Science Friday will be covering the impact of Sequestration on science and research tomorrow, but they also have a very fun guest: MC Frontalot. He’s not the only Nerdcore artist, but he is my favorite, and he just came out with a new CD, his 5th. Nerdcore is hip-hop for nerds, about computers, video games, science, and being geeky, so he should fit right in with the Sci-Friday crowd. You can listen to it on your local NPR radio station, download the podcast, or stream it live, check this page for the links to listen, or get the app. Or for the full geek effect, log in to Sci-Friday in Second Life and enjoy it in VR. Don’t forget to visit the MC Frontalot web site for the latest updates and tunes.
The folks over at Planet Science have a new weekly online web comic called Cosmic Comics. The story starts out with three friends from Australia (yes, the site is from Down Under) figuring out how to use a telescope to look for an asteroid, and what happens when they find one. This is a great educational site, be sure to stop by their Extra’s Section to see what other fun stuff they are up to, and share the link with anybody you know in K-12.
When I first saw Alien, I loved the exoskeleton Ripley wore in her battle with Mama Monster. Some folks in Japan have now built it, and not just as a prototype, but as something you can use in emergencies or on a construction site. It would also form a worthwhile core for a good Giant Mecha suit, getting us one step closer to that reality as well. Thanks to Crunchyroll for the heads up on this one.
The NASA GRAIL mission has been flying for about a year, two satellites orbiting the Moon at low altitude to create a detailed gravity map of our nearest neighbor. The project has been a total success, generating all kinds of new knowledge on the current density over different parts of the surface which can lead to knowing where to prospect for useful metals, volatiles, and other resources. But it has also revealed a lot about the surprisingly shallow and fractured crust, generated by the massive bombardments of rocks all the planets and moons of the solar system went through during the latter part of the formation of our solar system. Now the two orbiters are almost out of fuel and have been scheduled to crash into a remote area on the north pole of the Moon, to make sure they do not disturb any of our landing sites. Unfortunately, the event won’t be visible from Earth (the low on fuel detail means they have nothing left to explode), but these satellites have added greatly to our knowledge of the evolution of the planets and the available resources on the Moon for a very small monetary outlay. And don’t forget, every penny that was spent, was spent right here on Earth, so none of the money ever left the planet; it is still circulating, doing its part to help the economy get stronger.
The Geminid Meteor Shower is under way once more, with peak viewing over the next 2 nights, the 13th and 14th. You can get some great viewing tips here or at the first link. What makes the Geminids stand out is their frequency; with up to 100 meteors per hour, they are one of the best displays going. Add to that a New Moon, and if you have clear skies and can get away from the light pollution it should be quite a show. Meteor showers are named for the constellation they appear to be coming from, so set out your lawn chair facing to the constellation Gemini for the best viewing.
In 1945 Arthur C. Clarke lost a billion dollars by inventing geosynchronous communication satellites, because there was no technology capable of launching them into orbit until the late 1950s, and nothing that could reach geosynchronous orbit until the 1960s. Interestingly enough, in 1964, the same year the very first live TV news stories made it across the Atlantic on those satellites to become part of regular TV News programs, Clarke predicted how the new technology would change the world… and his description is spot on for the way we communicate today. Some people really do seem to be living in the future.