The U.S. Air Force Secret Space Plane X-37B Breaks It's Own Space Longevity Record

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle taxis on the flightline during testing at the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Florida in this U.S. Air Force handout photo dated March 30, 2010.(Reuters / U.S. Air Force)

Pentagon’s Secret X-37B Plane Breaks Space Longevity Record -- RT

One of the US Air Force’s most mysterious projects – an unmanned space-faring plane – has broken its own longevity record by staying in orbit for more than 469 days.

There aren’t many details floating around in public regarding the X-37B – a classified project that’s seen three launches into space thus far – but a new report by the IDG News Service suggests the plane is being used to test out the Air Force’s new space capabilities while also boosting the intelligence community’s surveillance capacity.

Launched back in December 2012, the Boeing-designed X-37B has been floating above the Earth ever since. The plane looks like a smaller cousin to NASA’s past space shuttle models, and has been designed with quick turn-around times in mind, so that it can easily be re-launched after landing.

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More News On The Air Force Space Plane X-37B Breaking It's Own Space Longevity Record

Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Shatters Orbital Endurance Record -- Huffington Post/Space.com
Air Force's Secretive X-37B Space Plane Shatters Orbit Record -- NBC
Air Force’s unmanned ‘shuttle’ breaks orbital endurance record -- Defense Systems
Classified X-37B space plane breaks space longevity record -- Computer World

Predicting Lottery Numbers

The mathematician behind the study has created a website which uses colour patterns to show number combinations which are more likely to win the lottery based on previous draws in 20 lotteries from around the world - but you may need more than GCSE maths to decipher the code

Mathematician Claims Probability CAN Predict Lottery Numbers More Likely To Be Drawn (But You May Need A Maths Degree To Work Them Out) -- Daily Mail

* Renato Gianella says it is possible to predict winning lottery numbers
* Theory is based on patterns as predicted by Law of Large Numbers
* Brazilian claims not all numbers have equal chance of being drawn
* He's developed website to help people select more favorable combinations
* But users may need more than basic maths to understand how it works
* Study was based on 20 lotteries around the world

A Brazilian mathematician claims it is possible to predict the results of a lottery draw by applying complicated maths and probability theories.

Renato Gianella has found it is entirely possible to predict numbers which are more likely to appear than others, by following the same behaviour patterns as predicted by the Law of Large Numbers.

His study called The Geometry of Chance: Lotto Numbers Follow a Predicted Pattern, finds not all combinations of numbers have the same probability of occurring – so in short, it is possible to predict patterns of numbers with a greater chance of being drawn.

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My Comment: Sadly .... he does not mention if he has used this system for himself .... and if has .... how much has he won.

No Pentagon Money For Google's Robot Program

Google Rejects Military Funding In Robotics -- Defense Tech

Google doesn’t want the U.S. military’s money.

Even though the Internet search giant owns two companies that have contracts with the Pentagon, Google is choosing to forego military funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in at least one robotic competition.

Google bought the robotics firm Schaft that had developed a bipedal robot that won DARPA’s Robotics Challenge. The competition asked companies to develop a robot that could perform disaster response tasks to include navigating debris, climbing ladders and turning off a valve.

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My Comment: Too bad .... without this cooperation U.S. troops will probably not be able to benefit from this cooperation.

The U.S. Navy Is About To Deploy Robots

Robots Join The Navy To Fight Fires At Sea -- FOX News

The Navy’s new humanoid robots can detect fires on a ship, withstand extreme heat up to 500 degrees, and fight the fire shoulder to shoulder with human firefighters.

Designed to fight shipboard fires at sea, the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot, known as SAFFiR, is a human-sized robot. Under direction and funding from the Office of Naval Research, Naval Research Laboratory researchers have been working with university researchers to develop the tech.

SAFFiR is meant to move autonomously throughout a ship, learn its layout and patrol for structural problems. The robot will be able to interact with the sailors onboard, and take on many of their dangerous firefighting tasks.

