According to astronomers studying background radiation data gathered by the Planck Space probe, the universe is 80-million years older than previously thought. So now when somebody asks you how old the universe is, you can confidently tell them, “80-million years older than previously thought” because you never knew the original figure in the first place. WTF are they teaching in school these days?
The Planck space probe looked back at the afterglow of the Big Bang, and those results have now added about 80 million years to the universe’s age, putting it at 13.81 billion years old.
The findings released Thursday bolster a key theory called inflation, which says the universe burst from subatomic size to its now-observable expanse in a fraction of a second.
The probe, named for the German physicist Max Planck, the originator of quantum physics, also found that the cosmos is expanding a bit slower than originally thought, has a little less of that mysterious dark energy than astronomers had figured and has a tad more normal matter. But scientists say those are small changes in calculations about the universe, whose numbers are so massive.
Not gonna lie, trying to wrap my head around the scale of the universe and how it was formed and are their infinite universes — that kind of thinking makes my head hurt. I’m a simply man, you know? Some might argue too simple. Others would probably argue mentally deficient. And you know what I call those people? Friends and family. “Don’t forget us.” And Geekologie readers.
Thanks to Pyrblaze, who, like me, can’t even fathom 13.81-billion years and starts spazzing out whenever the Burger King drive-thru line is takes too long. LIKE IT WAS TODAY.
The long nights, relentless Christmas adverts and brisk chill in the air are all signs the year is coming to an end, and what better way to see in the next than with British documentary legend Sir David Attenborough? The first episode of his new three-part natural history series Galapagos 3D, written and presented by the man himself, will be airing New Year’s Day on Sky 3D in the UK. Like most of his projects, it’s sure to be a stunning visual treat that’ll make you forget about even the worst of New Year hangovers. So, don’t forget to stoke the fire, switch on your 3D TV, and enjoy an educational tour of the Galapagos Islands to start off your 2013.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: BSkyB
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The Human Rights Watch has just issued a 50-page report titled ‘Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots‘ that urges governments to ban the development of fully autonomous robots designed to kill. A one page addendum to the report written by yours truly adds, “Just ban them all so we can go get drunk and take turns punching each other in the privates.” A solid piece of legislature if I do say so myself.
“Giving machines the power to decide who lives and dies on the battlefield would take technology too far,” said Steve Goose, Arms Division director at Human Rights Watch. “Human control of robotic warfare is essential to minimizing civilian deaths and injuries.”
“Losing Humanity” is the first major publication about fully autonomous weapons by a nongovernmental organization and is based on extensive research into the law, technology, and ethics of these proposed weapons. It is jointly published by Human Rights Watch and the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic.
Agreed — no robot should ever be given the power to decide if a human being lives or dies. That power should only be given to me. And I say NUKE THE ENTIRE PLANET. *mashing big red button* “You do realize that’s just a fake button we installed to see if you’d push it, right?” Um, YEAH — I realized it last night when I snuck out of bed to hit it the first time.
Thanks to Kringle Fantastico, MarkE and NoodleRamen Konbu egg, who promised to stand up and fight the robots which is awesome because now I won’t have to. *stretching out on sofa* Don’t let me down, guys!
Latest missive from the games console wars: Sony has announced cumulative sales of its PlayStation 3 reached 70 million units on November 4, a few days short of the machine’s sixth birthday. Microsoft’s rival Xbox 360 console achieved the 70 million cumulative sales milestone back in September, according to Microsoft’s FY12Q3 earnings, although the Xbox 360 is about a year older than the PS3 so has had longer to clock up sales.
The Nintendo Wii, also launched back in fall/winter of 2006, still leads the pack — having achieved worldwide sales of 97.18 million units as of the end of September.
Sony has also announced that sales of the PlayStation Move controller — its answer to rivals’ gesture-based games peripherals such as Microsoft’s Kinect and Nintendo’s Wii Remote — passed 15 million unit sales globally on November 11. The Move controller launched back in September 2010 and is now supported by more than 400 titles, says Sony.
The cumulative number of software titles for PS3 has reached 3,590 with more than 595 million units sold worldwide. While the PlayStation Network, launched at the same time as the PS3, now operates in 59 countries and regions. Sony said the PSN gives PS3 owners access to 170,000 pieces of downloadable digital content including 57,000 game content.
The look and feel of the PS3 has evolved over the years, with a more streamlined design, a larger hard disk drive and new features added via software updates. Back in September Sony launched a version of the console that’s more than 50 percent smaller and lighter than the original PS3 — and a quarter smaller and a fifth lighter than the slim PS3 model launched back in 2009.
