Clock counts down as Google privacy change looms

from cnet.com: For the congenital procrastinators out there--and yes, you know who you are--don't complain about not being warned. In less than 24 hours, Google will hit the switch and start linking your data across the company's e-mail, video, social-networking, and other services... CNET's Sharon Vaknin has a good explainer on what you can do before the big changeover. Sign in to your account on Google and head to www.google.com/history. Once there click on the tab that says "Remove all Web history" and then hit the "OK" button. That disables the history of sites you have visited or the searches that you've performed. Also, here's a primer that the Electronic Frontier Foundation compiled on what else you can do to protect your Internet privacy.

Galactic Core Explosions and Superwave Theory

Dr Paul Laviolette made several predictions in his PHD dissertation in the early eighties, Prediction No. 4 about interstellar dust confirmed by data from Ulysses spacecraft in 1993. Laviolette predictions and subsequent verification, can be read here. Prediction No. 1 is the most fascinating and alarming, which ties in myths and geological findings. The prediction states: "... galactic core explosions recur about every 10,000 years and last for several hundred to a few thousand years. He was the first to suggest such a short recurrence time for galactic core explosions and that our own Galactic core undergoes Seyfert-like [Seyfert Galaxy pictured] explosions with similar frequency." An appearance of a Blue Star as in Hopi Indian legend, according to LaViolette, marks the event - our galaxy core exploding - sending a volley of cosmic rays towards Earth. The Blue Star (activated core) can remain visible up to thousands of years. The sky becomes obscured by interstellar dust that drifts in from disruption of the heliosheath to provide appearance of an ominous eye.  An excellent presentation of Superwave Theory can be viewed on You Tube, "Earth Under Fire." It's an amazing theory presented in thought-provoking manner - a must see!

Phoenix Lights still talk of town 15 years later

Dr Lynn Kitei sustains interest in the Phoenix Lights mass sighting of March 13, 1997 with her book and video. A recent Kitei interview by a local Arizona station, covering International UFO Congress from Feb 22 - Feb 26, is available here. Kitei affirms while signing books, "it's hotter than ever." An article of an anonymous pilot's account, provides fascinating record of events. The pilot related several strange events from evening, including different voices on her frequency, military flare shot up just off plane's wing and a close flyby of a fighter jet! The pilot clearly felt an effort to intimidate was made that night. The article appeared in UFO magazine on page 37 for 10th anniversary, "Two Witnesses Look Back at the Phoenix Lights." The present writer leans towards a black project, especially, in light of, little concern communicated from government sources!

Weekend Sci-Fi: The Time Travelers

What's a weekend without a little distraction?  You can enjoy 1964 science fiction film, The Time Travelers.  The film inspired sixties series, The Time Tunnel and a 1967 remake of Journey to the Center of Time.  The plot "...involves a group of scientists who find their time-viewing screen allows them to travel through time," according to Wikipedia.  The scientists led by actors Preston Foster and  Philip Carey  find a "a sterile slag in space" due to nuclear holocaust. 2071 AD City leader played by John Hoyt, attempts to build craft to travel to distant star with aid of scientists while fighting off mutants.  You may watch to discover scientists' fate!

Strange Metal Boxes on Oregon Beaches Debunked?

A story on a local, Oregon website - "Strange boxes spark UFO rumors," written by Terry Dillman - reports with obligatory dismissal on the sightings last week of the "mystery boxes" on Bray's Point and Stonefield beaches. Dillman insists the boxes were "wood-framed, fiberglass-covered dock floats," he dismisses the phenomena as internet rumor gone viral. Hong Kong reporter Yoichi Shimatsu believes the metal boxes are stepping transformers which floated from Japan. The strange heavy metal boxes float because the fluid inside is lighter than water. You can hear Shimatsu's take on the strange, metal boxes here: he suspects that the reason they were removed so quickly is that the boxes contained contaminants.

