Retro Sci-Fi Audio Weekend: City At World's End

It's time to kick back and enjoy a .mp3 audio  version of a 1950s science fiction classic, "City At World's End," by Edmond Hamilton, a pioneer of comics and sci-fi, as narrated by Mark Nelson!  Thanks goes to Jesse Willis at SFFaudio for the find and his apt impression of book, "I’m halfway through...and am really enjoying it. The prejudices, assumptions, and attitudes of the townsfolk are all vintage 1950, but the idea quotient is very high. Hamilton has thought through a lot of the problems he makes his characters face." It's simply a blast from the past to hear a fifties sensibility delivered to your ears. Narrator Nelson provides smooth, flawless performance and large part in making book so enjoyable! It's almost as if your mind's eye is reading fifties science fiction! The author is equally fascinating, who published first story in 1926 at age 21. The Eight Miles Higher book review captures story slant on Hamilton and his 1951 book, "but juvenile comic-books paid even better than pulp-fiction. So Edmond Hamilton happily adapted to writing ‘The Legion Of Super-Heroes’ for ‘Adventure Comics’ too. And when he went on to script for ‘Superman’ he introduced elements from ‘City At World’s End’ into his picture-strip 'Superman Under The Red Sun' (‘Action Comics’ no.300, 1963). After all, a great plot-idea is not something to waste…" It's recommended to seek brief refuge in a fifties science fiction classic, you won't regret it!

Is Anonymous Controlled Opposition?

A rumor storms cyberspace hacker group Anonymous threatens to crash internet! Nibletz.com covers story with suggested target date of March 31st. Anonymous wants "to protest SOPA [Stop Online Piracy Act], Wall Street, our irresponsible leaders and the beloved bankers who are starving the world for their own selfish needs out of sheer sadistic fun, On March 31, anonymous will shut the Internet down...We’ll look to shut down the Internet by disabling its core DNS servers, thus making websites inaccessible," so goes story. Is Anonymous another attempt at fielding a controlled opposition? Infowars.com chimes in with recent article on their website, "Assange and Anonymous As Elite Helpers?" The article exposes likely goal, "more ominously, even, it will feed into the elite meme that the Internet is a dangerous and unpredictable place, one that needs to be rigorously controlled and scrutinized. Anonymous, within this context, has just reaffirmed its place as a great argument for SOPA and increased Internet censorship generally. Coincidence?" It's like a bad high school play, where the ending is transparent to anyone paying attention! Internet may well be taken down at some point and most likely by desktop warriors in DC area. Stop Online Privacy Act will be strengthened. Online dissidents will be routed out. A controlled TV-like internet II debuts with less access at greater cost? Hey, it takes lots of money to protect (control) you! It may well be the script?

#DataDump: Log-Ins and Paper Planes

Scientists estimate billions of habitable planets in Milky Way*
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Finds Apollo 11 Engines on Ocean Floor*
Gigantic paper plane soars over Arizona skies*
James Murdoch reportedly resigns from three boards*
Audit faults Apple supplier's factories in China*
Apple offering iPad 4G refunds in Australia*
Senators ask feds to probe Facebook log-in requests*
Video: Facebook Says Giving Password to Employers Violates Privacy*

New Facial Recognition Technology From Japan

from brasschecktv.com: A new camera technology from Japan can scan days of camera footage instantly, and find any face which has EVER walked past it. It can scan 36 million faces per second and stores a biometric image of every face it scans. The technology raises the specter of governments - or other organizations - being able to 'find' anyone instantly simply using a passport photo or a Facebook profile. Governments, or anyone else for that matter, will be able to buy this technology as soon as next year.

'Smart Meters' Don't Believe In Your Privacy

from brasschecktv.com: Here's the deal. They measure the amount of electricity you use and they bill you for it, that's ALL they need to do. There's no need for a utility company to know when you turn on a device or turn off a light. There's no need for them to monitor your habits, like when you watch television or how many computers you have in your house. But that's exactly what they will do. And law enforcement is already using information transmitted by these devices to discern what you are doing in the privacy of your own homes. Oh yeah, it's true. Think the 'Smart Meter' isn't a spy? Guess again...

Cloud Spotted on Mars by Amateur Astronomer

Amateur rocks world of astronomy with image of cloud (picture, right) on terminator of Mars. "Wayne Jaeschke, from West Chester, Pennsylvania, noticed the formations which can be seen rising up from the edge of the Martian disk after he took the pictures on March 20," reports Mail Online.  Jaseschke's find sent astronomers off to investigate further, "a Thermal Emission Imaging System (Themis) on Nasa's Mars Odyssey orbiter will be used to look at the area where the cloud was spotted...Themis camera is capable of getting simultaneous visible and thermal infrared images which would capture the cloud structures and their temperatures." Jaeschke has a private observatory viewable here. It's an impressive feat - hats off to Jaeschke - with a professional's job! The article stooped sadly to ask baited question, "is there life on Mars?"

