http://twitpic.com/662hqp/fullMy new desktop picture.. :)
A shooting star photo taken from IIS by an astronaut.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
GelSight - Innovative research at MIT
Woooow! GelSight offers various new research opportunities, for example....
This unique measurement system can help to analyse the surface patterns in the firearms and toolmarks identification. Nowadays, the forensic experts investigate these surface structures in 2D and I think the 3D comparison of these patterns can provide more exact identification process in the law enforcement.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The next generation of battleship weapons - laser cannons?
In a new research project the MK-38 25 mm machine gun will be combined with a solid-state laser weapon. This new technology can be useful against the small ships and drone attacks in the future, because the invention of this unique defense system provides a huge improvement in the field of next generation weapons.
The next MK-38 can be used in three different ways. First, the machine gun function (180 rounds per minute) can destroy the enemies within the range of 2000 yards. The second method is the laser function; the canon can fire of “different levels of laser energy???”. I don’t know, what does it means exactly, but I’m sure, I don’t want to stand at the front of the cannon during the test phase of the weapons. J Today, officially we can burn small objects (with 10 kilowatts maximum energy) or mosquitoes with laser…maybe there are some secret developments in the background like the Death Star Superlaser in StarWars. The third function of the new MK-38 means the combination of the first and the second techniques: the laser can identify and lock on a target for the machinegun. I think this third “combination method” of the weapon should be as a basic attribute in the first function. My question is: Why would I use only the machinegun function? I have an integrated laser as well, which could help during the target selection….I don’t understand. To summarize: I think, this “new” invention tries to upgrade the previous machinegun technologies and unfortunately, we should wait again for the real laser cannon news.
source: wired.com
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Bird Flight Deciphered
http://www.festo.com/cms/en_corp/11369.htmIt looks wonderful.. however, it reminds me one of Philip K. Dick's novels: Do Androids Dream About Electronic Sheeps?
I bet the main usage fields of this technology will be entertainment and military.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Far Future Mispredictions
http://www.futuretimeline.net/the-far-future.htm
Nomen est omen, you can imagine, what this page is about. :)
Open the page, scroll to 4000 AD, and you'll find:
"New applications can be generated instantly and automatically, for almost any purpose."
Scroll back to 3100 AD and you can read:
"Under the direction of a Godlike superintelligence, vast swarms of automated, self-replicating ships are building it - using material from the asteroid field, Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud."
Just to make the anachronism visible:
2011 - developed applications
3100 - Godlike superintelligence
4000 - instant applications
What happened between 3100 and 4000? A 6th world war? Why would we go back to applications, after we had superintelligence?!
The page might be interesting in the sense of science fiction, but it's missing serious consideration, or maybe different people were writing predictions for different time windows.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Spiders on International Space Station
Space Shuttle Endeavour is waiting for the final lunch. This final mission of Endeavour will probably start only on May 16. The last two launches were canceled; the reason of the delays was some technical problems. One of the main assignments of this final mission will prepare an interesting space research. I want to write now about this futuristic space story.
If we check the list of STS-134 crew members, we can find two “spidernauts”. This situation can be really easy integrated in a sci-fi screenplay, the spiders will escape and the contact with International Space Station (ISS) will suddenly interrupt… But, the truth is, there are already some spiders on ISS and the researchers are investigating the arachnid habits in microgravity environment.
In this special condition, the geometry of different spider webs will be studied. The new “spidernauts” (Nephila clavipes) spin asymmetric three dimensional webs and the most important question is how these spiders will construct a 3D web in low gravity. The other two spiders (Larinioides patagiatus and Metepeira) were launched to the ISS in 2008 and these spiders spin two dimensional webs on Earth. The researcher will compare the different webs of various spiders in low gravity. I think, we can learn lot of new facts about the webs of spiders during the mission!
The fruit flies will be the nourishment of the spiders, but the astronauts on ISS will also study the mobility and flight patterns of the fruit flies during the research program. You can follow this program on bioedonline.org and you can find some interesting teaching materials about this experience!
Source: nasa.gov
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