Michigan Congressman Says 'No Emergency Plan for Alien Invasion'

Congressman Fred Upton answered the question, on a local Michigan program called The Trifecta, about whether an emergency plan is in place for an alien invasion: "Chuckling, Upton replied, 'I can tell you, on scout's honor, I have had many classified meetings, and none of them include an alien invasion plan. So the answer is ‘no’.' According to Upton, because there is no publicly documented history of extra-terrestrial visitors to Earth, it would be difficult for the United States to formulate a “plan” to deal with an alien invasion."

#Obamessiah Fights to Retain Warrantless Wiretapping

DOJ Tells SCOTUS Don't Fight Warrantless Eavesdropping

from @ThreatLevel: The Obama administration is urging the Supreme Court to halt a legal challenge weighing the constitutionality of a once-secret warrantless surveillance program targeting Americans’ communications that Congress eventually legalized in 2008. The FISA Amendments Act (.pdf), the subject of the lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and others, allows the government to electronically eavesdrop on Americans’ phone calls and e-mails without a probable-cause warrant so long as one of the parties to the communication is outside the United States. The communications may be intercepted “to acquire foreign intelligence information.” The administration is asking the Supreme Court to review an appellate decision that said the nearly 4-year-old lawsuit could move forward. The government said the ACLU and a host of other groups don’t have the legal standing to bring the case because they have no evidence they or their overseas clients are being targeted.

Physicists Create a Working Transistor From a Single Atom

from nytimes.com: Australian and American physicists have built a working transistor from a single phosphorus atom embedded in a silicon crystal. The group of physicists, based at the University of New South Wales and Purdue University, said they had laid the groundwork for a futuristic quantum computer that might one day function in a nanoscale world and would be orders of magnitude smaller and quicker than today’s silicon-based machines.

Iron Sky: Moon Nazi Invasion 4-4-12

Iron Sky, movie based on storyline Nazis escaped end of World War II to inhabit dark side of the Moon.  Moon Nazis plan for 70 years at secret base Schwarze Sonne jump-start attack in 2018, when United States lands a manned Moon mission too close for comfort.  Moon Fuhrer played by Udo Kier makes decision for Fourth Reich to begin attack early.  The Nazi spoof played in Berlin on February 11th at the Berlinale film festival.  You may view Berlin festivities  here and here. The Independent, in article covering festival, refers to Iron Sky as an unlikely hit, "Iron Sky sold out faster than movies directed by Angelina Jolie and Werner Herzog – a remarkable feat for a film that only received financing after appealing for donations on the internet, which raised $1 million of the $7.5 million budget." The official movie trailer is here. You can be first to take in Iron Sky in USA at SXSW film fest in Austin, TX on March 10th, a midnight screening.  Iron Sky debuts, officially, in Finland, location of principal production facilities, on April 4th and in Germany April 5th.  We will see you in Valhalla!

Drone Shot Down in South Carolina

An animal rights group prevented a planned, live pigeon shoot last weekend, but also lost their drone to an act of revenge. Activist group SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) dispatched a microkopter (pictured) to document illegal activity, but moments after the launch it was shot down. The incident took place on Broxton Bridge Plantation near Ehrhardt, SC. Is it the first documented domestic case of a drone downing?

The Daily Drone: Drones becoming 'fact of daily life'

Writer Michael Edwards nails the relationship between alternative and mainstream media in an Activist Post article, "Drones Enter Corporate Media Airspace": "One behavior that typifies corporate media is how they can readily dismiss an issue for years that has been addressed by the alternative media, then overnight embrace it as the 'new reality.' Once the buried 'conspiracy' issues become too obvious to ignore, then it is spin time." Well, it's spin time! Edwards reminds us how public opinion is shaped (and abused over the years), "True to form, the example shown for police (which, keep in mind, was vehemently denied for widespread use just a few years ago), is a ready-to-go, 10-pound mini-copter drone deployed out of the back of a police cruiser which is reported to have helped nab a stabbing suspect who had fled into nearby covered terrain." An assortment of drones serve needs of surveillance society: hummingbird, copter, small model plane, micro- and nano-drones. JuJu Chang reports for ABC News - very unsettling - but a must see! Drones are a "fact of daily life" in America and it's a sad day.

