Earth

Make a Visit the Hayden Planetarium Space Show ! —

I was recently at the American Museum of Natural History's spectacular new Hayden Planetarium Space Show and i was highly impressed with the exhibit. The Space show explains in detail the sun and the solar flares and effects on earth magentosphere. There were numerous impressive images taken from NASA's SOHO program presented in 3D layout (no there weren't any with those weird objects though!).

Pi Day and an Interview With a Pi Researcher — JoshuaInNippon writes "In honor of Pi Day, March 14 (or 3.14 for those who may need a hint), readers may be interested in reading an interview with Professor Daisuke Takahashi, the Japanese researcher who found 2.5 trillion digits of Pi back in August, before being apparently being edged out in December by a French computer programmer looking to prove his efficient coding abilities. Professor Takahashi's interview gives some unique insight into one man who truly marvels at the number that has driven people to ever greater lengths to find more digits for centuries." Plant Kingdom adds "There have been a number of proposals for alternatives to March 14 (see the Wikipedia page for Pi Day). Here's mine: when the Earth has gone through 1/pi-th of its orbit, as measured from Winter Solstice to Winter Solstice. I've put together a web site to make the case."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Get Set For Earth Hour With Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady — It's shouldn't take a gorgeous super model and her rather handsome NFL husband to convince you to participate in this year's Earth Hour on Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 pm, but it certainly doesn't hurt. From time zone to time zone, the world's citizens will be turning off their lights. Read the full story on TreeHugger

Nearby Star Forecast To Skirt Solar System — PipianJ writes "A recent preprint posted on arXiv by Vadim Bobylev presents some startling new numbers about a future close pass of one of our stellar neighbors. Based on studies of the Hipparcos catalog, Bobylev suggests that the nearby orange dwarf Gliese 710 has an 86% chance of skirting the outer bounds of the Solar System and the hypothesized Oort Cloud in the next 1.5 million years. As the Oort Cloud is thought to be the source of many long-period comets, the gravitational effects of Gliese's passing could send a shower of comets into the inner Solar System, threatening Earth. This news about Gliese 710 isn't exactly new, but it's one of the first times the probability of this near-miss has been quantified."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Richard Lai: RT @eldade: why on earth does Google think it’s a good idea to have two email apps on Android, one for gmail and one for email?? — Richard Lai RT @eldade: why on earth does Google think it's a good idea to have two email apps on Android, one for gmail and one for email?? 16 minutes ago from Twitter - Comment - Like

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GDC 2010: Fallen Earth comes to the Mac, brings an iPhone app —

Filed under: Macworld, Gaming, Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store

Fallen Earth is a respectable postapocalyptic MMO -- I've never played it (one MMO is enough for me, and the gigantic World of Warcraft is still claiming my time), but it's grown pretty popular since release in September of last year. And now the game is set to pick up another chunk of audience, as the owner Icarus Studios has announced that they're releasing a Mac client for the game. It's currently in beta (and was made using Wine), but if you're interested in trying out a new MMO with a postapocalyptic twist, head on over, give the client a download (you'll need a game account, though there's a free trial available), and give the team a good Mac welcome.

That's not all, though -- Icarus is also working on their very own iPhone app, and I got to play with it this week at their GDC 2010 booth. For Fallen Earth players, it'll be a must-get, but even if you're not currently a player of the game, the app is a shining example of what's possible with a "supplementary" game application -- it allows for all sorts of in-game functions directly from Apple's handheld device.



The app is pretty barebones in terms of main screen UI -- there's simply a menu that leads you off to all of the app's various functions. But the functions are what's most fascinating about this: almost anything that you can do outside of combat in the game can actually be performed using the iPhone app. It works as a full gear and inventory viewer -- Icarus has replicated the game's UI for the player character's gear and inventory, so you can browse and examine your gear within in the app just like you can any time in the game.

That's not unheard of in the current MMO space (Blizzard has a similar viewer app for WoW), but this is: Fallen Earth's app goes beyond just viewing to actually acting and interacting with items in the real game. Logging into the app is just like logging into the game, so you can check the ingame mail system directly from the app, and even send mail out to other players from the iPhone. You can craft items directly on the iPhone, assuming you have the items in your inventory -- and even if you don't, you can access the in-game auction house to both buy and sell items from within the app. Purchased items appear in the mail window, so you can collect them there -- if one of your guildies needs a certain item crafted and you're away from your main PC client, you can log on to the app, buy the necessary crafting materials, craft the items (crafting is a passive action in the game that can sometimes take hours, so you can set items in the queue via the app), and then send them items away to your friend all without ever using the desktop client. Crafting gives XP, too, so you could potentially level your character using just the iPhone app. That's pretty incredible.