Tension Rises As North Korea Says 'Satellite' Launch Will Go Ahead

North Korea plans to launch "peaceful" satellite between April 12-16 to "to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founding president Kim Il-Sung," reports Japan Today. Elsewhere, a Space Daily account relates suspicions that "the United States and its allies see a disguised missile test in violation of UN resolutions." "Japan on Friday readied its missile defence systems to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it threatens the country...'I have ordered officials to prepare to deploy the PAC-3 and Aegis warships,' Japan's Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka told reporters, referring to surface-to-air missiles and destroyers carrying missiles," as reported in another Space Daily article, "Japan prepares defences against N. Korean rocket." Tensions are high and may provide further drama next month.

'Breakaway Civilization' Behind Mysterious Secret Space Program?

Sean Casteel, veteran UFO researcher, suspects in recent article there..."Is A “Breakaway Civilization” Behind The Mysterious Secret Space Program?" Casteel, co-author of new book, "The Secret Space Program Who Is Responsible?", interviewed Richard Dolan, who uses term "Breakaway Civilization" to designate what he suspects is a group of humanity who appropriated secret technology for themselves. Dolan describes process in simple terms how this could happen:

"'I think this is something that is real,' Dolan said. 'Now, my theory of it is that it originated in really in post-World War II society, but there’s nothing preventing such a thing from having happened earlier. The basic idea of the ‘breakaway civilization’ is simply that you have a secret group, a classified group of people, with access to radically advanced technology, radically advanced science, and they just don’t share it with the rest of the world...'"

This is also message of present book co-authored with Timothy Green Beckley, Tim R Schwartz and Commander X ..."a secret society consisting of scientists of various disciplines have banded together to create the means of our traveling to both the moon and Mars and constructing artificial buildings, even literal life-supporting bases of operation, for whatever purpose."

Casteel also suggests case of Gary McKinnon lends support when "...the Scottish-born computer hacker who in the thirteen months between February 2001 to March 2002 hacked into 97 US military and NASA computers, using the name 'Solo,'" to view documents that seem to fit only a secret program. McKinnon revealed in the past, he found lists of officer names under heading of "Non-terrestrial Officers," and from article:

"I found a list of ‘fleet-to-fleet’ transfers and a list of ship names. I looked them up. They weren’t US Navy ships. What I saw made me believe they have some kind of spaceship, off-planet..In a later interview with the BBC, McKinnon also claimed that 'there are some very credible, reliable people all saying that yes, there is UFO technology, there’s anti-gravity, there’s free energy, and it is extraterrestrial in origin. They’ve captured a spacecraft and reverse-engineered it.'.”

"If McKinnon’s claims about NASA and the US Navy are true, they may serve as concrete proof of some of the mythology that has grown up around the belief in a secret space program," concludes Casteel. Rightfully So. The high Pentagon interest in McKinnon exposes real importance of what was seen on their computers. McKinnon may even know more than publicly shared? A previous entry on McKinnon provides additional details here. Richard Dolan shares his view on "Breakaway Civilization." Ground Zero Live host, Clyde Lewis, discussed saucers and breakaway civilization with co-authors Beckley and Schwartz this past week in an excellent program! The present writer can only agree and wish we knew more about a breakaway civilization!

'Iron Sky' Sneak Preview and Remix Released

Fans may take in the first four minutes of 'Iron Sky', Space Nazi Invasion Movie, while waiting for the American release. Will 'Iron Sky' spark a craze similar to the Trekkies phenomenon? Fans can also hear an extended remix version of the movie's theme song, 'Under the Iron Sky', on YouTube. 'Iron Sky' will premiere in Berlin on April 4, but will everyday Germans be able to embrace a Nazi movie? A recent Time magazine article asks: "Are Germans Ready to Laugh at a Film About Nazis from Space?" Good Question. While film festival screenings sold out in Berlin and Oslo, but according to article, "...the critical response to Iron Sky was decidedly mixed. 'The effects were great, but the jokes were bad,' says Berlin-based director Jörg Buttgereit, maker of the movie 'Captain Berlin vs. Hitler', a low-budget horror film in which Hitler's preserved brain does battle with a comic-book-inspired hero." An independent movie from Finland, directed by Timo Vuorensola, may not be without its flaws, but it does appear highly entertaining - if first four minutes are any indication! Can't wait to see Sara Palin look-alike Stephanie Paul put down a Nazi invasion from the dark side of the moon--it's great political satire, if not outright humor!

