Can We Finally Break The Speed Of Light?

Space time mapped out: Teams at NASA are exploring ways to warp the universe to enable faster than light travel. Pictured is a model of how a ship, enclosed in a space-time 'doughnut', could reach the stars

Can We Finally Break The Speed Of Light? Nasa Breakthrough Suggests Star Trek's 'Warp Drives' May Not Only Be Possible - But Practical -- Daily Mail

* NASA suggests new model which could reduce energy requirements for warp-speed travel from planet-sized to car-sized
* 'Humble experiments' in laboratory could lead to faster-than-light travel

As we take our virgin steps into space, there is one thing that could always put a cap on our ambitions.

Despite our desire to explore the stars, we are limited by travelling at less than light speed - and even if we managed to match that pace, we would still be listing our voyages from star to star in years, centuries or millenia.

But, in what could be a huge breakthrough, theorists from Nasa say there is 'hope' that we can achieve faster-than-light travel, after physicists found a theoretical possibility for warp speed travel.

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My Comment: Faster please. :)

The Complete Guide To Twitter’s Language And Acronyms

The Complete Guide To Twitter’s Language And Acronyms -- Twitter

The beauty and challenge of Twitter is stuffing your most sophisticated thoughts and feelings into a measly 140 characters (or less). Unfortunately, our traditional methods of communication have proven to be a poor training ground for micro-messaging, and even the most savvy platform users have sighed in exasperation as those bright red negative character signs mock our basic intelligence. But, perhaps even worse, no good tweet is ever going to be 140 characters because it’s impossible to share, respond or reference a tweet that’s already at it’s max. If you want to make a big statement with a small message, you have to trim the fat.

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My Comment: A useful and brief list.

More Countries Are Blocking YouTube Over Anti-Islam Video

More Countries Push To Block YouTube Over Anti-Islam Video -- L.A. Times

As protests over an online video mocking the Islamic prophet continue to simmer in Pakistan, Indonesia and elsewhere, more countries are trying to keep it from being seen around the world.

Google has already stopped the film trailer from being viewed on YouTube in Egypt and Libya “given the very difficult situation” and has restricted it in Indonesia and India over concerns that it violates local laws. Malaysian news media reported that the video was also inaccessible there late Monday after government officials lodged similar complaints with the company about the amateurish video.

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More News On Countries Blocking YouTube Over Anti-Islam Video

YouTube blocked in Saudi to stop anti-Islam film -- Houston Chronicle/AP
Pakistan, Bangladesh Block YouTube Amid Islam Film Protests -- Bloomberg Businessweek
YouTube selectively restricts access to anti-Islam film -- Daily Star
In Egypt, despite Google claims, anti-Islam film can be seen online -- Bikyamasr
Google Refuses to Censor Anti-Islam Film in America but Bars Access in Muslim Countries -- News Busters

Real Time Map That Shows You Every Plane In The Air Right Now

Flightradar 24 makes it possible to track flights all around the world

Rush Hour In The Skies: Real Time Map That Shows You Every Plane In The Air Right Now -- Daily Mail

At any given moment there are an estimated 5,000 commercial airplanes in the skies over the United States and now there's a website that enables you to track them, in real time, on a map.

Flightradar24 makes it possible to track flights all around the world, whether commercial airliners, private jets or military aircraft.

The website's flight map is updated every couple of seconds. Using the map you can track a specific flight, mark out its route, the airport from which it departed and where it is supposed to land. You can even see its altitude and speed.

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Editor: Flightradar24's website is here.

A Final Tribute To Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong To Be Buried At Sea: Family -- Reuters

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, will be buried at sea, family spokesman Rick Miller said on Thursday.

Armstrong died on August 25 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82.

A public memorial service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on September 13 and will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed online at nasa.gov and nationalcathedral.org.

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My Comment: I guess he does not want a grave-site turned into a public memorial and place for those to gather and acknowledge his moon-walk accomplishment.

