Eyes on Galaxies @ 11/29/2007 11:48 PM
When you get a chance, mosey on over to Galaxy Zoo site, where Gentle Readers such as yourself can participate in a truly mind boggling project:
Welcome to GalaxyZoo , the project which harnesses the power of the internet – and your brain – to classify a million galaxies. By taking part, you’ll not only be contributing to scientific research, but you’ll view parts of the Universe that literally no-one has ever seen before and get a sense of the glorious diversity of galaxies that pepper the sky.
Why do we need you?
The simple answer is that the human brain is much better at recognizing patterns than a computer can ever be. Any computer program we write to sort our galaxies into categories would do a reasonable job, but it would also inevitably throw out the unusual, the weird and the wonderful. To rescue these interesting systems which have a story to tell, we need you.
Be warned: classifying galaxies by inspection, which may sound dull and tedious, turns out to be quite addictive. I lost an hour there without even trying.
* * *
I Make the Big Time! @ 03/24/2007 09:19 PM
One of the sites I really enjoy is Starship Modeler, which is all about modeling making: spaceships (real and imaginary), fantasy figurines, dioramas, etc. They actually cover models from any genre. There’s a lively forum, tutorials about modeling making, documents about and graphics of movie models, and so on and so forth.
Best of all, in my opinion, is the Reader Gallery, where model makers show off their “builds”. For as long as I’ve been frequenting the site, I’ve wanted to have an entry in the Gallery. Today I made it: here’s the pictures and write-up of a paper-based model of the Voyager space probes launched in the 80s. I bought it almost a year and a half ago, and finally got around to building it before Christmas, submitted it to Starship Modeler, and (finally) saw it posted today.
I am very, very happy, oh Gentle Reader. I really like building models, and feel very good to be included in the company of others with similar interests.
Enjoy.
* * *
Wonderful @ 01/10/2007 02:02 PM
A lovely poem from Roberta at Elusive Abstractions:
My timepiece is a simple strand
Of upward trees and traverse land.
And shadowy pointers wrapped in rhyme
Translate for me the march of time.
* * *
Google Mars @ 03/13/2006 01:35 PM
Via Slashdot: Google Mars.
* * *
Saving the Universe, One Day At A Time @ 02/17/2006 02:59 PM
From QuizFarm: Which sci-fi crew would you best fit in?:
| You scored as Babylon 5 (Babylon 5). The universe is erupting into war and your government picks the wrong side. How much worse could things get? It doesn't matter, because no matter what you have your friends and you'll do the right thing. In the end that will be all that matters. Now if only the Psi Corps would leave you alone. | |||
| Serenity (Firefly) | 81% |  |
|
| Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) | 81% | ||
| Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) | 81% | ||
| Enterprise D (Star Trek) | 75% | ||
| Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) | 75% | ||
| SG-1 (Stargate) | 69% | ||
| Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) | 69% | ||
| Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) | 63% | ||
| Moya (Farscape) | 63% | ||
| Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda) | 44% | ||
| FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) | 31% | ||
| Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) | 25% | ||
| Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? created with QuizFarm.com | |||
Interestingly, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica (the new series), and Firefly are my three favorite sci-fi TV shows.
* * *