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Update: Navy’s robot will interact with sailors, fight fires aboard ship -- Defense Systems

My Comment: This is a trend that I expect to continue.

NYC Freedom Tower B.A.S.E. Jump (Video)

CSN Editor: From top to bottom in one minute.

A New Telescope That Could Allow Exoplanets To Be Photographed For The First Time

Could Flower Power Spot Alien Life? Nasa Reveals Giant Space Sunflower That Could Allow Exoplanets To Be Photographed For The First Time -- Daily Mail

* Nasa project could allow pictures of exoplanets to be taken clearly
* Flower would act as a starshade to block light from stars - but allow telescopes to see their exoplants

It may look like a giant sunflower blooming, but in fact this is Nasa's latest attempt to photograph an alien planet capable of sustaining light.

The unfurling flower can block light from a star, allowing space telescopes to get a clear view of planets orbiting it.

Experts hope the invention could revolutionise our knowledge of alien planets

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My Comment: This is what makes astronomy exciting.

YouTube Is Now Blocked In Turkey

Turkey Moves To Block YouTube Access After 'Audio Leak' -- BBC

Turkey has moved to block access to YouTube, a day after a court ordered the suspension of a ban on Twitter, which PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan backed.

The telecoms authority (TIB) said it had taken an "administrative measure" against the site but another report suggests that talks are under way.

Some users found access blocked while others could still use the site.

Earlier, what appeared to be a leaked audio recording of Turkish officials discussing Syria appeared on YouTube.

It relates to a discussion of possible military operations in Syria, which was apparently attended by Turkey's intelligence chief, its foreign minister and the deputy head of the armed forces.

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More News On Reports That YouTube Is Now Blocked In Turkey

Turkey Blocks YouTube After Leak of Syria Incursion Planning -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Turkey blocks YouTube access amid audio ‘leak’: reports -- Washington Times
Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked -- AFP
YouTube Banned in Turkey -- NBC
Turkish telecoms authority blocks access to YouTube -- France 24
Turkey blocks YouTube in addition to Twitter -- RT
Turkey moves to block YouTube in addition to Twitter - reports -- Time
Turkey blocked YouTube over purported Syria leak - source -- Reuters
Google looking into reports that Turkey users unable to access YouTube -- Reuters
Turkey's Erdogan says leaking of Syria recording is "villainous" -- Reuters

Never Turn Your Back On BIG CATS!

My Comment: Their instincts are clearly at play.

Hat Tip: Geek Press

Ukraine's Military Dolphins Have Defected To The Russian Navy

Defecting: The Ukrainian army's dolphins, trained to hunt for mines, plant bombs and attack enemy divers, will be transferred to the Russian Navy. Daily Mail

Crimean Military Dolphins To Serve in Russian Navy -- RIA Novosti

SEVASTOPOL, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - The combat dolphin program in the Crimean city of Sevastopol will be preserved and redirected towards the interests of the Russian Navy, an employee at the facility where the dolphins are trained told RIA Novosti.

The program, dating to the 1960s, was previously scheduled to be disbanded by the Ukrainian navy in April, but the facility and the dolphins themselves have now become Russian following the reunification of Crimea with Russia last week.

"The oceanarium's engineers are developing new instruments for new applications to boost the operational efficiency of the dolphins underwater," the employee said, requesting anonymity. The employee added the animals are currently outfitted with extremely outdated equipment.

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More News On Ukraine's Military Dolphins Now Being A Part of The Russian Navy

Russian Navy takes over dolphin combat unit from Ukraine -- UPI
Ukraine’s secret unit of spy DOLPHINS that can plant bombs and attack divers with guns have defected to Russia -- Daily Mail
Russia Even Hijacks Ukraine’s Navy Dolphins -- ABC News
The Russian Navy Now Controls Ukraine's Combat Dolphin Program -- Business Insider
Ukraine's spy dolphins switch allegiance to Russia -- The Telegraph
Russia Stole Ukraine's Killer Dolphin Army -- The Wire
Russia commandeers Ukraine’s combat dolphins -- New York Post
Ukraine’s Combat Dolphins Are Now Russia’s Combat Dolphins -- Slate
Even Crimea's Dolphins Join Russian Forces, State Media Says -- Huffington Post

A Dwarf Planet Has Been Discovered At The Solar System's Edge

In this combined image, the colored dots show the movement of 2012 VP113. Each image was taken two hours apart

Dwarf Planet Discovered At Solar System's Edge -- CNN

(CNN) -- For anyone holding out hope of Pluto being reinstated as a major planet, you should probably do as they say in the movie "Frozen" and "let it go."