50th Anniversary: John Glenn and Friendship 7 Flight

Astronaut John Glenn is the first American to orbit Earth in the Mercury 6 capsule on February 20, 1962. NASA makes available a video (above) to celebrate the occasion of the 50th anniversary.

Universe Today shares excerpt from Glenn memoir how Mercury 6 acquired nickname of Friendship 7:

“I set about naming the capsule. Al’s (Shepard) Freedom 7 had struck the right note. Gus (Grissom) in Liberty Bell 7, had been inspired by both patriotism and the capsule’s shape. I had several ideas, but I was trying very hard to keep Dave and Lyn (his children) involved and make them feel a part of my mission. I asked them if they would be willing to think about some names...They pored over a thesaurus and wrote dozens of names in a notebook. Then they worked them down to several possibilities, names and words including; Columbia, Endeavour, America, Magellan, we, hope, harmony, and kindness. At the top of the list was their first choice: Friendship. I was so proud of them. They had chosen perfectly.”

You can also read NASA Mercury Project to place event into historical context. Russia had launched successfully, by 1962, two flights into orbit with Yuri Gregarin in April, 1961 and Gherman Titov, who orbited 17 times in August, 1961. The Wikipedia entry communicates sense of importance to event:

"As the first American in orbit, Glenn was celebrated as a national hero, and received a ticker-tape parade reminiscent of that given for Charles Lindbergh. His fame and political attributes were noted by the Kennedys, and he became a personal friend of the Kennedy family. On February 23, 1962 President Kennedy escorted him in a parade to Hanger S at Canaveral Air Force station where he awarded Glenn with the NASA service medal."

Fifty years ago, John Glenn blasted off to famous words, "Godspeed, John Glenn."

Related: Search continues for secret John Glenn stamp*

 

Space pioneer John Glenn honored 50 years after historic flight

from ap: John Glenn fever gripped Cape Canaveral on Friday, just as it did half a century ago when America was on the verge of launching its first man into orbit. Hundreds of NASA workers jammed a space center auditorium, three days before the 50th anniversary of Glenn's historic flight, to see and hear the first American to circle the Earth. Then journalists got a crack at Glenn, ever patient at describing his momentous flight aboard Friendship 7 and the decades since. The 90-year-old Glenn was joined at both events by Scott Carpenter, 86, the only other survivor of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, as the weekend of anniversary festivities began.

Glenn said he recollects the flight so often it seems like it took place just a couple weeks ago. He and Carpenter visited their old launch pad, Complex 14; it was from the blockhouse there that Carpenter called out "Godspeed John Glenn" before the rocket ignited. The national attention then was "almost unbelievable," Glenn said, adding that he and his colleagues learned to live with the acclaim "or tried to anyway." The early 1960s were a magical time in Cape Canaveral and adjoining Cocoa Beach, Carpenter said. "Everyone was behind us. The whole nation was behind what we were doing," he said. Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule circled Earth three times on Feb. 20, 1962. Carpenter followed aboard Aurora 7 on May 24, 1962. They were the third and fourth Americans to rocket into space. Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom flew short suborbital missions in 1961, the same year the Soviet Union launched two cosmonauts into orbit on separate shots.

Anonymous Promises Regularly Scheduled Friday Attacks

from threat level: Anonymous, a group not known for discipline, is giving itself a weekly deadline, a new attack every Friday. Following the Tuesday compromise of the website of tear gas maker Combined Systems, Inc., the Antisec wing of Anonymous struck a Federal Trade Commission webserver which hosts three FTC websites, business.ftc.gov, consumer.gov and ncpw.gov, the National Consumer Protection Week partnership website. Claiming this hack in opposition of the controversial international copyright treaty known as ACTA, which had been widely protested around the world for its potential to curtail freedom of expression on the internet, Anonymous continued the political messaging that has marked much of its recent high-profile actions.

