GeekPress

2010-09-02T00:04:00.002-06:00

Video of the day: "Asteroid Discovery From 1980 - 2010"

From the website:

View of the solar system showing the locations of all the asteroids starting in 1980, as asteroids are discovered they are added to the map and highlighted white so you can pick out the new ones.

The final colour of an asteroids indicates how closely it comes to the inner solar system.

Earth Crossers are Red
Earth Approachers (Perihelion less than 1.3AU) are Yellow
All Others are Green

Notice now the pattern of discovery follows the Earth around its orbit, most discoveries are made in the region directly opposite the Sun. You’ll also notice some clusters of discoveries on the line between Earth and Jupiter, these are the result of surveys looking for Jovian moons. Similar clusters of discoveries can be tied to the other outer planets, but those are not visible in this video.

As the video moves into the mid 1990’s we see much higher discovery rates as automated sky scanning systems come online. Most of the surveys are imaging the sky directly opposite the sun and you’ll see a region of high discovery rates aligned in this manner.

At the beginning of 2010 a new discovery pattern becomes evident, with discovery zones in a line perpendicular to the Sun-Earth vector. These new observations are the result of the WISE (Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer) which is a space mission that’s tasked with imaging the entire sky in infrared wavelengths.

Currently we have observed over half a million minor planets, and the discovery rates show no sign that we’re running out of undiscovered objects.

(Via Cool Infographics.)

2010-09-02T00:03:00.001-06:00

"Top 10 Lost Technologies". (Via Kottke.)

2010-09-02T00:02:00.001-06:00

Don't waste too much time playing with this fluid simulator. (Via BBspot.)

2010-09-02T00:01:00.000-06:00

How to create space vomit.

2010-09-01T00:05:00.000-06:00

"Last week a federal appeals court shut down a challenge to Europe's Large Hadron Collider that was based on claims it could destroy the world."

2010-09-01T00:04:00.001-06:00

Major scientific fraud at Harvard.

2010-09-01T00:03:00.001-06:00

How to cripple the US military? Encourage it to use more PowerPoint.

2010-09-01T00:02:00.001-06:00

The Leidenfrost effect: Why you can safely dunk your hand into liquid nitrogen.

Includes video! (Via Maximizing Progress.)

2010-09-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

Cool map of science. (Via Howard Roerig.)

2010-08-31T00:04:00.000-06:00

Interesting NYT article: "Does Your Language Shape How You Think?" (Via multiple friends including SL and HV.)

2010-08-31T00:03:00.000-06:00

A story about Colorado, entrepreneuralism, and free beer.

Official website for Beer Drinker's Guide to Colorado. (Via @AriArmstrong.)

2010-08-31T00:02:00.000-06:00

"Gmail Voice Is About Future Search, Not Free Calls"

2010-08-31T00:01:00.000-06:00

Oatmeal comics on buying apps.

2010-08-30T00:04:00.001-06:00

Documentary on Andrew Wiles and Fermat's Last Theorem:

(Via Kottke, who notes: "Give it until 1:45 or so and you'll want to watch the whole thing. The film is not really about math; it's about all of those movie trailer cliches -- 'one man!', 'finds the truth!', 'fights the odds!', etc. -- except that this is actually true and poignant.")

2010-08-30T00:03:00.001-06:00

Revolving house.

2010-08-30T00:02:00.000-06:00

Paul Graham on the Yahoo! death spiral.

2010-08-30T00:01:00.001-06:00

It's Monday, and I sure could use one of these coffee cozies. (Via Found on the Web.)

2010-08-29T09:00:00.000-06:00

"How To Make Money Developing Mobile Apps"

2010-08-27T00:04:00.001-06:00

Scientists create 'dry water'. (Via @radleybalko.)

2010-08-27T00:03:00.000-06:00

Nike Patents Marty McFly's Self-Lacing Sneaker

2010-08-27T00:02:00.001-06:00

Top 10 Accidental Inventions

2010-08-27T00:01:00.000-06:00

Invention of the day: One person camper. (Via BBspot.)

2010-08-26T00:04:00.000-06:00

Social Steganography: Learning to Hide in Plain Sight

2010-08-26T00:03:00.000-06:00

"A foreign spy agency pulled off the most serious breach of Pentagon computer networks ever by inserting a flash drive into a U.S. military laptop"

2010-08-26T00:02:00.000-06:00

"The Government's New Right to Track Your Every Move With GPS":

Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn't violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway -- and no reasonable expectation that the government isn't tracking your movements.

That is the bizarre -- and scary -- rule that now applies in California and eight other Western states...