100-year-old negatives from the Ross Sea Party found in Antarctica onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com 100-year-old negatives from the Ross Sea Party found in Antarctica

New Zealand's Antarctic Heritage Trust has announced an exciting find: 22 never-before-seen cellulose nitrate negatives discovered inside Captain Robert Falcon Scott's last expedition base at Cape Evans on Ross Island in Antarctica.

The negatives were recovered as part of the Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project, which is conserving items from Captain Scott's hut. The photos are from Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1917 Ross Sea Party, which was stranded for some time on Ross Island after its expedition ship, SY Aurora was torn from its moorings. Up top is a photograph of Big Razorback Island, McMurdo Sound, believed to have been taken in January 1915 from the deck of the Aurora. Below is another photo taken from the deck of the Aurora looking South to Hut Point Peninsula, and a photo Alexander Stevens, Chief Scientist, on board the Aurora.

You can see more of the recovered images at the Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Century old Antarctic images discovered in Captain Scott's hut [Antarctic Heritage Trust via PetaPixel via Presurfer]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com 100-year-old negatives from the Ross Sea Party found in Antarctica

US judge rules Sherlock Holmes and Watson are in the public domain onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com US judge rules Sherlock Holmes and Watson are in the public domain

If you've had a Sherlock Holmes in space novel idea kicking around your head, now might be a good time to start writing it. A United States federal judge has ruled that Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and other elements of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories are no longer covered by US copyright law.

Editor Leslie S. Klinger filed a complaint against Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. regarding the publication of In the Company of Sherlock Holmes, an anthology of new Sherlock Holmes stories edited by Klinger and Laurie R. King. Publisher Pegasus Books received a letter from Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. stating that it would block the sale of the anthology unless it received a licensing fee for the use of elements of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. The estate argued that, since some Sherlock Holmes stories will not enter into the public domain in the US until 2022, elements from the early stories, including the characters, are still covered under US copyright law. The argument, which Ruben Castillo, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, called "novel" in his opinion, is that, since the characters continued to develop through the stories that remain under copyright, the characters themselves are not in the public domain.

In a declaratory judgment, Castillo held that, even though not all Sherlock Holmes stories are in the public domain, elements from the stories that appeared before January 1st, 1923 are in the public domain. He cited several other cases in which US courts have found that, when some of a character's stories are in the public domain, the character is him-, her-, or itself in the public domain as well. The elements that first appear post-January 1st, 1923 are, however, still under US copyright.

Benjamin W. Allison, a lawyer for the Conan Doyle Estate, told the New York Times that the estate is exploring the possibility of an appeal and that the ruling will not alter any current licensing agreements, nor the estate's claims under trademark law.

Klinger v. Conan Doyle Estate, Memorandum Opinion and Order [Free Sherlock via New York Times]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com US judge rules Sherlock Holmes and Watson are in the public domain

The 18 Most Futuristic Predictions That Came True in 2013 onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com The 18 Most Futuristic Predictions That Came True in 2013

A lot can happen in a single year, especially in this era of accelerating technological and social change. Here are the most futuristic developments of 2013.

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1. Humanity officially became an interstellar species: It took Voyager I 36 years to do it, but the little spacecraft-that-could officially pierced through the heliosphere back in July. The probe is now 12 billion miles (19 billion kilometers) from our sun. "Voyager has boldly gone where no probe has gone before, marking one of the most significant technological achievements in the annals of the history of science, and adding a new chapter in human scientific dreams and endeavors," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "Perhaps some future deep space explorers will catch up with Voyager, our first interstellar envoy, and reflect on how this intrepid spacecraft helped enable their journey."

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2. Radical life extension went mainstream: Back in September, Google announced Calico, a company that will focus on health and well-being. But its ultimate purpose is to radically extend the human lifespan. As TIME put it, "That would be crazy — if it weren't Google." By launching Calico, Google CEO Larry Page hopes to tackle some of health care's most pressing problems. And by virtue of doing so, the company hopes to be a major player — if not the major player — in the burgeoning efforts to slow down, or even halt, the aging process in humans.

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3. Brain-to brain interfaces arrived: Researchers demonstrated that signals from the mind of one rat can help a second rat solve basic puzzles in real time — even when separated by thousands of miles.

And in a separate development, scientists created an interface that allows humans to move a rat's tail with their thoughts.

The interface could conceivably connect two humans — what's called neural coupling —for therapeutic purposes (like helping people relearn how to use previously paralyzed limbs), or applications in which humans voluntarily couple themselves and move each other's body parts.