Drones: Are You In Compliance?

Drones are good because they save taxpayer dollars. BBC article, "Spying on Europe's farms with satellites and drones," portrays government speak on surveillance matters: "In 2010, about 70% of the total required controls on farm payments in the EU were done by satellites, which photographed more than 210,000 sq km (81,000 sq miles) of land in all." A survey of under 1,000 farmers in the UK and Australia is cited to bolster drone surveillance: "only about a quarter in Australia and a third in the UK were against satellite monitoring. Some farmers voiced concerns about invasion of privacy, but many said remote sensing was preferable to inspectors on their land taking up their time. A majority in the UK also agreed that the satellites would help to deter fraud. Rob Allan, a farmer in Warwickshire, said 'it's modern life really - I don't think there's anything you can do about it'." Drones are good as long as you're in compliance!

Apple lets labor watchdog audit Chinese suppliers' factories

Apple's CEO Cook bets on transparency*

from zdnet.com: Apple CEO Tim Cook is betting that monthly updates on hours worked, audits and focus on firing offenses like hiring underage workers will limit any damage from an emerging supply chain controversy. Cook, speaking at a Goldman Sachs investment conference, reiterated that Apple “takes working conditions very seriously.” The company on Monday outlined a plan to allow the Fair Labor Association to audit its facilities.

“Many top executives and managers visit manufacturing facilities,” said Cook, who noted he’s worked in production plants too. “We’re closely connected to the production process and understand it at a granular level.”

Cook’s bet appears to be that this granular understanding coupled with metrics and a public dashboard can lead the tech industry and improve working conditions in China.

“Transparency is so important,” said Cook. Indeed, the company is aggregating overtime and hours worked for workers abroad. In January, Apple tracked weekly hours for 500,000 workers. Eighty four percent of suppliers complied. “We can do better,” said Cook.

Cook added that this dashboard is an unprecedented step and will be reported on Apple’s Web site.

The big question is whether this transparency will work. On one hand, Apple’s supply chain reporting can tone down complaints by industry observers. However, Apple could open itself up for more criticism. Apple’s bet is that it will get ahead of concerns about working conditions by leading the tech industry in disclosure.

It remains to be seen if a) other tech companies will follow and b) whether Apple can avoid additional scrutiny.

Hackers Attack Chemical Weapons Maker on V-Day

from bits: While many celebrated Valentine’s Day on Tuesday, hackers celebrated a different holiday: the one-year anniversary of the uprising in Bahrain, sometimes called the February 14 Revolution. They attacked Combined Systems, a company based in Jamestown, Pa., saying that the attack was in retaliation for sales by the company of chemical weapons “to repress our revolutionary movements.”

Clyde Lewis to investigate metal boxes on Oregon beaches

Strange metal boxes have turned up recently on Oregon beaches, following a flurry of UFO sightings. Clyde Lewis, Ground Zero Live Host, teams up with NW Ghost Recon set out, today, to Bray's Point and Stonefield beaches for a look. A report from Bray's Point, OR reveals, "They can’t be moved; even when yanked by a four-wheel drive truck pulling on heavy chains tied around these humming metal boxes that are still appearing as of Feb. 8 up and down West Coast beaches." In another report, this isn't first time similar metal boxes have turned up on beaches associated with UFO sightings, "the British government also photographed similar huge metal boxes on beaches in Sri Lanka in the late 1990’s and in early 2004 and 2005." Why are the boxes too heavy to move? What's inside the boxes that's humming?

