Google and NASA are teaming up. Who knows hat this alliance will bring about.
NASA and Google have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), that outlines plans for co-operation in a variety of areas, including large-scale data management, massively distributed computing, bio-info-nano convergence and encouragement of the entrepreneurial space industry. The MOU also highlights plans for Google to develop up to one million square feet, within the NASA Research Park at Moffett Field.
G Scott Hubbard, director - NASA Ames center, said, "Our planned partnership presents an enormous range of potential benefits to the space program. Just a few examples are new sensors and materials from collaborations on bio-info-nano convergence, improved analysis of engineering problems as well as Earth, life and space science discoveries from supercomputing and data mining, and bringing entrepreneurs into the space program. "
Eric Schmidt, chief executive officer, Google, said, "Google and NASA share a common desire - to bring a universe of information to people around the world. Imagine having a wide selection of images from the Apollo space mission at your fingertips whenever you want it. That's just one small example of how this collaboration could help broaden technology's role, in making the world a better place."
Located on property at Ames Research Center, the NASA Research Park is being developed into a world-class, shared-use educational and R&D campus. As part of a comprehensive plan for this area, new laboratories, offices, classrooms, housing, auditoriums, museums, a training and conference center, open space, parking and limited retail facilities are envisioned.
The plan calls for NASA to partner with local communities, academia, private industry, non-profit organizations and other government agencies in support of NASA's mission to conduct research and develop new technologies.
And my friend PJ said, "yeah, whatever. It's not like humanity is going to get laid more as a result."
Arctic Meltdown Continues
It needs to be said that if this trend continues, it's not going to bode well for many countries that are island atolls.
Here's another article on where this horror situation is at:
Combined with record or near record declines since 2002, the ice appears to be slipping into a long-term meltdown that may be slowly accelerating as the summer sun pumps more and more heat into the green-dark surface of the sea.
If the sea ice continues to shrink at the same rate, the summertime Arctic could be completely ice-free well before the end of this century, the scientists said.
While many factors contribute to the ice loss -- warm water creeping north from the Bering Sea and Atlantic Ocean, changes in air circulation, thinning floes that don't rebound in winter -- overall warming across the Arctic appears to be a growing influence.
"The sea ice cover seems to be rapidly changing and the best explanation for this is rising temperatures," said climate researcher Mark Serezze, a senior scientist at the snow and ice center. "My view is it's getting increasingly difficult to argue against the notion that what we're seeing is a greenhouse gas effect taking hold."
This is really not the most fun news around. meanwhile the powers that be in 'conservative' (read 'head-in-the-sand') governments keep refusing to acknowledge there is a great problem. Their excuse is that any measures to counter Global Warming might be bad for the economy. Well, there might not be an economy left if this is left to continue.
Argh, I've said my piece.
Gorillas Use Tools
More Monkey Business right here
Gorillas use tools.
"We've been observing gorillas for 10 years here, and we have two cases of them using detached objects as tools," said Thomas Breuer, from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), who heads the study team in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"In the first case, we had a female crossing a pool; and this female has crossed this pool by using a detached stick and testing the water depth, and trying to use it as a walking stick," he told the BBC.
The second case saw another female gorilla pick up the trunk of a dead shrub and use it to lean on while dredging for food in a swamp.
She then placed the trunk down on the swampy ground and used it as a bridge.
"What's fascinating about these observations is the similarity between what these creatures have done, and what we do in the context of crossing a pond," observed Dr Breuer.
"The most astonishing thing is that we have observed them using tools not for obtaining food, but for postural support."
This discovery makes the gorilla the last of the great apes to be documented using tools in the wild.
Chimpanzees use stone tools to process food, and their close relatives bonobos will use the mashed ends of sticks to soak up liquids.
Orangutans - the only Asian great ape - use branches to forage for food, and leaves to modify their calls.
Though some monkeys and birds also use tools, Thomas Breuer believes that the great apes are special.
"We have now seen tool use in all the great apes in the wild," he said.
The issue remains, monkey.
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