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4. The first functional 3D printed handgun: The controversial group Defense Distributed successfully tested the firearm at a firing range south of Austin, Texas — and then promptly released the downloadable blueprints online. Called the "Liberator," it took a year to develop. In response, anti-gun campaigners condemned the project, while a number of law enforcement agencies began monitoring developments.

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5. An unmanned aircraft landed on an aircraft carrier: Landing the U.S. Navy's X-47B wasn't cheap or easy. Dubbed "Salty Dog," it has been in training to accomplish such a feat for years now, and the program has cost the government over $1.4 billion. "Your grandchildren and great grandchildren, and mine, will be reading about this historic event in their history books," Rear Admiral Mat Winter told the press ahead of the landing. "This is not trivial."

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6. Germany became the first country to recognize a third gender: As of last November, German parents were able to select male, female, or "indeterminate" when filling out their newborn's birth certificate. Parents no longer have to label their baby's gender, thereby allowing those born with intersex characteristics to make a decision later in life. Or not.

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7. The world's first government-recognized cyborg: Neil Harbisson became the first person on the planet to have a passport photo showing his true cyborg nature. In his UK passport, Harbisson can be seen wearing a head-mounted device called an eyeborg. The color-blind artist says the device allows him to see color, and he wants to help other cyborgs like himself gain more rights.

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8. Chimpanzees were named as plaintiffs in a historic personhood case: The Nonhuman Rights Project filed lawsuits in the state of New York on behalf of four captive chimpanzees seeking legal personhood status. The lawsuits failed, but it's considered the beginning of what will most assuredly be a long and difficult process to grant sapient animals the right to bodily autonomy.

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9. The world's first carbon nanotube computer: It's only got 178 transistors, but it's an important proof-of-concept that's poised to keep Moore's Law right on track. The breakthrough, in which a basic computer was powered by microscopic chains of carbon atoms, means we may have finally found a viable alternative to silicon chips.

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10. The death of privacy: Thanks to Edward Snowden, we now know the NSA and British intelligence have been wiretapping millions of innocent citizens. As Snowden recently said, "A child born today will not know privacy." It's a development that's eerily reminiscent of a prediction Neal Stephenson made in his 2011 spy novel, README — and another step closer to a Brinesque surveillance society.

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11. Google and NASA opened up their very own quantum AI lab:

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12. Biologists created an 'elixir' that reverses a known cause of aging: After administering a new compound to 2-year old mice, their muscles reverted back to 6-month levels. That's like regenerating the muscles of a 60-year old human to those of a 20-year old. The new drug improved muscle wastage, restored mitochondrial function and communication, and improved inflammation and insulin resistance. And incredibly, human trials may start next year.

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13. The first net-positive nuclear fusion reaction is recorded: In order for fusion power plants to be feasible, they have to produce more energy than they consume. It's a challenge that's confounded scientists for years. But researchers at the National Ignition Facility made it happen. During an experiment in September, the amount of energy released through a fusion reaction exceeded the amount of energy being absorbed by the fuel. It's the first time this has been achieved at any fusion facility in the world.

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14. Scientists created a cybernetic implant that repairs brain damage and a bioengineered patch that regrows damaged bones inside the body.

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15. The world's first mind-controlled exoskeleton: MindWalker is an exoskeleton that will soon enable paralyzed and locked-in people to walk using only their minds. The groundbreaking device, which is currently under review by the European Commission, consists of three main elements: The exoskeleton itself, a virtual-reality user interface, and the mind-reading component.

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16. We took a significant step closer to human cloning after deriving stem cells from cloned human embryos.

And in unrelated research, scientists also learned that mammals can reproduce entirely by cloning; researchers in Japan produced 26 successful generations of cloned mice from a single individual — for a total of 598 mice, all of whom are essentially genetic duplicates. The breakthrough shows that mammalian cloning lines can be extended and reproduced without limit.

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17. We saw some incredible — and downright frightening — new robots over the past year, including ATLAS, PETMAN, and WildCat. Quadcopters were also big news this year; they were showed-off as delivery drones, given eagle-like talons, and controlled by human thought. Oh, and robots can now collaborate over their very own internet.

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18. And last but not least — because you've all been asking for it — a functional flying car that actually looks pretty cool.

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Related: Biggest scientific breakthroughs of 2013 | The most futuristic predictions that came true in 2012

Related Related Related Related Related Related Related Related Related Related

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com The 18 Most Futuristic Predictions That Came True in 2013

7 Foods and Beverages Made Using Ingredients from the Human Body onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com 7 Foods and Beverages Made Using Ingredients from the Human Body

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While eating human flesh may be the ultimate taboo, human microbes, saliva, and even hair have been integral to the making of certain food and beverages. From traditional brews to culinary concept art, here are seven edibles that started, in part, inside the human body.

