BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
big bang big boom
i've shared work by blu blu before because i think its great! i like the way this new ~10 minute installment uses props and sound effects and works with the theme of evolution.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
how is saturn like an octopus?
NASA's cassini website shows saturn all decked out in world cup garb!
so... does saturn predict holland or spain to win? if you havent read about the "sucker for soccer" octpus who seemingly predicts the winner of late-stage WC matches, thats perfectly alright. it just means the title of this post makes no sense.
either way, a team from a country who has never won a world championship will be the new world cup winners, and i think thats great!!
although, i will be suffering some serious soccer withdrawal over the upcoming weeks :(
so... does saturn predict holland or spain to win? if you havent read about the "sucker for soccer" octpus who seemingly predicts the winner of late-stage WC matches, thats perfectly alright. it just means the title of this post makes no sense.
either way, a team from a country who has never won a world championship will be the new world cup winners, and i think thats great!!
although, i will be suffering some serious soccer withdrawal over the upcoming weeks :(
Friday, July 9, 2010
saturn's hexagon
here's a funny saturday morning breakfast cereal (SMBC) cartoon.
indeed ;)
the hexagonal patterns around saturn's north pole were discovered by the voyager spacecraft flybys in the 1980s and quickly became mysterious phenomena. images taken by the cassini spacecraft since 2006 have shown how long-lived the hexagonal patterns in the clouds are, further extending the mystery. this image from cassini shows the thermal infrared glow (at 5 microns) of saturn's north pole:
circles and a definite hexagon! strange.
since astronomical objects are so far away in space, it is rare that laboratory experiments on earth can test theories about the inexplicably strange aspects of the solar system we observe with our telescopes and spacecraft, because we can rarely recreate the conditions that exist elsewhere in the universe (temperature, size, density, etc...).
but, a recent study by physicists Ana Claudia Barbosa Aguiar and Peter Read of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, has produced hexagonal patterns similar to those observed around saturn's north pole by releasing dye into a 30-liter cylinder tank of water spinning on a table. inside the tank of water, they place a small ring that whirls more rapidly than the cylinder and produces a jet stream.
the video below shows their experiment (behold, actual science on youtube!!!):
the study deduces that the speed of the spin of the inner ring relative to the cylinder determines the number of sides of the polygon formed. the larger the difference between the speed of the inner ring and the cylinder, the fewer sides the polygon had; they can produce triangles, squares, or "anything you like."
awesome.
indeed ;)the hexagonal patterns around saturn's north pole were discovered by the voyager spacecraft flybys in the 1980s and quickly became mysterious phenomena. images taken by the cassini spacecraft since 2006 have shown how long-lived the hexagonal patterns in the clouds are, further extending the mystery. this image from cassini shows the thermal infrared glow (at 5 microns) of saturn's north pole:
circles and a definite hexagon! strange.
since astronomical objects are so far away in space, it is rare that laboratory experiments on earth can test theories about the inexplicably strange aspects of the solar system we observe with our telescopes and spacecraft, because we can rarely recreate the conditions that exist elsewhere in the universe (temperature, size, density, etc...).
but, a recent study by physicists Ana Claudia Barbosa Aguiar and Peter Read of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, has produced hexagonal patterns similar to those observed around saturn's north pole by releasing dye into a 30-liter cylinder tank of water spinning on a table. inside the tank of water, they place a small ring that whirls more rapidly than the cylinder and produces a jet stream.
the video below shows their experiment (behold, actual science on youtube!!!):
the study deduces that the speed of the spin of the inner ring relative to the cylinder determines the number of sides of the polygon formed. the larger the difference between the speed of the inner ring and the cylinder, the fewer sides the polygon had; they can produce triangles, squares, or "anything you like."
awesome.
total solar eclipse: july 11, 2010
this sunday is certainly a big day in world events. not only will much of the globe enjoy the world cup final between holland and spain, but many people will be lucky enough to witness a total solar eclipse as well!
the phase of totality, when the moon passes in front of the sun and completely blocks its light, occurs over easter island, chile starting at 20:10 UT, which is 19:10 in england and 4:10 pm eastern time in the US.
i wish i could witness this year's eclipse in person, but i cannot :( but, we are all lucky enough to be able to watch a live video of the whole event, courtesy of the shelios eclipse expedition, which headed south from spain this week for the event!
