That is what the instruments on the Planck spacecaft are sensitive enough to do – detect the heat of a rabbit on the moon.
The Planck spacecraft was designed to detect minute variations in the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation – investigating the deep history of the cosmos. Its detectors got down to operating temperature on 2nd July.
Two things are interesting about the Planck spacecraft:-
1. It is officially the coldest spacecraft ever – practically at absolute zero. It gets to – 230c by using passive systems (effectively shields from the distant sun) and then gets down the rest of the way, to -273c, by active refrigeration systems.
2. It is orbit around the second Lagrange point of the Earth – Sun system. This is a point beyond the Earth’s orbit around the sun where the spacecraft’s centrefugal force is matched by the combined gravitational pull of the Earth and Sun.
2nd Lagrange Point
Officially one cool spacecraft!!
Filed under: Astronomy, Physics, Science , Astronomy, Cosmos, Lagrange, Physics, Planck, Science
NASA’s. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ..has sent back its first pictures from its orbit just 30 miles above the lunar surface. The incredible thing is that the camera used was built to be out of focus on earth but in focus once “baked” in orbit around the moon. The resolution of images will be as good as 1mm…!!
Lunar surface from LRO
The mission is focusing on the polar regions due to the potential presence of water in the regions in permanent shadow and to complete a “comprehensive atlas of the moon’s features and resources”. To do this it will use many tools including laser technology altimeters that will map the surface for future landing sites.
It is fantastic to see the first step back to the moon after so many years, especially as it is being seen as a test-bed for technologies to be used to explore Mars.
Filed under: Science, Uncategorized , Astronomy, focus, laser, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars, Moon, Orbit, Photography
I am interested in popular science books as a genre and spotted a book called The Canon: The Beautiful Basics of Science
in my local bookshop. The book is by Natalie Angier who is an experienced science writer, having been the senior science writer for Time magazine.
Firstly the bad bits:- The book is riddled with American cultural references that, for readers from the UK or any other country, could become slightly irritating. There are also many puns or plays on words that are, at times, clever but other times appear a little desperate. It is as if the author feels that we need a smile on our faces to deal with challenging concepts. Perhaps she is right! Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: Books, Physics, Science, Uncategorized , Atomic Structure, Chemistry, DNA, Natalie Angier, Physics, popular science, Science, Science Books
February 15, 2009 • 6:02 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized
December 24, 2008 • 2:58 pm
December 7, 2008 • 9:37 am
It seems as if the whole (western) world has forgotten the environmental crisis to focus, instead, on their own financial ones. Governments are scrabbling to artificially prop up dying industries or inefficient companies (General Motors) or to stimulate extra consumerism (UK reduction in sales tax).
It strikes me that this is a wake-up call for those cultures that have wallowed in the self-satisfied mire of excess, waste and extravegance. It is time that we in the west realise that the prespective of limitless consumption (of electricity, food, water, even computing power) cannot be sustained. There is a general levelling across the globe. Emerging nations are getting more access to resources, we are (through market prices and lower purchasing power) beginning to learn to get by with less. This can feel painful.
This recession is simply another kick in that direction.
Filed under: Ecomomy, Environment , consumerism, culture, Economy, envronment, recession, tax
November 23, 2008 • 11:37 am
OK, so there’s a credit crunch. It’s hard to get a loan to buy a new car or plasma TV. But what if you lived in a society where there was a permanent and more severe lack of credit, even if it were needed to pull your family out of poverty by funding a small business. This is where Micro-finance, or Microloans have stepped in to fill a much needed gap in the economies of developing countries. The most famous example is that of the Grameen Bank established by Nobel prizewinner Professor Muhammad Yunus. This organisation catered for the banking needs of the poor in Bangladesh. Countless other organisations have sprung up across the world to undertake similar roles in other developing counties.