Top image from the microbe-themed anime Moyashimon.

Kuchikami Sake: The use of human saliva in fermentation actually predates the advent of rice farming in Japan. During the Jōmon period, folks would chew starchy foods like acorns, millet, and buckwheat to create fermentation starters. The amylase enzymes in human saliva breaks down the complex sugars in these foods, after which wild yeasts could feed on the sugars and convert them into alcohol. With the introduction of wet rice farming came the earliest forms of sake; the brewer would have someone (preferably a female virgin, according to some sources) chew a few mouthfuls of rice and spit them into a larger vat of rice and leave the mixture to ferment into kuchikami-zake, "mouth-chewed sake." However, by the time the Imperial brewing department was established in the city of Nara in the late 7th century, other methods of sake brewing had risen to prominence, making kuchikami sake largely a thing of the past.

Chicha: Much like sake, the largely maize-derived beverages known as chicha can be prepared by first germinating the starches or chewing them to break down the complex sugars into maltose. Chicha also goes back millennia; in the Inca Empire, women who served the cloistered Aqlla Wasi ("House of the Chosen Women") learned to brew chicha for rituals. The beverage is still brewed in parts of modern Central and South America, and in some places, human saliva is still an integral part of the process. Another traditional chicha-like beverage is called nihamanchi and is prepared by chewing and fermenting manioc tubers.

Photo by David Berkowitz.

Breast Milk Dairy Products: Of course, there is one complete food that some humans produce straight from their own bodies: breast milk. Breast milk provides all of the nutrition a growing human needs, and it may be possible even for adult humans to survive entirely on a diet of the stuff. And recently, some culinary adventurers have been experimenting with making foodstuffs from human milk the same way we typically make them from cow, sheep, and goat's milk. In 2011, a London ice cream shop known as The Icecreamists made a human milk ice cream called "Baby Gaga." (The first batch sold out in a few days at £14 per serving.) Manhattan chef Daniel Angerer incurred the wrath of the New York Health Department in 2010 after serving cheese made from his wife's breast milk at his Klee Brasserie. And in 2011, Miriam Simun launched the Lady Cheese Shop, a temporary art installation at a New York gallery where she invited patrons to taste various breast milk cheeses. Plus, nursing mothers have experimented with breast milk recipes in the privacy of their own homes. Earlier this year, Inhabitots rounded up ten breast milk recipes, from Your Milk Yogurt to Breast Milk Butter to Lactation Lasagna.

Human Microbe Cheese: You can contribute to the making of cheese even if you don't lactate. Biologist Christina Agapakis recently teamed up with odor artist Sissel Tolaas to craft 11 cheeses cultured using human microbes. They swabbed between toes, inside mouths, and even in food writer Michael Pollan's bellybutton to create cheeses that are the antithesis of the antiseptic foods so common in Western cuisine. However, the emphasis of the project was on the odor, rather than the flavor, of the resulting cheeses.

Image from Synthetic Aesthetics.

Some Products Containing L-cysteine: L-cysteine is an amino acid that is frequently found as a softening agent in commercial bread products, such as bagels, packaged bread loaves, and pizza dough. It can be harvested from duck feathers or synthesized in a lab, but what turns a lot of folks off to the additive is that it can also come from human hair. It's unclear, however, how much human hair-derived L-cysteine ends up in our food, however. In 2010, Mother Jones questioned a number of companies about the origins of their L-cysteine, and few were willing to give a definitive answer (and the few that did answered, "duck feathers"). A researcher at one dough conditioning company claimed that "plenty of companies" harvest theirs from human hair.

Products Containing Human-Derived Probiotics: You know all those advertisements touting the health benefits of microbe-infused yogurts and dairy drinks? What they usually don't tell you is where the parents of those microbes originated. It makes sense that many probiotics that are supposed to have a positive impact on your microbiome would have their origins in the human gut, but it doesn't make for great marketing. For example, Yakult contains the bacterium strain Lactobacillus casei Shirota, which a paper in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology notes was originally isolated from human feces at the Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research.

Image from the Infinity Burial Project.