FBI To Start A Face Recognition System Database Across America

FBI Begins Installation Of $1 Billion Face Recognition System Across America -- RT

Birthmarks, be damned: the FBI has officially started rolling out a state-of-the-art face recognition project that will assist in their effort to accumulate and archive information about each and every American at a cost of a billion dollars.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reached a milestone in the development of their Next Generation Identification (NGI) program and is now implementing the intelligence database in unidentified locales across the country, New Scientist reports in an article this week. The FBI first outlined the project back in 2005, explaining to the Justice Department in an August 2006 document (.pdf) that their new system will eventually serve as an upgrade to the current Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) that keeps track of citizens with criminal records across America .

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More News On The FBI Installing Software Across The Country

FBI to roll out $1 billion public facial recognition system in 2014, will be on to your evildoing everywhere -- Endgadget
The FBI Banks $1 Billion For Facial Recognition Tech -- Fast Company
FBI moves forward with plans to build $1billion database of Americans' photographs for new facial recognition software -- Daily Mail
FBI launches $1 billion face recognition project -- New Scientist
How the feds are tracking us -- PC World
FBI Wagers $1 Billion On Facial Recognition Software -- Inquistr

My Comment: It will only be a question of time before no one will be able to hide.

Two Planets ... Two Stars

Two Planets ... Two Stars: Nasa Detects Strange New Solar System (And One Of The Planets Occupies The Life-Supporting 'Goldilocks Zone') -- Daily Mail

* First time that planets have been seen orbiting a two-star system
* 'Theorists will be going back to the drawing board to improve our understanding of how planets are assembled'

Nasa has announced the discovery of a solar system which is home to not one, but two stars.

The Kepler solar system, 4,900 light-years away from Earth, has two stars - called a binary system - orbiting each other in a cosmic dance.

What makes this discovery exciting is the discovery of two planets circling the system - and one of them inhabits the so-called 'Goldilocks Zone', where the planet is the right distance ('not too hot, not too cold') to support liquid water and potentially support life.

Before today, it was unknown whether planets could form around a two-star system.

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My Comment: Another mystery solved.

How One U.S. Navy Captain Used A Creative Way To Provide For His Family If He Died

Stamp Auction

Neil Armstrong Couldn't Afford Life Insurance, So He Used A Creative Way To Provide For His Family If He Died -- Business Insider

After all the danger, glory, and fame it's easy to forget that at the end of the day astronauts are federal employees subject to the same General Schedule (GS) pay scale as everyone from typists to CIA agents.

Unfortunately, a federal salary wasn't enough for Apollo 11 astronauts to purchase life insurance.

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My Comment: A small confession .... as a stamp collector, I would pay $5,000 for such a signed postcard.

How Tall Can Buildings Get?

Is There a Limit to How Tall Buildings Can Get? -- The Atlantic

The race is always on. Within the span of just two years, the world's tallest building was built three times in New York City – the 282.5-meter Bank of Manhattan in 1930, the 319-meter Chrysler Building in a few months after, and then 11 months later the 381-meter Empire State Building in 1931. The era of architectural horse-racing and ego-boosting has only intensified in the decades since. In 2003, the 509-meter Taipei 101 unseated the 452-meter Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur after a seven-year reign as the world's tallest. In 2010, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai far surpassed Taipei 101, climbing up to 828 meters. Bold builders in China want to go 10 meters higher later this year with a 220-story pre-fab tower that can be constructed in a baffling 90 days. And then, in 2018, the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (below, right) will go significantly farther, with a proposed height of at least 1,000 meters.*

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My Comment: It seems that money is the biggest limitation.

Hover 'Bike' Flies On Pilot's Intuition

Remembering Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong Dead At 82: First Man To Walk On The Moon Passes Away Following Heart Surgery, 43 Years After Giant Leap For Mankind -- Daily Mail

* Former astronaut Neil Armstrong captained Apollo 11 mission to the moon
* He and fellow NASA astronaut Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin spent nearly three hours on lunar surface
* Served in U.S. Navy in Korean War and flew 78 missions during combat
* After lunar landing, took worldwide tour with Apollo 11 crew and met Queen Elizabeth II during 38-day journey
* Famously stayed out of public view following moon landing; friends said he had no interest in becoming a novelty

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82, after suffering complications from heart surgery, his family said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the former NASA astronaut had undergone heart surgery.

