Girls

 

MIRI Anomoly

James Webb Space Telescope MIRI Spectroscopy Animation: The beam of light coming from the telescope is then shown in deep blue entering the instrument through the pick-off mirror located at the top of the instrument and acting like a periscope.Then, a series of mirrors redirect the light toward the bottom of the instruments where a set of 4 spectroscopic modules are located. Once there, the beam of light is divided by optical elements called dichroics in 4 beams corresponding to different parts of the mid-infrared region. Each beam enters its own integral field unit; these components split and reformat the light from the whole field of view, ready to be dispersed into spectra. This requires the light to be folded, bounced, and split many times, making this probably one of Webb’s most complex light paths.  To finish this amazing voyage, the light of each beam is dispersed by gratings, creating spectra that then projects on 2 MIRI detectors (2 beams per detector). An amazing feat of engineering! Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

Mid-Infrared Instrument Operations Update
The James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has four observing modes. 

During setup for a science observation on August 24, a mechanism that supports one of these modes, known as medium-resolution spectroscopy (MRS), exhibited what appears to be increased friction. 

This mechanism is a grating wheel that allows astronomers to select between short, medium, and longer wavelengths when making observations using the MRS mode. 

Following preliminary health checks and investigations into the issue, an anomaly review board was convened on September 6 to assess the best path forward.  READ MORE...

Curious Cat

 

Heading in the Wrong Direction

All my life...  I have headed into the wrong direction...  and, while I have tried to blame this approach on my parents, it was my parents who actually enlightened me with their rhetoric...

"Don't go down this path..." they would warn and caution.  "As it is filled with obstacles, barriers, and unseen pitfalls."   And, I would look at them with curiosity because that is the direction I wanted to go...  I did not want to go down the same path that everyone else walked because it was comfortable and there was little resistence.  This other path that I wanted to take was created from the mistakes that everyone before me had made...  they cleared the way for me...  or, so they claimed.  It was a good ole boy system of you rub my back and I'll rub yours.

BUT...  I saw it as nothing more than kissing one's ass to get ahead...  and, I had no desire to do that or have my ass be kissed in the process...

So, I rebelled and took the other path.  And boy, did I get beat upon...  and, it did not let up throughout my 45 year career...  and when I finally retired at 67, I literally detested the workplace and especially management because of their arrogance and holier than thou attitudes...  and this included Christian Colleges and Universities where I worked...  sometimes these were worse than the non-christian places.

I concluded that these places were not run by Christians at all but by BARBARIANS that used the cloak of faith to hide their true feelings and behaviors.

Having made it through...   I am now retired and financially comfortable even with all this inflation simply because I spent my entire life saving.

Am I heading in the right direction now???

I have no frigging idea!!!

But, I am comfortable with my life and comfortable with who I am and comfortable with what I do each day...  I am never bored or disappointed...  except with the government...  and, I am wise enough to realize that there is not a damn thing I can do about it...  politicians come and go while some politicians remain and do nothing but protect their jobs and way of life.  In the process the become wealthy and live as they never lived before....  however, in the end, they all DIE just like I will die and everyone else will die as well...  it is just some will die sooner than they are supposed to, still we will all die eventually...  that is the reality of existence.

Existence is the reality of evolution and evolution is the reality of progress...  technology helps with that progress and right now is pushing us into a direction from which there is no return...  perhaps you see that negatively or perhaps you see that positively...   regardless...  it is happening.

Electric Vehicles with charging stations and increased wait time while they are being charged...

Robots with Artificial Intelligence will replace most of our professional and non-professional jobs in the next decade...

The wealthy will become wealthier, the poor will be able to lift up their heads a little higher and the middle class will gradually be non-existent as technology changes the complexion of all societies...

Government will be put into positions to take care of more and more residents because of all these robot workers and the lack of jobs...

In 20 years or so, I will be dead, and the rest of you will be FORCED to live with the UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES of progress, technology, going green, and doing nothing about the growing economic and military threat coming from CHINA.

ARE YOU GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION?