The app also has full messaging and chat ability -- you can chat directly with players either in the game (or even logged in using their own iPhone), and send private messages, chat in certain channels, and anything else you can do in the normal game. And it also has a full set of in-game maps installed, so even though you can't explore the game world with your character, you can still examine it.

It's a pretty impressive application, especially for one that's designed just to supplement the full game client. Dave Haydysch, Icarus' associate production manager, told us that the company had worked with Showtime to make an iPhone game based on the Dexter television show, and since they'd already ported most of their game engine for that project, they figured it wouldn't be too hard to make their own iPhone app. He wasn't sure on a release date yet, and the company hasn't yet decided a price -- "talks" about whether it should be free or not "are ongoing," he said.

And just for the heck of it, we asked him about the iPad -- certainly, the app would work on the iPad, but would Icarus want to put their game on there? Like most developers, they haven't actually seen the device yet, so he didn't have a firm word for us. "We haven't looked at the iPad," he said, "but the possibilities are there." Very interesting to see a larger MMO developer use the iPhone to extend their brand in this way.

TUAWGDC 2010: Fallen Earth comes to the Mac, brings an iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2010: Fallen Earth comes to the Mac, brings an iPhone app —

Filed under: Macworld, Gaming, Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store

Fallen Earth is a respectable postapocalyptic MMO -- I've never played it (one MMO is enough for me, and the gigantic World of Warcraft is still claiming my time), but it's grown pretty popular since release in September of last year. And now the game is set to pick up another chunk of audience, as the owner Icarus Studios has announced that they're releasing a Mac client for the game. It's currently in beta (and was made using Wine), but if you're interested in trying out a new MMO with a postapocalyptic twist, head on over, give the client a download (you'll need a game account, though there's a free trial available), and give the team a good Mac welcome.

That's not all, though -- Icarus is also working on their very own iPhone app, and I got to play with it this week at their GDC 2010 booth. For Fallen Earth players, it'll be a must-get, but even if you're not currently a player of the game, the app is a shining example of what's possible with a "supplementary" game application -- it allows for all sorts of in-game functions directly from Apple's handheld device.



The app is pretty barebones in terms of main screen UI -- there's simply a menu that leads you off to all of the app's various functions. But the functions are what's most fascinating about this: almost anything that you can do outside of combat in the game can actually be performed using the iPhone app. It works as a full gear and inventory viewer -- Icarus has replicated the game's UI for the player character's gear and inventory, so you can browse and examine your gear within in the app just like you can any time in the game.

That's not unheard of in the current MMO space (Blizzard has a similar viewer app for WoW), but this is: Fallen Earth's app goes beyond just viewing to actually acting and interacting with items in the real game. Logging into the app is just like logging into the game, so you can check the ingame mail system directly from the app, and even send mail out to other players from the iPhone. You can craft items directly on the iPhone, assuming you have the items in your inventory -- and even if you don't, you can access the in-game auction house to both buy and sell items from within the app. Purchased items appear in the mail window, so you can collect them there -- if one of your guildies needs a certain item crafted and you're away from your main PC client, you can log on to the app, buy the necessary crafting materials, craft the items (crafting is a passive action in the game that can sometimes take hours, so you can set items in the queue via the app), and then send them items away to your friend all without ever using the desktop client. Crafting gives XP, too, so you could potentially level your character using just the iPhone app. That's pretty incredible.

The app also has full messaging and chat ability -- you can chat directly with players either in the game (or even logged in using their own iPhone), and send private messages, chat in certain channels, and anything else you can do in the normal game. And it also has a full set of in-game maps installed, so even though you can't explore the game world with your character, you can still examine it.

It's a pretty impressive application, especially for one that's designed just to supplement the full game client. Dave Haydysch, Icarus' associate production manager, told us that the company had worked with Showtime to make an iPhone game based on the Dexter television show, and since they'd already ported most of their game engine for that project, they figured it wouldn't be too hard to make their own iPhone app. He wasn't sure on a release date yet, and the company hasn't yet decided a price -- "talks" about whether it should be free or not "are ongoing," he said.

And just for the heck of it, we asked him about the iPad -- certainly, the app would work on the iPad, but would Icarus want to put their game on there? Like most developers, they haven't actually seen the device yet, so he didn't have a firm word for us. "We haven't looked at the iPad," he said, "but the possibilities are there." Very interesting to see a larger MMO developer use the iPhone to extend their brand in this way.

