a genuine "thank you" then "you're welcome" should work, shouldn't it? And what were they mad at me for in the first place, because I wouldn't give them my money to buy something I didn't want? Sorry, but that is not a workable expectation to get upset about. (By the way, sorry is another word that has lost all of it's original meaning, but that is another story.)
The next time you or I plan to say "thank you" to someone, think for a moment if a reply of "you're welcome" would be ... welcome.
One place I see this all the time is with the people trying to raise money at the entrance/exits to the grocery store. Here is Hawai'i it is not uncommon for people to set up stands and, usually children, try to sell snacks to people going in and out of the store to raise money. In principle I have nothing against this and have tried to be polite and smile and nod and go around them. However, if I say "no" or, heaven forbid, "no thank you" to their offer to sell me something they often say "Thank You" to me in a loud flat voice. It is cut right on the edge of almost, but not quite, being too loud to sound aggressive and almost, but not quite, of being too flat to sound sarcastic. It is almost, but not quite passive aggressive but at the same time it is hard to say out of hand that it is not authentic---until the other day. For some reason I was feeling off and said "you're welcome" in reply. The person looked upset with me. Why? I think it revealed the true meaning of the "thank you" in that context. It was an insult. If it were a genuine "thank you" then "you're welcome" should work, shouldn't it? And what were they mad at me for in the first place, because I wouldn't give them my money to buy something I didn't want? Sorry, but that is not a workable expectation to get upset about. (By the way, sorry is another word that has lost all of it's original meaning, but that is another story.)
The next time you or I plan to say "thank you" to someone, think for a moment if a reply of "you're welcome" would be ... welcome.
The end of the free internet?
The federal government has really mastered the art of doublespeak (sensu Orwell's doublethink) in the last couple of decades. Some of the flips in thinking during the Iraq war were amazing (people fighting against a foreign invading force in their own country were suddenly "insurgents" and "terrorists;" if the exact same thing happened in the US---actually it did---they would be "patriots," "defense forces" and "heroes;" how can we call it the department of defense when it is invading other countries for no apparent reason---but that is a different story). Now I'm afraid the latest one is the news that the internet will be "protected" to "keep it free" by regulating it (link, link). Yes, by bringing the internet under regulation as a government controlled utility this will somehow enhance its freedom and availability above and beyond what it was previously. They pulled this trick by linking it in peoples minds to the net neutrality issue. Somehow by being for net neutrality this results in being for regulating it as a utility. If you're against the regulations you're against net neutrality. The argument is specious but it worked. Much like Apple computers campaign during the 80's that by buying a mac you were for greater choice and freedom (which can only be used on mac hardware unlike the greater flexibility of Microsoft's operating system), which, ironically in the current context, was made into a "1984" commercial (link). Here in Hawai'i we are still brought down by public utility regulation. I can think of no greater example then heco's moratorium on PV solar panels forcing people to buy the most expensive, fossil fuel generated, electricity in the country from them. It would be far more direct to recognize net neutrality as protected under the first amendement---period---end of story. But now they are trying to get their hooks into it...
Light at the end of the tunnel? We are seeing an increase in private spacecraft initiatives and satellite launches. Back in 2011 there was a convention to discuss building and making "available satellite based communication for the hackerspace community and all of mankind" (link). This was widely misrepresented in the media as an attempt to build a satellite based, uncensorable, internet access network (e.g., link) not under the control of any single country. However, perhaps working in this direction is not such a bad idea‽
Light at the end of the tunnel? We are seeing an increase in private spacecraft initiatives and satellite launches. Back in 2011 there was a convention to discuss building and making "available satellite based communication for the hackerspace community and all of mankind" (link). This was widely misrepresented in the media as an attempt to build a satellite based, uncensorable, internet access network (e.g., link) not under the control of any single country. However, perhaps working in this direction is not such a bad idea‽
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Bush vs. Clinton but it's not 1992?
I can't believe it but the next presidential race stands a good chance of being a Bush versus Clinton race: Jeb Bush versus Hillary Clinton. Seriously, we have the third largest population of any country in the world: 300+ million. Yet, we can't come up with any better candidates than picking from the two ruling families? This is embarrassing.
How about Elizabeth Warren, Samantha Power, others? It is our job as US citizens to pick our leaders; simply being told who to vote for is not good enough.
How about Elizabeth Warren, Samantha Power, others? It is our job as US citizens to pick our leaders; simply being told who to vote for is not good enough.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Beginning to read an ancient library
There has been a recent breakthrough in reading the charred remains of papyri discovered in a library in Herculanium. It was covered by hot ash from Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. I have heard about this years ago and have followed the story of the efforts to read the scrolls from time to time. Using phase contrast X-ray imaging individual letters and in a few cases whole words have been worked out from the scrolls. This has the potential to add new missing works from the ancient world.
The scrolls are a burned mess and at first seem like a lost cause. (image link)
Here is an image of the Greek alphabet from the scrolls.
And a link to the original article.
Here is an image of the Greek alphabet from the scrolls.
And a link to the original article.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Ceres coming into view
NASA released some new images of Ceres as the Dawn spacecraft gets closer.
Three are hints of craters. Here is also an animation that shows the rotation.
Ceres is the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system and contains a huge amount of water. I've said it before, this should be a priority for exploration. Read more about Ceres here (link).
Three are hints of craters. Here is also an animation that shows the rotation.
Ceres is the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system and contains a huge amount of water. I've said it before, this should be a priority for exploration. Read more about Ceres here (link).
Electrical grid crisis in Honolulu
We had rolling blackouts on the island of 'Oahu last week. The reason was that demand outstripped power production in light of the loss of some power generation units on the island (news link). The irritating thing is---it was a bright and sunny day. The electric company has a moratorium on private solar units being added to houses in some areas. The public reason they give is that it makes the energy grid unstable; but of course it also means the electric company will loose money. If they cannot supply enough electricity to meet demands (by burning fossil fuel that is shipped to the island I might add---the most expensive electricity in the country) how can any lawmaker in their right mind allow them to get away with blocking people from producing their own renewable power?
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