Slow Death of Summer

We are approaching the return of winter and are experiencing the slow death of the summer that we encouragingly refer to as FALL...  yet, all this does in delay the inevitable...  winter is coming and winter will be cold and wet...  however, until it arrives we must endure the gutting of summer.

Our temps will linger in the 70s for a few days perhaps weeks, then drop to the 60's for a few more days perhaps weeks, then edge down to the 50s where they will remain until winter defecates her chilly frigid weather upon us who live in the valley...  it is just a matter of time now...  and if, you are older than 50, time as you know it to be moves faster and faster each day as the weeks become days and the months become weeks and the years become months...  and, before long you are retired.

Peace be with you...  they say...  and with you be peace...  and, the end as we know it is near while at the same time far away.

Democrats over time mature into Republicans who over time digress into Liberals who cannot understand why they are referred to as progressives since life does not progress at all but declines over time as does our mental states.  We believe what we think we believe or should believe yet our whole existence revolves around some sort of comfortable survival...  but, society and those who sell us stuff, always want us to desire more.

Wanting more is a byproduct of success and success is a byproduct of progress...   that is to say until progress slows and turns to stagnation like a country pond with no place to go and nowhere to come from.

What then is our life to be about?  Especially when those who supposedly govern us like to LIE or withhold the truth so we are not fearful and left with anxieties...  or, so they claim.

We have become the body that is controlled by our tails and believe that it is just because we are a friendly sort...  but inside of that friendly attitude is a healthy dose of STUPIDITY and COWARDESS that can only arise out of the ashes of IGNORANCE...

Yes...   we are experience the slow death of summer which is no more than a metaphor for what is currently happening in America...  that is to say the United States of America as there are two other Americas of which we seldom refer since we only think about ourselves...

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT...
 

Back Flip

 

Myth Versus Reality on Aging

Paying extra for exotic vitamins in skin creams that promise to erase fine lines and prevent wrinkles will get you little more than an empty wallet, according to dermatologists. Although many face creams contain vitamins known as antioxidants, very few are actually effective in preventing or reversing skin damage.

"Despite advertising claims, almost all available topical formulations contain very low concentrations of antioxidants that are not well absorbed by the skin," said Karen E. Burke, MD, in a presentation to the American Academy of Dermatology's annual meeting this week in New Orleans. "There are three antioxidants that have been proven to decrease the effect of the sun on the skin and actually prevent further damage: selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C."

Antioxidants are known to prevent agents called free radicals from damaging cells in the body and the skin. Free radicals are a result of normal body processes, but they can also be created by exposure to various environmental factors such as smoking or ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and can speed up the aging process.  READ MORE...

Stunt

Code to Reverse Aging

PARIS — Barbra Streisand loved her dog Samantha, aka Sammy. The white and fluffy purebred Coton of Tulear was even present on the steps of the Elysée Palace, the French President’s official residence, when Streisand received the Legion of Honor in 2007.

As the singer and actress explained inThe New York Times in 2018, she loved Sammy so much that, unable to bring herself to see her pass away, she had the dog cloned by a Texas firm for the modest sum of 50,000 dollars just before she died in 2017, at the age of 14. And that's how Barbra Streisand became the happy owner of Miss Violet and Miss Scarlet, two puppies who are the spitting image of the deceased Samantha.

This may sound like a joke, but there is one deeply disturbing fact that Harvard Medical School genetics professor David A. Sinclair points out in his book Why We Age – And Why We Don’t Have To. It is that the cloning of an old dog has led to two young puppies.

This proves that DNA — ours as well as that of Sammy — has everything it takes to restore lost youth. This is a property that could be used to "reverse" aging without having to go through the problematic stage of cloning.  READ MORE...

Christine

 

Discovering an Invisible Phenomenon

It may be possible to develop superconductors that operate at room temperature with further knowledge of the relationship between spin liquids and superconductivity, which would transform our daily lives.

Superconductors offer enormous technical and economic promise for applications such as high-speed hovertrains, MRI machines, efficient power lines, quantum computing, and other technologies. 