Corpse-Eating Mushrooms: Here's the good news for squeamish eaters: you probably won't be eating mushrooms reared on the decay of human corpses any time soon. Certain mushrooms belonging to the genus Hebeloma thrive around mammal carrion, including human corpses. In fact, Hebeloma syriense is known as the "corpse finder" mushroom because of its tendency to grow near and above human corpses. However, most species of Hebeloma are considered inedible, and many are actually poisonous. Just two species are listed in guides as edible: Hebeloma mesophaeum and Hebeloma fastibile. But artist Jae Rhim Lee recently made headlines with her Mushroom Death Suit concept, which imagines corpses buried in a suit covered with edible mushroom spores. Lee uses shiitakes and oyster mushrooms for her initial concept, both of which are typically cultivated on trees. Oyster mushrooms are actually one of the few carnivorous species of mushrooms, but they chow down on nematodes, not rotting mammals. We'll have to see how Lee's tests on her burial suit pan out.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com 7 Foods and Beverages Made Using Ingredients from the Human Body

​Players Say Rampant Money Hacking Is Ruining GTA Online onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com ​Players Say Rampant Money Hacking Is Ruining GTA Online

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Los Santos is supposed to be a criminals' paradise, a place where the right crew, the right weapons and the right vehicles let you unlock as much money as you can earn. But a plague of hacking is clogging GTA Online's in-game economy with billions—maybe even trillions—of dirty dollars.

Most of GTA Online's initial launch woes have been resolved and a big make-good has rolled out but players say that a networking exploit that opens the door to earning infinite amounts of cash is ruining the multiplayer portion of Rockstar's hit game.

The complaints are everywhere. On Facebook, Reddit, Rockstar's support forums and other sites, users are sharing stories of how random players are suddenly bestowing them with six- and seven-figure sums or placing bounties on their heads or with similarly inflated amounts.

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The problem? Rockstar's said that holding obscene amounts of money could be a flag in their regular sweeps to ban cheating players. This has left victimized players afraid, since giving away the too-much-to-spend windfall is a scary proposition that raise suspicions on those who want to avoid a ban or play clean. Another side-effect scenario has had targets with a bounty in millions of dollars constantly on the run or sitting in their apartments waiting for the bounty to time out, though this seems to be less prevalent.

Details of the networking hack enabling the vast piles of GTA Online cash have been spreading over YouTube as well as various online forums and sub-Reddits. And the flow of ill-gotten money hasn't been stopped by the latest 1.08 patch for GTA Online. One way to dodge the unwanted gifting is to do a hard reset of your console so the extra money doesn't save. From one Twitter user:

Fifth hard reset of my ps3, don't want the billions hackers keep handing out and don't want to get banned

Without the motivation to earn money as a reward for what they've accomplished in the online version of Los Santos, affected players say that they've lost their taste for the game. Others are calling for Rockstar to close the exploit and implement a global reset that knocks all players back to a base level of XP and cash.

There's some irony here, since the GTA series has been all about the exploits of characters who break society's rules. Until there's a fix for the infinite money problem, though, the rules-breakers of GTA will be making their victims very unhappy with the burden of unasked-for riches. Kotaku has reached out Rockstar for comment and will update this story if they respond.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com ​Players Say Rampant Money Hacking Is Ruining GTA Online

The Card Game That Brings Out The Best In Every Nerd onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com The Card Game That Brings Out The Best In Every Nerd

Who would win in a fight: Spider-Man or Batman? Ninja or pirate? Drunk Godzilla or Adventure Time's Jake coupled with a million Twitter followers? Wait, what?

In the video above, you can watch some of the Kotaku team make our cases in arguments that sound pretty much just like that last Godzilla versus Jake scenario. It's all under the guidelines of a card game we recently got in NY HQ. It's called Superfight! and we had a lot of fun with it, even if we did accidentally go by some outdated rules. (Hey, the game is still in beta!)

Superfight! is a card game that's a lot like Cards Against Humanity, except instead of deliberating on who's got the funniest cards you argue over who's got the toughest combination of fighter + abilities. The judge of each round determines who—if anyone!—wins in a fight against the house.

We got a bunch of these decks of cards. Some of these cards outline individuals (or sometimes entire countries?). Those cards get paired with fighting abilities, and sometimes sidekicks or other attributes from the special decks, if you so choose.

Superfight! (made by the guy behind this genius essay) takes those age-old arguments—who would win in a fight?—and makes them a little more...interesting. And it reminds me of how serious some of those debates would get, if you've ever gotten into one. The merits of pirates versus ninjas is not something to laugh at! These are serious scenarios, in our minds, and many of us have an incredibly strong grasp on imagination thanks to the piles of lore we have to aid us. Comic books, TV shows, video games, cartoons...there's so much data to pull from. Superfight! brings out the best of that imagination and love for fictional worlds. It indulges us in our desire for silly discussions.

