from oilprice.com: As Washington hunts ill-defined al-Qaeda groups in the Middle East and Africa, and concerns itself with Iran’s eventual nuclear potential, it has a much more pressing problem at home: Its energy grid is vulnerable to anyone with basic weapons and know-how. Forget about cyber warfare and highly organized terrorist attacks, a lack of basic physical security on the US power grid means that anyone with a gun—like disgruntled Michigan Militia types, for instance--could do serious damage.
For the past two months, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has been tasked with creating a security strategy for the electric grid and hydrocarbon facilities through its newly created Office of Energy Infrastructure Security. So far, it’s not good news.
“There are ways that a very few number of actors with very rudimentary equipment could take down large portions of our grid,” warns FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff. This, he says, “is an equal if not greater issue” than cyber security. FERC’s gloom-and-doom risk assessment comes on the heels of the recent declassification of a 2007 report by the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Sciences on 14 November warned that a terrorist attack on the US power grid could wreak more damage than Hurricane Sandy. It could cause massive blackouts for weeks or months at a time. But this would only be the beginning, the Academy warns, spelling out an “end of days” scenario in which blackouts lead to widespread fear, panic and instability.
A fascinating feature of Saturn's pole is its hexagon! The Daily Galaxy reports on details of natural phenomenon in article, "Saturn's Hexagon - One of the Most Bizarre Things Seen in the Solar System." "One of the most bizarre things seen in the solar system is captured in the image...taken on 27 November by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Cassini's camera zoomed into Saturn's polar hexagon storm's eye from a distance of about 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers). The spacecraft observed in infrared wavelengths, which can peer through the top layer of clouds to reveal the complex texture beneath. NASA's Cassini spacecraft has been traveling the Saturnian system in a set of inclined, or tilted, orbits that give mission scientists a vertigo-inducing view of Saturn's polar regions, yielding spectacular images of roiling storm clouds and the swirling vortex at the center of Saturn's famed north polar hexagon." Holy Hexes first visited Saturn's Hexagon in 2010,a link to post here.
from space.com: The next launch of the U.S. Air Force's X-37B space plane, a robotic spacecraft used to fly classified payloads into Earth orbit, has been delayed until next month pending final approvals, SPACE.com has learned. The secretive X-37B space plane, an Orbital Test Vehicle that resembles a miniature space shuttle, is now expected to be boosted in early December by a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It marks the latest in a series of delays for the unmanned space plane. The mission, called OTV-3, had been pushed back from Oct. 25 to Nov. 13, and then to Nov. 27. "We are working toward a planning date for OTV of Dec. 11," United Launch Alliance spokeswoman Jessica Rye said in a message to SPACE.com yesterday (Nov. 20).
The Young Turks (TYT) webcastreports latest in drone tech. TYT Host Cenk Uygur reveals 50 countries have drones and adds, "they are cheap!" There's also new variant of formation-flying swarms of Nano drones. Pentagon funds 5.5 lb drone,Switchblade, soldiers can carry in a backpack and deploy with guided missile precision! Has CIA drone warfare opened a Pandora's box?
A dose of Daily Science Fiction (DSF) to make your day better! DSF website greets visitors: "'Science Fiction' means—to us—everything found in the science fiction section of a bookstore, or at a science fiction convention, or amongst the winners of the Hugo awards given by the World Science Fiction Society. This includes the genres of science fiction (or sci-fi), fantasy, slipstream, alternative history, and even stories with lighter speculative elements. We hope you enjoy the broad range that SF has to offer.""Sapience And Maternal Instincts" recommended as excellent short story - a thumbs up!
We must ban killer drones and other robotic systems before it's too late! Human Rights Watch (HRW) recommended recently that governments, "...should pre-emptively ban fully autonomous weapons [picture, UK Taranis drone] because of the danger they pose to civilians in armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said..." A 50 page HRW report, “'Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots,' outlines concerns about these fully autonomous weapons, which would inherently lack human qualities that provide legal and non-legal checks on the killing of civilians. In addition, the obstacles to holding anyone accountable for harm caused by the weapons would weaken the law’s power to deter future violations...It is jointly published by Human Rights Watch and the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic," informsHuman Rights Watch website. It's, perhaps, most important question confronting human civilization. Mankind has reached the 1984 Terminator movie world of Cyberdyne and Skynet. You may drop below fold for three minute You Tube video, "Pull the Plug on Killer Robots."