The Saturn theory revisited by Troy McLachlan

Everyone knows the nine planets of the Solar System as taught in school, but has the sky always appeared from Earth as it does today? A number of researchers believe Earth was a satellite of a brown dwarf star - Saturn - a permanent fixture in the Northern Sky, termed a polar configuration known as the Saturn theory or model. Troy McLachlan, author of Saturn Death Cult, relates his original take on theory in "the Saturn Death Cult Part I. "...Saturn, Venus and Mars, formed the heavenly abode, an abode that could only be reached via the heavenly ladder that was the giant plasma Birkeland current [pictured] that rose from Earth’s north pole, the Axis Mundi of legend.  Earth, the last in this string of planets...." McLachlan supposes Earth existed inside a plasma sheath of the brown dwarf Saturn, which blocked starlight and bathed our planet in a twilight - purple haze. The idea comes from comparative mythology, where researchers such as Immanuel Velikovsky theorize myths only make sense if Earth's sky dramatically differed from today. McLachlan believes the All-Seeing Eye and Jacob's Ladder symbolism are direct results of Earth's time as satellite of Saturn. It is when Saturn brushes up against our present Sun's heliosheath our skies changed and catastrophe (Catastrophism theory) visited Earth. The celestial changes are organized by McLachlan into Ages: Golden, Silver and Bronze and adds his view how these catastrophes impacted mankind's psychology. A fascinating read with beautiful illustrations, you may also hear entire two hour Red Ice Radio interview here and here. It's good stuff!

Earth in the cross-hairs of Sunspot AR1416

Sun points a loaded gun at us

Sunspot AR1416 aimed at Earth over weekend, reports Universe Today. AR1416 reported capable of hurling M-Class flares earthward. "M-class flares are medium-sized solar flares. They can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth’s polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare event," reports article. A NASA FAQ about the Sun available here.

NASA's science missions bring the universe into sharper focus

Even as agency struggles with manned flight
from washington post: Life is tough these days at NASA, the space agency that can’t launch anyone into space. It wrestles with basic questions: Where to go? How to get there? When? And for what purpose? But even as NASA goes through this awkward transition in human space flight, the agency has one bright spot: science. NASA’s scientific missions — robotic probes, telescopes, satellites — are bringing Earth, the sun, the solar system and the universe into sharper focus.

2/9 DefCon: FBI, LSD, IPO, CAPTCHA, SCADA & more

FBI releases Steve Jobs file, Notes Use of LSD, Dishonesty*

WikiLeaks suspect Manning to be arraigned this month*
Google Begins Security Review Process for Android Apps*
Facebook crashes day after IPO bonanza: Social network under fire from 850 million users who want share of IPO*
Trojan caught on cam shows CAPTCHA still a security issue*
State of SCADA Security 'Laughable', Researchers Say*
The State of US Surveillance*
Video: Path Quietly Copies Users' Address Books*

Going Rogue: Giant Wave Damages Cargo Ship In Pacific Northwest

Is Electromagnetic Experimentation To Blame?*

from theintelhub.com: On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 7th 2012 the ‘Dry Beam’, a 26,000 ton cargo ship headed from Longview, Washington to Japan, was rocked by what is now commonly known as a ‘rogue wave’, sending the vessel to port at Ogden Point for repairs. The crew of 23 was uninjured. According to insurance investigator Captain Jostein Hoddevik, a rogue wave, some 10 to 15 meters high, impacted the port side of the Dry Beam, bending its support structure and scattering a load of timber around like toothpicks. Although the incident occurred in an area of the Pacific known for rough waters, there has been an increase in rogue waves within recent years. Is this a natural phenomena or something caused by man? According to the website itwillpass.com ‘dangerous earth anomalies have appeared since the start of Russian and U.S. E.L.F. [Extremely Low Frequency] Transmissions’ after 1980.