'To Catch a Thief' Using Social Media

Can social media catch a thief? Eric Lamb, a Sandy, Utah resident, left his backpack behind in a Midvale McDonalds on Sunday Night - but when he returned to retrieve it, the backpack was already gone. An article at CW30.com reports that Lamb just "...wanted to get some studying done while watching the girls play, but the family night out ended up costing the Lamb family more than a couple of happy meals." The outing cost the Lambs over $500, the value of a laptop, calculator and backpack not to mention a semester's worth of homework. "The man who picked up Eric’s backpack hasn’t returned it. Surveillance video shows the man watching the windows and taking a couple of trips around the restaurant before deciding to take the backpack. 'He was there while we were there,' said Eric Lamb. 'Our kids played together.' Eric’s wife was also surprised. 'I was shocked,' said Tiffany...Eric has now turned the surveillance video into a YouTube music video hoping the popularity of the site will help more people see the video," according to the article. It will be interesting to see if Eric is able to recover his belongings with the video sent to everyone on his Facebook page. Will the perp be made to 'Facebook the Music'?

#DataDump: Electronic Curtains, Conflict Minerals and more

NSA Chief Denies, Denies, Denies Wired's Domestic Spying Story:
'NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)'*

Video: Author James Bamford - Inside the NSA's Largest and Most Expansive Secret Domestic Spy Center*
Obama: US Will Breach Iran's "Electronic Curtain"*
Exclusive: U.S. dangles secret data for Russia missile shield approval*
Amazon’s $775 Million Acquisition of Kiva Systems Could Shift How Businesses See Robots*
'This American Life' retracts Apple episode, says Daisey fabricated parts*
Teenager arrested for comments made on Facebook page*
The Man With a Plan to Rebuild After the Apocalypse*
Google Wave Says Goodbye With Email Spelling Mistake*
Quintuple rocket launch reset due to weather*
NASA - Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX)*
Use of 'Conflict Minerals' Gets More Scrutiny*
Video: The Scramble For Africa*

Greetings From Neuschwabenland Base 211

Clyde Lewis interviewed Henry Stevens, a veteran researcher of Nazi technology, on Ground Zero Live, last night.  Lewis provides overview of show in article, "Greetings From Neuschwabenland Base 211," a trail of Nazis and technology secreted from Third Reich to South America and Antarctica.   The show host and guest made a nice contrast with Lewis, a true believer in occult background of Nazi movement, and Stevens, who won't buy anything he can't see or touch! Stevens still impresses with an encyclopedic treatment of V-1, V-2, foo fighters, Nazi Saucers, the Bell and secret bases in Greenland, Canada and Base 211 in Antarctica.  You may read an earlier Stevens book "Hitler's Flying Saucers,"  with link to free.pdf file.  Lewis and Stevens covered much of author's more recent work in "Hitler's Suppressed and Still-Secret Weapons, Science and Technology." Stevens relates many anecdotal stories and what's better than a good story?  Fantastisch!

In Sweden, Cash Is King No More

from ap: Sweden was the first European country to introduce bank notes in 1661. Now it's come farther than most on the path toward getting rid of them. "I can't see why we should be printing bank notes at all anymore," says Bjoern Ulvaeus, former member of 1970's pop group ABBA, and a vocal proponent for a world without cash. The contours of such a society are starting to take shape in this high-tech nation, frustrating those who prefer coins and bills over digital money. In most Swedish cities, public buses don't accept cash; tickets are prepaid or purchased with a cell phone text message. A small but growing number of businesses only take cards, and some bank offices — which make money on electronic transactions — have stopped handling cash altogether.

"There are towns where it isn't at all possible anymore to enter a bank and use cash," complains Curt Persson, chairman of Sweden's National Pensioners' Organization. He says that's a problem for elderly people in rural areas who don't have credit cards or don't know how to use them to withdraw cash. The decline of cash is noticeable even in houses of worship, like the Carl Gustaf Church in Karlshamn, southern Sweden, where Vicar Johan Tyrberg recently installed a card reader to make it easier for worshippers to make offerings. "People came up to me several times and said they didn't have cash but would still like to donate money," Tyrberg says.

Bills and coins represent only 3 percent of Sweden's economy, compared to an average of 9 percent in the eurozone and 7 percent in the U.S., according to the Bank for International Settlements, an umbrella organization for the world's central banks. Three percent is still too much if you ask Ulvaeus. A cashless society may seem like an odd cause for someone who made a fortune on "Money, Money, Money" and other ABBA hits, but for Ulvaeus it's a matter of security.

