tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55638294090746828242023-11-16T02:50:24.999-05:00Z-Techie: Technology InfoTechnology should be pain-free and make our lives easier!
ZRoundTable's contributors specialize in knowledge discovery.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-17319646332162627992018-03-19T11:02:00.000-04:002018-03-19T11:03:21.824-04:003D House!<div dir="ltr"> <h3 class="gmail-search-storyline-top-card__name gmail-Sans-19px-black-85%-semibold gmail-ph4 gmail-pt4" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px;padding:16px 16px 0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background:0px 0px;font-weight:600;font-family:-apple-system,system-ui,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,"Helvetica Neue","Fira Sans",Ubuntu,Oxygen,"Oxygen Sans",Cantarell,"Droid Sans","Lucida Grande",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol","Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro",Meiryo,"Hiragino Sans GB W3","Noto Naskh Arabic","Droid Arabic Naskh","Geeza Pro","Simplified Arabic","Noto Sans Thai",Thonburi,Dokchampa,"Droid Sans Thai","Droid Sans Fallback",".SFNSDisplay-Regular","Heiti SC","Microsoft Yahei";color:rgba(0,0,0,0.9);line-height:24px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">A $4K house, 3D-printed in 24 hours</h3><p class="gmail-search-storyline-top-card__summary gmail-Sans-15px-black-70% gmail-pt2 gmail-ph4" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px;padding:8px 16px 0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background:0px 0px;font-weight:400;font-family:-apple-system,system-ui,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,"Helvetica Neue","Fira Sans",Ubuntu,Oxygen,"Oxygen Sans",Cantarell,"Droid Sans","Lucida Grande",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,"Apple Color Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Emoji","Segoe UI Symbol","Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro",Meiryo,"Hiragino Sans GB W3","Noto Naskh Arabic","Droid Arabic Naskh","Geeza Pro","Simplified Arabic","Noto Sans Thai",Thonburi,Dokchampa,"Droid Sans Thai","Droid Sans Fallback",".SFNSDisplay-Regular","Heiti SC","Microsoft Yahei";color:rgba(0,0,0,0.75);line-height:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Nonprofit New Story teamed up with construction firm ICON to develop a 3D printer that can construct a four-room house in 12 to 24 hours. Human-built equivalent houses take between 13 to 20 days to build, making this tech a potential game changer for the 1.2 billion people who lack adequate shelter. The team plans to bring costs down from $10,000 to $4,000 per house and build 100 homes in El Salvador next year.</p> <br></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-24414346121235791212018-01-25T09:11:00.000-05:002018-01-25T09:12:01.534-05:00Chinese clone primates (New Barrier Crossed: Humans are in primate family!)<div dir="ltr"><br><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/health/cloned-monkeys-study/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/health/cloned-monkeys-study/index.html</a><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="gmail-zn-body__paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:15px;font-family:CNN,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,Utkal,sans-serif;font-size:1.2rem;line-height:1.66667;margin-right:0px;color:rgb(38,38,38);background-color:rgb(254,254,254)"><h3 style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:2.13333rem;margin:0px;display:inline-block;padding-top:10px;font-weight:300;line-height:1.25">New ethical questions</h3></div><div class="gmail-zn-body__paragraph" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:15px;font-family:CNN,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,Utkal,sans-serif;font-size:1.2rem;line-height:1.66667;margin-right:0px;color:rgb(38,38,38);background-color:rgb(254,254,254)">The birth of these clones also brings up ethical issues. Humans are in <a href="https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/primate/table_primates.htm" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,101,152);text-decoration-line:none">the primate family</a>. With this birth, these scientists have broken a barrier and that means the technique could, in theory, be applied to humans. The authors of the paper say they have no intention of trying and they believe their results should spark a wider discussion about the laws and regulations the world needs to regulate cloning.</div></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-84294658424514670552017-08-24T15:45:00.001-04:002017-08-24T15:45:22.207-04:00Drones Starting to Deliver Packages (in Iceland)<div dir="ltr"><br><div><span style="color:rgb(77,77,77);font-family:"PT Serif",Georgia,serif;font-size:16px">At last, a fully operational urban delivery drone system is here... only you probably won't get to use it. Drone logistics startup Flytrex has teamed up with Iceland's main online retailer, AHA, to launch a courier drone service in Reykjavik. <b><u><i>Specifically, it's serving one part of Reykjavik -- robotic fliers carry food across a river in the city, cutting the delivery time from 25 minutes to 4.