To contact the author of this post, write to tina@kotaku.com or find her on Twitter at @tinaamini.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com The Card Game That Brings Out The Best In Every Nerd

Amazon is making it harder to sell Bigfoot porn onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Amazon is making it harder to sell Bigfoot porn

Erotica featuring Sasquatch, minotaurs, aliens, and boar gods may not fit everyone's tastes, but some authors have made a killing selling monster sex ebooks. But some ebook publishers, notably Amazon, have been cracking down on cryptozoological smut, making it harder for writers to sell their books to readers who are hot for Bigfoot.

Business Insider has an interesting piece up about the issues monster erotica writers have encountered lately with Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform. We may chuckle a bit about stories featuring sweaty encounters with velociraptors, but there is a significant market for ebooks featuring extinct and mythological animals. Virginia Wade, one of the authors interviewed in the piece, says that during a good month, her 12,000-word Cum For Bigfoot could net $30,000.

However, after a media storm surrounding the availability of ebooks featuring rape, incest, and bestiality through major retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Waterstones, things started to change. Authors of fantasy erotica found their books taken off the virtual shelf with little or no explanation. Although Amazon has been vague on what literature it deems offensive, even when talking to Business Insider, many of the writers and folks tracking this issue suspect that these ebooks got caught in Amazon's net because they involve sex with non-human entities and are therefore taboo.

There is some discussion of questions of bestiality (especially involving creatures with human-like intelligence) and consent in fiction, but some of the authors have been able to get their books back on Amazon by upgrading their cover art or giving their books coyer titles. However, some say it has become more difficult for readers to find their ebooks when searching Amazon and that their sales have plummeted as a result.

Give the article a read. And if afterward, you find yourself hankering for a bit of paranormal romance, Business Insider notes that ebook vendor Smashwords has a healthy selection.

MONSTER PORN: Amazon Cracks Down On America's Latest Sex Fantasy [Business Insider via Hooded Utilitarian]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Amazon is making it harder to sell Bigfoot porn

Concept art from an imagined dark and gritty NeverEnding Story reboot onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Concept art from an imagined dark and gritty NeverEnding Story reboot

The NeverEnding Story doesn't need a darker reboot in the least, but Nicolas Francoeur's concept art, imagining a more "mature" version of the classic films, are still quite lovely. Let's just hope they don't give film executives any ideas.

Concept Art World has more images from the series, including Francoeur's remakes of Gmork, Rock Biter and more. Francoeur is a senior concept artist at Eidos Montréal.

The NeverEnding Story Character Redesigns by Nicolas Francoeur [Concept Art World]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Concept art from an imagined dark and gritty NeverEnding Story reboot

Artist drew himself and his cat in 100 different cartoonists' styles onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Artist drew himself and his cat in 100 different cartoonists' styles

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For his Mikenesses series, Adventure Time and Bravest Warriors cartoonist Mike Holmes drew himself (often accompanied by his cat Ella) in the styles of more than 100 different cartoonists and animators. It's a neat study that shows a real understanding of the styles—and it's also incredibly charming.

It looks like Mikenesses have been on pause for a while, but Holmes has tons of them up on his Tumblr. Here are just a few of them:

In the style of Quentin Blake:

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In the style of Berkeley Breathed

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In the style of Wallace and Gromit

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In the style of George Herriman

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In the style of Dr. Seuss Chuck Jones

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In the style of The Powerpuff Girls

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In the style of Graham Annable

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In the style of Archer

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In the style of Osamu Tezuka

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In the style of Gary Larson

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In the style of Rob Liefeld

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In the style of Nicholas Gurewitch

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In the style of Bill Watterson

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Mikenesses [Mike Holmes Draws via MetaFilter]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com Artist drew himself and his cat in 100 different cartoonists' styles

US spy agency launched this Earth-conquering octopus logo into orbit onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com US spy agency launched this Earth-conquering octopus logo into orbit

It sounds like a joke, but this octopus, which looks like it might just eat the Earth, waving its tentacles over the slogan "Nothing is Beyond Our Reach," is the logo for NROL-39, the latest satellite mission launched by the United States' National Reconnaissance Office.