"The Chameleon" provides fast paced hard hitting suspense in five minutes! "A hostile race of aliens has invaded Earth and the government fears that the aliens are modifying their DNA to pose as humans. When a military officer abducted months ago mysteriously reappears, his wife is called in to ask him questions only she would know to find out who or what he really is. Starring James C. Burns (Call of Duty: Black Ops). Based on a story by science fiction author Colin Harvey," supplies You Tube plot summary. It's another excellent sci-fi short with a twist at the end!
An adrenaline rush Sci-Fi short film provides thrill of high speed chase! The plot of "The Gift" revolves around an enigmatic "unicorn device" that courier makes off with after slashing Russian aristocrat recipient's throat. The household robot gives chase to take possession of unicorn box, when hapless courier gets hit by a bus. Chase scene takes place when robot mounts motorcycle to flee Moscow city police on snowy deserted streets. You may discover fate of robot and the unicorn in less than five minutes! Directed by Carl Rinsch, short sci-fi film delivers excellent cgi in condensed experience for quick adrenal fix!
"Archetype" appears to be successful short version of longer film as rights to short picked up by John Davis."RL7 is an eight-foot tall combat robot that goes on the run after malfunctioning with vivid memories of once being human. As its creators and the military close in, RL7 battles its way to uncovering the shocking truth behind its mysterious visions and past. Directed by Aaron Sims starring Robert Joy (Land of the Dead, CSI:NY) and David Anders (Heros, 24).," informs plot summary on You Tube. It's well done and can't wait to see full feature!
It's in your face fascism!Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to Trevor Timm at Activist Post, "...signed a contract that could be worth as much as $443 million with General Atomics for the purchase up to fourteen additional Predator drones to fly near the border of Mexico and Canada. Congress would still need to appropriate the funds, but if they did, DHS' drone fleet would increase to twenty-four." A public relations blitz, will likely, attempt to mollify public concern over privacy and safety, but blog entry adds:
"Perhaps worse, DHS is also flying Predator drone missions on behalf of a diverse group of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for missions beyond immigration issues. We know they have lent the drones out to the county sheriff's department in North Dakota and the Texas Rangers, among others, but unfortunately, we don’t know the full extent DHS lending program. DHS, as is their custom, is keeping that information secret."
Timm summarizes "spies in the skies" capabilities: ".....drones can be equipped with, among other capabilities, facial recognition technology, fake cell phone towers to intercept phone calls, texts and GPS locations, and in a few years, will even be able to see through walls." You will have much more to worry about than a speeding ticket, when Predator drones fill US skies!
Jim Stone reports Intel processors with vPro cores are permanently hackable, even if there's no operating system and network connection unplugged!. "The new Intel Core vPro processors contain a new remote access feature which allows 100 percent remote acess to a PC 100 percent of the time, even if the computer is TURNED OFF. Core vPro processors contain a second physical processor embedded within the main processor which has it's own operating system embedded on the chip itself. As long as the power supply is available and and in working condition, it can be woken up by the Core vPro processor, which runs on the system's phantom power and is able to quietly turn individual hardware components on and access anything on them," informs Stone. It's an embedded 3g connectivity in the processor, Stone advises, that adds capability "..even if it is physically disconnected from the internet. You see, Core vPro processors work in conjunction with Intel's new Anti Theft 3.0, which put 3g connectivity into every Intel CPU after the Sandy Bridge version of the I3/5/7 processors. Users do not get to know about that 3g connection, but it IS there." It's best to be informed!
Thom Hartman ponders prospect hacker group Anonymous blocked Karl Rove from vote flipping key states in the November election. Rove, is suspected, of successfully flipping 2004 vote in favor of George W Bush. Michael Connell, a software consultant died in 2008 plane crash on his way to testify in Federal Court, due to a lawsuit concerning 2004 vote in state of Ohio. Karl Rove warned Connellagainst telling what he knew. Hartmann discusses similarities found in two elections by Bob Fitrakis in article, "Why Rove Failed to Deliver Ohio on Election Day: What Happened in Ohio This Time Around." Rove asserted exit polls were incorrect and voting machines momentarily crashed in both elections. Hartmann goes on to ponder whether Anonymous shut out Rove this time by installing firewall and password protection on the backdoor to voter tabulation software? Thanks goes to Liberals Unite for the links. Please drop below fold to watch Anonymous deliver warning to Rove prior to election. It's good stuff!