Sony’s release follows below
TOKYO, Nov. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that the cumulative sales of the PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system reached a milestone of 70 million units*1 worldwide as ofNovember 4, 2012 – less than six years after the platform launched in 2006. SCE also announced that sales of the PlayStation®Move motion controller surpassed 15 million units*1 worldwide as of November 11, demonstrating continued growth and momentum of the PS3® platform.
The PS3® system has delivered high quality, award-winning entertainment experiences since its launch. Throughout its lifecycle, the PS3® system has continued to evolve with more streamlined design, larger Hard Disk Drive (HDD) capacity, and new features through software updates. In September 2012, SCE launched the new PS3® system, which has a reduced volume and weight of more than 50 percent compared to the original PS3® model, and of 25 percent and 20 percent respectively compared to the slim PS3 model launched in 2009. The new PS3® has been well received by consumers around the world.
Along with the introduction of PS3® in November 2006, SCE launched PlayStation®Network, which now operates in 59 countries and regions*2 around the world. PlayStation Network supports free community-centric online gameplay, exclusive games from independent developers and major publishers, and a broad range of entertainment applications across movies, music, and sports. PS3 owners can access 170,000 downloadable digital content including 57,000 game content worldwide from PlayStation Network*3. In October 2012, SCE redesigned PlayStation®Store for PS3®, offering a more streamlined and accessible store experience, including a stunning new user interface, simple search, and powerful content discovery. The new store is now available in Europe and North and Latin America with more countries and regions to follow.
PlayStation®Plus, the subscription service package on PlayStation®Store that offers exclusive benefits such as discounts on games or online storage for game saves, started to offer an “Instant Game Collection” in North America and Europe in July 2012. The Instant Game Collection enables PS Plus members to enjoy popular titles from third party developers and publishers as well as SCE Worldwide Studios at no extra cost. SCE has also enhanced the content offering for PS Plus members in Japan in November.
Introduced in September 2010, the PlayStation®Move motion controller that enables users to intuitively play games is now supported by a wide range of titles with more than 400 as of November 2012, including Sports Champions 2, LittleBigPlanet Karting (Sony Computer Entertainment). Additionally, this month marks the global launch of Wonderbook™, a new peripheral that delivers the next evolution of storytelling and a unique experience exclusively on PS3. Wonderbook*4 uses the PlayStation®Eye camera to take augmented reality to spectacular new places, while drawing players into new worlds and allowing them to interact with stories as they tilt or rotate it, or simply turn the pages*5.
PS3® has gained tremendous support from 3rd party developers and publishers worldwide. Cumulative number of software titles for PS3® reached 3,590 with more than 595 million units sold worldwide*6. More exciting and attractive new titles are to be released from third party developers and publishers as well as SCE Worldwide Studios, including Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft Entertainment.), Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Activision, Inc), PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (Sony Computer Entertainment), towards the holiday season. In addition, software titles that support “cross platform feature” such as LittleBigPlanet 2: Cross Controller Pack, PlayStation, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (Sony Computer Entertainment) are also expected to be released. With these titles, SCE will deliver a ground-breaking gaming experience by leveraging the capabilities of both PS3® and PlayStation®Vita.
SCE will continue to further expand the PS3® platform and create a world of computer entertainment that is only possible on PlayStation.
Give it to me straight, is that where Dr. Manhattan is from or not?
A rogue planet with no star to orbit was recently discovered 100-light years away from earth. It’s caused scientists to speculate that sunless planets are a lot more common than previously thought and realize a lot of planets run away from home at an early age and never return. “F*** warmth and growing plants — I want it to be night time all the time,” I imagine them saying before packing a little suitcase and climbing out the window on a bedsheet.
The free-floating object, called CFBDSIR2149, is likely a gas giant planet four to seven times more massive than Jupiter, scientists say in a new study unveiled Wednesday. The planet cruises unbound through space relatively close to Earth (in astronomical terms), perhaps after being booted from its own solar system.
“If this little object is a planet that has been ejected from its native system, it conjures up the striking image of orphaned worlds, drifting in the emptiness of space,” study leader Philippe Delorme of the Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics of Grenoble in France said in a statement.
Hoho, so they don’t run away from home — they get kicked out! That’s like, way sadder. Now I feel bad. I didn’t realize things were going to get this depressing. You should probably pour me a cocktail to cheer me up a bit. “You already have a drink.” Yeah well it needs a friend. Back me up, Pluto. “Sooooo lonely.”