This logo adorns the NROL-39 satellite, which was launched by Atlas V rocket earlier this week. And NRO spokesperson Karen Furgerson doesn't do much to make the logo seem less threatening. In an interview with Forbes, she said:

NROL-39 is represented by the octopus, a versatile, adaptable, and highly intelligent creature. Emblematically, enemies of the United States can be reached no matter where they choose to hide. 'Nothing is beyond our reach' defines this mission and the value it brings to our nation and the warfighters it supports, who serve valiantly all over the globe, protecting our nation.

So, malevolent octopus aside, what is the purpose of the mission? Here is the agenda according to the NRO press release:

NROL-39 will carry the Government Experimental Multi-Satellite (GEMSat) payload into orbit in a specially designed Aft Bulkhead Carrier, part of the Atlas V Centaur upper stage. The GEMSat payload contains 12 CubeSats, or "nanosatellites."

GEMSat's CubeSats will perform a variety of unique scientific experiments and demonstrate high-technology operational concepts. Sponsored by the NRO's Mission Integration Directorate and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Launch Support Program, these CubeSats were developed by a number of laboratories, universities, and government entities across the United States.

 Two developed by Aerospace Corporation, called AeroCube-5 (AC-5), will demonstrate new technologies for pointing and tracking between two identical CubeSats. AC-5 will also record launch environment data such as pressure, temperature, and vibration; and will demonstrate a deorbit device.

 One developed by the Air Force Institute of Technology, ALICE, will test the performance of an advanced carbon nanotube array, which has great potential for smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient satellite propulsion.

 Four developed by the United States Army — one called SNaP, two SMDC-One, and one TacSat-IV — will demonstrate nanosatellite communication capabilities.

And, while the CubeSats engage in their spy science, that octopus will be up there, watching.

Atlas V launches NROL-39 from Vandenberg [NASA Spaceflight] NROL-39 Scheduled to Launch with GEMSat Auxiliary Payload [NRO via Mother Jones]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com US spy agency launched this Earth-conquering octopus logo into orbit

In this Most Dangerous Game, players must stay in close proximity onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com In this Most Dangerous Game, players must stay in close proximity

Ryan Connolly's short film PROXiMITY takes the familiar concept of "The Most Dangerous Game" and adds an additional rule: players wear ankle monitors that require them to stick close together or suffer the violent consequences.

PROXiMITY uses a fairly simple concept to make an exciting, if brief, thriller that forces its protagonist to fully understand and utilize the rules of the deadly game he's playing rather than relying on gore or showy special effects.

There is also a making-of video:

And the makers have a digital copy available for sale with extras.

[via GeekTyrant]

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com In this Most Dangerous Game, players must stay in close proximity

13 Ways to Make Legend of Korra's Third Season Amazing onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com 13 Ways to Make Legend of Korra's Third Season Amazing

With book two of Legend of Korra closed, it's time to look ahead. We already know that book three will be called "Change" and deal with the after-effects of Korra's decision to leave the human world connected to the spirit world. There's a lot of potential there, and the good news is the team behind the show can work from a multi-season perspective for the first time since Korra's creation. Still, there are always pitfalls. Here's what needs to happen for the third season to be a success.

1. Love Mako no more

This one is obvious, right? I mean, if you're actually not tired of seeing women like Korra and Asami fawn over pretty-boy-Mako, please let us know. Otherwise, join me in hoping that the writers understand that they've long since wrung the few drops of dramatic tension out of this romantic dynamic. Frankly it was played out by the end of season one, but it did make sense to show how dating the Avatar might be difficult. What was stupid, though, was having Mako and Asami get back together for all of a few episodes. And the only thing more stupid than that was having Mako straight-up lie to Korra about getting back with Asami while Asami was standing right there.

Props to Asami for not stirring the pot when more important things were at stake, but she should know better than to take Mako back for a second time. And since Korra and Mako are officially done (We all heard them say it! No going back now), that means Mako and romance should be kaput. I'd rather watch him super-cop it around Republic City. He's actually kind of interesting that way, assuming people start listening to his correct hunches.

Plus, if any romance deserves attention it's Bolin and Eska. It's a relationship I actually buy into, and it's as funny as it is sweet. I'm no sailor but I'll ship them all day.

2. A second industrial revolution

Some might find this view controversial, but I think it's time someone figured out how firearms work. I understand that giving guns to non-benders makes it much easier for them to kill benders, but that's exactly what I want. The equalists had their electric gloves and beat-sticks to even out fights, and that did make for some beautiful fight scenes. Still, it doesn't make sense anymore for firearms to be absent in the world of Avatar. I mean, they have planes, remote detonated explosives, and fucking mecha now — you'd think someone would have come up with the idea for a rifle by now.

