GalileoScope : Enlighten a Kid

I recently heard about this fantastic deal of a telescope while listening to AstronomyCast. I have to and am going to buy one. The deal is they are $20 plus s/h, unless you want to go for over a hundred of these things. Then they are $15.

Out of all the money that was ever spent on me and my public education, I would have certainly requested that one of these was given to me, ... .. to keep. Fifteen bucks?? Did I mention it is a good one?? One that you get to assemble and/or dissasemble?? One where you learn about the lenses and physics and even history involved in such astronomical viewing? One that might inspire children to study and excel in science??

Alright, this may seem like a wacky suggestion, but how about a $15 telescope for every student?? The possibilities in instruction are far reaching for such a small amount of money. In this age, kids deserve a good view of what we are exploring. And they deserve the real world connection to astronomy that is often times lacking.

I'll have to confess, I haven't bought one yet. So I'll give more feedback when I've bought and successfully(or not) used one. In the meantime, I'm sure there are lot's of things you've bought for 20$ that were basically useless. If it becomes worthless, ..well, .. give it to a kid.

Galileo Scope

Recently Extinct : A Photo Album

Many factors can be responsible for the obliteration of a species. Even subtle ones. While we, as humans, haven't been responsible for the extinction of even several decimals of a percent of all the past species, I would say that even one extinction at our hands is enough. Overhunting is the chief factor in many of these extinctions.

At worst it should have us evaluate our effect on the environment in both biotic and abiotic realms. At best it should prompt action now when the will and education neccessary to avert such tragedies is missing.

I still have some hope that a few Tasmanian Tigers have escaped the peril of extinction. But maybe I've been watching too much MonsterQuest.

http://ecoworldly.com/2009/04/02/11-extinct-animals-that-have-been-photographed-alive/

Roger Ebert: Quantum Mechanics & Reincarnation

Roger Ebert on quantum mechanics. Yes, that Robert Ebert. And not just quantum mechanics, but the idea of reincarnation as well. A thought experiment if you will. Because as strange as things get in the purple haze of subatomic behavior you may find yourself neither here nor there, but BOTH here and there, ... and then entirely nowhere.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/07/everymans_guide_to_quantum_the.html

Robert Anton Wilson on Quantum Mechanics (linked to in Ebert's blog)

Photo of the Day - Shuttle

One of the Space Photos of the Week from National Geographic.

Twitter: Asteroid Watch

I'm not a fan of Twitter really for the mere fact that "tweeting" isn't something I want to admit being involved with. It just seems, well, ... I don't know. That word, .. "TWEET!!". I guess I just need to get over it. Either way Twitter is terribly popular and is for the most part the ultimate time-waster. But it has room for some items of interest.

Lately I've come across a new Twitter feed from JPL:

AsteroidWatch

It gives a sigh, .. "tweet" about any space rock within 750,000 miles of Earth. So if you want to keep close tabs on neighborhood, so to speak, you might follow this. I'll keep it posted on the sidebar and add any other Twitter feeds I find relevant. Let me know if you have any you follow.

Lasers, Aluminum, and New States of Matter

How many states of matter are there??

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/scientistsclaimnewstateofmattercreated

By using lasers focusing on atoms of Aluminum scientists have made the atoms of the metal transparent. While we won't be at the helm of invisible starships any time soon, the research seems to open avenues that may lead us to better energy sources. And while we have a "we know it all" mentality sometimes concerning scientific discovery, this is just one more story that says "No, we don't know it all". Perhaps we are just at the cusp of a new practical scientific revelation.

"Transparent aluminum is just the start," Wark said. "The physical properties of the matter we are creating are relevant to the conditions inside large planets, and we also hope that by studying it we can gain a greater understanding of what is going on during the creation of 'miniature stars' created by high-power laser implosions, which may one day allow the power of nuclear fusion to be harnessed here on Earth."

Your Ad Here : The Moon, Who has the Rights??

Wh owns the moon?? Who owns it??

From what I can tell nobody owns it, but then again, .. sort of, ... everybody owns it.

It seems the "law" concerning the moon is a bit complicated. The US has plans to go back and establish a base. Other countries have plans as well. When the Moon Treaty was written only two space faring nations, the US and Russia had space plans. But now there are more nations gaining more than just a passing interest.

We also have certain individuals claiming property rights to the moon. And by the looks of it, people have made some money in the process. You can buy moon property right now at a cost of $18.95 to $37.50 an acre depending where you are.

Even advertising

If I look up someday and see a Walmart sign in the half moon phase, I'll know that human beings have gone completely mad. Are we really about to scrape the moon in an effort of global marketing. Sigh....


http://moonpublicity.com/mp/