He famously uttered the quote moments after setting foot on the lunar surface: ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’

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More News On The Death Of Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong, first man to step on the moon, dies at 82 -- Washington Post
Space legend Neil Armstrong dies -- CNN
First Man to Set Foot on Moon Dies at 82 -- Voice of America
Neil Armstrong, US astronaut, dies aged 82 -- The Telegraph
Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the moon, dies at age 82 -- The Guardian
Tributes pour in for 'man on the moon' Armstrong -- AFP
Man on the moon: moment of greatness that defined the American century -- The Guardian
Remembering Neil Armstrong, A Man of Profound Skill and Preternatural Calm -- Time
Armstrong’s small step a giant leap for humanity -- Washington Times/AP
Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012 -- John Steele Gordon, Commentary
One small step for man, or a man? Armstrong said his famous words from the moon were misquoted -- Washington Post/AP
What happened to NASA’s pioneering astronauts? -- Washington Times/AP

My Comment: After spending the past 2 days camping in the woods .... I fire up my computer to see what is happening in the world .... everything then becomes a blur except this story .... and then an overwhelming sense of loss knowing that something is now gone forever.

I was nine years old when I saw him walk on the moon .... becoming one of those grainy black and white childhood images that has always stuck with me. Over the years he then became the symbol (at least to me) of not what man is .... but what man is capable of doing .... and now he is gone and the world is a lesser place because of it. But I take comfort that even though he is gone .... as long as history books are written .... he will always be remembered as the first man to walk on a different celestial body .... and the first man to look at the earth from a perspective that no one had ever looked at before.

Test Flight Of U.S. Air Force Hypersonic X-51A Aircraft Ends In Failure

Military’s Mach 5 Missile Fails, Again -- Danger Room

A crucial test for the Air Force’s experimental Mach 5 missile has ended in failure, according to the Air Force. Tuesday’s test is also the third time the hypersonic X-51A Waverider cruise missile has fallen short. But this time could be the last.

As first reported by Danger Room, the Waverider’s control fin failed, preventing the missile’s scramjet engine from starting. The Air Force later confirmed the result in a statement. That also corresponds to information provided by an insider familiar with the test, who said a problem with a missile’s fin caused a loss of control before the engine could kick in.

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More News On Yesterday's Failure Of The Hypersonic X-51A Aircraft

US hypersonic aircraft crashes seconds into military test flight -- Reuters
Hypersonic vehicle fails flight test: US Air Force -- AFP
Hypersonic jet Waverider fails Mach 6 test -- BBC
Unmanned Air Force craft fails in attempt to reach Mach 6 for 5 minutes over Pacific Ocean -- Washington Post/AP
Hypersonic Waverider jet fails during attempt to fly six times speed of sound -- The Telegraph
US hypersonic aircraft crashes in test flight -- The Telegraph
Air Force's Hypersonic X-51A jet fails latest test flight, is lost over the Pacific -- FOX News
Air Force X-51A WaveRider Hypersonic Jet Crashes -- ABC News
X-51A WaveRider hypersonic mission doomed by bum missile fin -- Endgadget
USAF Hypersonic Aircraft Fails Flight Test -- Defense News
Hypersonic Craft Fails in Test Flight -- Wall Street Journal

Key Hypersonic Test Flight Tomorrow

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Key Test Set For Sustained Hypersonic Flight -- L.A. Times

The unmanned experimental aircraft X-51A WaveRider is expected to fly above the Pacific Ocean near Point Mugu at Mach 6 for 300 seconds Tuesday.