Thanks to Bria, who agrees rogue planets are the coolest planets because they live by their own rules. Except gravity and stuff, they still have to follow those. That’s just the man trying to keep you down!
Question by scrount: What will technology be like 100 years from now? What new inventions will there be by that time? Look at us here in 2011 compared to the early 1900s. While we don’t have flying cars or something even greater like light speed travel or time travel, our technology is way more advanced now than it was 100 years ago. Something like HD TV will probably be the new black and white TV by that time. How much futher do you think we’ll progress in another 100 years? And not just speaking of technology but society as a whole.
Best answer:
Answer by Jeff Wattstechnology in the future will make us all look like chickens and we could finally figure out why the chicken crossed the road.
Give your answer to this question below!
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Picture kind of related: he may have gotten tickets.
In a story way better than the piece of shit movie with a similar premise, a German man who forgot where he parked his car in 2010 during a night of drunken revelry has just located his vehicle after almost two years of searching. No word if he’s sober now, but I’m definitely not.
Authorities discovered it by chance last month after a traffic warden noticed that its inspection stickers had expired – 4 kilometres from the spot where the now 33-year-old craftsman originally thought he had parked.
“The weird thing is that it turned up so far away, although the owner was pretty sure of where he had left it,” said police spokesman Alexander Lorenz.
In the trunk were 40,000 euros worth of tools including power drills and electric screwdrivers, Lorenz said
Whoa whoa whoa — there were 40,000 euros (~$ 52,000) worth of tools in the trunk?! If that had been my car I would have definitely made a better effort to find it. You know, posted MISSING signs and stuff like that. Maybe offered a reward. “And not paid it?” *wink* Also, the authorities should probably go ahead and slap ol’ Kraut von Boozenstein with a retroactive DUI.
Thanks to vince, who once got so drunk he forgot where he lived. Haha, WELCOME TO MY LIFE.
At Tesla’s event, CEO Elon Musk has finally taken the wraps off of its Superchargers, which it has already set up in four California cities and expects to cover the US with nationally in the next two years. According to Musk, the solar powered systems will put more power back into the grid than the cars use while driving. Oh, and for you Model S owners? You will always be able to charge at any of the stations for free. According to Musk, the economies of scale developed while building the Model S have helped it get costs down on the chargers, although he did not offer specifics. During the event we also saw video of drivers charging their vehicles at stations today that Tesla apparently constructed in secret. GigaOm reports they’re using technology from (also owned by Musk) SolarCity, and can charge a Model S with 100 kilowatts good for three hours of driving at 60mph in about 30 minutes.
Developing…
Filed under: Transportation
Tesla reveals Supercharger network it says will cover the US in two years; Model S fills up for free, always originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you dig Quentin Tarantino flicks, an eight movie, 10-disc Blu-ray boxed set is on the way that will probably pique your interest. Lionsgate and Miramax are collaborating on the Tarantino XX set, which captures 20 years of the filmmaker’s career and includes Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds. Additionally, there’s special collectible packaging and artwork (shown after the break, along with the press release and full list of specs) and the two extra discs are filled with five hours of all new bonus interviews, retrospectives and the like. It seems unlikely to answer the mystery of what was in Marcellus Wallace’s briefcase, but it will be available November 20th with an MSRP of $ 119.99, although Amazon is currently listing it at $ 83.97.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Tarantino XX Blu-ray set brings 20 years of Quentin, eight movies and ten discs home November 20th originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 23:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Are animations of Curiosity’s Mars landing not enough to feed your space exploration appetite? Try this on for size: a group of scientists from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies have generated what’s billed as a full-fledged simulation of the universe. Arepo, the software behind the sim, took the observed afterglow of the big bang as its only input and sped things up by 14 billion years. The result was a model of the cosmos peppered with realistically depicted galaxies that look like our own and those around us. Previous programs created unseemly blobs of stars instead of the spiral galaxies that were hoped for because they divided space into cubes of fixed size and shape. Arepo’s secret to producing accurate visualizations is its geometry; a grid that moves and flexes to mirror the motions of dark energy, dark matter, gasses and stars. Video playback of the celestial recreation clocks in at just over a minute, but it took Harvard’s 1,024-core Odyssey super computer months to churn out. Next on the group’s docket is tackling larger portions of the universe at a higher resolution. Head past the jump for the video and full press release, or hit the source links below for the nitty-gritty details in the team’s trio of scholarly papers.
Filed under: Science
Scientists create simulation of the universe, reenact 14 billion years in a few months originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PhysOrg | Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cornell University Library (1), (2), (3) | Email this | Comments
