Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, evolution, genre fiction, inspiration, science, Thoughts on January 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I have not read Brian Klaas’s Fluke, the book on which the article below is based, but this line made an impression in my busy day.
The big idea: what if every little thing you do changes history?
One hundred million years ago, a shrew-like creature got infected with a retrovirus, eventually leading to the placenta and, by extension, the reason why we don’t lay eggs.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #ThanksIngenuity, inspiration, invention, Mars, NASA, science, space on January 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »
If you’ve seen any space news this past week, you may already know that Ingenuity, the adorable little helicopter that has exceeded all expectations in its exploration of Mars, has ended its mission.
After Three Years on Mars, NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends – NASA
Originally designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, the first aircraft on another world operated from the Martian surface for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 14 times farther than planned while logging more than two hours of total flight time.
Ingenuity arrived on Mars with the Perseverance rover almost two years ago. It began as a limited technology demonstration but quickly became a scout for the rover’s mission and a fan favorite. Now, after 72 flights, a difficult landing has caused irreparable damage to its rotor blades.
Here’s what NASA Administrator Bill Nelson had to say about the end, and what the plucky little project managed to accomplish.
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Ingenuity, and its swatch from the original Wright flyer, will remain on the Martian surface as a testament to how far we’ve come.
“That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best – make the impossible, possible.”
— Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator
This weekend join me in raising a glass to the first powered, controlled flight on another world, and to the little ‘copter that could.
Thanks, Ingenuity.
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #wotf34, AI, genre fiction, inspiration, research, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing on January 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Fellow Writers of the Future winner (2018) N.R.M. Roshak has started an excellent weekly newsletter on AI. Check it out if you’re interested in what’s happening in the field, how this tech is influencing social, business, and other arenas, or why I post results like this: Bright Colors, Happy Tone.
View back issues and subscribe here: Newsletter: AI Week.
It’s not for experts and it’s extremely readable. It’s really aimed at science fiction writers and readers: non-experts (like me) who are interested in the impact of this tech on society.
Enjoy!
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Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, art, creativity, inspiration, photography, video on January 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I tried to skip past this link and couldn’t.
An augmented-reality filter reveals the hidden movements all around us
This simple technique produces dazzling results, causing tree branches to shimmer as they sway in the wind, dust particles to become bold beams of light, and camouflaged insects and animals to be instantly unveiled. De Boer’s montage serves not only as a free and easy tutorial on the possibilities of this creative tool, but also as eye candy for anyone keen to witness the hidden patterns of movement that surround us.
The effect is fascinating. In some ways it’s the opposite of a time-lapse, which captures what remains still and merges motion. Here, movements that typically remain hidden are visible. Like a camouflaged deer, or blowing leaves, or even footprints.
While some examples are just pretty, it’s hard not to jump to the scientific and creative possibilities of this technique. I haven’t explored video effects, but this makes me want to start.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, science, snow, snowstorm, Thoughts, winter on January 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Winter has finally arrived in the Northeast, and it is making a serious splash.
We wanted a white Christmas, but that didn’t happen around here; Nature is making up for it now. We’ve had multiple storms this week complete with snow, sleet, ice and rain (sometimes all at once) and expect a significant snowstorm to hit this weekend.
That has me investigating weather reports, flexing my shoveling muscles, and generally catching up on all things snow. Here are a few of the interesting articles I found:
Science of Snow | National Snow and Ice Data Center
Snow forecasts are better than they used to be, and they continue to improve, but snow forecasting remains a difficult challenge for meteorologists. One reason is that during intense snows, the heaviest snowfall can occur in surprisingly narrow bands, and on a smaller scale than observing networks and forecast zones can see. Also, the extremely small temperature differences that define the boundary line between rain and snow make large differences in snow forecasts. This is part of the fun and frustration that makes snow forecasting so interesting.
Winter storm hits East Coast. What’s in a snowflake? (transcript)
“So a snowflake that was more than a foot across. Is that, like, even possible?”
How to Shovel Snow Safely – This Old House
Freezing temperatures often bring snow, sleet, and ice. And removing that messy wintry mix from your walkways and driveways is no easy feat. Here is the best way to shovel snow to prevent injury and lessen your workload.
What’s Wrong With This Snowflake? (transcript)
Koop thinks ice crystals are masterpieces of natural beauty. Unfortunately, he says, “This beauty is sometimes corrupted.”
Seeing Snowflakes As ‘Hieroglyphs from the Sky’ (transcript)
“It’s been said that snowflakes are like hieroglyphs from the sky…,” says Libbrecht, an astrophysicist and chairman of the physics department at the California Institute of Technology. “In the shape of the crystal is encoded the conditions under which it grew.”
And for when snow stops being fun and starts getting real: United States Power Outage Map.
Time to charge up our phones, laptops, power banks and car. Stay safe and warm!
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, inspiration, Mars, MarsCuriosity, NASA, science, space, Thoughts on January 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »
It’s Monday, I’m back at work, and while things are moving along fine I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder what a day in space would be like instead.
Let’s take a little break and go to Mars, shall we?
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Captures a Martian Day, From Dawn to Dusk – NASA Mars Exploration
Rover drivers normally rely on Curiosity’s Hazcams to spot rocks, slopes, and other hazards that may be risky to traverse. But because the rover’s other activities were intentionally scaled back just prior to conjunction, the team decided to use the Hazcams to record 12 hours of snapshots for the first time, hoping to capture clouds or dust devils that could reveal more about the Red Planet’s weather.
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, future, genre fiction, predictions, science fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »
For me, the end of a year is a great time to think about the future.
What did one of science fiction’s most acclaimed writers think about the future back in 1980, what’s changed, and which of his predictions have already come to pass?
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, fail, humans, Thoughts on December 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I prepped a post for yesterday and assumed I was all set, but didn’t actually get it scheduled into the correct slot. Drrp. So I’m posting an extra one today, and linking to a fascinating graphic on cognitive bias and the many (many) types of assumptions humans are prone to making.
Every Single Cognitive Bias in One Infographic
Science has shown that we tend to make all sorts of mental mistakes, called “cognitive biases”, that can affect both our thinking and actions. These biases can lead to us extrapolating information from the wrong sources, seeking to confirm existing beliefs, or failing to remember events the way they actually happened!
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, science, skills on December 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I spent a lot of time as a kid learning skills that were technically unnecessary for me, but would have been essential to my ancestors. Skills like weaving, making cough syrup or dyeing wool using local herbs, flint knapping, bow making, that sort of thing (yes, my parents were very tolerant!). One of the skills I never did manage (and I bet the local fire department was grateful) was making a fire using only friction.
If you’ve seen Tom Hanks try this in Castaway, you’ll know that it isn’t as easy as it looks.
If this is the sort of thing that catches your attention, as it does mine, this article might interest you.
Fire by friction is a testament to human ingenuity, contributing to the development of early technology and a later understanding of physics, chemistry and heat transfer.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, NASA, science, space cats on December 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Oh look, NASA just sent the first Ultra-HD video through deep space using a laser communications system.
NASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space via Laser
Me: Cool cool cool. It’s a test, right?
Other Me: That’s right.
Me: So this experiment marks the progress humanity has made in reaching out to the stars. I wonder which video NASA used?
Other Me: This one. I think it perfectly encapsulates the usefulness of laser technology in general, and where we are as a species right now in particular.
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