Since test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947, engineers and scientists have dreamed of ever-faster aircraft. Now, they face one of their toughest challenges yet: sustaining hypersonic flight — going five times the speed of sound or more — for more than a few minutes.

In a nondescript hangar at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, a team of aerospace engineers has been putting the finishing touches on a lightning-quick experimental aircraft designed to fly above the Pacific Ocean at 3,600 mph. A passenger aircraft traveling at that speed could fly from Los Angeles to New York in 46 minutes.

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Update: Tomorrow's Test Of The X-51 Waverider Could Usher In A New Era Of Flight -- Business Insider

My Comment: I wish them the best.

Mini-Drone Can Watch Neighbors From Above

Domestic Spying: Mini-Drone Can Watch Neighbors From Above -- CBS News

WASHINGTON (CBS) – Your neighbors’ fences are no longer tall enough.

While President Obama takes flak for the US’s use of unmanned drone attacks abroad, there is a smaller, smartphone-controlled drone hovering above urban rooftops and suburban backyards: The Parrot AR Drone 2.0.

The Parrot AR Drone 2.0, listed on Amazon just below $300, is the best way to live out one’s fantasy of being a spy. The miniature drone is controlled through your iPhone or iPad and features multiple sensors, including a hi-definition front-facing 720-pixel camera and a vertical camera looking straight down from the bottom of the miniature quadricopter (four propellers).

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My Comment: I can see these drones being used FOBs in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

New Cyber Virus Detected That Targets Middle Eastern Bank Accounts

Code from the Gauss virus, a new cyberweapon that attacks bank accounts. CNN

Virus Seeking Bank Data Is Tied To Attack On Iran -- New York Times

A security firm said Thursday that it had discovered what it believed was the fourth state-sponsored computer virus to surface in the Middle East in the last three years, apparently aimed at computers in Lebanon.

The firm, Kaspersky Lab, said that the virus appeared to have been written by the same programmers who created Flame, the data-mining computer virus that was found to be spying on computers in Iran in May, and that it might be linked to Stuxnet, the virus that disrupted uranium enrichment work in Iran in 2010.

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More News On A New Cyber Virus That Targets Bank Accounts

Nation-sponsored malware with Stuxnet ties has mystery warhead -- Ars Technica
Flame and Stuxnet Cousin Targets Lebanese Bank Customers, Carries Mysterious Payload -- Wired
Kaspersky Lab Says It Has Found Another State-Sponsored Computer Virus -- NPR
Newly discovered malware linked to Stuxnet, Flame -- Washington Post
Virus found in Mideast can spy on bank transactions -- Reuters
Nation-backed surveillance malware monitors Middle East bank accounts -- Computer World
Cyberweapon targets Middle East bank accounts -- CNN Money
Stuxnet-like spy virus Gauss hits Middle East banks -- The Guardian
Meet the ‘Gauss’ Virus, Stuxnet and Flame’s New Cousin -- Mashable Tech

My Comment: It looks like someone is monitoring Middle Eastern financial transactions and transfers of money .... and probably for a long time. To build and conduct such a surveillance operation will require huge amounts of money and personnel .... only a handful of countries could do this .... correction .... only 3 or 4 countries can. (U.S., Israel, Russia, and China). My money is on the U.S. and Israel working together on this one.

The Fracking And Geothermal Energy Revolution

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Fracking And A Geothermal Energy Revolution -- Energy Tomorrow

In the news: Projects are advancing that use hydraulic fracturing to crack “hot rocks” thousands of feet below the earth’s surface and turn them into geothermal energy-producing zones. Some say it could start a revolution in electricity generation.

Certainly, this map from the Energy Department’s National Renewals Lab, posted on the EnerGeo Politics blog, suggests there’s lots of hot-rock energy beneath the United States – especially in the West:

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My Comment: A very useful and informative map.

World's Biggest Purpose-Built Yacht Carrier

Dockwise's new Yacht Express carrier is launched.