The Daily Galaxy shares scientists strategy to better understand atmosphere of Venus. The biggest Venus mystery concerns, according to article, "...super-rotation. The whole atmosphere circles the planet in just four Earth days, much faster than the planet's spin period of 243 days." Refracted sunlight as it passes through layers of air above planet's cloudtops, creates an arc of light. "The brightness of the arc reveals the temperature and density structure of Venus's middle atmosphere, or 'mesosphere,' where the sunlight is refracted. According to some models, the mesosphere is key to the physics of super-rotation. By analyzing the lightcurve of the arc, researchers can figure out the temperature and density of this critical layer from pole to pole," reports article. It's difficult to imagine world. where it revolves only once every 243 days but the weather circles the globe every four? Will scientists figure out physics of super-rotation of Venus atmosphere?
A 1962 release, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," provides perfect pairing of macabre horror of the mad scientist variety with a baudy burlesque element! It's frankly almost optimum late night viewing for lounging couples! Young guys pull your girl close and don't let her slip away as Dr Bill Cortner (Jason Evers) does with his fiancee Jan Compton (Virginia Leith), when he crashes his car on a hillside that results in her decapitation. Dr Cortner already conducting clandestine experiments seeks to save his love, now, by transplanting her head on another body. The doctor manages to revive the head (picture) with his formula in a basement lab, where a hapless one-armed surgeon Kurt aids Dr Cortner in his illicit work. Kurt waits his turn to receive a second functioning arm so he can resume his career; instead, falls prey to a mutant he helped create by sewing together discarded parts revived by the doctor's formula. The highlight of the movie proves to be the search for a suitable body. It makes perfect sense to attend a "Body Beautiful" contest, but the doctor informed by a prospective donor picked up in route the winner is only the second most beautiful. Doris Powell possesses the most beautiful body, although her face remains disfigured by an attack suffered years earlier. Cortner loses no time by attending one of her modeling sessions with a promise to correct Doris' disfigurement. Jan, who resents her condition, pleas with fiancee to quit insane pursuit as Cortner brings a drugged Powell into basement lab for the procedure. Jan, whose mental powers are enhanced by the formula, communicates with the mutant through telepathy and directed the beast previously to kill Kurt. The doctor gets snagged now, when he ventures too close to cell door holding the mutant. The mutant kills the doctor as he dislodges cell door, tipping over chemicals to set lab ablaze. The proverbial "beauty and the beast" scene ensues as the mutant rescues the drugged Powell, carrying her to safety. The final scene shows Jan/the head admonishing her fiancee, "I told you should have let me die!" A youthful viewer can appreciate script writers' inventiveness in finding means of injecting sex into plot! You have to love those wholesome chicks from the fifties! Please drop below the fold for your viewing pleasure. Admission is free!
from stratrisks.com: There is really so much junk floating around in space the government needs help keeping track of it all. This week the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced a program to utilize amateur astronomers to help watch space for any dangerous junk that maybe be threatening satellites or other spacecraft and even the Earth. If you have a telescope, great but the program will even install equipment if you are in a strategic area the government want to watch.
DARPA’s program , known as SpaceView is strategically aimed at offering more diverse data to the Space Surveillance Network (SSN), a US Air Force program charged with cataloging and observing space objects to identify potential near-term collisions. With SpaceView DARPA will provide “state of the art hardware and relatively minor financial compensation may be provided in exchange for the shared telescope time, site security, and routine maintenance. This allows the SpaceView concept to significantly reduce deployment costs when compared to traditional optical space-surveillance facilities. Equally important, remote observing and the availability of the local SpaceView member for troubleshooting eliminates the need for any paid employees at the site, further decreasing operational costs,” DARPA stated.
According to the agency, SpaceView is in its initial developmental phase which consists of developing the network architecture and demonstrating the ability to remotely and automatically operate a network of sites from a central location. A large part of developing the network architecture consists of determining the needs of the amateur astronomy community so that these needs can be aligned with the space surveillance needs of SpaceView, DARPA stated.
If you are interested in signing up go here. According to DARPA, by providing contact information and the answers to a few basic questions you will be helping us to begin the process of gathering the information we need to develop the network architecture concept more thoroughly. Once your information has been received by SpaceView interested parties will most likely receive a link via email to a questionnaire requesting more detailed information regarding your astronomy background, observing habits, as well as other demographic information. This information will be used by SpaceView to determine the habits and needs of candidate network members.
NASA estimates more than 500,000 pieces of hazardous space debris orbit the earth, threatening satellites that support peacekeeping and combat missions.