WATCH the eclipse LIVE here: http://solareclipse.eu/
i admit that i understand why people travel around the world to view total solar eclipses, as i'm still glowing from last years event in china:
you can see more of our total solar eclipse 2009 adventures here.
the phase of totality, when the moon passes in front of the sun and completely blocks its light, occurs over easter island, chile starting at 20:10 UT, which is 19:10 in england and 4:10 pm eastern time in the US.
i wish i could witness this year's eclipse in person, but i cannot :( but, we are all lucky enough to be able to watch a live video of the whole event, courtesy of the shelios eclipse expedition, which headed south from spain this week for the event!
WATCH the eclipse LIVE here: http://solareclipse.eu/
i admit that i understand why people travel around the world to view total solar eclipses, as i'm still glowing from last years event in china:
you can see more of our total solar eclipse 2009 adventures here.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
i think youre doing it wrong
not dirty space news, but a funny knob-related joke that involves the infamous vuvuzela!
from cyanide & happiness.
from cyanide & happiness.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
tree of life
this lovely version of the tree of life was designed by artist Carol Ballenger:
spotted at fresh photons
spotted at fresh photons
Monday, July 5, 2010
rocket to nowhere
a photo by kevin cooley, which he describes below:
"This image was created before dawn on a cold, snowy morning near the small town of Lyman in Southwestern Wyoming. To create the streak in the sky, I used an old military flare. After a long period of failed experimentation with model rockets, fireworks, and marine flares, I settled on military flares for two reasons. They are very bright and enjoy a nice long hang-time in the air of around 8-10 seconds. Second, I really liked their predictable trajectories, something which I wasn’t getting with the other methods I tested. The flares are all from various militaries in Eastern Europe and date from the late 1970’s and 80’s. I was surprised to find hardly any duds in the entire gross I used for this project."
"This image was created before dawn on a cold, snowy morning near the small town of Lyman in Southwestern Wyoming. To create the streak in the sky, I used an old military flare. After a long period of failed experimentation with model rockets, fireworks, and marine flares, I settled on military flares for two reasons. They are very bright and enjoy a nice long hang-time in the air of around 8-10 seconds. Second, I really liked their predictable trajectories, something which I wasn’t getting with the other methods I tested. The flares are all from various militaries in Eastern Europe and date from the late 1970’s and 80’s. I was surprised to find hardly any duds in the entire gross I used for this project."
Sunday, July 4, 2010
planets in the sky on july 4th
happy independence day to all folks from the US!! as the sun sets on your BBQs and you get ready for the fireworks to begin, take a moment to glance up in the sky at the natural firestorms glowing in other parts of our galaxy!
the planet venus is the very bright object visible in the west, which will set over the horizon as the sun says its goodbyes. if you follow up and to the left of venus, you'll spot the star regulus, mars, and saturn. this is roughly what the planet-heavy western sky will look like at 9:30 pm tonight from most of the US.
below shows a sky map for july 10, 2010 (from earthsky.org), as venus creeps closer to regulus in the sky. the two will reach a conjunction on july 10th, appearing extremely close in the sky for one night only!
for more info on any of these astronomical objects, i recommend you check out the site lookUP which provides interesting images of astronomical objects at different wavelengths, links to recent astronomy blog posts about them, finder charts, and much more. lookUP represents one of the many useful tools for the astronomically inclined recently developed by stuart at the astronomy blog.
happy hot dogging and planet hunting!
the planet venus is the very bright object visible in the west, which will set over the horizon as the sun says its goodbyes. if you follow up and to the left of venus, you'll spot the star regulus, mars, and saturn. this is roughly what the planet-heavy western sky will look like at 9:30 pm tonight from most of the US.
below shows a sky map for july 10, 2010 (from earthsky.org), as venus creeps closer to regulus in the sky. the two will reach a conjunction on july 10th, appearing extremely close in the sky for one night only!
for more info on any of these astronomical objects, i recommend you check out the site lookUP which provides interesting images of astronomical objects at different wavelengths, links to recent astronomy blog posts about them, finder charts, and much more. lookUP represents one of the many useful tools for the astronomically inclined recently developed by stuart at the astronomy blog.
happy hot dogging and planet hunting!