TUAWGDC 2010: Fallen Earth comes to the Mac, brings an iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone - Apple - AppStore - Game Developers Conference - World of Warcraft

Bed readers rejoice: iPad gains last-minute rotation lock —

When Apple first introduced the iPad in late January, we noted with much disappointment that the device had no way to lock the screen orientation. This is apparently no longer the case, however—according to an updated iPad specs page, there is now a screen-rotation-lock switch on the right-hand side of the device, seemingly replacing the mute switch that was there when the media first played with it.

In January, Ars confirmed the lack of a screen-lock option with an Apple representative at the iPad event. At that time, the Apple rep reminded us that individual apps give users the option to lock the screen into portrait or landscape mode (which is already the case on a number of third-party iPhone apps), but that the iPad itself had no universal control like on the Kindle or Nook.

As a serial in-bed Kindle and iPhone user, this was disappointing to me and a number of other readers. There are few things on earth more annoying than trying to type on your iPhone at a strange angle and have the screen rotate four times before you're finished.

Apple apparently heard our cries. 9 to 5 Mac first pointed out the difference in specs this morning, which is now reflected on the official iPad spec page. Yep, that sure does say "screen rotation lock," and that option was definitely not there when Ars played with the iPad on January 27.

For those of you who forgot, today is iPad preorder day as well. You can now reserve one to be picked up in-store on April 3 (WiFi only) or you can preorder either the WiFi or 3G versions to be delivered to you. As usual, you can count on Ars to have a review up not long after the iPad launch!

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City Lights Globe Shows Earth's Dark Side [Space] — While only 6-inches in diameter, the $50 City Lights Globe reminds us what Earth looks like at night, when the great oceans give way to the sparkle of cities (note: globe glows in full, not accurately). [xUmp via RedFerret] More »

Search on for Death Star that throws out deadly comets — Nasa scientists are searching for an invisible 'Death Star' that circles the Sun, which catapults potentially catastrophic comets at the Earth.

'Project Runway' - 'The Elements of Fashion' Recap —
(S07E08) 'Project Runway' uses this episode to appease their sponsor Garnier. With one day and $150 the contestants had to create outfits based off of the four natural elements somehow making sure that their models hair was incorporated. While I was hoping that the contestants would have had the four seasons instead, they all strayed away from being horrendously literal like Season Five's zodiac challenge. Instead, many were vague and picked blacks and grays to represent their outfits. While it is daring to go so dark, it poses the question: are these contestants afraid of color?

The Elements

Air - Jay, Jonathan, and Seth Aaron
Water - Maya and Ben
Fire - Anthony and Amy
Earth - Mila and Emilio

Continue reading 'Project Runway' - 'The Elements of Fashion' Recap

 

Filed under: OpEd, Project Runway, Episode Reviews

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"Dark Flow" of Billions of Stars Racing Away from Earth Towards Edge of Observable Universe (New JPL Research) — "Dark Flow" sounds like a new SciFi Channel series. It's not! Back in the Middle Ages, maps showed terrifying images of sea dragons at the boundaries of the known world. Today, scientists have observed strange new motion at the very...

New NEO Sample-Return Mission Proposed — Astronomers are proposing a new space mission to a near-Earth asteroid (NEO), this time to a rock called 1999 RQ36. They believe that this structure, which roams our planet's surroundings, may in fact be a geological time capsule, from the time when our solar system was born. Analysis of its composition could answer long-standing questions on how the plane... (read more)

The '70s Photos That Made Us Want to Save Earth — Shortly after the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the new organization sent 100 photographers out to document the human and natural environments. After a lively few years, the Documerica project was canceled and the photos were archived. Now, this incredible portrait of America in the mid-1970s is making its way onto Flickr.

FIFA explains why it’s so anti-technology: Wants to keep things equal, maintain human element —

Sepp Blatter (left), the FIFA president, has explained why there won’t be goal-line technology at this year’s World Cup, saying he wants the sport to maintain a “human element” and that all levels of soccer, from 6-year-old kids to open-goal-missing Gonzalo Higuaín of Real Madrid, need to be played with the same rules. Whatever you say, Sepp. I hope for your sake a Spain or Italy or Brazil don’t get knocked out of the tournament because of a controversial coal; you won’t hear the end of it.

So mighty Sepp, who’s apparently one of the most powerful men on Earth according to someone who appeared on World Football Daily the other day (again, a fine podcast, well worth the $5/month I pay), had this to say:

No matter which technology is applied, at the end of the day a decision will have to be taken by a human being. This being the case, why remove the responsibility from the referee to give it to someone else? It is often the case that, even after a slow-motion replay, ten different experts will have ten different opinions on what the decision should have been.

I love how we’re praising the idea of debating outright wrongheaded decision because it makes the sport exciting. What’s so wrong with wanting to see the right decisions being made, even if it’s at the “expense” of post-match pub debates?