</i></u></b></span><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(77,77,77);font-family:"PT Serif",Georgia,serif;font-size:16px"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(77,77,77);font-family:"PT Serif",Georgia,serif;font-size:16px"><br></span></div><div><font color="#4d4d4d" face="PT Serif, Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:16px"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ixP6zOLu3Gs">https://www.youtube.com/embed/ixP6zOLu3Gs</a>" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></font><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(77,77,77);font-family:"PT Serif",Georgia,serif;font-size:16px"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(77,77,77);font-family:"PT Serif",Georgia,serif;font-size:16px">Read more here:</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(77,77,77);font-family:"PT Serif",Georgia,serif;font-size:16px"><br></span></div><div><font color="#4d4d4d" face="PT Serif, Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:16px"><a href="https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/23/drone-delivery-service-in-iceland/?itx[idio]=6403146&ito=792&itq=6093a63c-e99b-4df9-b4b4-9a9cfcaaffac">https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/23/drone-delivery-service-in-iceland/?itx[idio]=6403146&ito=792&itq=6093a63c-e99b-4df9-b4b4-9a9cfcaaffac</a></span></font><br></div><div><font color="#4d4d4d" face="PT Serif, Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:16px"><br></span></font></div><div><font color="#4d4d4d" face="PT Serif, Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:16px"><br></span></font></div></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br> <table style="border-top:1px solid #d3d4de"> <tr> <td style="width:55px;padding-top:13px"><a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=icon" target="_blank"><img src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif" alt="" width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;"></a></td> <td style="width:470px;padding-top:12px;color:#41424e;font-size:13px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:18px">Virus-free. <a href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=link" target="_blank" style="color:#4453ea">www.avast.com</a> </td> </tr> </table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"></a></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-62324346660234406872017-08-04T15:31:00.000-04:002017-08-04T15:32:09.118-04:00Quantum Computing<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Lora,Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,"Bitstream Vera Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px">Quantum computers promise faster speeds and stronger security than their classical counterpart and scientists have been striving to create a quantum computer for decades. But what is </span><a href="http://www.alphr.com/technology/1005288/this-quantum-computer-blueprint-could-change-life-as-we-know-it" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:Lora,Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,"Bitstream Vera Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(23,135,161)">quantum computing</a><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Lora,Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,"Bitstream Vera Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px"> and why have we not achieved it yet?</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Read more here: </div><br><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.alphr.com/technology/1006491/what-is-quantum-computing-and-why-does-the-future-of-earth-depend-on-it">http://www.alphr.com/technology/1006491/what-is-quantum-computing-and-why-does-the-future-of-earth-depend-on-it</a><br></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-61171056286307065402017-01-03T19:29:00.000-05:002017-01-03T19:30:10.085-05:00Amazon Alexa - Be careful what you say... :)<div dir="ltr"><div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:17px;line-height:1.5;font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(244,244,244)">Dallas, Tx. resident Megan Neitzel, recently received the Echo Dot as a holiday gift from her in-laws. However, Neitzel was surprised when she received a confirmation email for cookies and a dollhouse that had been ordered.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:17px;line-height:1.5;font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(244,244,244)">According to Neitzel, the device had not been hooked up for long, and while she overheard her kids telling Alexa Knock-Knock jokes, the cost of the items on the invoice was no laughing matter.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:17px;line-height:1.5;font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(244,244,244)">"It was a $170 Kidcraft dollhouse and 64 ounces, four pounds, of cookies," she told Foxnews.com.</p></div><div>...</div><div><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:17px;background-color:rgb(244,244,244)">Given that this is their first experience with Alexa, Neitzel said they are a bit more cautious with what they say around it. "I [feel] like whispering in the kitchen," she said. "I tell my kids Alexa is a very good listener."</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Read more here:</div><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/03/6-year-old-accidentally-orders-high-end-treats-with-amazons-alexa.html">http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/03/6-year-old-accidentally-orders-high-end-treats-with-amazons-alexa.html</a><br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-84515559854818153512016-12-15T12:23:00.001-05:002016-12-15T12:23:48.367-05:00Dinosaur Tail Preserved in Amber (Check out the feathers!)<div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf0kPxN0Cm3GUu1FAB_QiccVUjxRbveV1FC5DX7R1bmGROTWuAUUtMCQxWU7g_69SsHxhdHVHiOs4B2WlGiA4XoR1qyPe8tOU6AHmf6oW7CqZI0oKYDQnc3qR-NCnQNW8xZrTQcMKkXvd/s1600/image-728368.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf0kPxN0Cm3GUu1FAB_QiccVUjxRbveV1FC5DX7R1bmGROTWuAUUtMCQxWU7g_69SsHxhdHVHiOs4B2WlGiA4XoR1qyPe8tOU6AHmf6oW7CqZI0oKYDQnc3qR-NCnQNW8xZrTQcMKkXvd/s320/image-728368.