Hudson Flight 1549 HD Animation with audio for US Airways Water Landing
This animation was accurately reconstructed from real-life data and official reports, and produced using our unique forensic software
This animation was accurately reconstructed from real-life data and official reports, and produced using our unique forensic software
Google is FUBAR
Google announced perhaps the biggest change it has ever made to its massive network of web services: Starting in March, your search and surf habits across all of Google’s products will be combined to form the mother of all behavioral profiles. On March 1, Search will know the contents of your email and the videos you watch on YouTube. If you use Google Docs for work, Search will know which company you work for and which industry you work in. Via Google Reader, Search and YouTube will know what content you like to consume. And of course, the kicker: Google’s ad networks — AdSense, AdWords, DoubleClick — will have full access to all of your search and surf habits from every Google web service.
Just so you understand how big this is, Google is by far the largest web property in the US: 153 million Americans hit the search engine alone in 2011 — the single largest website in the US — with YouTube coming in fifth, with 100 million uniques. This story is repeated all over the world, and in some cases it’s even worse: Google “only” has 65% of the search market in the US, but in many European countries (Germany, France, England, etc.) that figure is closer to 90%. YouTube, likewise, is incredibly popular all over the world. The figures for services like Gmail and Google Docs are harder to come by, but they both have hundreds of millions of worldwide users.
This on its own is fairly shocking, but not all that surprising. Personally, I thought Google already did this — I mean, if your entire company is based on targeted advertising, commingling all of your data makes complete commercial sense. If we mix two other factors into the equation, however, it quickly becomes apparent that Google is FUBAR.
[Source]
Google announced perhaps the biggest change it has ever made to its massive network of web services: Starting in March, your search and surf habits across all of Google’s products will be combined to form the mother of all behavioral profiles. On March 1, Search will know the contents of your email and the videos you watch on YouTube. If you use Google Docs for work, Search will know which company you work for and which industry you work in. Via Google Reader, Search and YouTube will know what content you like to consume. And of course, the kicker: Google’s ad networks — AdSense, AdWords, DoubleClick — will have full access to all of your search and surf habits from every Google web service.
Just so you understand how big this is, Google is by far the largest web property in the US: 153 million Americans hit the search engine alone in 2011 — the single largest website in the US — with YouTube coming in fifth, with 100 million uniques. This story is repeated all over the world, and in some cases it’s even worse: Google “only” has 65% of the search market in the US, but in many European countries (Germany, France, England, etc.) that figure is closer to 90%. YouTube, likewise, is incredibly popular all over the world. The figures for services like Gmail and Google Docs are harder to come by, but they both have hundreds of millions of worldwide users.
This on its own is fairly shocking, but not all that surprising. Personally, I thought Google already did this — I mean, if your entire company is based on targeted advertising, commingling all of your data makes complete commercial sense. If we mix two other factors into the equation, however, it quickly becomes apparent that Google is FUBAR.
[Source]
Portrait of the ghost drummer
Ghost Drummer is a multidisciplinary project that explores graphic qualities in process of playing on a drum kit. Besides being a musician, drummer when playing is unconsciously engaged in an elaborate choreography. The drum sticks are the extensions of drummer's hands like a brush is an extension of the painter's hand. Motion-captured movements become a visual map over a time revealing fragile rhythm structures and invisible notations behind energetic instrumental solo. 'Portrait of a Ghost Drummer' expands the understanding of drummers activity from purely auditory experience to spontaneous visual performance. From technical point of view motion trajectory was captured on Vicon MX system and raw CSV files were translated into visual language in 3d environment Cinema4D. My self-developed technique is inspired by areas such as drumming notation, action painting, choreography, japanese calligraphy and 3d digital drawing. Most important for me is that it gives me true feeling that I am my drawing.
"When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It is only after a sort of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have been about. I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well."
-- Jackson Pollock, My Painting, 1956 (source: wikipedia)
I worked on this animation during my recent artistic residency at Culture Lab in Newcastle. I would like to thank Atau Tanaka, Pussykrew, David Green & all Culture Lab team.
Ask the Captain: What happens when planes slam on the brakes?