But whatever, I’ve already written quite a bit about the subject.

WWF Earth Hour App for BlackBerry Smartphones Now Available —

As I write this, Earth Hour is some 16 days, 1 hour, 36 minutes and 9 seconds away and as of right now you can now download the Earth Hour app for BlackBerry Smartphones straight from App World. Here's the official description:

Earth Hour is Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 p.m. local time and encourages people to turn off their lights to show support for action on climate change.

As lights go off around the world, this application will keep you connected with news, local events and participants from across the globe. Join the movement and stay in the conversation as WWF teams and individual supporters get ready for the big day.

During Earth Hour you can countdown with us, see photos of cities across the globe celebrating and submit your own photos of how you are spending the big night.

For more information on Earth Hour, you can check out earthhour.org. To download the app (built by Xtreme Labs), visit the link below.

• Download the Earth Hour app for BlackBerry Smartphones from App World >>

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. WWF Earth Hour App for BlackBerry Smartphones Now Available

Your Chilean Sea Bass Dinner Deprives Killer Whales — A unique Antarctic killer whale population is declining, and scientists think it is related to demand for Antarctic tooothfish, known on menus as Chilean Sea Bass. This could be the first sign of the ecological downfall of what some consider Earth's last pristine ecosystem.

This Sith Lord Uses The Dark Side To Save The Planet, And Baby Animals [Star Wars] — Darth Vader is doing a little image-control by sponsoring WWF's Earth Hour. He even taped a little video confession about how he's not really a bad guy. So turn to the "dark side" and turn off the lights. Get it? More »

GPS Travelogue for world travelers —

If you like to keep track of your travels, this small device is the way to do it.  It’s small enough to keep in your pocket and it will keep track of your journey, wherever you end up.  Then you can upload the information to your computer and have the information to cherish for all time.  It’d be great for parents sending their children off to travel in foreign countries.

It has 64MB of internal memory and can hold up to 260,000 waypoints.  You can set it to record points between one second and 59 minutes.  It has a durable water-resistant frame that’ll allow it to survive in different environments.  When you charge the small gadget for 2 hours it’ll give you 30 hours of use at one-second intervals.  After you’ve tracked all of those points you can upload the information to Google Earth.  You can purchase the GPS Travelogue for $149.95 through Hammacher.

Source: Ubergizmo

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Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ GPS Travelogue for world travelers copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

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Kim Kardashian Has Best Body on Earth, Says FHM — Kim Kardashian is famous not only for her job as a reality star and, more recently, television producer, but also for her curvy figure. Making a name for herself first as Paris Hilton’s sidekick and then for her modeling gigs, Kim has just been crowned the female star with the best body on earth by the April issue of FHM Australia, as a post ... (read more)

Is Caprica City Really Seattle? —

The new Syfy series Caprica is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows on TV. Not only is it well written, but it gives you that warm familiarity of Battlestar Galactica without stepping all over its toes. If you know your Battlestar history, you'd know that the series starts off on the planet Caprica, then travels many light years away to eventually find the Earth we know today. So why are there so many striking similarities between Caprica City and modern-day Seattle? Could it be that Caprica City is actually Seattle in an alternate reality? I have a few examples of this reasoning, the most obvious is the iconic Pike's Place Public Market sign we keep seeing during the show's cut scenes. Where else in the galaxy would you find that!?

I've done some digging and came up with five more reasons why I think that Caprica City is based on the Northwestern town . . . or actually is Seattle somewhere in time. Find out more after the break.

Bill Gates No Longer World's Richest Man — alphadogg writes "Riding surging prices of his various telecom holdings, including giant mobile outfit America Movil, Mexican tycoon Carlo Slim Helu has beaten out Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth and nab the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the World's Billionaires." I'd still let the guy buy me dinner if he's ever in my town. He's probably still good for it even tho he's fallen on hard times.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Stihl's autumn calendar automatically rips through to tomorrow — Unless they're incredibly quiet or potentially explosive, you won't find us waxing poetic (or even prosaic) about leaf blowers. But if a company that produced leaf blowers made a motorized calendar that tore off its own pages? We'd tell you about that in a heartbeat -- even if the wonderfully wasteful contraption turned out to be a viral ad by agency Euro RSCG rather than an actual household organizer, and even if its pages aren't nearly as saucy as Stihl's usual NSFW fare. Believe it or not, there's no blade inside that brushed aluminum shell; the process works by ripping out the bookbinding thread along the calendar's spine using a motorized reel. Join us in celebrating the wonder of pressed dead wood floating to earth all by its lonesome with a short video after the break.

Continue reading Stihl's autumn calendar automatically rips through to tomorrow

Stihl's autumn calendar automatically rips through to tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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