Computer Viruses Could Cross Frontier Into Biological Realm, Researchers Say

from pcworld.com: Computer hackers could create malicious software that crosses the line from technology to biology, crafting viruses that could spread dangerous epidemics, researchers said at Black Hat Europe. "We are really on the border between the living and the not living," said Guillaume Lovet, senior manager of Fortinet's Threat Research and Response Center, during a keynote speech discussing the similarities between biological and computer viruses. Fortinet was the main sponsor of the Black Hat Europe security conference in Amsterdam last week.

The comparison between computer and human viruses was made to give security researchers a better understanding of why the human immune system is so much better in battling viruses than antivirus systems. "We came to wonder if there can be some kind of convergence between human viruses and computer viruses," Lovet added. "It may sound like a scenario for a bad Hollywood movie, but it is not such a stupid question."

One of the main things that led Fortinet researchers to that conclusion is the similarity between computer and human viruses. In essence they behave the same way, including information coding for parasitic behavior inside a host system. Reasoning along this line of thought, a Denial of Service (DoS) attack can be compared to HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus), because both aim at overloading a system, said Ruchna Nigam, security researcher at Fortinet.

1984 Cold War Incident: Soviet Laser Fired Upon Shuttle Challenger

Clark C McClelland, former ScO Space Shuttle Fleet, writes in a chapter from his book Stargate Chronicles: "Terra-3 Soviet Strategic Space Weapon Was Used to Attack U.S.A. Space Shuttle Challenger Spy Mission," about a volatile incident of Cold War era spying that almost ignited World War III! On Oct. 10 1984, Space Shuttle Challenger was engaged in a spy mission to take photos with a large format camera of the Sary Sagan anti-ballistic installation (pictured) near Lake Balkash in Kazakhstan. The Soviet Defense Minister concerned about American spying, ordered Terra-3 laser fired upon the Shuttle! The laser beam caused malfunctions on shuttle and sickened crew members, and resulted, in a formal diplomatic protest. McClelland summarzes Russian response, "the U.S.S.R. recognizing that the order given by their Defense Ministry under the watchful eye of the KGB had caused a very dangerous international incident and quickly responded to the angry United States protest by saying that the response taken by their government was only an action to annoy the crew of the space shuttle during their spy mission over sovereign Soviet territory. It was not meant to harm anyone on board the spacecraft. Of course it wasn’t, yeah, sure!" The former NASA employee also shares opinions on possible sabotage involved in NASA tragedies. You won't see sabotage in the mainstream press, so it's worth the read!

CIA TV: Surveillance Made Easy By 'Connected Gadgets'

People will be bugging their very homes with web-connected devices, if they haven't already! A Mail Online article reports on claims made by CIA, "...it will be able to 'read' these devices via the internet - and perhaps even via radio waves from outside the home." CIA director David Petraeus says, "web-connected gadgets will 'transform' the art of spying - allowing spies to monitor people automatically without planting bugs, breaking and entering or even donning a tuxedo to infiltrate a dinner party...'Transformational’ is an overused word, but I do believe it properly applies to these technologies.'" Petraeus met with a venture capital firm recently to discuss adding new technologies to previously "dumb" home appliances. It's a concept referred to as the "internet of things." The article concludes with an ominous Brave New World tone, "futurists think that one day 'connected' devices will tell the internet where they are and what they are doing at all times - and will be mapped by computers as precisely as Google Maps charts the physical landscape now." TV will be watching you more than you watch it in the near future. Television will no longer be referred to as the "Boob Tube" but rather the "Spook Tube."

St. Patrick's Day Aurora in Sweden

Does it get any more colorful? Neal Cheeseman of Arvidsjaur, Sweden shares picture of St. Patrick's Day Aurora. It's total eye candy! Thanks goes out to SpaceWeather.com for the pix!

Apollo 11 Moon Landing Site - Now Seen in Unprecedented Detail

The Daily Galaxy details in article repeated attempts to provide public with hi-res images of original 1969 Moon Landing. First, images provided by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) are hyped:

"The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera snapped its best look yet of the Apollo 11 landing site on the moon. The image, which was released on March 7, 2012, even shows the remnants of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's historic first steps on the surface around the Lunar Module.This image of the Apollo 11 landing site captured from just 24 km (15 miles) above the surface provides LRO's best look yet at humanity’s first venture to another world."

A viewer is soon disillusioned, however, with images as there's signs of Photoshop editing. Northerntruthseeker does excellent job arguing for a continued Apollo hoax. A You Tube video, "the proof that the LRO photos are photoshopped," shows what images actually look like and credible observations about editing. Apollo believers can take solace in case made by Bad Astronomy blog. It's all in the image, whether you believe it's real!