us-china drone war: chinese hacked rq-170 drone over iran

A blog entry provides inside glimpse of a Debka Net Weekly #527 story on CIA RQ-170 Sentinel drone that went down in Iran. Debka observes, "US officials reject Iran’s claim that it brought down the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel but remain tight-lipped about what caused the crash...their intelligence agencies discovered the culprits were a Chinese cyber warfare team which seized control of the drone; Iran was given the passive role of being told where and when to hold out their arms to catch it." This article provides fascinating peek into behind scenes publicity strategies and notes no drones over Iran at the present time! Wow!

russians analyze data to confirm reached lake vostok

World awaits announcement Russians have drilled into Lake Vostok! BBC News article, "Antarctic lake success uncertain," reports "...Valery Lukin, the Russian Antarctic programme director, has told Nature journal that the claim is premature. He said data from a number of sensors monitoring the drilling had yet to be analyzed." A CBS News Tech page story advises, "...there has been no official confirmation of the team's success. There are no press releases on the website of Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, the government agency that oversees the country's polar science expeditions." John Priscu, veteran researcher and University of Montana microbiologist, comments in same article, "there are a lot of rumors going around about penetrating the lake, and we need the Russian program to make the official announcement... If they were successful, their efforts will transform the way we do science in Antarctica and provide us with an entirely new view of what exists under the vast Antarctic ice sheet.'" Is there life in Lake Vostok?

Video Update: Scientists Drill Into a Lost World*

Roger Boisjoly, Whistleblower Warned of Challenger Disaster, Dies 73

from nytimes.com: Six months before the space shuttle Challenger exploded over Florida on Jan. 28, 1986, Roger Boisjoly wrote a portentous memo. He warned that if the weather was too cold, seals connecting sections of the shuttle’s huge rocket boosters could fail. “The result could be a catastrophe of the highest order, loss of human life,” he wrote.

The memo was meant to jolt Morton Thiokol, the company that made the boosters and employed Mr. Boisjoly. In July 1985, a task force had been formed, partly on Mr. Boisjoly’s recommendation, to examine the effect of cold on the boosters. The effort, however, had become mired in paperwork, procurement delays and a rush to launch the shuttle, according to later investigations.

Meanwhile, his apprehensions only grew. The night before the Challenger’s liftoff, the temperature dipped below freezing. Unusual for Florida, the cold was unprecedented for a shuttle launching, and it prompted Mr. Boisjoly and other engineers to plead that the flight be postponed. Their bosses, under pressure from NASA, rejected the advice.

The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launching, killing its seven crew members, including Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher from Concord, N.H.

Mr. Boisjoly’s memo was soon made public. He became widely known as a whistle-blower in a federal investigation of the disaster. And though he was hailed for his action by many, he was also made to suffer for it.

Mr. Boisjoly (pronounced like Beaujolais wine) died in Nephi, Utah, near Provo, on Jan. 6. He was 73. His death was reported only locally at the time. He lived in southwest Utah, in St. George. His wife, Roberta, said he recently learned he had cancer in his colon, kidneys and liver.

Related Update: Cancer Claims Janice Voss, Five-Time Shuttle Astronaut*

US nuclear plants: fukushima tragedy to happen here

Popeye operates website FEDERALJACK.COM and discusses troubled US Nuclear Plants with Radchick on his Down the Rabbit Hole podcast, hour 1 and hour 2, Radchick reports two separate broken pipe incidents at different plants within few days, who suggests possibility of sabotage. The recent Byron Illinois reactor shutdown - local coverage on You Tube - home video here - shows steam heavily vented from secondary facility as well as unit 2. Another shutdown at San Onofre, CA plant is also discussed. These incidents should raise public concern as plants get on in years. Americans should be alert to possible mishaps to avoid same fate as Japan. Are Americans stupid enough to allow same thing to happen here? The present writer isn't opposed to nuclear power but it needs to be operated safely, and when plants fall into disrepair, they demand attention to insure public safety! What's grimmer to consider, is possibility, of an insurance scam to fund repairs that would otherwise cut into bottom line!