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6364379728061951250" /></a><br></div><div><p class="gmail-story-body__introduction" style="border:0px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-family:helmet,freesans,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:1rem;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.375;margin:28px 0px 0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">The tail of a feathered dinosaur has been found perfectly preserved in amber from Myanmar.</p><p style="border:0px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-family:helmet,freesans,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:1rem;line-height:1.375;margin:23px 0px 0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">The one-of-a-kind discovery helps put flesh on the bones of these extinct creatures, opening a new window on the biology of a group that dominated Earth for more than 160 million years.</p><p style="border:0px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-family:helmet,freesans,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:1rem;line-height:1.375;margin:18px 0px 0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">Examination of the specimen suggests the tail was chestnut brown on top and white on its underside.</p><p style="border:0px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-family:helmet,freesans,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:1rem;line-height:1.375;margin:18px 0px 0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">The tail is described <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31193-9" class="gmail-story-body__link-external" style="border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:1rem;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:inherit;line-height:1.375;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration:none">in the journal Current Biology</a>.</p><p style="border:0px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-family:helmet,freesans,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:1rem;line-height:1.375;margin:18px 0px 0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">"This is the first time we've found dinosaur material preserved in amber," co-author Ryan McKellar, of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada, told the BBC News website.</p><p style="border:0px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-family:helmet,freesans,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:1rem;line-height:1.375;margin:18px 0px 0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><br></p><p style="border:0px;color:rgb(64,64,64);font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-family:helmet,freesans,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:1rem;line-height:1.375;margin:18px 0px 0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">Read more here: </p></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38224564">http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38224564</a><br></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-52111539425671941312016-08-17T12:09:00.000-04:002016-08-17T12:10:00.341-04:00Human Beings are 60-75% water<div dir="ltr"><div>Babies are estimated to be 75%-80% water. </div><div> </div>And then we dry! <br><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2013/11/25/247212488/born-wet-human-babies-are-75-percent-water-then-comes-drying">http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2013/11/25/247212488/born-wet-human-babies-are-75-percent-water-then-comes-drying</a><br></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-38234279782614578072016-08-16T09:03:00.001-04:002016-08-16T09:03:37.834-04:00Video: Making Tennis Balls<div dir="ltr">Fun video!! <br><div><br></div><div><a href="http://pix11.com/2016/07/30/mesmerizing-video-shows-how-tennis-balls-are-made-and-is-a-must-see/">http://pix11.com/2016/07/30/mesmerizing-video-shows-how-tennis-balls-are-made-and-is-a-must-see/</a><br></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-36666981978318196332016-07-15T09:35:00.001-04:002016-07-15T09:35:33.421-04:00Life on Mars?!!<div dir="ltr">CNN reports: <div><br></div><blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><span style="color:rgb(38,38,38);font-family:CNN,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,Utkal,sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px;background-color:rgb(254,254,254)">Life could exist in isolated pockets beneath the surface of Mars, according to Alfred McEwen, principal investigator of NASA's HiRISE high-resolution camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. While they would most likely be primitive microorganisms such as bacteria, it would still be proof of life outside of our own planet.</span></blockquote></blockquote><div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/15/health/water-life-mars-rsl/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/15/health/water-life-mars-rsl/index.html</a><br></div></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-27400966791569449572015-09-22T21:15:00.001-04:002015-09-22T21:15:08.023-04:00Clearing Space on your Gmail acct<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Google limits the space you have on Gmail and Google drive (or Gdrive) to 15 GB. If you are bumping up against that limit, here are some tricks to use: <br />
<br />
My favorite is clearing out large files (which are often digital photos you already have somewhere else if you want them). <br />
<br />
<h3 data-textannotation-id="e5a5cef4450dc5bc063cec90a2904d0f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5625rem; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px auto 1rem; max-width: 636px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;">