Question: What kind of disc brakes? I was on a 737 once during acceleration at takeoff. Suddenly the crew slammed on the brakes hard to decelerate, due to an indicator light that came on during takeoff. We had to sit at the gate for 30+ minutes to let the brakes cool (the indicator was false).
Answer: Aircraft brakes are usually multiple discs that are made out of steel or ceramic material. While lightweight, they are capable of very high deceleration rates.
Brake testing is one of the most intense parts of aircraft certification. During this test, the airplane weighing its maximum accelerates to near flying speed and then stops on the runway. The brakes get red hot and often small flames will erupt from the intense heat. The test requires that five minutes elapse before any cooling or extinguishing agent can be applied to the brakes. The videos of these tests are very dramatic.
What you experienced was a rejected takeoff but not as intense. Once a rejected take-off occurs, the pilots refer to a brake cooling chart which provides the time necessary for the brakes to properly cool. Parameters that can affect the brake cooling time are the weight of the airplane, the speed at which the reject maneuver began, the air temperature, the wind and others.
Rejected takeoffs are not common and usually occur at low speed making them less noticeable. Pilots train for rejected take-off during every training session in the simulator to make sure they are ready if one is needed.
Q: Captain Cox, I've noticed some flight crews (mainly of regional aircraft) opt to set the brake and allow the engines to spool to full (or nearly full) take off power before beginning the takeoff roll, even when the runway length wouldn't appear to be an issue. Specifically, I noticed it most recently on a lightly-loaded Dash-8 using a 8000 foot runway. It was around 90 degrees at takeoff and, though I'm aware that can impact take off performance, is it that pronounced at an airport that was around 1,200 msl (mean sea level)?
— drhunterr
A: When departing from a short runway, it is good practice to hold the brakes while the engines are spooling up. On longer runways, a rolling takeoff is the normal procedure. On some aircraft, there can be a difference in engine acceleration causing one engine to spool up faster than the other. There can be an uncomfortable yaw motion if one engine is producing much more power than the other.
An 8,000 foot runway at an airport elevation of 1,200 feet would not normally need to hold the brakes. The performance difference would not be significant.
[Source]
Question: What kind of disc brakes? I was on a 737 once during acceleration at takeoff. Suddenly the crew slammed on the brakes hard to decelerate, due to an indicator light that came on during takeoff. We had to sit at the gate for 30+ minutes to let the brakes cool (the indicator was false).
Answer: Aircraft brakes are usually multiple discs that are made out of steel or ceramic material. While lightweight, they are capable of very high deceleration rates.
Brake testing is one of the most intense parts of aircraft certification. During this test, the airplane weighing its maximum accelerates to near flying speed and then stops on the runway. The brakes get red hot and often small flames will erupt from the intense heat. The test requires that five minutes elapse before any cooling or extinguishing agent can be applied to the brakes. The videos of these tests are very dramatic.
What you experienced was a rejected takeoff but not as intense. Once a rejected take-off occurs, the pilots refer to a brake cooling chart which provides the time necessary for the brakes to properly cool. Parameters that can affect the brake cooling time are the weight of the airplane, the speed at which the reject maneuver began, the air temperature, the wind and others.
Rejected takeoffs are not common and usually occur at low speed making them less noticeable. Pilots train for rejected take-off during every training session in the simulator to make sure they are ready if one is needed.
Q: Captain Cox, I've noticed some flight crews (mainly of regional aircraft) opt to set the brake and allow the engines to spool to full (or nearly full) take off power before beginning the takeoff roll, even when the runway length wouldn't appear to be an issue. Specifically, I noticed it most recently on a lightly-loaded Dash-8 using a 8000 foot runway. It was around 90 degrees at takeoff and, though I'm aware that can impact take off performance, is it that pronounced at an airport that was around 1,200 msl (mean sea level)?
— drhunterr
A: When departing from a short runway, it is good practice to hold the brakes while the engines are spooling up. On longer runways, a rolling takeoff is the normal procedure. On some aircraft, there can be a difference in engine acceleration causing one engine to spool up faster than the other. There can be an uncomfortable yaw motion if one engine is producing much more power than the other.
An 8,000 foot runway at an airport elevation of 1,200 feet would not normally need to hold the brakes. The performance difference would not be significant.