Friday, July 2, 2010
the world cup from england
as you've been able to tell, i've been anticipating the world cup for a long while, and have been especially excited to experience all the matches in a country whose population, in general, takes the tournament much more seriously than people from my home nation, the US.
when i moved to england i joined an informal five-a-side match organized by fellow astronomers and their friends. i felt silly telling people i played "soccer" but when i told british friends i played "football" once a week, some people looked confused and actually asked if i wore shoulder pads!?
here are a few other phrases i've picked up over the last two years that have been especially useful for avoiding getting laughed at by the brits during the world cup (which happens anyway, i should add):
it's called a "draw" here, not a "tie."
the score is "nil-nil" not "zero-zero."
it's a "match," not a "game."
they usually call a "coach" and "manager."
your uniform, shin guards, shoes and all are called your "kit." in fact "shoes" are really "boots" and "shin guards" are called something else that i cant remember right now because i'm the only one who ever wears them when we play!
the sport is played on a "pitch," not a "field."
the "skipper" is the captain.
when time is up and there is a draw, the teams have to play "extra time" not "over time."
if you have the lower score at the end of the match you have been "defeated." you didnt "lose."
the sweet yummy things cutely decorated below are called "fairy cakes," not "cup cakes."
the media build up to the world cup here was intense. they constantly gave us messages of impending glory for the english boys. they told us that the national team had a solid chance to bring home the world cup trophy. now, i'm all for team spirit and a country supporting their players, but i was a bit surprised to hear such lofty build up, when my own predictions didnt have england going past the quarter finals (not that i'm any authority, mind). yes, the england squad was made up of quality players, but wasnt this a bit too much pressure to put on them before they even stepped onto the south african pitch?
but from what i have witnessed over the last several weeks, i think it was fitting for the english to build up their team with such ridiculously high expectations because it allowed them to enjoy their national past time: moaning.
i dont say this to be mean, i genuinely think people (must) enjoy it. it all started with moaning about how badly the national team played when they "couldnt even beat the US." i heard echoes of the ever-popular refrain: "typical." now i admit that the US got away with a trick by pulling out a point from the match, but neither team looked impressive enough to come away with 3 points (in my opinion).
i watched england's second match at a pub and was completely shocked by the abusive phrases the (admittedly drunken) lads yelled at the TV as it became less and less likely that england would score a winning goal against algeria. and then the fans that made the trip all the way to south africa to support their national team stood up and booed the players off the field. really? give them no credit what-so-ever for actually getting a point from the match - they didnt lose!!? nope. abusive insults and boo-ing.
after the USA's final match, a friend commented that he was very surprised by my calmness after our loss. well, we didnt play well or score goals. you cant win a match if you dont score goals. but i guess no matter what reaction i had it would have seem subdued compared to the disgust shown by typical english football fan after a loss. thats not entirely true though, because after their loss to germany, the city of nottingham was amazingly quiet.
any way you look at it, the premier league players make such stupid amounts of money each year to play the sport that maybe they should be able to handle a little pressure from their country folk.
regardless, i'm excited to see the rest of the world cup matches after a brief couple days of football withdrawal! the south american teams are looking strong, but i'm still hoping that the trophy will be won by a national that has never won before.
and dont forget, thre is a total solar eclipse on the same day as the world cup final, july 11, which will happen shortly before kickoff! you'll be able to watch the eclipse live on line this year! stay tuned....
when i moved to england i joined an informal five-a-side match organized by fellow astronomers and their friends. i felt silly telling people i played "soccer" but when i told british friends i played "football" once a week, some people looked confused and actually asked if i wore shoulder pads!?
here are a few other phrases i've picked up over the last two years that have been especially useful for avoiding getting laughed at by the brits during the world cup (which happens anyway, i should add):
it's called a "draw" here, not a "tie."
the score is "nil-nil" not "zero-zero."
it's a "match," not a "game."
they usually call a "coach" and "manager."
your uniform, shin guards, shoes and all are called your "kit." in fact "shoes" are really "boots" and "shin guards" are called something else that i cant remember right now because i'm the only one who ever wears them when we play!
the sport is played on a "pitch," not a "field."
the "skipper" is the captain.
when time is up and there is a draw, the teams have to play "extra time" not "over time."
if you have the lower score at the end of the match you have been "defeated." you didnt "lose."
the sweet yummy things cutely decorated below are called "fairy cakes," not "cup cakes."