Search by size</h3>
<div data-textannotation-id="3556b4e6f375634cbc9975c5ed85fa9f" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 636px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto; word-break: break-word;">
Once upon a time you couldn't search for emails by size in Gmail, but now you most certainly can. Enter <code style="background-color: whitesmoke; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: Courier, monospace; padding: 0px 7px;">larger:5m</code> to find messages of 5MB or above, or open up the search drop-down dialog and use the size option there.</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 32px;">In my own creaking Gmail account I found 356 emails that were 5MB or bigger, which works out at at least 1.78GB of room that can be cleared. If you regularly use your Gmail account to handle high-resolution photos or PDFs then you might come across more matching messages than you expect.</span><br />
<br />
Read more here:<br />
<a href="http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/5-quick-ways-to-free-up-space-in-your-gmail-account-1605253430" target="_blank">http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/5-quick-ways-to-free-up-space-in-your-gmail-account-1605253430 </a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-71118464880118909402015-01-27T10:42:00.001-05:002015-01-27T10:42:05.174-05:00Asteroid Passes Near Earth -- with it's own Moon! On Monday, January 26th, an asteroid passed by the earth at about 3x the distance between the moon and the earth. The asteroid is about a third of a mile in size. <br />
<br />
Interestingly, the asteroid had its own moon (about 240 feet in diameter) circling it. <br />
<br />
The asteroid was named 2004 BL86, because it was first spotted back in 2004 (by an observatory in New Mexico). <br />
<br />
CNN Reports:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: border-box; color: #262626; font-family: CNN, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.44444; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-right: 140px;">
It was far enough that it didn't pose a threat to Earth, but close enough to give scientists and amateurs a chance to observe a large asteroid up close.<img alt="NASA asteroid 2004 BL86 was revealed to have its own small moon." class="media__image media__image--responsive" data-demand-load="loaded" data-eq-pts="xsmall: 0, medium: 460, large: 780" data-eq-state="xsmall" data-src-full16x9="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150127030142-nasa-asteroid-2004-bl86-full-169.jpg" data-src-large="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150127030142-nasa-asteroid-2004-bl86-super-169.jpg" data-src-medium="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150127030142-nasa-asteroid-2004-bl86-exlarge-169.jpg" data-src-small1x1="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150127030142-nasa-asteroid-2004-bl86-large-11.jpg" data-src-small="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150127030142-nasa-asteroid-2004-bl86-large-169.jpg" itemprop="image" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150127030142-nasa-asteroid-2004-bl86-large-169.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; width: 300px;" />NASA asteroid 2004 BL86 was revealed to have its own small moon.<br />EXPAND IMAGE<br />It was the closest known asteroid this large to pass near Earth until 2027, when an asteroid called 1999 AN10 flies by.</blockquote>
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Read more here:<br />
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/26/us/asteroid-flyby/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/26/us/asteroid-flyby/index.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-38420272024619266082014-09-08T10:00:00.002-04:002014-09-08T10:00:31.315-04:00Self-Driving Cars Coming in a few years!Some of you may have heard of the Google self-driving car... GM is making advances in this area -- and the firm says that some of these features will be on the road in just two+ years! Read more here:<br />
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Cars that can talk to each other and almost drive themselves at freeway speeds are just two years away from the showroom, General Motors executives indicate.</blockquote>
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The carmaker announced Sunday that the semiautonomous system for freeways will be an option on an unidentified 2017 Cadillac that goes on sale in summer 2016. Another 2017 Cadillac, the CTS, will be equipped with radio transmitters and receivers that will let it communicate with other cars, sharing data such as location, speed, and whether the driver is applying the brakes.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/09/07/offer-car-that-will-almost-drive-itself/ifBPed99vWSzw2NFa0IhPP/story.html?p1=Article_InThisSection_Bottom">http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/09/07/offer-car-that-will-almost-drive-itself/ifBPed99vWSzw2NFa0IhPP/story.html?p1=Article_InThisSection_Bottom</a>cchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06626822887778403895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-14842172794459709422014-05-05T16:30:00.002-04:002014-05-05T16:30:54.573-04:00Hawkings: AI Could Be Dangerous With the Johnny Depp movie making noise at the box office, Stephen Hawkings spoke out about the dangers that artificial intelligence can pose to mankind.<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">With the Hollywood blockbuster </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; outline: none;" xmlns="">Transcendence</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"> playing in cinemas, with Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman showcasing clashing visions for the future of humanity, it's tempting to dismiss the notion of highly intelligent machines as mere science fiction. But this would be a mistake, and potentially our worst mistake in history.