However, their usefulness is limited since superconductivity requires extremely low temperatures. It is highly challenging to integrate them with modern technology because of this demanding and costly requirement.

The electrical resistance of a superconductor has a specific critical temperature beyond which it drops suddenly to zero, unlike an ordinary metallic conductor, whose resistance declines gradually as temperature is reduced, even down to near absolute zero.  READ MORE...

Water Flowing In

 

Dancing dog

 

Plant Based Foam Kills Weeds

Plant-based hot foam kills weeds as effectively as chemical spray

A plant-based foam mixed with hot water has worked as well as glyphosate weedkiller at removing weeds from olive groves and has also been used successfully in urban areas.

WeedingtechA heated, plant-based foam has been shown to kill weeds as effectively as a commercial chemical spray and may be a safer, eco-friendlier alternative.“It’s really fascinating, it works very well regardless of the weed growth stage,” saysIlias Travlos

at the Agricultural University of Athens, who conducted an independent study of the hot foam at two small olive groves in Greece.Farmers remove weeds because they steal water and nutrients from food crops and can attract destructive insects and pathogens.  READ MORE...

Big Fish Jump

Russia's Economy is Withering

Russia's isolation from the west is a disaster for the long-term health of its economy, experts told Insider.

Trade isolation limits what Russia can import, making production more expensive.

Russia's situation will also greatly decrease its status as an energy superpower.

Russia's resilience in the face of sanctions surprised experts in the early months of the war in Ukraine, but there are growing signs that deepening isolation will result in a withered economy for years to come, and a greatly diminished standing as an energy superpower.

Since absorbing the early blows of western sanctions, Russia has largely retaliated by shutting out the west, trading exclusively with "friendly" countries, and shoring up partnerships with nations that can stomach doing business with a pariah state.  READ MORE...

Flying Dog

A Change in Jupiter's Orbit

A shift in Jupiter's orbit could make Earth's surface even more hospitable to life than it already is, new research suggests.

University of California-Riverside (UCR) scientists simulated alternative arrangements of our solar system, finding that when Jupiter's orbit was more flattened  —  or 'eccentric'  —  it would cause major changes in our planet's orbit too.

And this change caused by the orbit of Jupiter  —  the solar system's most massive planet by far  —  could impact Earth's ability to support life for the better.  READ MORE...

Horses

 

Ultimate Doodle

 

Doorbell Cams Versus Security Cameras

For The Past Few Years, The Home Security Industry Had Just 3 Big Companies That Could Set Any Prices They Wanted And Kept Ripping Off Customers.

A genius startup is turning this $42 billion dollar home security industry on its head.

The company called Light Socket Security Camera has figured out a way to offer a far superior product (even the biggest tech experts agree) at a fraction of the price.

With break-ins, package thefts, nosy neighbors and vandalism becoming more and more common, having a home security camera you can rely on is essential these days. Which is why this new Light Socket Security Camera is quickly becoming the most successful device of 2022.         TO FIND OUT WHAT IT IS, CLICK HERE...

Fat Cat

 

DNA Rewrites History

The origin of Assateague’s wild horses has remained a mystery for centuries, but new genetic data supports the theory that they descended from Spanish horses marooned on the barrier island. Credit: Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

Ancient DNA from an American domesticated horse lends credence to shipwreck folklore.

An abandoned Caribbean colony discovered centuries later and a case of mistaken identity in the archaeological record have colluded to rewrite the history of a barrier island off the shores of Virginia and Maryland.

When Nicolas Delsol, a postdoctoral researcher at the Florida Museum of Natural History, set out to analyze ancient DNA recovered from cow bones discovered in archaeological sites, these seemingly unrelated threads were woven together. 

Delsol wanted to know how cattle were domesticated in the Americas, and he discovered the answer in the genetic information preserved in centuries-old teeth. However, they also held a surprise.  READ MORE...

Angle

EV Charging More Difficult

In an effort to make electric vehicle (EV) charging less confusing, leading EV charging company Electrify America has introduced a new charger labeling system that makes it even more confusing. 