Examples of what NASA calls orbital debris include: “Derelict spacecraft and upper stages of launch vehicles, carriers for multiple payloads, debris intentionally released during spacecraft separation from its launch vehicle or during mission operations, debris created as a result of spacecraft or upper stage explosions or collisions, solid rocket motor effluents, and tiny flecks of paint released by thermal stress or small particle impacts. ”
According to NASA the Top 10 space junk producing missions are:
Name Year of Breakup Debris items Cause of Breakup
Fengyun-1C 2007 2,841 Intentional Collision
Cosmos 2251 2009 1,267 Accidental Collision
STEP 2 Rocket Body 1996 713 Accidental Explosion
Iridium 33 2009 521 Accidental Collision
Cosmos 2421 2008 509 Unknown
SPOT 1 Rocket Body 1986 492 Accidental Explosion
OV2-1 Rocket Body 1965 473 Accidental Explosion
Nimbus 4 Rocket Body 1970 374 Accidental Explosion
from ap-perspective.blogspot.com: Australia will host two United States space surveillance systems as part of closer military ties agreed to at a bilateral security summit yesterday.
The new co-operation on space was one in a string of enhanced engagements agreed on at an annual summit attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and their Australian counterparts.
Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith announced that they also plan to relocate a Space Surveillance Telescope from New Mexico to an as-yet undecided location in Western Australia.
Mr Panetta described the relocation as "a major leap forward in bilateral space co-operation".
Together, the radar and telescope will provide accurate tracking and identification of objects in space such as satellites and debris. The radar will be delivered in 2014 at the site of a former US Navy communications base.
In a statement released yesterday, after Mrs Clinton and Mr Panetta met Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Mr Smith, the US and Australia also agreed to hold joint military exercises with Japan and to boost defense relations with China. The ministers also called on China to increase military transparency, according to the statement.
On Tuesday, Mrs Clinton encouraged Australia to increase its military ties with India, but added that America also supports the peaceful rise of Asian economic powerhouse China.
She said that the US had made a strategic priority of supporting India in playing a larger role in Asian affairs.
"It's also important to see the burgeoning relationship between Australia and India," she said. "We would welcome joint Australia-Indian naval vessel exercises in the future."
The US also supports a peaceful and open China, she added.
The US and Australia also want to increase US military access to the Australian navy base south of Perth and to bombing ranges in the northern Outback as part of the shift of US might to the Asia-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the summit will discuss medium-term plans for co-operation on military aviation as well as warships.
Are invisible UFOs - at least - to the naked eye in our skies? An interesting rash of sightingsoccurring around 1pm on different days over Denver, CO are captured on video. Fox31 Denver reports: "The strangest part is they are flying too fast to see with the naked eye, but when we slowed down the video, several UFOs appear." Are UFOs out there at all times?
Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is believed to be a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. A recent Universe Today article reports the Chandra X-Ray Oberservatory recorded largest flare ever from Sgr A*. "For some unknown reason, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy shoots out an X-ray flare about once a day. These flares last a few hours with the brightness ranging from a few times to nearly one hundred times that of the black hole’s regular output. But back in February 2012, astronomers using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory detected the brightest flare ever observed from the central black hole, also known as Sagittarius A*. The flare, recorded 26,000 light years away, was 150 times brighter than the black hole’s normal luminosity," reports article. It is generally believed wandering asteroids or planets get too close and are drawn into the black hole. The black hole vaporizes the solid body and x-rays emitted in the process. The energy burst is called a flare. Is it the only possible explanation for increased activity at the center of our galaxy?
A BBC article poses usual but tired and pointless ethical questions about enhancing human ability. "Human enhancement could enable older workers to keep pace with younger colleagues. But there is also the risk that those who fail to join the technological elite would be sidelined as dinosaurs, says Prof Jackie Leach Scully, professor of social ethics at Newcastle University's Policy, Ethics & Life Sciences Research Centre," article reports as a likely issue in our near future. Will there be coercion? Corporations have little use for ethical dilemmas, and probably, will only pay lip service to any of them. Performance will be subtle coercion to enhance yourself. Smart pills to boost memory and intelligence would only present a concern if they become controlled substances. Will drug tests become mandatory before taking a college exam? "Several surveys reveal that many students now use brain-enhancing "smart" pills to help boost their exam grades, which raises the question about whether colleges and universities should insist candidates are 'clean' in the same way that Olympic athletes have to prove they are drug-free to compete," is another possible issue posed by article. The present writer suspects mandatory prescriptions would only be required for underemployed and unemployed workers to make them more employable. Will you take the corticals - as in "The Bourne Legacy" - only to conclude as the lights go out they slipped you a termination pill instead? It's a Brave New World!
