Eight planets Mike Brown On August 24th 2006 the word "planet" was given its first-ever scientific definition by a vote of the International Astronomical Union. With the raising of a few yellow cards in Prague, Pluto was demoted from full-fledged planet to "dwarf planet." Eris, originally called 2003 UB313, sometimes called Xena, sometimes called the "10th planet," which in many ways precipitated this final debate, becomes the largest known dwarf planet. Unless astronomers revisit this issue at some point in the future, it is unlikely that there will ever be more than eight planets. What is a dwarf planet? When the final vote on the definition of "planet" was made, and the eight dominant bodies in the solar system were declared (quite rationally) a class separate from the others, a new class of objects was defined. How many dwarf planets are there? There are two ways to look at this question. Reality, however, does not pay much attention to official lists kept by the IAU or by anyone else.
Created Equal... Photographer Mark Laita In America, the chasm between rich and poor is growing, the clash between conservatives and liberals is strengthening, and even good and evil seem more polarized than ever before. At the heart of this collection of portraits is my desire to remind us that we were all equal, until our environment, circumstances or fate molded and weathered us into whom we have become. Los Angeles- and New York-based photographer Mark Laita completed Created Equal over the course of eight years; his poignant words reflect the striking polarizations found in his photographs. Bodybuilder / Amish Farmer, 2006 / 2004 Young Boxer / Retired Boxer, 2002 / 2002 Beauty Salon Customer / Man with Curlers, 2005 / 2004 Lingerie Model / Woman in Girdle, 2006 / 2007 Catholic Nuns / Prostitutes, 2002 / 2002 Vegetarian / Butcher, 1999 / 2004 Fur Trapper / Woman with Dog, 2003 / 2004 Amish Adolescents / Teens punks, 2004 / 2004 Mariachis / Elvis Impersonators, 2000 / 2002 French Chef / Short Order Cook, 2006 / 1999 More photos!
A bit of green :: Green random, technological, architectural and edible stuff. Energy Seed by Sungwoo Park & Sunhee Kim Trashing Batteries for Brighter Sidewalks We all know alkaline batteries are really bad for the environment if you don’t dispose of them properly. The right thing to do is send them to special recycling centers but hundreds of tons end up in landfills where their toxic innards seep into the earth. Perhaps a good solution is the Energy Seed, an LED lamp post powered by trashed alkaline batteries. The idea is to encourage people to throw their batteries away into the Energy Seed. Of course once the bins are full, we’re left with the same original problem. Designer: Sungwoo Park & Sunhee Kim
Is the Universe a Holographic Reality? The Universe as a Hologram by Michael Talbot Does Objective Reality Exist, or is the Universe a Phantasm? In 1982 a remarkable event took place. At the University of Paris a research team led by physicist Alain Aspect performed what may turn out to be one of the most important experiments of the 20th century. You did not hear about it on the evening news. In fact, unless you are in the habit of reading scientific journals you probably have never even heard Aspect's name, though there are some who believe his discovery may change the face of science. Aspect and his team discovered that under certain circumstances subatomic particles such as electrons are able to instantaneously communicate with each other regardless of the distance separating them. University of London physicist David Bohm, for example, believes Aspect's findings imply that objective reality does not exist, that despite its apparent solidity the universe is at heart a phantasm, a gigantic and splendidly detailed hologram.
Stapleless Paper by Sherwood Forlee A Little Bit of College Ruled Genius By our friend and returning Yanko champion, Sherwood Forlee. Check out the simplicity. Just punch out the corner, make a cut or two, fold back, and POW! Get out there and kick-start the economy! That Forlee, always thinking with his heart. Visit his portfolio or click below to see the other things by SF that have been featured on Yanko Design. Designer: Sherwood Forlee LUNA RING: Solar Energy from the Moon Japan’s ongoing Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis has spawned some rapid-fire developments for future energy production. This weekend, plans to initiate the compulsory installation of solar energy panels on every building in the country by 2030 were announced, along with a proposed plan that promises to be the largest public infrastructure in human history: the LUNA RING. Shimizu Corporation construction firm’s research branch, CSP, unveiled a long-term planning project to install a belt of photovoltaic panels across the surface of the Moon. Power gathered from the 13,000 terrawatts of continuous solar energy the Moon’s surface receives daily would be beamed back to an Earth-based receiving station via microwave or laser transmission, where it would then be used to power public offices, hospitals and schools across the globe. For more about LUNA RING and details about the proposed technology, check out the Shimizu’s Dream page. [source 1, 2] [image 1, 2, 3]
Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources - Find Out How They Work Here Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" Movie: Fact or Hype? Updated May 25, 2006 The message in An Inconvenient Truth, the new movie starring former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, is clear: Humans are causing global warming, and the effects are devastating. Most scientists agree that the Earth is heating up, due primarily to an atmospheric increase in carbon dioxide caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. But how accurate are some of the scientific claims made in the documentary? In an attemp to clear the air, National Geographic News checked in with Eric Steig, an earth scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle, who saw An Inconvenient Truth at a preview screening. He says the documentary handles the science well. "I was looking for errors," he said. "But nothing much struck me as overblown or wrong." Claim: According to the film, the number of Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last year. "This is true," Steig said. (Read "Is Global Warming Making Hurricanes Worse?")