Dockwise Debuts The World's Biggest Purpose-Built Yacht Carrier -- Gizmag

"The majority of yachts do not have the range to reach many of the world's inviting cruising areas and international playgrounds," reads the company's vision statement, but this need no longer be a limitation. Yacht owners simply sail their craft into the massive semi-submersible Yacht Express, where they are securely attached. The owners can then rendezvous with the yacht at its destination, or accompany their craft aboard the carrier in five-star luxury.

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My Comment: Owning a yacht is becoming a global social and economic trend .... a development that I am sure will give this ship a considerable amount of business.

Ocean Wave Energy The Next Big Thing

Stefan Siegel, president and chief technology officer of Atargis Energy Corporation, talks about the 1:10 scale model of a cycloidal wave energy converter that the company is testing in the wave basin at Texas A&M Offshore Technology Research Center Monday, July 16, 2012, in College Station. Hydrofoil blades on the underwater device rotate to extract energy from waves. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Melissa Phillip / © 2012 Houston Chronicle

Scientists Seek Next Wave In Power Generation -- Fuel Fix

Aerospace engineers are working to make ocean wave energy the nation’s newest source of green power by applying the physics of wind turbines to the sea.

Former U.S. Air Force Academy scientists took over Texas A&M University’s wave tank recently to test the idea that if air can produce affordable electricity, so can ocean water.

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My Comment: It is still years away from any possible development.

Mars Explorer Curiosity Successfully Lands On Mars - A News Roundup

Mars Landing Went 'Flawlessly,' Scientists Say -- CNN

(CNN) -- NASA's rover Curiosity successfully carried out a highly challenging landing on Mars early Monday, transmitting images back to Earth after traveling hundreds of millions of miles through space to explore the red planet.

Scientists praised the landing Monday.

"This is a stunning achievement. The engineering went flawlessly," said Scott Hubbard, who was the first Mars program director at NASA headquarters, and is currently a consulting professor at Stanford University.

The 10 science instruments aboard Curiosity are in "perfect health," and testing and calibration are under way, NASA said Monday.

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More News On The Successful Mars Landing Of NASA's Curiosity

NASA’s Curiosity rover lands on Mars after 352-million mile journey -- Washington Post
Mars rover Curiosity lands, NASA releases new image: ‘The surface mission of Curiosity has now begun’ -- Washington Post
Safely on Mars, NASA rover Curiosity gets busy -- Computer World
Next on Mars: 400 scientists on an alien road trip -- AFP
Curiosity rover beams back first photo from Martian surface -- Christian Science Monitor
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity makes history (A Google+ hangout) -- L.A. Times
NASA photographs split second when Curiosity enters Mars airspace -- FOX News
Photos illustrate Mars rover's precise landing -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Mars Rover FAQs: What's Next -- PC World
Mars Rover Landing a Success—What Happens Now? -- National Geographic
Curiosity opening Martian frontier? -- Meg Urry, CNN

My Comment: A job well done.

Hiroshima Marks The 67th Anniversary Of The World's First Atomic Attack

Japan Marks Hiroshima Bombing Amid Anti-Nuclear Calls -- BBC

Japan is marking the 67th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima in an annual ceremony.

Tens of thousands of people attended the event, amid growing anti-nuclear sentiment and protests in the country.

A bell marked the start of a one-minute silence at 08:15 local time (23:15 GMT) when the US bomber Enola Gay dropped the bomb that killed 140,000 people.

Mayor Kazumi Matsui called for a nuclear-free world at the event at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

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More News On The Hiroshima Anniversary Of The First Atomic Attack

Hiroshima marks 67th anniversary of A-bomb attack -- AJC/AP
Japan marks Hiroshima A-Bomb anniversary with anti-nuclear call -- The Telegraph
Nuclear fears focus attention on 67th Hiroshima anniversary -- Haaretz
Harry Truman's grandson arrives in Japan for Hiroshima visit -- The Telegraph
Grandson of President Truman lays wreath for Hiroshima dead -- The Guardian
Target Nagasaki: the men who dropped the second bomb -- The Telegraph