Northeast Coast of Australia prepares for Eclipse 2012. "A total solar eclipse will take place on 13–14 November 2012 (UTC), beginning in local time on November 14 west of the International Date Line over northern Australia, and ending on November 13 east of the date line off the western South American coast," informs Wikipedia. You will want to drop below fold to watch a NASA Sciencecast: "Total Eclipse Of The Sun," which reveals many scientists will be there for unique opportunity to study solar physics. The surface of the Sun is "only" 6,000 degrees Celsius, but surrounding Corona temp soars to 1,000,000 degrees Celsius! Scientists want to know why?
from arstechnica.com: The Australian government has now, after years of testing and preparing, formally abandoned a plan to filter its domestic Internet. Officials now say that it will use Interpol’s "worst of" child abuse site list as a way to shield Ozzies from truly awful content. "Blocking the Interpol 'worst of' list will help keep children safe from abuse, it meets community expectations, and fulfills the Government's commitment to preventing Australian internet users from accessing child abuse material online," Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said on Friday, according to the Herald Sun. "Given this ... the Government has no need to proceed with mandatory filtering."
A phys.org article covers new theory that proposes a mystery moon collided with our Moon in distant past to form the highlands on the far side. Grail Mission will provide best mapping of lunar gravity and may shed light on theory by peering into Moon's interior. "The Moon's near side, facing us, is dominated by vast smooth 'seas' of ancient hardened lava. In contrast, the far side is marked by mountainous highlands. Researchers have long struggled to account for the differences, and the "two moon" theory introduced by Martin Jutzi and Erik Asphaug of the University of California at Santa Cruz is the latest attempt. Scientists agree that when a Mars-sized object crashed into our planet about 4 billion years ago, the resulting debris cloud coalesced to form the Moon. Jutzi and Asphaug posit that the debris cloud actually formed two moons. A second, smaller chunk of debris landed in just the right orbit to lead or follow the bigger Moon around Earth. 'Normally, such moons accrete into a single body shortly after formation,' explains [Deputy Principal Investigator David] Smith. 'But the new theory proposes that the second moon ended up at one of the Lagrange points in the Earth-Moon system.'" "Lagrange points are a bit like gravitational fly traps. They can hold an object for a long time--but not necessarily forever. The second moon eventually worked its way out and collided with its bigger sister. The collision occurred at such a low velocity that the impact did not form a crater. Instead, the smaller moon 'went splat,' forming the contemporary far side highlands. In short, the lunar highlands are the lost moon's remains," reports article. It's interesting but remains theory! The key lesson is striking difference between near and far sides of Moon in their topography!
from nytimes.com: The debate playing out in Washington has echoes of a presidential race. One side says businesses will suffer unless the government steps in to lower costs. The other accuses jet-set industrialists of a ploy that will cheat the middle class. These attacks, however, are not between candidates for the White House. They are being made in a battle over the obscure but increasingly vital issue of royalty rates for streaming music online. The issue pits the survival of Pandora Media and other Internet radio services against the diminished paychecks of musicians in the digital age.
Gamma rays are the most energetic form of light. Since Fermi's launch in 2008, its Large Area Telescope (LAT) observes the entire sky in high-energy gamma rays every three hours, creating the most detailed map of the universe ever known at these energies.
Backyard stargazers get a monthly guide to the northern hemisphere's skywatching events with "Tonight's Sky." November brings a penumbral lunar eclipse and the Leonid meteor shower. "Tonight's Sky" is produced by HubbleSite.org, online home of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes — and other astronomy videos — at HubbleSite.org. Thanks goes to Spaceports for the link. The above blurb included under YouTube video, "Tonight's Sky: Novemeber 2012."
A Business Insider article, "There's A Huge Plan In The Works To Give The UN Control Of The Internet," only confirms control freaks running our world, will not be happy until free internet reigned in even further! "When delegates gather in Dubai in December for an obscure UN agency meeting, fighting is expected to be intense over proposals to rewrite global telecom rules to effectively give the United Nations control over the Internet. Russia, China and other countries back a move to place the Internet under the authority of the International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency that sets technical standards for global phone calls," informs article. What did you expect?