And I know that technology has developed on a different route due to bending being a superior/more versatile form of weaponry, but we've already seen technology swing over to closing the gap between benders and non-benders. It's time to see the dynamic shift again. It would also be smart for our characters to come up with some novel inventions to cope with the new presence of spirits in the human world. Obviously Future Industries is looking for a market to take over, and it would be nice to see some ingenuity that took into account humanity's new neighbors.

3. Don't bring back Korra's past lives

When Vaatu destroyed all of Korra's past lives, I was very happy. It wasn't that I disliked the Avatar's ability to commune with past lives — it's just that I'd seen it in The Last Airbender. I think it's a far more interesting decision to force Korra to build from the ground up, without 10,000 years of experience to draw on. It keeps the writers from using deus ex machina to get Korra out of tricky situations and it makes her figure things out on her own. This way she'll continue to grow wiser in the way we've been waiting for all along.

Besides, I think a lot of Korra's anxiety about making decisions comes from the fact that everyone is telling her to do different things. Without past lives to chip in their two cents, she can trust her gut and become confident enough to lead the new world she's created. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing Raava maintain a presence. It was weird enough that she was so quiet despite being there all along, and she can offer a modicum of guidance more appropriate for a post-past-life-having Avatar.

Also related: Korra better see the ramifications, both good and bad, of her decision to keep the bridge between the spirit and human worlds. Since that seems to be the focus of the whole season though, I'm not too worried about that.

4. Korra on a world tour

Republic City is an interesting place, but as The Last Airbender taught us, it's not the only city in the world. It made sense for Korra to stay put in the first season and the second season did a good job of expanding our view of the world's current state by showing off the Southern Water Tribe, but it's time to see the rest. Our characters talk about Ba Sing Se enough that we should be seeing how it's aged, and the changes brought on by the spirits is as good a reason as any to send Korra on a quick jaunt around the world to make sure things are running smoothly everywhere. Extra points if Ikki's flying bison family is the one to take Korra on her travels.

In addition, the fact that we haven't seen many other cities has raised some confusing questions. For example: do the other nations retain their sovereignty or are they beholden to the president of Republic City? The Northern Water Tribe had their own army which leads me to believe each city can make its own calls — but if that's the case why didn't Korra look elsewhere for military support when President Raiko shot her request down? It's a little, nagging problem, but there'd be an answer if we were shown where the other cities of the world play into global politics.

5. Change the art of bending again

The Legend of Korra did a great thing by "modernizing" the way people bend the elements, but I think a new change is called for. Modern societies have a rapid turnover when it comes to fads and trends, and I see no reason why bending wouldn't be affected. Perhaps some icon starts a movement for a departure from the boxing-bending of Korra's era and a return to the "vintage," traditional bending of Aang's era. I think it would be funny to see Bolin (who we've seen is susceptible to the whims of the masses) trying to practice rigid earthbending forms while fighting off his apparent ADD.

We could even see a super-minimalist bending movement that doesn't look a thing like martial arts. It may not become commonplace, but I'd love to see someone learn to bend without having to lift a finger. That kind of goes against the whole notion of bending, but it'd make for a dangerous enemy at the least.

6. Korra still isn't ready to be the Avatar

The moment Korra is ready to be the Avatar is the moment her time in the spotlight is over. It's just not that interesting to watch the journey of someone who has a perfect handle on their job. Despite the fact that Korra is making progress and angst gets old fast, we still need to see her make mistakes on a semi-regular basis. I'd love for her to be more decisive, but that doesn't mean her decisions have to be the right ones.

Also, Korra shouldn't go all giant-spirit-mode ever again during the series' run, because repeating that trick just cheapens it in retrospect. The Avatar State is enough as it is and has likely changed since she's lost her past lives. She needs to be stronger than almost everyone else when it comes to bending, but only by a thin margin most of the time. It's fine to have her dominate on occasion, but we still need to see her struggle.

7. A human villain with human motivations

Even though neither villain got as much development as they deserved (due to the writers not knowing if there would be a next season each year), Amon was more interesting than Unalaq and Vaatu. World-threatening crises can be captivating, but putting the entire world at stake is something you only get to do once in a series. The third book needs a villain who can threaten enough of the world to be worth Korra's time but not so much that it feels like we're watching the same thing as book two.

In a similar vein, a spirit antagonist like Vaatu isn't as interesting as either human villain. It's not that a spirit would inherently make a boring Big Bad, but "destroying the world" motivations are really clichéd. Amon wanted to start a revolution to stamp out bending because his father was a monster. Vaatu wanted to destroy the world because it's just his nature to do so. As long as the potential villain has actual motivations instead of desires for the sake of desires, we'll be ok. A human antagonist lends itself better to that kind of development.