The Daily Galaxy article returns to a three year saga, an exhaustive search for tapes from camera used on the Moon:

"After the camera recorded the Apollo 11 astronauts' descent onto the moon's surface, they placed it on the moon to record their other activities, beaming images back to Earth by the lunar camera that is still resting on the moon's dusty Sea of Tranquility, right where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left it. Following NPR's reports in 2006 that the video tapes were missing , NASA began a massive search to find the tapes from the lunar camera."

The article builds reader's hope for discovery of vintage tapes of lunar landscape in odd video format of the day and converted to digital to everyone's delight! Alas, there's not that happy ending - or discovery - only consolation of digitally enhanced broadcast footage. There's also regret tapes were most likely recorded over and reused for subsequent satellite missions that ran tape continuously. It seems a propaganda piece, doubts linger about sixties tech and an improbable lunar lander! The layers of deception may not stop here, though. We may not gone to the Moon with rocket tech, but what of other means? The present writer remembers a time when anti-gravity was shared with public and in the press only to go silent in the early sixties!

Truth Leaking Out About Khandahar Bloodbath

Is Staff Sergeant Robert Bales a scapegoat for military adventure - very similar to what took place in Vietnam reminiscent of the 1968 My Lai Massacre? The early press threw out possible contributing factors as a fourth deployment or a prior brain injury for public consumption. RT provides article much closer to reality, "Up to 20 US troops behind Kandahar bloodbath – Afghan probe." The probability is on side of Afghan investigator's comment, "'we are convinced that one soldier cannot kill so many people in two villages within one hour at the same time, and the 16 civilians, most of them children and women, have been killed by the two groups,' investigator Hamizai Lali told Afghan News." Bales is presently in solitary confinement at Fort Leavenworth, reports SOTT, "...the only maximum security correctional facility operated by the defence department." Is this a warning to other soldiers who disagree with their treatment?

#DataDump: Homeless Hotspots, Phonehacking, Hollywood

Turning the Homeless Into 4G Hotspots at SXSW*

FBI says paying cash for coffee is a sign of terrorist intent*
FBI 'Communities Against Terrorism' Suspicious Activity Reporting Flyers*
New Arrest In UK Phone Hacking Probe*
DARPA’s Director Quits to Take Executive Slot at Google*
Digg's Kevin Rose Will Join Google*
Google Exec Joins Microsoft, Trashes Google*
Europe's Robotic Cargo Ship to Launch to Space Station Next Week*
Could a Nuke Stop an Asteroid After All?*
Video: Straight out of Hollywood: Supercomputer models atomic bomb saving Earth from massive asteroid*
@NASA is scheduled to launch 5 rockets within 5 minutes early morning March 15*
Update: NASA Five Rocket ATREX Mission Rescheduled*
Update: Dharun Ravi found guilty in Rutgers webcam spying trial*

US Soldier Executes 16 Civilians, Burns Bodies: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Mind Control?

Kevin Hayden of Truth is Treason asks question, "US Soldier Executes 16 Civilians, Burns Bodies – PTSD or Mind Control?" Hayden relates facts: "...a soldier went off the deep end, and walked over a mile from his base in order to massacre 16 civilians, including small children. He then dragged all the bodies into one room and set them on fire. Mind control? PTSD? Simply evil? Who knows… but there has been a strange frequency of events that turn the locals into mobs." Is Hayden on the right track? Are the Koran-burnings and mass murder mishaps in Afghanistan engineered events?

Climate Change or Weather Warfare?

The specter of catastrophic weather gets our attention when seemingly incomprehensible events strike. Two weeks ago, an unusual spawning of tornadoes - dozens of them - stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. This wide swath of destruction fits the category of atypical or unusual event and deserves closer examination. Is it weather warfare induced by HAARP? It's not a tinfoil hat question, only a rational one. You may view a great series of short videos here: "HAARP: When the Weather is Your Enemy," Part 1 reveals efforts to find how lightning is triggered. Are we treated to a continual program of unusual weather to condition us to accept it as "normal"? The plausible deniability of "natural weather" makes HAARP a near-perfect weapon.

Dancing With the Devil: Google/NSA Partnership

The All-Seeing Eye is the watchful vigilance of Google and the NSA. In an INFOWARS.COM article, Steve Watson relates recent efforts to sweep under the rug an important partnership in the United Security States of America: "The Department of Justice will ask a federal court to uphold the secrecy that surrounds the working relationship between Google and the National Security Agency in a hearing that is scheduled for next week." The article also reviews the past decade of spying on Americans. A reader shouldn't harbor any doubt - your Google searches are thrown onto hard drives at server farms in anonymous industrial parks across the country. The information may prove useful if you become a problem. You've been warned - with every search you dance with the devil!