</span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">Read more here: </span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.454545021057129px; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-transcendence-looks-at-the-implications-of-artificial-intelligence--but-are-we-taking-ai-seriously-enough-9313474.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-transcendence-looks-at-the-implications-of-artificial-intelligence--but-are-we-taking-ai-seriously-enough-9313474.html</a></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-12693543677215494362014-04-30T20:22:00.002-04:002014-04-30T21:51:40.065-04:00The Earth's Core is as Hot as the Sun's SurfaceThis may be hard to believe but it is true. This fact is helped because the surface of the sun is surprisingly cool. Weirdly enough both the Earth's core and sun's surface are about 6,000 degrees Kelvin -- but the sun's atmosphere (also called the corona) is 1 to 2 million degrees Kelvin! <br />
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A <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6131/464.full" style="color: #00598c; text-decoration: none;">new study in <i>Science</i> suggests</a> that the temperature of our planet's core is much, much hotter than previously thought -- 6,000 degrees Kelvin, compared with earlier estimations that were closer to 5,000 degrees Kelvin. This temperature, blazing hot to a degree beyond comprehension, is the same as that of <i>the surface of the sun</i>. Yes, you read that right: the core of our temperate little atmospherically-protected home is as hot as *a star*.</blockquote>
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Scientists in France were able to come to their remarkable conclusion in an experimental setting, using X-rays diffraction to watch how iron crystals held under unbelievable pressure form and melt.</blockquote>
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Read more here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/04/the-earths-core-is-as-hot-as-the-surface-of-the-sun/275346/">http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/04/the-earths-core-is-as-hot-as-the-surface-of-the-sun/275346/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-7154347234971214492014-03-19T09:02:00.001-04:002014-03-19T09:03:04.113-04:00Earthquakes and Tsunamis: Quake hits Los Angeles 3/17/14 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On Monday, March 17, 2014 - St. Patrick's Day -- there was an earthquake in Los Angeles. Although the quake was measured at a 4.4-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, you can clearly see the impact on people during an earthquake.<br />
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There were at least six aftershocks, with the strongest being measured at a 2.7-magnitude temblor. Some fear that this quake could mark the end of the several year "earthquake drought" that the area has experienced. Below is a video of newscasters live when the earthquake hit.<br />
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The earthquake also made us recall the 2011 Japanese earthquake and Tsunami. All of Japan moved about 10 feet!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-83306643491030789832014-03-09T23:09:00.002-04:002014-03-09T23:09:59.982-04:00Large Asteroid Passes near Earth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
An asteroid as wide as two football fields passed relatively close to Earth. The nearest it came to our planet was roughly eight times the distance from the earth to the moon (the Earth-moon distance averages 239,000 miles) -- so the asteroid passed about 2 million miles from the Earth! <br />
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Read more about other asteroids and this event here:<br />
<a href="http://www.weather.com/news/science/space/large-asteroid-2014-cu13-pass-earth-20140309">http://www.weather.com/news/science/space/large-asteroid-2014-cu13-pass-earth-20140309</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-63337185673218996862014-02-17T13:27:00.002-05:002014-02-17T13:27:13.792-05:00Solar System -- Good Educational WebsiteCheck out the cool animated GIF of the solar system at this site below. Also, you can mouseover items in the GIF and learn more. <br />
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<a href="http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm">http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-66583261691058163172014-02-17T12:43:00.002-05:002014-02-17T12:43:48.565-05:00Solar System TheoryHere is a nice lecture from Arizona State University on the Nebula Theory of the creation of the solar system.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;">III. Formation of the planets</span></center>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">The first solid particles were microscopic in size. They orbited the Sun in nearly circular orbits right next to each other, as the gas from which they condensed. Gently collisions allowed the flakes to stick together and make larger particles which, in turn, attracted more solid particles. This process is called <span style="color: blue;">accretion</span>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The objects formed by accretion are called <span style="color: blue;">planetesimals</span> (small planets): they act as seeds for planet formation. At first, planetesimals were closely packed. They coalesced into larger objects, forming clumps of up to a few kilometers across in a few million years, a small time compared to the age of the solar system <a href="http://atropos.as.arizona.edu/aiz/teaching/nats102/mario/images/planetesimals.mov">(movie)</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Once planetesimals had grown to these sizes, collisions became destructive, making further growth more difficult <a href="http://atropos.as.arizona.edu/aiz/teaching/nats102/mario/images/planetesimal_collisions.mov">(movie)</a>. Only the biggest planetesimals survived this fragmentation process and continued to slowly grow into <span style="color: blue;">protoplanets</span> by accretion of planetesimals of similar composition.</span></li>