the media build up to the world cup here was intense. they constantly gave us messages of impending glory for the english boys. they told us that the national team had a solid chance to bring home the world cup trophy. now, i'm all for team spirit and a country supporting their players, but i was a bit surprised to hear such lofty build up, when my own predictions didnt have england going past the quarter finals (not that i'm any authority, mind). yes, the england squad was made up of quality players, but wasnt this a bit too much pressure to put on them before they even stepped onto the south african pitch?
but from what i have witnessed over the last several weeks, i think it was fitting for the english to build up their team with such ridiculously high expectations because it allowed them to enjoy their national past time: moaning.
i dont say this to be mean, i genuinely think people (must) enjoy it. it all started with moaning about how badly the national team played when they "couldnt even beat the US." i heard echoes of the ever-popular refrain: "typical." now i admit that the US got away with a trick by pulling out a point from the match, but neither team looked impressive enough to come away with 3 points (in my opinion).
i watched england's second match at a pub and was completely shocked by the abusive phrases the (admittedly drunken) lads yelled at the TV as it became less and less likely that england would score a winning goal against algeria. and then the fans that made the trip all the way to south africa to support their national team stood up and booed the players off the field. really? give them no credit what-so-ever for actually getting a point from the match - they didnt lose!!? nope. abusive insults and boo-ing.
after the USA's final match, a friend commented that he was very surprised by my calmness after our loss. well, we didnt play well or score goals. you cant win a match if you dont score goals. but i guess no matter what reaction i had it would have seem subdued compared to the disgust shown by typical english football fan after a loss. thats not entirely true though, because after their loss to germany, the city of nottingham was amazingly quiet.
any way you look at it, the premier league players make such stupid amounts of money each year to play the sport that maybe they should be able to handle a little pressure from their country folk.
regardless, i'm excited to see the rest of the world cup matches after a brief couple days of football withdrawal! the south american teams are looking strong, but i'm still hoping that the trophy will be won by a national that has never won before.
and dont forget, thre is a total solar eclipse on the same day as the world cup final, july 11, which will happen shortly before kickoff! you'll be able to watch the eclipse live on line this year! stay tuned....
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
sixty symbols: testing the jabulani
there has been a bit of fuss about the official world cup ball, the jabulani, developed by adidas especially for the world cup. so for sixty symbols, brady decided to let scientists tackle the controversy behind the jabulani in a couple fun videos.
WARNING: these videos show scientists playing football! we actually play five-a-side once a week, but that might not be evident from the highlights shown here ;)
i was pretty excited to play with the jabulani and overall i was impressed by the quality. i lack the ability to purposely spin the ball in all sorts of directions so i cant comment about that aspect of the jabulani's performance, but one thing i noticed is that it bounces a lot higher than the one i'm used to playing with. maybe its a similar thing to tennis - when you use new balls they are really bouncy! brady got annoyed that we kept asking him about the air pressure and whether he filled the ball too much! ha!
the jabulani also makes an incredibly awesome echo sound when you strike it!
in addition to the fabulous football footage shown in the video above, brady put together a bonus video of our highly-competitive penalty shoot-out! i missed my penalty, but got to try out a vuvuzela!! i have no idea how people can blow those things for 90 minutes. previous experience playing brass instruments is a big plus!
WARNING: these videos show scientists playing football! we actually play five-a-side once a week, but that might not be evident from the highlights shown here ;)
i was pretty excited to play with the jabulani and overall i was impressed by the quality. i lack the ability to purposely spin the ball in all sorts of directions so i cant comment about that aspect of the jabulani's performance, but one thing i noticed is that it bounces a lot higher than the one i'm used to playing with. maybe its a similar thing to tennis - when you use new balls they are really bouncy! brady got annoyed that we kept asking him about the air pressure and whether he filled the ball too much! ha!
the jabulani also makes an incredibly awesome echo sound when you strike it!
in addition to the fabulous football footage shown in the video above, brady put together a bonus video of our highly-competitive penalty shoot-out! i missed my penalty, but got to try out a vuvuzela!! i have no idea how people can blow those things for 90 minutes. previous experience playing brass instruments is a big plus!
a pet AT-AT
too cute! my favorite part is around 00:40 after he has to go outside!
