“A group of students from the University of Cambridge who plan on launching a rocket into space for less than £1,000 have taken the first steps towards achieving their ambitious goal. Carl Morland, Henry Hallam and Robert Fryers, all from the Department of Engineering have successfully sent a bundle of equipment to the edge of space using a helium balloon.
The tiny payload, no bigger than a lunchbox, flew to nearly four times the height of Everest before descending by parachute, taking photographs throughout the flight, including dramatic images showing the curvature of the earth.
In the long term, their project – dubbed ‘Project Nova’ – aims to pave the way for the launch of small payloads for commercial research organisations into space. The method would be very cheap, costing a matter of several hundred pounds, instead of the six-figure sums currently required.”
“SpaceShipTwo is a suborbital spaceplane currently under development by The Spaceship Company, a joint venture between Scaled Composites and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group of the UK, as part of the Tier 1b program. The Virgin Galactic spaceline plans to operate a fleet of five of these craft in passenger-carrying private spaceflight service starting in 2008. The first spacecraft to be completed will be named VSS (Virgin Space Ship) Enterprise in honor of the Starship Enterprise, and have the FAA registration number N400K (refers to the target altitude of 400,000 feet, approx. 76 miles, or 121.92 kilometers).”
“It’s happening again. You shouldn’t be surprised. You know how successful they’ve been – how deeply ingrained they’ve become. You knew it was only a matter of time before they, the Pokemon, mounted yet another invasion. Now it’s happening again, and you’d do well to prepare yourself.
The fourth generation in the Pokemon series debuts in Japan this week, with the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl on the Nintendo DS. The new adventures follow the long-established Pokemon RPG formula, adding new monsters to catch and new ways to interact with other players – like Nintendo Wi-Fi support. The games are expected to sell millions in Japan, as well as here in the States – but American gamers will have to wait. Diamond and Pearl won’t be coming to other markets until next year.”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 29, 2006 in Videogames
On September 29th, 1996 (ten years ago) the Nintendo 64 was released in North America, this video follows a bunch of gamer fanboys playing with the new system:
“This highly detailed Life size Swimming Warrior Alien is hand sculpted by a fully qualified prop artist and this rare prop itself took almost three months to complete involving intotal five person efforts for the production of this one Alien prop. This Life size Swimming Alien Warrior comes in 10 parts/sections : head, upper torso, lower torso, back tubes, mid & lower tail, left arm, right arm, right and left legs. This life size prop is well-thought plan designed for easy installations and also safer shipping & handling for both parties.”
“Russell T. Davies, executive producer of the BBC’s hit SF drama Doctor Who, told SCI FI Wire that the show’s upcoming third season will again introduce a famous character from British history, in this case the author of Hamlet and King Lear. “William Shakespeare [played by Dean Lennox Kelly] is going to be in one of the episodes,” Davies revealed in an interview in London.”
“ROGER MOORE’s son is set to reprise his father’s role in hit 1960s TV series THE SAINT. The former JAMES BOND star told producers GEOFFREY MOORE would be a perfect replacement for PIERCE BROSNAN as 007, but they decided to cast gritty British actor DANIEL CRAIG instead. And 40-year-old Geoffrey is now in the running to play SIMON TEMPLAR, and is “much more talented than me”, according to his dad. Roger says, “The rights have been optioned by various companies and are now with Geoffrey and his business partner. Watch this space”.”
“Radiation encountered on extended trips to the Moon or Mars could harm astronauts’ brains, experiments on rats suggest. The space farers could face problems with spatial learning, memory and stress.
Astronauts aboard the space shuttle and the International Space Station are largely protected from space radiation by the Earth’s magnetic field. But the crew of a mission to Mars could spend three years outside this protective bubble. So NASA recently awarded funding for 12 projects that will investigate how long-term radiation exposure in interplanetary space could potentially cause health problems in astronauts.”
“Take your blasting skills to the extreme with this two-in-one blaster! This blaster is more than three feet long and can launch foam arrows up to 35 feet away! Aim with accuracy and precision using the targeting scope. Two quick-reload clips hold a total of 12 STREAMLINE DARTS. There’s even a fold-down bi-pod to help you steady your aim for important shots. Looking for a quick shot at close range? The blaster has removable parts to give you one-handed freedom with a single-shot blaster! In either mode, load up, aim, press the trigger and watch the darts go the distance!”
“In mid-1998 Steve moved into what would become known as Rancho Obi-Wan. The previous occupier, a furniture equipment manufacturer had vacated and had left a large industrial warehouse and good-sized storeroom on the premises. The property itself totaled up two and a quarter acres, giving Steve the space he needed to house his collection, and additional space for storage.”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 27, 2006 in Videogames
This is a very very silly game – even the opening theme song is great, it’s a parody of an 80s “Tears for Fears” song (I also love the Terry Gilliam art direction too):
“A new Gallup Poll shows more than two- thirds of respondents support the nation’s stepping-stone approach to space exploration, which includes flying the space shuttle to complete the International Space Station, building a replacement vehicle for the space shuttle, returning humans to the moon, and exploring Mars and points beyond. (Respondents support this approach if NASA’s budget does not exceed 1 percent of the federal budget.)
The most recent poll, conducted in August, is the last in a three-part series of polls commissioned by the Coalition for Space Exploration in an effort to better understand the extent of support and public attitudes toward America’s space program. The first polls were conducted in June of 2005 and March of 2006.”
“X-Men director Bryan Singer is promising fans more action, if and when Superman Returns 2 gets the go-ahead. Hopefully it will get a better name as well. “When you do a first film like X-Men, for example, you’re introducing a world and a set of characters,” Singer told TODAY. “Once those characters are introduced, once we’ve lived with them for awhile and we know them, when you get into a second film like an Empire Strikes Back or a Wrath of Khan, you can make an action-adventure film and you don’t have to bank all that time getting to know the characters. Now you can raise the stakes, raise the jeopardy and make a leaner, meaner movie”.”
“It’s not hard to sell attendees of the Space 2006 conference on permanent human settlements in space. Where those settlements should be, however, is another question. Various scientists make their case for Mars, the moon or habitats orbiting the Earth. While the question is not a pressing one for most people, for the futurists mapping the humans path to space, the destination makes all the difference in the world.
For Al Globus, senior research associate for human factors research and technology at NASA Ames Research Center, the most salient issue is one that most people take for granted on Earth: gravity. In low gravity, muscles atrophy and bones loose calcium and become brittle. If people start having children in an off-Earth settlement, those children — being adapted to the moon’s one-sixth gravity or Mars’ three-eighths gravity — may not be able to function on Earth, Globus argues.”
“Welcome to the Klingon Language Institute. That’s right, Klingon. Those bumpy headed aliens of Star Trek really have their own language, one which has far outgrown mere television and film. That’s what we’re about. We’re here to promote and support this unique and exciting language. So, whether you’ve just stumbled in here by accident, or lost a bet, or have sought long and hard for people who share your passion for the warriors’ tongue, come on in. Our site has information and resources to interest both skeptic and enthusiast alike. Join us in our exploration of the galaxy’s fastest growing language.”
My favorite Klingons are from the first Star Trek series, their makeup wasn’t as cool but they seemed to have much more fun than the Klingons in the other shows (and didn’t grunt as much):