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Read more here:<br />
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<a href="http://atropos.as.arizona.edu/aiz/teaching/nats102/mario/solar_system.html">http://atropos.as.arizona.edu/aiz/teaching/nats102/mario/solar_system.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-69059369356826546752014-02-09T16:21:00.006-05:002014-02-09T16:21:57.841-05:00Where do we get our Power from? Did you know that almost 50% of the electricity in the U.S. comes from coal? About 20% is from nuclear power plants. Check this charts out:<br />
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<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/2008_US_electricity_generation_by_source_v2.png/220px-2008_US_electricity_generation_by_source_v2.png" /></div>
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Read more here:<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil-fuel_power_station">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil-fuel_power_station</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-81816330354360788732013-12-03T11:23:00.002-05:002013-12-03T19:50:14.505-05:00Amazon testing Drones for Delivery!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wow: science is advancing at increasingly fast rates! Check out what Amazon is testing and thinking about...<br />
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<img alt="Amazon says it will take years to advance" src="http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.6530943.1386085152!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/display_600/image.jpg" /><br />
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Photo credit: AP<br />
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Amazon's plan to eventually enlist self-guided drones to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less, revealed Sunday night on CBS' "60 Minutes," opens a host of possibilities -- and hazards.</div>
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Amazon.com Inc. says it's working on the so-called Prime Air unmanned aircraft project in its research and development labs. The company admits it will take years to advance the technology and for the Federal Aviation Administration to create the necessary rules and regulations.</div>
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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in the prime-time interview that while his octocopters look like something out of science fiction, there's no reason they can't be used as delivery vehicles.</div>
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Bezos said the drones can carry packages that weigh up to five pounds, which covers about 86 percent of the items Amazon delivers. The drones the company is testing have a range of about 10 miles, which Bezos noted could cover a significant portion of the population in urban areas.</div>
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Bezos told "60 Minutes" the project could become a working service in four or five years.</div>
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Read more here:</div>
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<a href="http://www.newsday.com/business/technology/amazon-testing-delivery-drone-service-1.6528123">http://www.newsday.com/business/technology/amazon-testing-delivery-drone-service-1.6528123</a></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-15384100005060260812013-10-31T12:22:00.003-04:002013-10-31T12:22:53.879-04:00How Trains Go Around CornersHere is a link to some nice hands-on "kitchen science" from the Naked Scientists:<br />
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In the early 19th century there were various forms of horse drawn railway and the wheels were held on the track by big flanges. These worked but they would rub against the rails creating friction and making a horrible noise. A neat solution was found, probably by accident when they started casting the wheels. When you cast a wheel it will naturally have a slight slope on it to get it out of the mould.</div>
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They tried putting the wheels on the axels both ways round. If the wheel is smaller on the outside it means that if the axle moves slightly to the left the wheel is bigger on that side so it steers back onto the track.</div>
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<img alt="Correction from the top" height="115" src="http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/uploads/RTEmagicC_TrainWheels-good-top_02.png.png" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; margin: 8px; max-width: 600px; vertical-align: middle;" title="The left hand wheel is now effectively bigger than the right so the " width="95" /></div>
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<img alt="Wrong correction from the top" height="115" src="http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/uploads/RTEmagicC_TrainWheels-wrong-top.png.png" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; margin: 8px; max-width: 600px; vertical-align: middle;" title="The right hand wheel is now larger than the left so the axle turns to the left" width="95" /></div>
