These plants are really unusual!
Eight of the World’s Most Unusual Plants - DivineCaroline
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Major Breakthrough in Holographic Storage
In in 1877, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, and today's CDs and DVDs use virtually the same mechanical technology. CDs and DVDs use a laser to read pits and grooves on a polycarbonate material, while the phonograph of yesteryear used a stylus moving against a foil-wrapped grooved cylinder. Advancements in technology, such as shorter wavelength lasers with the ability to read smaller pits, have lead to increased data storage, such as that used in Blu-Ray devices.
To further meet the needs of the huge growth in data storage, GE scientists are abandoning this mechanical technology in favor of a new approach: using 3D volumetric holographic storage technology.
Newly developed polycarbonate materials can chemically change when bombarded with a specific type of laser, allowing data to be written to the disc. Another laser is used to read the chemical changes in the disc, and read the stored data. The main advantage of this approach is that the entire volume of the disc can be used to store data, and not just the surface, thus allowing more data storage. And the data retrieval speed is much faster.
For further reading:
http://emusician.com/futuretech/emusic_holostorage/index.html
http://www.ge.com/research/grc_2_3_1.html
For another variation on holographic technology, check out the website of InPhase Technologies:
http://www.inphase-technologies.com/
To further meet the needs of the huge growth in data storage, GE scientists are abandoning this mechanical technology in favor of a new approach: using 3D volumetric holographic storage technology.
Newly developed polycarbonate materials can chemically change when bombarded with a specific type of laser, allowing data to be written to the disc. Another laser is used to read the chemical changes in the disc, and read the stored data. The main advantage of this approach is that the entire volume of the disc can be used to store data, and not just the surface, thus allowing more data storage. And the data retrieval speed is much faster.
For further reading:
http://emusician.com/futuretech/emusic_holostorage/index.html
http://www.ge.com/research/grc_2_3_1.html
For another variation on holographic technology, check out the website of InPhase Technologies:
http://www.inphase-technologies.com/
Click on image to see a larger view. (Image courtesy of InPhase Technologies.)
Monday, September 14, 2009
Stanley Kubrick Faked The Moon Landings?
I just came across an interesting article on the Reality Sandwich website written by Jay Weidner, entitled "How Stanley Kubrick Faked the Apollo Moon Landings."
The premise is that for many years since the Apollo moon landings, conspiracy theorists have been saying that the moon landings were faked. This is due to the style of lighting as seen in the NASA archives photography, strange reflections in some of the shots, and more simply, that some people do not believe we had the technology to actually fly there, land and safely return to Earth.
Author Jay Weidner presents another option, and goes on to theorize that the Apollo program was real, and humans did go to the moon, but the photographs and what the public saw on TV was faked.
And faked by none other than fillmmaker Stanley Kubrick!
The author contends that by using "front screen projection," the astronauts (or other elements) could be made to appear as if they are in front of a "scene" such as a moonscape. This same technique was used in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey for many of the scenes in the film, such as the beginning of the film with the apes. Using still images from the 2001 DVD, the author shows various examples of how and where the projection screen seams are covered up. He also shows the same techniques (in his opinion) applied to still images from the NASA Apollo archives.
It is also interesting to note that both Kubrick and NASA used 70mm film as the format of choice. Motion picture film in the case of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and 70mm film for the large format Hassleblad cameras used by the NASA astronauts.
The author also goes on to note that with a larger format film, such as 70mm used to photograph the moon landings, the depth of field should have been very shallow. This would indicate that objects in the foreground of a photograph would be in focus, whereas objects in the background (such as distant mountain ranges) would be out of focus. But instead, we see sharp details from the foreground, all the way to the background of the photographs taken on the moon's surface.
Jay Weidner also explains the "Glass Cities" phenomenon, as well as the inconsistent shadows in many of the photographs, and who may have actually financed Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
To read this intriguing article from which I am referencing, visit this link:
http://www.realitysandwich.com/kubrick_apollo
Also, author Richard C. Hoagland (along with co-author Mike Bara) has a book entitled, "Dark Mission: The Secret History of NASA", which reveals that NASA has concealed its secret history of occult origins, plus a multitude of other surprises, such as NASA's withholding data of non-human intelligence.
