When you run out of milk, you duck up to the supermarket and buy some more, but where do you go when you run out of helium 3? Two intersteller mining companies are going into space, and they're looking for crews to help them.
Helium-3 (He3) is gas that has the potential to be used as a fuel in future nuclear fusion power plants. If this fuel is successfully develped and supply can keep up with demand, it is thought that interplanetary spacecraft that can travel at 10 per cent of the speed of light (28968 km per second) will be possible. There is very little helium-3 available on the Earth, however, there are thought to be significant supplies on the Moon, and the prices that He3 fetches makes intersteller mining an attractive proposition. It is currently worth $500,000 per litre, $15,000 per gram or $2,000 per troy ounce, over 300 times the price of gold or platinum by weight.
The companies looking to cash in on the abundance of He3 on the moon are Planetary Resources, (who have investment backing from Google’s Larry Page and Eric Schmidt and film director James Cameron), and Deep Space Industries. Both PRI and DSI are calling on people to help them change the way humans explore the solar system, they are looking for collage students who are passionate about space, and people with "special skills" to help them in their projects.
So if you know you're lunar regoliths from your noble gasses, and you're not afraid of a bit of solar wind, sign up to advance the human dream.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Monday, 25 February 2013
ALL things being equal
The 2nd female speaker of the Australian house of representatives has praised the legacy of the first female speaker after Joan Child died peacefully on Saturday.
Anna Burke's comments inadvertantly highlighted how fair and equal a society we live in today, where people are increasingly being selected not because of their sex or race, but because they are the best "person" for the job. Asked about the ALP's adoption of an affirmative action quota for women, Anna Burke says quotas only lead to more inequality "My difficulty with quotas has always been that you only got there because you're a girl." Burke said, "I wrangle against that. I think someone like Joan Child got there because she was remarkable."
Minority groups still fight against discrimination, but today is the best time to be forging a fight for equality. A century ago, Evenki shaman Olga was one of the most powerful non-royal women on earth - she was chieftain and religious leader of her Siberian village, but today there are 17 female heads of state (one of whom is a black woman), and a black US president who until recently had a female secratary of state.
Former Victorian Premier, Joan Kirner said of Joan Child "She showed a woman could get to the top."
Thanks to people like Joan Child, in this day and age, it's as simple as the best person getting to the top.
Anna Burke's comments inadvertantly highlighted how fair and equal a society we live in today, where people are increasingly being selected not because of their sex or race, but because they are the best "person" for the job. Asked about the ALP's adoption of an affirmative action quota for women, Anna Burke says quotas only lead to more inequality "My difficulty with quotas has always been that you only got there because you're a girl." Burke said, "I wrangle against that. I think someone like Joan Child got there because she was remarkable."
Minority groups still fight against discrimination, but today is the best time to be forging a fight for equality. A century ago, Evenki shaman Olga was one of the most powerful non-royal women on earth - she was chieftain and religious leader of her Siberian village, but today there are 17 female heads of state (one of whom is a black woman), and a black US president who until recently had a female secratary of state.
Former Victorian Premier, Joan Kirner said of Joan Child "She showed a woman could get to the top."
Thanks to people like Joan Child, in this day and age, it's as simple as the best person getting to the top.
Thursday, 21 February 2013
War against the machine
After the machine that I use to test my blood sugar levels for diabetes came up with an error message last week, I rang customer service and a replacement turned up at my door the next day. But after hearing about how reliant the military is becoming on technology a lot more dangerous than my BSL monitor, I got scared.
It's not the fact that the military is developing machines called the HULC, the PETMAN, or a plane that is hoped will fly from Australia to London in two to three hours, or that the global market in military hardware and software is worth $1.7 trillion, or even that a top advisor to Barack Obama during the president's first campaign, P.W Singer believes that robots have started to think for themselves.
What scares me is what happens if one of these robots gets an error message? One of the machines that Singer talks about with great enthusiasm is the "sword system", a 50-calibre machine gun about the size of a lawnmower that can hit an apple from hundreds of metres away. The only problem is it can't tell the difference between that apple and a tomato, which any two-year-old boy can tell. What happens if the error on the sword system says "Fruit nof recognised." Does it shoot or not?
At home we have a pie maker, and a cookie jar that yells at you when you open the lid, I love gadgets, but my fear in letting robots think for us is summed up by the story of an ironically titled "pilot" in one of the US "pilotless predator drone squadrons." He described how each morning he woke up, drove in to work, sat behind a computer screen, put missiles on targets and killed enemy combatants. He could also have cereal while he was sitting there, and then at the end of the day, he'd get back in the car, drive home, and 20 minutes after killing people he'd be sitting at the dinner table talking to his kids about their schoolwork.