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Wheels sloping outward</div>
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Wheels sloping inward</div>
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But if the wheel is bigger on the outside and moves to the left, the axle will turn to the left and quickly fall off the track as you found.</div>
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If the track is too sharply curved the cone shape of the wheels can't cope and the flanges of the wheels do rub against the rails making a horrible noise and wearing out the track. Most tracks don't corner this sharply.</div>
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If you deliberately push the wheels at an odd angle it can overshoot and take a wobbly swaying path down the rails, this is one reason why old trains often sway gently, though modern suspension is a lot better at coping with this.</div>
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Read more here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/kitchenscience/exp/train-tracks-how-trains-go-round-corners/">http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/kitchenscience/exp/train-tracks-how-trains-go-round-corners/</a>cchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06626822887778403895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-82337230377830276822013-09-19T09:19:00.001-04:002013-09-19T09:19:53.470-04:00Harvest Moon Facts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This year's harvest moon is on September 22. It represents the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox -- and represents the official start of autumn. <br />
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The moon starting now (Thursday) will be huge and bright! In the old days, farmers were grateful for this harvest moon because it allowed farmers to work later into the night during harvest time. <br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">6.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> The size of the moon in the sky is dependent on its orbit. When the moon is particularly close to Earth, a full moon will appear noticeably larger in the sky. This is what is known as a </span><a from="standard64293_standardContentWell_2" href="http://www.weather.com/news/science/space/largest-supermoon-year-peaks-weekend-20130618" style="background-color: white; color: #194db4; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;">supermoon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">. The most recent supermoon was last June. </span><br />
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Read here for more harvest moon facts:<br />
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<a href="http://www.weather.com/news/science/10-facts-about-weeks-harvest-moon-20130917">http://www.weather.com/news/science/10-facts-about-weeks-harvest-moon-20130917</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-11071845744912036952013-08-15T11:17:00.002-04:002013-08-15T11:18:23.557-04:00Privacy Issues: Google, Gmail & Internet Privacy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The headline reads:<br />
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Google says people can't expect privacy when sending to Gmail</h1>
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Many people have feared that privacy was not as crystal clear as some would hope. And these fears are being realized all the time, as we move forward. As in life, there are many blurred lines when dealing with tough issues. Should large internet firms provide governments and law enforcement agencies with information that some say should be totally private? What if it helps against "evil-doers?" But then, at what point -- and who -- decides how far this can go? </div>
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In any case, the article continues:</div>
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<i><b>If you care about privacy, it's time to drop Google.</b></i></div>
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<i><b>That's what <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/newsrelease/google-tells-court-you-cannot-expect-privacy-when-sending-messages-gmail-people-who-care" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #2571c2; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Google Tells Court You Cannot Expect Privacy When Sending Messages to Gmail -- People Who Care About Privacy Should Not Use Service, Consumer Watchdog Says">Consumer Watchdog is recommending</a> following Google's admission that people shouldn't expect privacy when they send messages to a Gmail account, any more than people would were they to send a business letter that could be opened by an assistant.</b></i></div>
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Read more here:</div>
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<a href="http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/08/14/google-says-gmail-users-cant-expect-privacy/?utm_source=Naked+Security+-+Sophos+List&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ec2b87c365-naked%252Bsecurity&utm_term=0_31623bb782-ec2b87c365-454766885">http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/08/14/google-says-gmail-users-cant-expect-privacy/?utm_source=Naked+Security+-+Sophos+List&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ec2b87c365-naked%252Bsecurity&utm_term=0_31623bb782-ec2b87c365-454766885</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-57176559332955817292013-07-31T20:27:00.002-04:002013-07-31T20:27:26.073-04:00Scientists Freeze Light for More than a Minute!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In what could prove to be a major breakthrough in quantum memory storage and information processing, German researchers have frozen the fastest thing in the universe: light. And they did so for a record-breaking one minute.</div>