Note that the show Mythbusters actually devoted an entire episode to whether the Moon landing was fake. They recreated the famous footprint on the dirt (to show that it is possible to make a deep impression on the Moon's surface), as well as a few of the famous astronaut shots (to show if the lighting from the Sun / Earth was accurately captured in the NASA photographs), and how a stiff flag could "wave" if there is no wind on the Moon. (They appeared to have debunked the myth that we did not land on the Moon, but who is sponsoring their show?)
The premise is that for many years since the Apollo moon landings, conspiracy theorists have been saying that the moon landings were faked. This is due to the style of lighting as seen in the NASA archives photography, strange reflections in some of the shots, and more simply, that some people do not believe we had the technology to actually fly there, land and safely return to Earth.
Author Jay Weidner presents another option, and goes on to theorize that the Apollo program was real, and humans did go to the moon, but the photographs and what the public saw on TV was faked.
And faked by none other than fillmmaker Stanley Kubrick!
The author contends that by using "front screen projection," the astronauts (or other elements) could be made to appear as if they are in front of a "scene" such as a moonscape. This same technique was used in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey for many of the scenes in the film, such as the beginning of the film with the apes. Using still images from the 2001 DVD, the author shows various examples of how and where the projection screen seams are covered up. He also shows the same techniques (in his opinion) applied to still images from the NASA Apollo archives.
It is also interesting to note that both Kubrick and NASA used 70mm film as the format of choice. Motion picture film in the case of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and 70mm film for the large format Hassleblad cameras used by the NASA astronauts.
The author also goes on to note that with a larger format film, such as 70mm used to photograph the moon landings, the depth of field should have been very shallow. This would indicate that objects in the foreground of a photograph would be in focus, whereas objects in the background (such as distant mountain ranges) would be out of focus. But instead, we see sharp details from the foreground, all the way to the background of the photographs taken on the moon's surface.
Jay Weidner also explains the "Glass Cities" phenomenon, as well as the inconsistent shadows in many of the photographs, and who may have actually financed Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
To read this intriguing article from which I am referencing, visit this link:
http://www.realitysandwich.com/kubrick_apollo
Also, author Richard C. Hoagland (along with co-author Mike Bara) has a book entitled, "Dark Mission: The Secret History of NASA", which reveals that NASA has concealed its secret history of occult origins, plus a multitude of other surprises, such as NASA's withholding data of non-human intelligence.
Note that the show Mythbusters actually devoted an entire episode to whether the Moon landing was fake. They recreated the famous footprint on the dirt (to show that it is possible to make a deep impression on the Moon's surface), as well as a few of the famous astronaut shots (to show if the lighting from the Sun / Earth was accurately captured in the NASA photographs), and how a stiff flag could "wave" if there is no wind on the Moon. (They appeared to have debunked the myth that we did not land on the Moon, but who is sponsoring their show?)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
How Many Days Ago Were You Born?
To find out how many days you have been living on this planet, type your birthdate in the text input field of the Wolfram website listed below.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
This website, (currently in its alpha test state), is using a new kind of knowledge-based computing. When you enter a question or calculation, the answer is computed using its built-in algorithms.
This information engine is much different than that of Google, since Wolfram derives its answers from a calculated "dataset" (from its own expanding database), rather than just finding the most relevant answer from the internet.
Therefore the usage of Wolfram's type of "engine" will differ from that of Google, and in some instances, could directly lead to more relevant results.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
This website, (currently in its alpha test state), is using a new kind of knowledge-based computing. When you enter a question or calculation, the answer is computed using its built-in algorithms.
This information engine is much different than that of Google, since Wolfram derives its answers from a calculated "dataset" (from its own expanding database), rather than just finding the most relevant answer from the internet.