Electromagnetic Pulse: Not If, But When

from the foundry: “Electromagnetic Pulse and American Security,” a recent article by Eric Hannis, executive director at Etherton and Associates, is a welcome contribution to the discussion about U.S. vulnerability to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks. Hannis points out that, despite the severe consequences of a single attack, “few people even know that this threat exists.” An EMP attack is a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy caused by the rapid acceleration of charged particles. These particles, if strong enough, cause a destruction of electrical circuits. This affects cell phones, computers, vehicles, airplanes, and even the power grid. In the case of a successful EMP attack, transportation systems would be halted, communications devices would be rendered useless, and grocery stores would be unable to preserve or restore food supplies. “The result would be starvation, disease, and lawlessness on a scale not experienced in modern times,” Hannis says.

'Laser Rifle' Is Latest US Weapon Against Enemies

from smartplanet.com: Last month, a British defense company demonstrated how a non-lethal laser weapon can be used to ward off pirates. Now, American researchers have created a laser gun that sea bandits really wouldn’t want to mess with. While the crystalline Neodymium Yttrium Aluminium Garnet laser canon, developed by BAE Systems, can temporarily disorient an assailant with a pulse of blinding light, another prototype called the TR3 Threat Deterrent Laser Rifle is compact and the laser settings can be adjusted to inflict some serious pain... The TR3, developed by Xtreme Alternative Defense Systems and SPA Defense, can deliver a pretty intense 3-watt green laser at targets stationed up to one and a half miles away when operated at night. The rifle’s re-chargeable lithium-ion battery allows for up to 30 plus minutes of continuous firing. David Crane of DefenseReview.com got to test out a prototype during the recent Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show and Conference or SHOT show... A company-produced video of the TR3 in action may exist and Crane plans to upload footage if he ever gets his hands on it. The TR3 is intended for military and defense markets only.

400 Years of Magnetic North Pole Shift

A Polar shift has been underway for some time, map (pictured) shows 400 years of migration of magnetic north. A ModernSurvivalBlog entry shares some startling facts: magnetic pole shift has more than doubled every 50 years since 1860, pole shift has been in same direction for past 150 years and during past 10 years amount of polar shift accounts for nearly half of shift in past 50 years. In other words, the polar shift is increasing in large chunks, and heading directly towards Russia averaging 35 miles per year. The Blog entry remains wary of massaged data offered to public by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which trends mainly in direction of minimizing change.

Venus and Jupiter Converging March 12 - 13

Venus and Jupiter will be less than 3 degrees apart in western sky just after sunset for next two evenings. The sight of converging globes can be a beautiful even mesmerizing sight. Thanks goes to Marek Nicoderm for image (pictured) from approach on March 9.  You may view more images at SpaceWeather.com.

Space Junk #5: Air Force Approves Lockheed Martin Space Fence

Lockheed Martin approved by US Air Force to implement Space Fence to be operational by 2017, reports Universe Today. The system will track, detect and catalog over 200,000 pieces of space junk. Space Fence will revolutionize "space situational awareness" and make it a predictive system rather than merely a reactive one. "The current system has tracking locations in the US only and has a huge ‘blind spot’ by not supplying information about debris in the southern hemisphere. But Space Fence will provide global coverage from three ground-based radar located at strategic sites around the world," informs article. Space Fence seems an impressive new tracking system to catalogs not only space debris but all low orbit objects.

X-37B: Only the Public Face of a Private Spying Mission?

Mysterious X-37B space plane survives 1st year in orbit*

Ted Thornhill asks questions in Veterans Today article (VT), "This [X-37B] is the public face? Is this video one of the private “faces,” one of how many?" The writer implies X-37B space plane, could've been built in 1955 and suspects there's more out there? Thornhill doesn't accept propaganda fed public at face value, suggesting lies abound and illustrates with observation on diagram of space plane: "Kerosene jet fuel doesn’t burn without liquid oxygen. NO TANK. We have liars here. The HP [Hydrogen Peroxide] tanks are overlarge, a good guess is that this is hiding a payload of laser fuel. There is NO need for space based recon with our new Global Hawk, which flies 11,000 miles at 80,000 feet." The X-37B remains in orbit 100-500 miles above after one year, its primary purpose still a mystery. An observation made in article provides hint as to what space plane is up to: "...amateur astronomers were able to detect the orbital pattern of the first X-37B which included flyovers of North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, heightening the suspicion that the vehicle was being used for surveillance." An apprehensive tone is detected in article but fails to address if X-37B unnecessary for spying what is its primary mission? Does X-37B possess weapon capability, obscured with an array of peaceful space gadgets? The You Tube video linked in VT article, "UFO Scout Ship Lands In New Mexico?", is possibly only good CGI? Thornhill is in all likelihood right however, there's much more orbiting above us right now!