But here's a new exciting find from the far reaches of our solar system: Astronomers have discovered a dwarf planet that's even farther away than Pluto -- so far, in fact, that its orbit reaches into a new edge of the solar system.

The dwarf planet's current name is 2012 VP113, and it is located in a "wasteland or badland of the solar system," said astronomer Chad Trujillo, head of adaptive optics at Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and co-discoverer of this object. His study was published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

"The big question is, how is this formed? How can you get an object out there?" he said. "We really don't know an answer to that yet."

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More News On A Dwarf Planet Being Discovered At The Solar System's Edge

New dwarf planet hints at giant world far beyond Pluto -- New Scientist
Does our solar system have a SUPER EARTH? Cluster of rock at its edge hints at existence of an enormous planet -- Daily Mail
New Dwarf Planet Found at Solar System's Edge, Hints at Possible Faraway 'Planet X' -- Space.com
New dwarf planet found sneaking through the inner Oort Cloud -- Ars Technica
New Dwarf Planet Redefines Edge of Our Solar System -- Discover
Dwarf Planet Discovery Hints at Hidden World Orbiting Solar System -- National Geographic
A New Planetoid Reported in Far Reaches of Solar System -- New York Times
Dwarf planet discovery hints at a hidden Super Earth in solar system -- The Guardian
Icy body found orbiting far from Sun -- BBC
Planet 'Biden:' Astronomers Find New Planet at Edge of Solar System -- US News and World Report
New Dwarf Planet ‘Biden’ Discovered: 2012 VP113 Is The Most Distant ‘Family Member’ Of The Solar System -- IBTimes
Distant new world may point to undiscovered planets in solar system -- The Guardian

Here Comes Outernet The Replacement To The Internet

The Outernet project is aiming to raise tens of millions of dollars to launch hundreds of miniature satellites known as cubesats to make their dream a reality

Forget The Internet - Soon There Will Be The OUTERNET: Company Plans To Beam Free Wi-fi To Every Person On Earth From Space -- Daily Mail

* An ambitious project known as Outernet is aiming to launch hundreds of miniature satellites into low Earth orbit by June 2015
* Each satellite will broadcast the Internet to phones and computers giving billions of people across the globe free online access
* Citizens of countries like China and North Korea that have censored online activity could be given free and unrestricted cyberspace
* 'There's really nothing that is technically impossible to this'

You might think you have to pay through the nose at the moment to access the Internet.

But one ambitious organisation called the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) is planning to turn the age of online computing on its head by giving free web access to every person on Earth.

Known as Outernet, MDIF plans to launch hundreds of satellites into orbit by 2015.

And they say the project could provide unrestricted Internet access to countries where their web access is censored, including China and North Korea.

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My Comment: I love this concept because it will circumvent government restrictions.

'Elephant Dung' Coffee Known As Black Ivory Is The Most Expensive Coffee In The World

An MGM Macau staff member grinds "elephant dung" coffee beans by hand before serving up the rarefied brew. Photo: Lana Lam

Fancy An 'Elephant Dung' Coffee? Visit Macau To Taste Most Expensive Beans In The World -- South China Morning Post

Adventurous visitors to Macau line up to try unusual beans costing US$1,500 a kilogram

Whether its description involves an expletive that has to be deleted or it is hailed as God's gift to caffeine aficionados, "elephant dung" coffee is the most expensive cup on the planet.