[Source]
NASA Just Found A Lot More Water On The Moon
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a spacecraft launched in 2009 with the goal of helping humans get back to the moon, has returned new images depicting regions of the moon that have more water than previously thought (via Time).
Images produced by the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) show permanently shadowed regions, or PSRs, that contain water in the form of pure ice crystals.
"Our results suggest there could be as much as 1 to 2 percent water frost in some permanently shadowed soils," said Randy Gladstone from the SwRI Space Science and Engineering Division (via Science Daily)."This is unexpected because naturally occurring interplanetary Lyman-alpha was thought to destroy any water frost before it could accumulate."
The presence of water frost in dark craters of the Moon's southern and northern poles means scientists are one step closer to a future Moon base since "knowing that there would be a steady supply on hand for drinking, raising food in greenhouses and even manufacturing rocket fuel," would be a perquisite for lunar travel, according to Jeffrey Kluger of Time.
[Source]
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a spacecraft launched in 2009 with the goal of helping humans get back to the moon, has returned new images depicting regions of the moon that have more water than previously thought (via Time).
Images produced by the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) show permanently shadowed regions, or PSRs, that contain water in the form of pure ice crystals.
"Our results suggest there could be as much as 1 to 2 percent water frost in some permanently shadowed soils," said Randy Gladstone from the SwRI Space Science and Engineering Division (via Science Daily)."This is unexpected because naturally occurring interplanetary Lyman-alpha was thought to destroy any water frost before it could accumulate."
The presence of water frost in dark craters of the Moon's southern and northern poles means scientists are one step closer to a future Moon base since "knowing that there would be a steady supply on hand for drinking, raising food in greenhouses and even manufacturing rocket fuel," would be a perquisite for lunar travel, according to Jeffrey Kluger of Time.
[Source]
Smart E-Book Interface Prototype Demo
Knowledge Convergence Team(Team Leader: Prof. Howon Lee) at KI for IT Convergence has developed Smart E-Book System.
Knowledge Convergence Team(Team Leader: Prof. Howon Lee) at KI for IT Convergence has developed Smart E-Book System.
Steve Jobs rare footage conducting a presentation on 1980 (Insanely Great)
January . 22 . 2012
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Steve Jobs rare footage conducting a presentation on 1980 (Insanely Great)
Firm stops file sharing after Megaupload case
FileSonic, a website providing online data storage, has disabled its file sharing services following a U.S.-led crackdown on a rival website and amid heated debate over Washington's attempts to clamp down on online piracy.
Police in New Zealand and Europe have made a number of arrests in recent days related to an investigation led by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation of the Megaupload.com website.
The group have been accused of engaging in a scheme that took more than $500 million away from copyright holders and generated over $175 million in proceeds from subscriptions and advertising. Megaupload's lawyers have said the company simply offered online storage.
FileSonic, which describes itself as the "Unlimited Storage Company," said in a statement on its website that it would only allow users to access their own files.
"All sharing functionality of FileSonic is now disabled. Our service can only be used to upload and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally."
The firm, which lists addresses in Britain and Hong Kong, did not immediately respond to an email sent requesting further comment on the move.
The Megaupload case is being heard as the debate over online piracy reaches fever pitch in Washington where Congress is trying to craft tougher legislation.
[Source
FileSonic, a website providing online data storage, has disabled its file sharing services following a U.S.-led crackdown on a rival website and amid heated debate over Washington's attempts to clamp down on online piracy.
Police in New Zealand and Europe have made a number of arrests in recent days related to an investigation led by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation of the Megaupload.com website.
The group have been accused of engaging in a scheme that took more than $500 million away from copyright holders and generated over $175 million in proceeds from subscriptions and advertising. Megaupload's lawyers have said the company simply offered online storage.
FileSonic, which describes itself as the "Unlimited Storage Company," said in a statement on its website that it would only allow users to access their own files.
"All sharing functionality of FileSonic is now disabled. Our service can only be used to upload and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally."
The firm, which lists addresses in Britain and Hong Kong, did not immediately respond to an email sent requesting further comment on the move.