One important thing to understand is that this is not charity – this is a business proposition. Microloans are not interest free. In fact the loans can carry a substantial rate of interest. But, for the entrepreneur involved, the returns are still positive. If, for example, they are pulled up from living on $1 a day to earning $10 a day by borrowing $100 at, say 20%, this is a fantastic business proposition. These loans are usually very small and used to fund working capital (buying a load of fish wholesale, to on-sell retail for example). Some of the benefits of Microfinance are shown below but a more comprehensive account is given in the book “A Billion Bootstraps“
Microfinance is better than charity for many reasons:-
- It creates a sustainable income (teach a man to fish…….)
- It has a ripple effect across the local community (the entrepreneur becomes a consumer and an employer)
- The capital is recycled (when the loan is repayed – as it usually is – it can be re-lent)
- Families benefit – the children of entrepreneurs can go to school, creating an economically useful future generation
“How can I get involved?” you may ask. Surely these international financial transactions are beyond my reach? The answer is Kiva.org – the internet age comes to microfinance.
Kiva Microfinance
Through Kiva I have made 18 loans of $25 each (this amount is converted to sterling or euros or whatever currency zone you are living in). Here are my stats – note the zero default rate:-
Users of Kiva can choose who to lend to by reading a list of requests – for example:-
“Edorh Hokinde is a fish seller at the Angré open market (eastside of Abidjan). Born in Nigeria in 1966 and married, she is the mother of three children who are completing their education in Abidjan. She started her fish selling business in September, 1999. The benefits from her activities have permitted her to help her husband (a taxi driver) to pay for their children’s education expenses. She requests a loan from AE&I to purchase fish in bulk in order to satisfy retailers’ orders and improves her margin.”
So, as Kiva say – “Be a loaner…!!”
Filed under: Charity, Microfinance , Africa, Business, Charity, Microfinance
November 16, 2008 • 2:25 pm
I read an interesting article in Scientific American this week that quoted results of a study to determine the effectiveness of asking hotel guests to re-use towels. We have all seen the notices in the bathrooms of hotels reminding guests of the environmental impact that their laundry activities have. The notices urge guests to re-use towels so as to minimise their use of water and detergents. The signs do have an impact but does the wording of the sign matter? Here is the interesting bit – signs that said that other guests re-use towels were 26% more effective than signs that mention the environmental benefits.
It seems that we would rather comply with social norms than save the world.
Could this be extended to other aspects of environmental activity such as recycling? If the local authority told us that our neighbours recycled then would we be more likely to? What about car sharing? Using plastic bags? Buying organic or local food? Would we be better at saving the world if we were told that everyone else was?
Filed under: Environment, Psychology , Environment, Psychology
I am getting into this web lark now. I am understanding the benefits of “cloud computing” where all your information is held away from the physical machine you are sitting at. Computers last a couple of years, four tops, before they start gunging up. You then want a bright new shiny one. One with more power than you could ever know what to do with. When this happens you have to transfer files on memory sticks, CDs or some other mechanism. Its worse if you have more than one computer to deal with. You end up with stuff spread over multiple computers – at home, at work, on a laptop.
The solution is synchronisation. And it can be simple. First make sure you are using firefox as a browser. Next download the addin called “FoxMarks” on all your computers. Register and all your bookmarks are held somewhere in the digital cloud, to be, forever, synchronised between your computers. It helps if you organise them a little first. Tagging helps too, but Firefox is the best for searching through your history, tagged or bookmarked items to lead you to where you want to be.
The next thing to do is to download Syncplicity. This great tool allows you to automatically back-up and share files between your computers. It does it quietly annd unobtrusively in the background as you work away. (As I type this, hovering over the icon in the systems tray, a message tells me that I am currently 53% synchronised and clocking upwards). Now all my vital bits of information (tax returns, quickbooks files, and other bits and pieces) are sitting in a secure cloud somewhere. The service is free unless your storage requirements get too extensive.
I am writing this on Google Docs. It reassuringly tells me every few seconds that it is saving my words as I type them.
So it is possible to easily set your digital life up so that you have no more data loss wories and no more annoying “where-the-heck-did- I-save-that-file” moments.
Filed under: Technology , Technology, Utilities
Recent Comments