Now, this is just plain weird. But this article could be one of those barely noticed things that twenty-five years from now people can look back and point at this moment and say, that's where it all started. Kinda like the Eternal September of 1993, or a hundred years before that with Tesla's wireless communication. It can be very hard to identify a technological revolution as it is happening.

To the left is a photograph of a giant hole on the surface of Mars. It's part of this list of the top 10 Astronomy photos of the year. And yeah I guess I'm a little obsessed with Astronomy right now since I'm taking a class at Yale about it. Well, not actually *at* Yale, so much as in my den on my computer, with a beer in hand. And without actually having to do the math or turn in any homework. But I did learn today why trying to see planets around other stars is actually really really difficult.

There's 2 reasons. 1) the distance between the star and the planet is so tiny, and the distance from us to that star is so great, we simply cannot discern that miniscule speck, and 2) the planets, they hide in the powerful light of those distant stars, making them impossible to see with our current instruments. We have found planets around other stars, though, and the professor is going to tell me how. But not until next class.

However, I have been keeping up with my reading over the years, and I believe the way these exoplanets are discovered is by the wobble they cause in the star they orbit, due to their gravitational pull. But we'll see.

That photo to the right is #5 on the list. It's a shot of Europa (bottom left) and Io (top right), which are two of Jupiter's many moons. That plume of blue on Io is actually the volcano Tvashtar erupting molten sulfur. Awesome.

Alright last bits and then I gotta play some online poker or something. Damn I miss my SF buddies and our rare but fantastic evenings around the table. Anyway, here's the final whisper of Lost In Translation, if you want to know. (And if you believe it's real. Seems plausible to me.)

Also check out a short video on one of the terrible epidemics tearing through our schoolchildren. It is a tragedy, but there is hope.

Last offerings are pure Friday fun. I tried Samorost-2 but it's one of those point and click flash-puzzle games that usually drive me insane after about 2 levels. Maybe that's your thing. But if not give JellyBattle a try. It's sure to delight. Nothing says fun like tiny translucent jellymen getting 'sploded lasers. And if anyone's into a multi-battle, bring it on.

Labels: astronomy, games, movies, youtube