Mystery High-Freq Radio Waves Cause Electronic Malfunctions in UK

from theintelhub.com: Residents in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire had their remote car locks malfunction in what was later determined to be caused by ‘ultra-high frequency bands’ frequently used by the military. Coincidentally, a military barracks is located near the area that the electronic malfunctions occurred. The Daily Mail, known for publishing material that other mainstream new outlets refuse to cover in Europe, recently released an article on the mysterious high frequency radio waves... An article published on strangesoundsinthesky.com also covered this mysterious dead zone and noted the similarities to this event and another report from the UK as well as one that took place in Colorado. These disturbances are most likely connected to some sort of military testing that may be classified which would account for the denial of the military’s in the multiple areas that these “dead zones” occurred. Stay tuned as we will be releasing further information on this topic in the near future.

2012 mayan calendar: baktun 13 cycle ends on winter solstice

Dr Pamela Gray discusses calendars on Astronomy Cast Episode 245 with host Frazier Cain, they relate how our present calendars came to be and (18:00 mark) discuss the Mayan Calendar.  In the show notes, an excerpt of article by Griffith Observatory Director, Dr E C Krupp, is included, “the Mayan calendar is not spooling up the thread of time. It is coming to the end of a particular cycle in an unending sequence of cycles. According to the rules of the Maya calendar system, a primary interval, Baktun 13, for all practical purposes ends on the winter solstice, 2012. Although pseudoscientific claims have linked this calendrical curiosity to a Maya prophecy of the end of time, there is no evidence for ancient Maya belief in the world’s end in 2012 or even in any unusual significance to the cycle’s completion.The Maya calendar relied on multiple cycles of time. In Maya tradition, these cycles of time run far into the future, and there are ancient Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions that project time into the future well beyond 21 December 2012. At the end of Baktun 13 (a period of 144,000 days or 394 years), a new baktun will begin. There is no Baktun-13 end of time. The notion of a Baktun-13 transformational end of time is modern. It originated in Mexico Mystique, a book published in 1975 by an American writer, Frank Waters, who made computational errors.”  You can read more about coming "rollover" of Mayan calendar in a 2009 Sky and Telescope article by Dr Krupp.  An anticipated dismissal of doomsday rumors that surround end of Mayan calendar didn't occur in this Astronomy Cast, Dr. Gray commented, simply, "we don't know."

russians at lake vostok not lost

US News reports failure to respond doesn't mean Russians lost or even in trouble.  Russians are working around clock to reach goal to drill into ancient Lake Vostok before winter closes down operation, believes American explorer John Priscu. A perturbed Priscu discounts recent Fox report Russians at Lake Vostok lost, because of no reported contact for five days. "'I never said the Russians were lost,'" comments Priscu.  The world will hinge on Russian find, although any account, may be months away?

SpaceX 'SuperDraco Engine' Test a Success

What can $75 million buy these days? The Daily Galaxy reports the answer: "NASA’s Commercial Crew Program awarded SpaceX $75 million in April of last year to begin work developing the escape system in order to prepare the Dragon spacecraft to carry astronauts. Less than nine months later, SpaceX engineers have designed, built and tested the engine." You can view SpaceX promo video of Super Draco Engine. The tests were conducted at SpaceX's Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas, where "...the SuperDraco sustained full duration, full thrust firing as well as a series of deep throttling demonstrations... SuperDracos can also be restarted multiple times if necessary and the engines will have the ability to deep throttle, providing astronauts with precise control and enormous power. In addition, as a part of a recoverable Dragon spacecraft, the engines can be used repeatedly, helping to advance SpaceX’s long-term goal of making spacecraft more like airplanes, which can be flown again and again with minimal maintenance between flights." It sounds impressive, but the video provides more glitz than a sober assessment and fails to convince. The announcement does instill the hope, however, that space is not a moribund industry within the United States!