AT-AT day afternoon from Patrick Boivin on Vimeo.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
playful astrophotography
today's APOD features a wonderfully playful image taken by luc perrot.
inspect the full-size image to find many unexpected subtleties!
inspect the full-size image to find many unexpected subtleties!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
an underwater star
Thursday, June 24, 2010
abbreviations
via married to the sea.
i've also always thought that "lisp" is the worst possible word to describe what it means.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
skydivers view shuttle launch
saw this image via twitter, but dont know the original source. it's a great view of skydivers falling over a shuttle launch!
Monday, June 21, 2010
SciLapse: Science Hack Day Video
thanks to carolina, here is the science hack day timelapse video... including our venture into human-letter-forming near the end ;)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
london calling
even though i'll miss several world cup matches, i'm heading to london for the weekend to see what exciting things develop at science hack day. i'll also be visiting with some friends who happen to be in town, and attempting to see the hubble IMAX 3D movie and the grace kelly exhibit at the V&A museum that i missed out on during my last trip.
in the meantime, enjoy this satellite tour of the 32 nations competing in the world cup care of ian o'neill.
in the meantime, enjoy this satellite tour of the 32 nations competing in the world cup care of ian o'neill.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
lightning strikes jesus in ohio
a couple years ago, i told you about the bizarre 6-story "touchdown jesus" statue that lived near my hometown in ohio, USA.
well, in a hilarious twist of fate, early yesterday morning a bolt of lightning struck "quicksand jesus" and it completely burned! after the estimated $700,000 damage fire finished burning, only the wire frame structure remains.
"big butter jesus" has been such an embarrassing fixture next to the interstate highway for so long that it will be a strange relief not to see it on the regular drive between my mother's house and my sister's small town home.
recently, some friends decided to make a promotional video for their soul fire tribe by spinning fire next to "i cant believe its not jesus." their caption describes it all:
Jesus never looked so HOT... until he burned to the ground. RIP 6-14-2010.
well, in a hilarious twist of fate, early yesterday morning a bolt of lightning struck "quicksand jesus" and it completely burned! after the estimated $700,000 damage fire finished burning, only the wire frame structure remains.
"big butter jesus" has been such an embarrassing fixture next to the interstate highway for so long that it will be a strange relief not to see it on the regular drive between my mother's house and my sister's small town home.
recently, some friends decided to make a promotional video for their soul fire tribe by spinning fire next to "i cant believe its not jesus." their caption describes it all:
Jesus never looked so HOT... until he burned to the ground. RIP 6-14-2010.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
a modern starry night
today's APOD features a modern twist on an old and much-loved painting by vincent van gogh: the starry night.
inside the image above, ronnie walker has included a comet, a spiral galaxy, an open star cluster, and a supernova remnant. can you find them? can you also identify the rings of Supernova 1987A, the Eskimo Nebula, the Crab Nebula, Thor's Helmut, the Carhwheel Galaxy, and the Ant Nebula? there are also several other additions when you inspect a large version of the image.
did anyone see the recent episode of doctor who that featured vincent, called "vincent and the doctor"? it was clever, but not the first incident when someone has mashed vincent and the doctor!
overall, i much prefer the original painting, but i think the idea of adding modern images and creating a treasure hunt is interesting.
inside the image above, ronnie walker has included a comet, a spiral galaxy, an open star cluster, and a supernova remnant. can you find them? can you also identify the rings of Supernova 1987A, the Eskimo Nebula, the Crab Nebula, Thor's Helmut, the Carhwheel Galaxy, and the Ant Nebula? there are also several other additions when you inspect a large version of the image.
did anyone see the recent episode of doctor who that featured vincent, called "vincent and the doctor"? it was clever, but not the first incident when someone has mashed vincent and the doctor!
overall, i much prefer the original painting, but i think the idea of adding modern images and creating a treasure hunt is interesting.
guide for vuvuzela use
via the daily wh.at.
yes, they get a bit jarring when you actually listen to them, but they easily fit into the background hum enough that they dont really annoy me. what's more annoying is the low quality of football played so far in this tournament! i imagine the play will improve as the players settle into the tournament, get used to the altitude, the uber-round and light jabulani ball, and the loud vuvuzela horns droning during the games. i hope so, anyway.
one other thing - do the replays shown during the world cup matches seem ridiculously slow to anyone else? almost any expression a person can make looks impossibly hilarious when played really sllooooowwwlly!! i've laughed out loud several times when they show frustrated coaches or players. one memorable look came from david beckham on the sideline during the USA vs. england match. the image below is obviously photoshopped (see tv reflection in table), but i still think its funny!
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