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<a href="http://io9.com/did-government-scientists-really-create-a-secret-quantu-499792112" sl-processed="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6c004b; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;"><span class="img-border" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; position: relative;"><img class="marquee" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18n8v6yq7fhd2jpg/k-small.jpg" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 132px;" /></span></a></div>
<h6 class="headline" data-textannotation-id="f0d5bb5a06c9dae22f3c27c8c7a613f1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; direction: ltr; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<a href="http://io9.com/did-government-scientists-really-create-a-secret-quantu-499792112" sl-processed="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Did government scientists really create a secret quantum internet?</a></h6>
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No, not really. But for two years, researchers at Los Alamos National Labs have been working on something they call network-centric quantum…<a href="http://io9.com/did-government-scientists-really-create-a-secret-quantu-499792112" sl-processed="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6c004b; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Read…</a></div>
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It sounds weird and it is. The reason for wanting to hold light in its place (aside from the sheer awesomeness of it) is to ensure that it retains its quantum coherence properties (i.e. its information state), thus making it possible to build light-based quantum memory. And the longer that light can be held, the better as far as computation is concerned. Accordingly, it could allow for more <a href="http://io9.com/did-government-scientists-really-create-a-secret-quantu-499792112" sl-processed="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6c004b; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">secure quantum communications</a> over longer distances.</div>
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Read more here:<br />
<a href="http://io9.com/scientists-freeze-light-for-an-entire-minute-912634479">http://io9.com/scientists-freeze-light-for-an-entire-minute-912634479</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5563829409074682824.post-87463891791703482682013-06-10T10:44:00.000-04:002013-06-10T10:44:00.444-04:00Big Brother IS watching! (Privacy not what some would expect.)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The UK's Guardian reports:<br />
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The National Security Agency has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/apple" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Apple">Apple</a> and other US <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/internet" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Internet">internet</a> giants, according to a top secret document obtained by the Guardian.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/nsa" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on NSA">NSA</a> access is part of a previously undisclosed program called PRISM, which allows officials to collect material including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats, the document says.</div>
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The Guardian has verified the authenticity of the document, a 41-slide PowerPoint presentation – classified as top secret with no distribution to foreign allies – which was apparently used to train intelligence operatives on the capabilities of the program. The document claims "collection directly from the servers" of major US service providers.</div>
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Although the presentation claims the program is run with the assistance of the companies, all those who responded to a Guardian request for comment on Thursday denied knowledge of any such program.</div>
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In a statement, Google said: "Google cares deeply about the security of our users' data. We disclose user data to government in accordance with the law, and we review all such requests carefully. From time to time, people allege that we have created a government 'back door' into our systems, but Google does not have a back door for the government to access private user data."</div>
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Several senior tech executives insisted that they had no knowledge of PRISM or of any similar scheme. They said they would never have been involved in such a program. "If they are doing this, they are doing it without our knowledge," one said.</div>
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An Apple spokesman said it had "never heard" of PRISM.</div>
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The NSA access was enabled by changes to US surveillance law introduced under President Bush and renewed under Obama in December 2012.</div>
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Read more here: <br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data</a></div>
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