Also known as black ivory, it costs US$1,500 a kilogram, easily exceeding the price of its similarly processed cousin, kopi luwak, or civet coffee, which ranges in price from US$500 to US$1,000 a kilogram.

And the ferry trip to Macau - the only place where you can try this coffee in China - will cost you less than the drink, which will set you back 488 patacas for 35 grams - plus service charge.

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My Comment: $1500 a kilogram for THIS!!!!! Waaaayyyy too rich for my taste.

A Mechanical FISH that Perfectly Mimics The Movement Of Marine Creatures

The Robot Set To Make A Splash! Mechanical FISH Perfectly Mimics The Movement Of Marine Creatures -- Daily Mail

* Robotic fish made of rubber changes direction in a fraction of a second
* Movements are controlled by carbon dioxide from a built-in canister
* Once released, gas passes through a channel, causing the tail to bend
* The fish performs up to 30 manoeuvres before the carbon dioxide runs out
* Its inventor hopes to use it to learn more about the behaviour of fish

Forget clunking, giant humanoid robots, an inventor in the U.S has created a soft machine that is not only waterproof, it perfectly mimics the rapid, elegant movement of a fish.

Andrew Marchese, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), created the soft exterior robot to learn more about how fish behave.

MIT said the robotic fish is ‘the first self-contained autonomous soft robot capable of rapid body motion’ and will be featured in their new Soft Robotics journal.

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My Comment: Impressive video.

50 Greatest Breakthroughs Since The Wheel

The 50 Greatest Breakthroughs Since The Wheel -- The Atlantic

Why did it take so long to invent the wheelbarrow? Have we hit peak innovation? What our list reveals about imagination, optimism, and the nature of progress.

Some questions you ask because you want the right answer. Others are valuable because no answer is right; the payoff comes from the range of attempts. Seven years ago, The Atlantic surveyed a group of eminent historians to create a ranked list of the 100 people who had done the most to shape the character of modern America. The panelists agreed easily on the top few names—Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, in that order—but then began diverging in intriguing ways that reflected not simply their own values but also the varied avenues toward influence in our country. Lewis and Clark, or Henry Ford? Thomas Edison, or Martin Luther King? The result was of course not scientific. But the exercise of asking, comparing, and choosing helped us understand more about what these historical figures had done and about the areas in which American society had proved most and least open to the changes wrought by talented, determined men and women.

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CSN Editor: The list starts here. My beef with this list is that alphabetization is on it .... but 'numbers' did not make it.

Giant Robot Crab Walks

Giant Robot Crab Walks, Is Probably Coming Right For You -- Popular Science

Next stop: ocean floor.

The Crabster CR200 is a 1,400-pound behemoth of a 'bot soon being sent to the ocean floor—for both scientific and commercial use. Up until now, we've mostly seen it in action through still photos and animations, but here it is, menacingly lumbering into video.

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My Comment: That's one big giant robot crab.

Could We Soon Find Out EXACTLY How Long We’ll Live?

Could We Soon Find Out EXACTLY How Long We’ll Live? Scientists Accurately Work Out Lifespan Of Worms By Analysing Their Cells -- Daily Mail

* Scientists analysed looking at the bursts of activity in mitochondria
* Mitrochondria are the parts of a cell that generates its energy
* The flashes in mitochondria caused by free radicals predicted lifespan
* Findings suggest organism’s lifespan is predictable in early adulthood

Fortune tellers may soon be out of the job.

Scientists have found a way to accurately predict lifespan in worms – a breakthrough that could one day be used to predict how long a human would live.

The secret, they claim, is in looking at the bursts of activity in mitochondria, a part of the cell which generates its energy.

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My Comment:  It seems everything is becoming predictable.

WHO Report: One In Eight People Around The World Die From Air Pollution

People wearing masks are seen on a hazy day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing February 13, 2014. Kim Kyung Hoon—REUTERS

Millions Die Every Year From Air Pollution -- Voice of America

GENEVA — The World Health Organization reports air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk. A new report finds seven million people died from exposure to air pollution in 2012, more than double the number previously estimated in 2008.

