Astronomers reported that there could be as many as 40 billion habitable Earth-size planets in the galaxy, based on a new analysis of data from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft.
The odds that we are alone just got infinitesimally small. This discovery emphasizes how much we need a replacement for the Kepler space telescope.
Brett Victor explains how tools to expressing information change how and more importantly, what we can think. Our expressive tools enable us to think explicitly about ideas, systems and domains that were hitherto literally unthinkable. What is so special about Brett is that he walks the walk: this is the clearest, most informative “presentation” I’ve ever seen, precisely because he uses technology to make the presentation substantially more understandable.
Media For Thinking the Unthinkable
Additionally, here is an excellent post script about Brett’s project: An Ill-Advised Personal Note about “Media for Thinking the Unthinkable”
I cannot recommend enough taking a look at everything on http://worrydream.com.
Designed and built by a former Nasa habitat engineer, the Firefly is a lightweight (600lbs) habitat that fits on the back of your truck, or on a trailer.
Incredible article from The Guardian, information rich, compelling, beautiful, technologically advanced, and telling one of the most important stories of our age: NSA Decoded
Part dune buggy, part ultralight aircraft. When you’ve got a horde of mutant bandits trying to run you down in dirt bikes, you’ll be glad you can pull a lever, release a parasail and escape over the mountain range.
SkyRunner: When the end times come, accept no alternative.
Based on the original short story by Terry Bisson.
Protei is an articulated, opensource autonomous sailing robot, initially designed to cleanup oilspills by puling a long oil absorbent boom.
Mind boggling innovations:
Crazy, brilliant stuff.
Truth be told, It doesn’t look like much, really just some dude’s basement, and the music leaves much to be desired, but hot damn, can that robot do the highbar!
And a double back handspring!
Here’s a quintuple backflip:
There’s more on hinamitetu’s youtube channel
On October 1st, the Republican members of congress voted to change the rules of the House so that only the speaker of the house could bring the budget to a vote, prior to this, any member of the house could put budget up to the vote. If put to a vote, the a clean CR budget would pass, the government would open, and these shenanigans would end. Republican Speaker of the House Boehner is singlehandedly keeping the government shut. Unprecedented and Unconscionable.
UPDATE: It was pretty much a party-line vote, held at 1am on October 1st.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jd-iaYLO1A&w=640]
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