Therefore the usage of Wolfram's type of "engine" will differ from that of Google, and in some instances, could directly lead to more relevant results.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Ancient Writing Systems
I found this very informative website on ancient writing systems:
http://www.ancientscripts.com/ws.html
Admittedly, it doesn't get interesting until you click on the "Types"/"Families"/"Regions" classifications links, and then further click from there. You can then view the alphabet scripts (and "signs") from ancient Mesopotamia, Africa, and Central Asia, among many others regions of the world.
The types of writing systems are divided into the following categories:
Logographic (example: Chinese)
Logophonetic (examples: Cuneiform and Japanese)
Syllabic (example: Cherokee)
Consonantal Alphabetic (example: Hebrew)
Syllabic Alphabetic (examples: Burmese and Tibetan)
Consonent & Vowel Alphabetic (examples: Greek and Korean)
It's interesting that seemingly disparate languages have a shared similarity.
I hope you find this as intriguing as I did!
http://www.ancientscripts.com/ws.html
Admittedly, it doesn't get interesting until you click on the "Types"/"Families"/"Regions" classifications links, and then further click from there. You can then view the alphabet scripts (and "signs") from ancient Mesopotamia, Africa, and Central Asia, among many others regions of the world.
The types of writing systems are divided into the following categories:
Logographic (example: Chinese)
Logophonetic (examples: Cuneiform and Japanese)
Syllabic (example: Cherokee)
Consonantal Alphabetic (example: Hebrew)
Syllabic Alphabetic (examples: Burmese and Tibetan)
Consonent & Vowel Alphabetic (examples: Greek and Korean)
It's interesting that seemingly disparate languages have a shared similarity.
I hope you find this as intriguing as I did!
Porcupine Tree
What a unique and trippy name for a band…
I first heard a track of theirs ("Always Never") on an ambient compilation album from 1995. I was intrigued from that moment on, by the sound of the vocals, the timbre of their instruments, and their sonic textures.
They are not an ambient band at all in the pure electronic sense, but they do create sonic landscapes, much in the vein of Pink Floyd.
In fact, I would describe their music as a cross between the guitar work of Martin Barre from Jethro Tull, (plus a little bit of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi), mixed with the keyboards of Pink Floyd, and the lyrical style of The Kinks.
(The leader/founder of Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, despises the reference to sounding a bit like Pink Floyd, as to him, that infers that they are living in the shadows of another band.)
They are certainly a melodic, progressive rock band, and are also categorized as "psychedelic rock."
This is one of the few modern rock bands of which I can actually listen to an entire album, without skipping past a few tracks. It is a great listening experience from beginning to end. (Another of my recent favorites, although in a different musical style, is Tool. More on them at a later date.)
Having seen them in concert several times in the last seven years, their projected visuals are mesmerizing. The Danish artist and filmmaker (Lasse Hoile), who designs their album covers and packages, creates their concert projections.
They will be playing in Los Angeles on September 19 at Club Nokia.
Check out the band's official website:
http://www.porcupinetree.com/
I first heard a track of theirs ("Always Never") on an ambient compilation album from 1995. I was intrigued from that moment on, by the sound of the vocals, the timbre of their instruments, and their sonic textures.
They are not an ambient band at all in the pure electronic sense, but they do create sonic landscapes, much in the vein of Pink Floyd.
In fact, I would describe their music as a cross between the guitar work of Martin Barre from Jethro Tull, (plus a little bit of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi), mixed with the keyboards of Pink Floyd, and the lyrical style of The Kinks.
(The leader/founder of Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, despises the reference to sounding a bit like Pink Floyd, as to him, that infers that they are living in the shadows of another band.)
They are certainly a melodic, progressive rock band, and are also categorized as "psychedelic rock."
This is one of the few modern rock bands of which I can actually listen to an entire album, without skipping past a few tracks. It is a great listening experience from beginning to end. (Another of my recent favorites, although in a different musical style, is Tool. More on them at a later date.)