Primer: Time Travel Sci-Fi Cult Classic

Primer is a low budget science fiction film that won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. A film produced and directed by Shane Carruth, who is also a main character with David Sullivan in a highly cerebral time travel drama filled with existential and moral issues. The plot begins with group of entrepreneurs looking to make fortunes with a product made in Aaron's garage. Abe (Sullivan) and Aaron (Carruth) stumble later upon a near self-sustaining energy source (box pictured), and suspect, something more occurs when a fungus with advanced growth accumulates inside. Abe first discovers in experiments with watches it's a time machine. The dialogue is scientifically-challenging but well-done, and perhaps, film's most impressive aspect. Time travel concept revolves around points A and B from the time box first turned on until they emerge from box (point B), many hours later, returned to point A. Abe observes energy source in box, requires about 1300 attempts to bring point B back to point A. You can get up to speed here: Time Travel in Primer. The remainder of plot centers around preventing an altercation at a party that results finally, after some replays with gun-toting perpetrator in custody. It's implied Aaron feels responsible since he inadvertently invited perp to the Monday night party. There are way too many Mondays for this viewer.  The film may not be completely coherent or consistent in its time travel script device, but concept is solid and executed well enough to be impressive. You will watch the film more than once in attempt to understand it better. Primer has gained cult status over years and you may view why here! There's a video, "Primer Movie Explained," helpful in comprehending plot. There's also a webpage explaining script. A sophisticated script with fail safe procedures and time-looping action, makes for great film in under 80 minutes!

#DataDump: #Stuxnet, #Stratfor, #DarkMatter, #DARPA and more

Former #NSA Head #Hayden:
Hitting #Iran with #Stuxnet Was a Good Idea*
Stratfor email hackers were tricked into using Feds' server*
FBI investigation into News Corp moves to Russia amid claims billboard firm bribed officials*
Two Murdoch reporters feared to be in suicide bids*
Google's store now a one-stop shop*
Dark matter blob confounds experts*
Video Update: Unexplained 'Phoenix Lights' explosion caught live on news broadcast*
Flashback: Phoenix Lights still talk of town 15 years later*
Video: DARPA Robot Sprints To Speed Record*

Strange Facts About Venus

The Daily Galaxy ran an article recently, "Strange, Colossal Explosions Observed on Venus," on detecting a Hot Flow Anomaly (HFA) for the first time near Venus. What is a HFA? A description taken from data supplied by the Venus Express spacecraft relates: "...scientists painted a possible picture of how an HFA forms at Venus. The moving solar wind with its attendant magnetic fields harbors discontinuities, areas where the magnetic fields change direction, sharply and abruptly. Sometimes these discontinuities align with the flow of the solar wind, so they remain in contact with what's called the bow shock – the place where the supersonic solar wind slows down abruptly and diverts around the planet. If such a discontinuity travels slowly across the bow shock it allows time to trap particles, collecting pools of 10 million degree plasma that can expand to be as big as Earth." An amazing phenomena observed that implies HFAs may be common to all planets.

Perhaps, of equal interest however, the description shared in article of the Venusian environment. Some basic facts about Venus may surprise readers?

"In the grand scheme of the solar system, Venus and Earth are almost the same distance from the sun. Yet the planets differ dramatically: Venus is some 100 times hotter than Earth and its days more than 200 times longer. The atmosphere on Venus is so thick that the longest any spacecraft has survived on its surface before being crushed is a little over two hours. There's another difference, too. Earth has a magnetic field and Venus does not – a crucial distinction when assessing the effects of the sun on each planet"

Venus is so close yet so different. Did you know a day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days?

Moon and Mars Rising Together After Sunset

Spaceweather.com invites you to go outside after sunset and peer to the east. The Moon and Mars are at closest proximity for 2012. "The Red Planet is easy to find: On March 7th it's right beside the full Moon. Go outside after sunset and look for the Moon and Mars rising together in the east," instructs the website. The view should look similar to an image captured by Luigi Florentino (pictured) in the past few days in Italy. You can view other recent images of the Moon and Mars submitted by other sky watchers at Spaceweather.com.

New App Helps You Snitch on Your Friends

Danger Room scoops new app to report suspicious activity. There are many ways to be your brother's keeper, these days, this one quick and easy:  " In less time than it takes to play a turn in Words With Friends, smartphone users can report a 'suspicious person' to the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security. The domestic counter- terrorism agency’s West Virginia branch, in association with the West Virginia governor’s office, unveiled a new mobile app called the Suspicious Activity Reporting Application this week. 'With the assistance of our citizens, important information can quickly get into the hands of our law enforcement community allowing them to provide better protection,' Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said in a statement. The app is available in the Apple App Store and the Android Market," according to Danger Room. Isn't it just what you wanted to grow up to be - a snitch?

