Category: Points of Information
Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
A new poll in Nevada repeats what was found in North Carolina: Obama appears to be losing a significant percentage of the black vote.
A new poll in Nevada repeats what was found in North Carolina: Obama appears to be losing a significant percentage of the black vote.
Both polls could be noise. If true, however, the Democrats cannot win. Without 95% of the black vote they just do not garner enough votes from any other group to win.
And if this is true, it will also mean that the racism in the black community might finally be abating. Voting for a candidate merely because of skin color is still bigotry, no matter what the skin color. If the black community is finally gaining the ability to see past skin color it will be a very good thing.
Watch an asteroid a third of a mile across zip past the Earth tonight.
Watch an asteroid a third of a mile across zip past the Earth tonight.
China is in its final preparations for the launch of its next manned mission.
The new colonial movement: China is in its final preparations for the launch of its next manned mission, expected any day now.
This is the key quote from the article:
China aims to build a space station around 2020 based on the space rendezvous and docking technology that is currently being tested. Several components will be sent into space separately before being assembled into a space station through a variety of docking procedures.
Scientists have developed a genetically altered mosquito that does not transmit malaria to humans.
Yow! Scientists have developed a genetically altered mosquito that cannot transmit malaria to humans.
More lakes on Titan
Mars Odyssey put itself into safe mode on Friday when it detected problems with one of the three reaction wheels used to orient the spacecraft.
Mars Odyssey put itself into safe mode on Friday when it detected problems with one of the three reaction wheels used to orient the spacecraft.
If this space probe goes down, it will make it more difficult to rely data back from Opportunity, now on the Martian surface, and Curiosity, due to land in two months.
The North Carolina legislature has passed a bill that requires its coastal planning commission to ignore the accelerated sea level rise predictions of global warming scientists and instead use more conservative numbers.
The North Carolina legislature has passed a bill that requires its coastal planning commission to ignore the accelerated sea level rise predictions of global warming scientists and instead use more conservative numbers.
To put it another way, North Carolina has decided, for coastal planning purposes, to use the slower linear rise in sea level that can be extrapolated from the actual data that scientists have gathered for the past century, and not use the models pushed by the IPCC and other global warming scientists that predict an acceleration of sea level rise in the next century due to human-caused global warming.
This decision by North Carolina has happened because increasingly people of good conscience no longer believe anything the global warming activists in the climate field are telling them. These scientists either perpetuated scientific fraud to sell the idea of human-caused global-warming, or have been willing to whitewash the fraud of other scientists. Rather than listen to them, the North Carolina legislature has decided to interpret the data independently. The legislature might very well be wrong, but what else can they do? They certainly can’t trust the claims of the climate field.
Have two physicists created solid metallic hydrogen in the lab? Scientists fight it out.
Have two physicists created solid metallic hydrogen in the lab? Scientists fight it out.
The X-37b in orbit for the past fifteen months is set to land this week, possibly even today.
The X-37b in orbit for the past fifteen months is set to land this week, possibly even today.
NASA has released more information about the two space telescopes the National Reconnaissance Office has donated to them.
NASA has released more information about the two space telescopes the National Reconnaissance Office has donated to them.
Unless they can find a buyer the United Kingdom will close down its 3.8 meter infrared UKIRT telescope on Mauna Kea in 2013.
Telescope for sale: Unless they can find a buyer the United Kingdom will close down its 3.8 meter infrared UKIRT telescope on Mauna Kea in 2013.
This is a tragedy. A 3.8 meter telescope is no slouch and can do amazing research. The problem is that all the available money in ground-based astronomy is now being eaten up by the construction of giant telescopes in the 20 to 40 meter range.
What astronomy needs are some wealthy philanthropists who would like to buy these mid-sized telescopes, put their names on it, and finance their operation. This is how most big telescopes were made possible before World War II.
Orbital Sciences successfully launched NASA’s NuSTAR X-ray telescope this morning.
After a three month delay so that NASA could correct software issues, Orbital Sciences successfully launched NASA’s NuSTAR X-ray telescope this morning.
One of the window’s of the observation cupola on ISS has been hit by a micrometeorite and is now shuttered until engineers can evaluate the damage.
One of the windows of the observation cupola on ISS has been hit by a micrometeorite and is now shuttered until engineers can evaluate the damage.
Construction of the world’s largest ground-based telescope has been approved by the European Southern Observatory.
Construction of the world’s largest ground-based telescope has been approved by the European Southern Observatory.
No one should get too excited about this announcement. They still need to raise 90% of their funds to build it, and to do so they have to get agreements from the four member countries of the European Southern Observatory. It will be years, probably at least a decade, before this 40-meter truly gigantic telescope sees the light.
On the way home
We are right now driving between Las Vegas and Hoover Dam, and should be home late tonight. Thus, I should be able to resume blogging sometime tomorrow. I will also write up a description of my experiences this past week and post it tomorrow.
On the road
The image on the left will give you a good idea of what my day was like: Twelve hours of driving across Arizona and Nevada. Tomorrow the cave work begins.
Ray Bradbury has died.
R.I.P. Ray Bradbury has died.
Solar Dynamic Observatory successfully imaged Venus’s atmosphere during yesterday’s transit
Solar Dynamic Observatory successfully imaged Venus’s atmosphere during yesterday’s transit. Cool images too.
“I will kill Walker myself.”
Leftwing civility: “I will kill Walker myself.”
I wish this was the only person to say this, but no, it isn’t. The link gives a nice sampling of hate from Democrat/leftwing supporters. Another example here.