The Megaupload case is being heard as the debate over online piracy reaches fever pitch in Washington where Congress is trying to craft tougher legislation.
[Source
Actor Thomas Gibson is an iPhone shutterbug
Thomas Gibson is best known for his roles as Aaron Hotchner on CBS' Criminal Minds and Greg Montgomery on the 1997-2002 ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg. A major digital photography nut, Gibson says he snaps behind-the-scenes shots in-between takes on the set "because this is where I spend my whole life."
Gibson's iPhoneography is out there for the world, via his @Gibsonthomas Twitter photo feed and his gibsonthomas.tumblr.com blog.
He owns a digital Leica, Panasonic Lumix and Olympus Pen EP-1, but his camera of choice is the iPhone 4S. "It's the one I carry with me. It's in my pocket. The other ones won't be in my pocket when I'm on the set. I love the look that I get, and now that the (new iPhone 4S) camera is 8 megapixel, the images are much crisper and more beautiful."
Apps
Gibson likes to use photo apps to dress up images shot with his iPhone 4S. His two favorites: Photosynth (Microsoft, free) for making panoramas and Camera+ (Tap Tap Tap, 99 cents) for its filters. "It has great special effects," such as the Ansel Adams-like high contrast black-and-white filter and the one that mimics pinhole photography, he says.
Foot fetish
For kicks, he decided to start taking photos of actors shoes, and ask his Twitter and Tumblr fans to guess whom they belonged to. It caught on. "Someone posted a query about what (Minds actor Shemar Moore) was wearing on his feet, so I started doing a little `guess whose shoes these are' game. Now it's a full-blown foot fetish, and people are wondering whether I need to seek professional help."
Photo prints
He hasn't printed any of his digital photos since 2000. He knows he needs to have his old collection scanned. "I really want to share them with people" online.
His at-work gear
In addition to the MacBook Pro and the iPhone 4S (in a $25 ID America case), Gibson totes an iPad, encased in a $79.95 Portenzo case, and a Jambox portable wireless speaker and speakerphone by Jawbone, which he uses for music. "I've been a Mac guy for 20 years. Even if I'm having trouble with the latest MacBook Pro, I'm still a Mac guy."
[Source]
Thomas Gibson is best known for his roles as Aaron Hotchner on CBS' Criminal Minds and Greg Montgomery on the 1997-2002 ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg. A major digital photography nut, Gibson says he snaps behind-the-scenes shots in-between takes on the set "because this is where I spend my whole life."
Gibson's iPhoneography is out there for the world, via his @Gibsonthomas Twitter photo feed and his gibsonthomas.tumblr.com blog.
He owns a digital Leica, Panasonic Lumix and Olympus Pen EP-1, but his camera of choice is the iPhone 4S. "It's the one I carry with me. It's in my pocket. The other ones won't be in my pocket when I'm on the set. I love the look that I get, and now that the (new iPhone 4S) camera is 8 megapixel, the images are much crisper and more beautiful."
Apps
Gibson likes to use photo apps to dress up images shot with his iPhone 4S. His two favorites: Photosynth (Microsoft, free) for making panoramas and Camera+ (Tap Tap Tap, 99 cents) for its filters. "It has great special effects," such as the Ansel Adams-like high contrast black-and-white filter and the one that mimics pinhole photography, he says.
Foot fetish
For kicks, he decided to start taking photos of actors shoes, and ask his Twitter and Tumblr fans to guess whom they belonged to. It caught on. "Someone posted a query about what (Minds actor Shemar Moore) was wearing on his feet, so I started doing a little `guess whose shoes these are' game. Now it's a full-blown foot fetish, and people are wondering whether I need to seek professional help."
Photo prints
He hasn't printed any of his digital photos since 2000. He knows he needs to have his old collection scanned. "I really want to share them with people" online.
His at-work gear
In addition to the MacBook Pro and the iPhone 4S (in a $25 ID America case), Gibson totes an iPad, encased in a $79.95 Portenzo case, and a Jambox portable wireless speaker and speakerphone by Jawbone, which he uses for music. "I've been a Mac guy for 20 years. Even if I'm having trouble with the latest MacBook Pro, I'm still a Mac guy."
[Source]