2/2 defcon: mind reading, brain living

Scientists trial 'mind reading' computer*

Video: Science decodes 'internal voices'*
Window Installed Into a Live Brain*
What Will Facebook Do With $10 Billion?*
Google changes its privacy policy: Another reminder to use offshore email*
FBI spyware not Skype responsible for spilling MegaUpload secrets*
Police arrest 5 as hacking scandal spreads to Sun tabloid*
NASA aims for early 2014 test of LockMart Orion spacecraft*

clyde lewis has arrived: 'mound zero' parody videos released

Clyde Lewis, the top-rated host of Ground Zero Live, must have finally arrived! An excellent video parody of the show sent recently to Ground Zero is a tribute to the high interest in the program! Lewis, who has battled cancer in recent years, must have wondered if he'd ever enjoy the success his show does currently. Hats off to Clyde for hanging tough through personal challenges! It's also a big salute to the creator of this fine parody. Mound Zero and "Life On Other Planets?" - it's pure entertainment!

Video Update: Episode002 - I See Strange Lights

2003 columbia tragedy: alternative causes for disaster

On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke up upon reentry just after 9am (bottom picture) over much of central and eastern Texas. The official story reports that insulating foam damaged heat-resistant tiles on left wing of Columbia just after launch is the suspected cause. In an entry at the Living Moon website, "Columbia Taken Out by Lightning," provides image taken by amateur, who watched reentry in the hills above San Francisco (top picture). "In the photograph a purplish corkscrew streamer merges with the plasma trail of the shuttle, which then brightens significantly," entry describes a compelling alternative account. Space Lightning may be a sufficient and more adequate cause - but that has largely gone ignored. There is also a HAARP rumor where the storyline goes: North Korea timed a missile launch, so US defenses left little choice but to activate missile shield (HAARP umbrella) to neutralize the incoming missile. It seems fantastic until reports of a North Korean missile found in Alaska just a month later came out with varied accounts here and here. Space Lightning or HAARP may sound far out but aren't they better explanations, when compared to a few missing heat-resistant tiles?

2009 chichen itza pyramid beam revisited

In 2009, Hector Siliezar stirred controversy with an innocent tourist visit to Chichen Itza, taking shots of his family with digital camera in front of the historic pyramid. It was only later, when examining the pictures, that Siliezar discovered an image of a light beam, described as emanating up to the heavens! Jaime Maussan, ufologist, made hay with the picture on Mexican TV in a documentary. Another YouTube video makes the case to debunk it as likely hoax since no light source can be seen at the top through the entrance. It seems a fair argument and counter to energy and light believed required for column of light. We revisit the mystery of Chichen Itza as it will likely take center stage towards end of the year with the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012. There's more to Chichen Itza than just stone - as a video with English subtitles informs us of the "Equinox at Chichen Itza.". You can even sign up for Maya2012 if you want to be there!

'Alien' matter beyond solar system spotted by NASA probe

from cbsnews: For the very first time, a NASA spacecraft has detected matter from outside our solar system — material that came from elsewhere in the galaxy.

This so-called interstellar material was spotted by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), a spacecraft that is studying the edge of the solar system from its orbit about 200,000 miles (322,000 kilometers) above Earth.

"This alien interstellar material is really the stuff that stars and planets and people are made of — it's really important to be measuring it," David McComas, IBEX principal investigator and assistant vice president of the Space Science and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said in a news briefing from NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

An international team of scientists presented new findings from IBEX, which included the first detection of alien particles of hydrogen, oxygen and neon, in addition to the confirmation of previously detected helium.

These atoms are remnants of older stars that have ended their lives in violent explosions, called supernovas, which dispersed the elements throughout the galaxy. As interstellar wind blows these charged and neutral particles through the Milky Way, the IBEX probe is able to create a census of the elements that are present.

Related Update: We're Living in a Space Cloud!