Air pollution is a global problem; the World Health Organization reports one in eight people around the world die from air pollution.

It says new data show people exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution die prematurely from cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and ischaemic heart disease, as well as chronic pulmonary diseases and cancer.

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More News On The WHO Report That Claims That Seven Million People Die Globally Each Year From Pollution

WHO: Pollution kills 7 million people every year -- Washington Post/AP
Polluted air linked to 7 million deaths in 2012 - WHO -- Reuters
Tainted Air Kills More Than AIDS, Diabetes, WHO Report Shows -- Bloomberg
Air pollution killed seven million people in 2012: WHO -- The Telegraph
WHO Report: Air Pollution Killed 7 Million People in 2012 -- Time
Air Pollution Kills 7 Million a Year, WHO Says -- NBC

Is This The Most Terrifying Robot Ever?

This Gyrating Animatronic Doll Will Haunt Your Dreams -- io9

The thing dancing in this video is not a person. It's a humanoid installation piece, featuring facial recognition technology that allows it to focus on and follow you with its gaze. And yes, it is freaky as all hell.

On display March 6 – April 19 at David Zwirner Art Gallery in NYC, the unnamed doll is the work of artist Jordan Wolfson, who created the figure in collaboration with creature effects studio Spectral Motion.

There's not a lot about this thing that isn't creepy. There's the metal pole running through its sternum. Its voice (which is actually Wolfson's). The sooty grime smeared across its buttocks, thighs, knees and chest. The version of "Blurred Lines" playing in the background that sounds like it's being performed through a vat of molasses. The gaze that locks onto you and doesn't let go. That mask.

Then, of course, there are the fingers.

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Update: Is this the most terrifying robot ever? Animatronic dancer stares at you as 'she' gyrates to Blurred Lines -- Daily Mail

My Comment: Yup .... freaky as hell.

Building 'Super Telescopes' Is The New Space Race

The race will see sophisticated observatories built on top of mountains in Hawaii and Chile in an attempt to see the wonders hiding in the outer reaches of the cosmos

New Space Race Begins: Astronomers Compete To Build Next Generation Of 'Super-Telescopes' To Reveal The Hidden Universe -- Daily Mail

* Huge observatories will be built on top of mountains in Hawaii and Chile
* These include the Giant Magellan Telescope, the Thirty Meter Telescope and the European Extremely Large Telescope
* Astronomers hope to use these super-telescopes to look at the first stars
* They also plan to uncover life-threatening asteroids heading towards the planet and spot Earth-like worlds

A new space race is heating that could help unravel some of the biggest mysteries of the universe.

Astronomers around the world are going head to head to develop three major telescopes that will be at least 10 times more powerful than anything in operation today.

The race will see sophisticated observatories built on top of mountains in Hawaii and Chile in an attempt to see the wonders hiding in the outer reaches of the cosmos.

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My Comment: This is a space race that I am all for.

How British Satellite Company Inmarsat Was Able To Track Down Malaysia Flight MH370

UK Firm Behind Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Breakthrough -- BBC

The revelation that flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean is based on new analysis by UK investigators and the British satellite firm Inmarsat, Malaysia's prime minister has said.

Najib Razak said relatives of the flight's 239 passengers and crew had been told of the "heartbreaking" news.

Inmarsat used new techniques to find the plane's last position, he said.

The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which probes serious civil aircraft incidents, was also involved.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on 8 March.

The announcement came as the international search effort reached a fifth day of operations in the southern Indian Ocean.

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How British Satellite Company Inmarsat Was Able To Tack Down MH370

Satellite Company Inmarsat Says Its Data Could Help Find Malaysia Airliner -- FOX News
Plane crashed in Indian Ocean according to data -- The Telegraph
Missing Malaysia Flight MH370: French satellite data backs ‘evidence’ that Boeing 777 plane crashed in Indian Ocean -- The Independent
How British satellite company Inmarsat tracked down MH370 -- The Telegraph