#LulzSec hackers charged after ringleader turns #informant

LulzSec leader #Sabu was working for us, says #FBI

from usatoday: Five members of the elite hacking group LulzSec have been charged with cyberattacks following an international investigation in a which a ringleader of the global organization began secretly working as an FBI informant, authorities announced today. An indictment unsealed in New York says Hector Xavier Monsegur, of New York City, a legendary hacker known as "Sabu," was charged with conspiracy to engage in computer hacking, among other offenses, and pleaded guilty in August. According to the court papers, Monsegur was an "influential member of three hacking organizations — Anonymous, Internet Feds and Lulz Security — that were responsible for multiple cyberattacks on the computer systems of various businesses and governments in the United States and throughout the world."

Update: The one tiny slip that put LulzSec chief Sabu in the FBI's pocket

Flashback: One In Four US Hackers 'Is An FBI Informer'

#DataDump: Clash, Collusion, Christina and more

Obama, NSA 'Clash' Over Spying on Private Company Nets*

Collusion for Firefox Shows You Who’s Tracking You on the Web In Real Time*
Collusion :: Add-ons for Firefox*
Google Caught Violating Browser Privacy Settings to Track Users*
Google Once Considered Issuing Digital Currency*
Hackers penetrated NASA computers 13 times last year*
Moon acts as mirror, reflecting telltale signs of life*
Apple hits $500 billion marker*
Foxconn to Raise Salaries for Workers by Up to 25%*
James Murdoch steps down at NI*
Christina Hendricks: My Phone Was HACKED ... But Those Boobs Aren't Mine!*
#Audio #Satire: American Robot's Job Outsourced To Overseas Robot*

'I Know What I Saw' a top UFO documentary

James Fox made a top flight UFO documentary for History Channel in 2010, "I Know What I Saw," (full movie linked). It's a comprehensive treatment from first days to very crest of hysteria in 1952, resulting in largest press conference since WWII. The classic 1966 Michigan UFO sightings are covered that resulted in J Allen Hynek attempt to dismiss some sightings as 'swamp gas'. The remarks by Hynek misrepresented in the press by leaving out qualifier (some), made national headlines to secure permanent place in popular culture.  The Rendlesham Forest 1980 Sightings get thorough treatment, and results, in communicating deep meaning events still holds in lives of its participants even today. 1997 Phoenix Lights and former governor Fife Symington play significant roles as well as coverage of 2007 UFO Conference at the National Press Club.

NASA video: ISS flies through Auroras - cool!

Don Pettit, flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS), captures impressive video as ISS flies through auroras.  A three minute video educates briefly on how auroras formed.  Pettit relates red auroras reach to heights of 400 miles, and when aboard station, seem within reach.   Green auroras, on the other hand, stay well below ISS orbit.  Pettit doesn't find viewing auroras from above and video's title, "Auroras Underfoot," at all disturbing  The flight engineer does find meteors burning up in Earth's atmosphere well below much more unsettling. It's an impressive three minutes - well worth you time!

Philip K Dick remembered 30 Years after death

Science Fiction writer Philip K Dick died on March 2, 1982 of a heart attack after having two strokes.  Fan websites, Philip K Dick Fans and Total Dick-Head commemorate date with remembrances.  You can download great interviews about Dick here.  You may sample -  free -science fiction by Dick on mp3 here. Dick is best known for the films based on his works: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and The Adjustment Bureau. A science fiction writer, ahead of his time, Dick continually examined reality and recurrent theme that there isn't a single objective reality - everything is a matter of perception.  Dick grows in popularity with time as we catch up to him!

NASA laptop theft lead in to Star Wars?

A Daily Galaxy entry titled, "NewsFlash: Star Wars? ---ISS Control Codes on Stolen NASA Laptop," leaves a reader to wonder about its intent?  Yes, laptops are lost almost routinely, but should it be public knowledge some aren't properly encrypted and may have sensitive codes? The entry informs, "...stolen from NASA last year contained command codes used to control the International Space Station, an internal investigation revealed. The laptop was among dozens of mobile devices lost or stolen in recent years that contained sensitive information, the space agency's inspector general told Congress today in testimony highlighting NASA's security challenges." Readers shouldn't take the information at face value. You read a little further down, Jet Propulsion Lab computers were also compromised from IP addresses located in China!  Is the intent to implicate China in a public manner?  Why now, it's suspected, cyber wars have been conducted for years? This entry should be noted and filed away for future reference.