8. No more humanity vs. spirits, please

Season one explored a really interesting question that had been roiling beneath the surface of The Last Airbender from almost the beginning: do non-benders resent benders? And considering they had to wrap the whole issue up in one book, the writers did a great job. But pitting benders against regular people seems uncomfortably close to another source of tension for the upcoming season — pitting humans against spirits.

There will be some adjustment that looks like the dissent Amon caused in the first season, but the entire season shouldn't be dedicated to some active dissident who is trying to eliminate all spirits. We saw how that worked out in the first season and I think we'd all rather have a new kind of conflict for Korra to resolve. Book three will, without a doubt, place humanity and spirits against each other at times, but as long as that struggle isn't the focal point everything will be fine.

9. Exploring the wide blue yonder

This might well be the season where the Avatar world opens up — if only because there is a whole second world to explore. We've been told that the spirit world is a dangerous place for regular people, but that's never stopped a headstrong explorer. In fact, Varrick would be the perfect person to lead a madcap expedition into the spirit world. He'd find some way to turn a profit.

Regardless of who goes, someone has to. Spirits will no doubt be colonizing the human world so humans should go colonize the spirit world. Not only is it a fair trade, but it'll be interesting to see how the spirits take to it. Since they get pretty uppity with how superior they, it'll be interesting to see how they react to the new neighbors.

10. A happy family with Tenzin, plus more Meelo

This is the season where Aang's whole family should finally find some harmony. I mean, it'll never be peaceful with Bumi around (which I think we like), but at least there's some mutual understanding among the group. Now that Tenzin is free from his father's shadow he might actually be less stressed all the time. Plus Korra won't keep dismissing him as an advisor anymore (I hope, since it's been done in both seasons and she regretted it both times). Book three is shaping up to be a story in which Tenzin can finally become the calm person an air nomad is supposed to be.

There is one pitfall this season for the family, though, and that's Jinora. We learned last season just how special she is, but Tenzin should realize from his own siblings that it's a mistake to play favorites. Ikki and Meelo are both very sensitive characters, and it would be a shame if Tenzin repeated his father's mistake by neglecting them. Plus both of them are hilarious and more time with them will never hurt. Especially Meelo. There needs to be 500 percent more Meelo.

11. This isn't your regular meerkat

This is basically a good opportunity for a gag, but beneath lies a valuable window into this new world Korra has created. Since many spirits appear indistinguishable from regular animals, I'm sure there will be moments where people confuse a spirit for a mundane animal only to get an earful about it afterward.

On a more serious side, this will be a good chance to show the change book three is supposed to be about. Humanity will have to adjust to living in a world where it's not immediately apparent whether the thing you're dealing with is spiritual or mundane. It's going to be confusing and it's going to cause problems, but seeing how people acclimate will be interesting.

12. Spirits should use automobiles

There are only a few timeless characteristics of the Avatar series, and one is that spirits look down on humans. From 10,000 years ago to the story's present time, humanity is seen as a nuisance that does little else but cause problems. The occasional person (Wan, Bumi, Iroh) will prove that some humans are worth befriending, but almost everyone else treated like those darn kids that won't get off the spirits' lawn. Now to be fair, humanity has been troublesome and selfish at times, but they're also far more ingenious than any spirit. And with that in mind, I want to see some spirits blown away by what humanity has created in their absence from the human world.

Sure, not everyone is going to love skyscrapers, but some spirits should. They should be awed by the radio and the automobile, and some spirits should even learn to use them. Basically, humanity needs to get a little respect for creating things no spirit could ever dream of making.

13. Make Lin competent again

This one is a shout to our homegirl Lin Beifong — because what the hell was up with her last season? For someone who is so sharp and powerful, she was reduced to nothing but a roadblock for Mako in his sleuthing escapades. And what's even sadder is that she believed those two mustachioed morons who look like they've never solved a case in their careers. I understood that Mako was "just a rookie" and that rookies are "always wrong" in their superiors' eyes, but my willing suspension of disbelief was stretched to its maximum.

In the coming season, I want Lin to have a level head about integrating spirits into the human world, and I don't want her to miss the obvious connections that Mako will shove in her face. She's the most powerful metalbender on the planet and a hero who deserves better writing than she got in the second season.

onlinecollegedegreee.blogspot.com 13 Ways to Make Legend of Korra's Third Season Amazing