Having seen them in concert several times in the last seven years, their projected visuals are mesmerizing. The Danish artist and filmmaker (Lasse Hoile), who designs their album covers and packages, creates their concert projections.
They will be playing in Los Angeles on September 19 at Club Nokia.
Check out the band's official website:
http://www.porcupinetree.com/
Saturday, August 22, 2009
LiveScribe Smart Pen
I recently discovered a great, new tool which could be useful for recording interviews, lectures or meetings. The LiveScribe Pulse digital smart pen.
It is rare that I am so excited about a new piece of technology, and it shows that there are still some incredibly original ideas out there.
The pen has an infrared camera, an audio recorder, mini speaker, USB connector, and the ability to write like a normal ink pen. It uses a matrix type of micro "dot" paper, which you can print out yourself on regular paper, or purchase from your local office supply store.
As you are taking notes, the audio recorder in the pen records the audio. Later, if you go back to any particular word that you wrote, even several pages back, the pen will play back the exact audio, associated with that particular word or phrase you are clicking on, due to the matrix paper keeping track of the time-line.
You can even draw sketches and transfer it to your computer without having to scan anything. And no more missed information as you are trying to write something down.
Here is their URL if you want to check it out:
http://www.livescribe.com/
It is rare that I am so excited about a new piece of technology, and it shows that there are still some incredibly original ideas out there.
The pen has an infrared camera, an audio recorder, mini speaker, USB connector, and the ability to write like a normal ink pen. It uses a matrix type of micro "dot" paper, which you can print out yourself on regular paper, or purchase from your local office supply store.
As you are taking notes, the audio recorder in the pen records the audio. Later, if you go back to any particular word that you wrote, even several pages back, the pen will play back the exact audio, associated with that particular word or phrase you are clicking on, due to the matrix paper keeping track of the time-line.
You can even draw sketches and transfer it to your computer without having to scan anything. And no more missed information as you are trying to write something down.
Here is their URL if you want to check it out:
http://www.livescribe.com/
"I Met The Walrus"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmR0V6s3NKk
This is very interesting… More Beatles-related news.
Fluid, trippy, hand-drawn animation created around the spoken words of John Lennon from a 1969 interview during a "bed-in" for peace in Toronto.
The book with an accompanying DVD just came out ("I Met the Walrus: How One Day with John Lennon Changed My Life Forever"), and shows some never-before-seen photos, as well as a 16mm home movie (sans sound) that was shot by the interviewer/author — a 14 year old kid.
For some more animation in a similar vein, check out the "Malnar" video on the website of Neil Peart (drummer for RUSH):
http://www.neilpeart.com/xtras/index.html
This is very interesting… More Beatles-related news.
Fluid, trippy, hand-drawn animation created around the spoken words of John Lennon from a 1969 interview during a "bed-in" for peace in Toronto.
The book with an accompanying DVD just came out ("I Met the Walrus: How One Day with John Lennon Changed My Life Forever"), and shows some never-before-seen photos, as well as a 16mm home movie (sans sound) that was shot by the interviewer/author — a 14 year old kid.
For some more animation in a similar vein, check out the "Malnar" video on the website of Neil Peart (drummer for RUSH):
http://www.neilpeart.com/xtras/index.html
The Beatles Remastered
I am pleased to hear that my all-time favorite band, The Beatles are releasing their digitally remastered catalogue for the first time. Coming September 9, 2009. (The date tying in with the "Number 9" theme!)
Here's a cool commercial for The Beatles RockBand which comes out on the same day:
You can view a promo video by clicking here: The Beatles Remastered
Also check out the Box of Vision, which is built to store the remastered CDs, and comes with a 200 page LP sized book of restored album artwork:
http://store.boxofvision.com/
New Beginnings
Welcome to my blog. I'll be posting my own random thoughts, observations and philosophies. Also, items of interest in many diversified areas, such as in music, film, art, science, technology and metaphysics.
Original writings © 2009 Darwin Foye. All Rights Reserved.
Original writings © 2009 Darwin Foye. All Rights Reserved.
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