It requires drivers to intuit whether “hyper” or “ultra” chargers are faster. This is, apparently, better than the previous system, which was to determine whether 350 or 150 is a bigger number.

Electrify America announced all this in a recent press release along with an accompanying white paper. In the announcement, EA states 350 kilowatt chargers will now be known as “Hyper-Fast” while 150 kilowatt chargers will be called “Ultra-Fast” as part of “an effort to simplify the charging experience for both new and existing electric vehicle (EV) customers.” 

They are doing this, according to the white paper, after extensive focus group and survey research which “revealed that one of the most significant pain points expressed by EV drivers is confusion over the differences between charging speeds and the charging capacity of their vehicles” because there is no industry-wide definition of fast charging.  READ MORE...

Attack

 

Humor That Isn't Funny Because It's True

Being Predictable

It has been 15 weeks since I had my back surgery and while, I know that I am better than I was 15 weeks ago, I am not back to where I was before the surgery.

While that lack of progress may not bother many people, it does bother me but I will not be able to meet with my surgeon until next week and it will probably be our last meeting.

I have not been able to walk for several days because I contracted an upper respiratory infection while at the beach and have been advised not to walk until it is cleared up.

I have not watched the news in several days and I don't miss it as it was all about our dead Queen anyway and while I am sorry she died, she was 96 years old and lived a long time.  But there is more to life than just what is going on with British royalty.

I am sure that inflation is still around even though gas prices are down...  but gas prices are down because people stopped driving so much - nothing else has changed...  we've cut back on gas/oil production, ukraine is still fighting with Russia, COVID is still around, and people are not returning to work...  so, it is really is the same ole shit just another day.

Our midterms will determine if this crap is going to continue or not...  and, if it continues, I still will not purchase an EV because they are $60,000...   and, I wonder what people will do when they realize that Russia and China ain't going green...  so us going green is no better than pissing in the wind or pissing on an electric fence...  neither of which I am going to do.

What I do realize is that the DEMS are scared SHITLESS that Trump is going to run again but are hoping that the DOJ with the raid and all, is going to slow him down...  or at least let him know that if he wins again, it will be 4 more years of trying to put him in jail.

Trump is going to open the door for others just like him to run for office and when that happens, the Dems will not have the fire power to stop it.  I think people are finally getting tired of all this WOKE crap too and CRT and if it continues then there may just be a whole lot of civil disobediance...  whether we want it or not...

Human beings are weird in that they don't act like they normally should...  no one wants to be predictable.

Long Train

 

Artificial Gravity Space Station

Vast is focused on creating large spinning structure that create a gravity-like pull. 

Credit: Vast Space artist's concept

PARIS – Vast Space, a Southern California startup founded by cryptocurrency billionaire Jed McCaleb, plans to establish an artificial-gravity space station in low Earth orbit.

McCaleb envisions a future where millions of people are living throughout the solar system. Since other companies are helping to reduce launch costs, McCaleb thinks the next important step will be creating large structures where people can live and work in space.

“Earth has finite resources, but out in the solar system, there is an enormous untapped wealth, both in terms of energy and matter, that could support many ‘Earths,'” McCaleb told SpaceNews by email. “Likewise, mankind needs a frontier. 

Every prosperous civilization has had one to push off into – nevertheless, we haven’t had one for some time. Without a frontier, the world becomes a zero-sum game, which is detrimental to the psyche of a civilization. And in terms of the long-term future of humanity, we will need to live off of the Earth eventually.”


McCaleb, whose wealth Forbes pegs at $2.5 billion, initially plans to self-finance Vast’s work.

“I’ve done many software startups and had great success in the crypto world, which gave me enough resources to attempt something ambitious in space,” McCaleb said. “Eventually, we hope to have some form of revenue generation. I’d like Vast to have a usable station in space by that time.”

Over the long term, Vast is likely to seek outside investment. In the near term, though, the company will “focus on the mission and not become beholden to investors,” McCaleb said. “And at some point, we would like to get customers, like NASA or other national programs.”  READ MORE...