My blood sugar monitor problem was sorted out within 2 days because a human spoke to a human, but what happens if a military robot has a problem in the heat of battle? Can they wait until a call centre honours a warranty and sends out a replacement for the faulty part?
It's not the fact that the military is developing machines called the HULC, the PETMAN, or a plane that is hoped will fly from Australia to London in two to three hours, or that the global market in military hardware and software is worth $1.7 trillion, or even that a top advisor to Barack Obama during the president's first campaign, P.W Singer believes that robots have started to think for themselves.
What scares me is what happens if one of these robots gets an error message? One of the machines that Singer talks about with great enthusiasm is the "sword system", a 50-calibre machine gun about the size of a lawnmower that can hit an apple from hundreds of metres away. The only problem is it can't tell the difference between that apple and a tomato, which any two-year-old boy can tell. What happens if the error on the sword system says "Fruit nof recognised." Does it shoot or not?
At home we have a pie maker, and a cookie jar that yells at you when you open the lid, I love gadgets, but my fear in letting robots think for us is summed up by the story of an ironically titled "pilot" in one of the US "pilotless predator drone squadrons." He described how each morning he woke up, drove in to work, sat behind a computer screen, put missiles on targets and killed enemy combatants. He could also have cereal while he was sitting there, and then at the end of the day, he'd get back in the car, drive home, and 20 minutes after killing people he'd be sitting at the dinner table talking to his kids about their schoolwork.
My blood sugar monitor problem was sorted out within 2 days because a human spoke to a human, but what happens if a military robot has a problem in the heat of battle? Can they wait until a call centre honours a warranty and sends out a replacement for the faulty part?
Monday, 18 February 2013
In search of a white black bear
A group of 9 international adventurers travelled to one of the largest rainforests in the world to find one of its rarest animals, the black bear with white fur, the spirit bear.
The travellers, three from Canada, two from the United States, two from Australia and two from Curaçao, boarded the tall ship, Maple Leaf on a cruise through the waterways of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. After four days, they had "drifted beside humpback whales, slipped into sheltered coves to scramble up salmon streams, dropped anchor off beaches laced with wolf tracks and launched Zodiacs [to get] so close to sea lions that [they] choke[d] on their pungent stink" according to Mark Hume, a fellow passenger and reporter for Globe and Mail, but they hadn't seen one bear.
Not seeing a bear in a 6.4-million hectare Rainforest called "Great Bear" had some of the passengers feeling ripped off, but on day 5, the drought turned into a flood. On a small platform looking into a salmon filled stream, the passengers saw a small black bear come out of the forest, pull a fish from the water and eat the brains and eggs.
A little later, a spirit bear made it's way into the stream to feed on some salmon. It was so close to the group they could see red blood on it's white fur.
Actually a black bear, the spirit bear, also known as the kermode or ghost bear is not albino, it's white fur is a result of a genetic trait that is possibly due to a recessive gene, or could be due to a result of a concentration of a certain gene in a given area.
Scientists estimate there are only 1,200 black and white kermode bears from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska panhandle, and the white black bear in the stream was so captivating, that when black bears started coming out of every nook and cranny to feed in the stream, they were largely ignored. It was a scene where even the tour leader and captain of the Maple Leaf, Kevin Smith considered a rare priveledge
“I know I’m supposed to be, ‘Oh, it’s always like this.’" Smith said, "but it just isn’t.”
The group had taken a risk and put themselves in a spot where they might get some adventure and were handsomely rewarded.
The travellers, three from Canada, two from the United States, two from Australia and two from Curaçao, boarded the tall ship, Maple Leaf on a cruise through the waterways of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. After four days, they had "drifted beside humpback whales, slipped into sheltered coves to scramble up salmon streams, dropped anchor off beaches laced with wolf tracks and launched Zodiacs [to get] so close to sea lions that [they] choke[d] on their pungent stink" according to Mark Hume, a fellow passenger and reporter for Globe and Mail, but they hadn't seen one bear.
Not seeing a bear in a 6.4-million hectare Rainforest called "Great Bear" had some of the passengers feeling ripped off, but on day 5, the drought turned into a flood. On a small platform looking into a salmon filled stream, the passengers saw a small black bear come out of the forest, pull a fish from the water and eat the brains and eggs.
A little later, a spirit bear made it's way into the stream to feed on some salmon. It was so close to the group they could see red blood on it's white fur.
Actually a black bear, the spirit bear, also known as the kermode or ghost bear is not albino, it's white fur is a result of a genetic trait that is possibly due to a recessive gene, or could be due to a result of a concentration of a certain gene in a given area.
Scientists estimate there are only 1,200 black and white kermode bears from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska panhandle, and the white black bear in the stream was so captivating, that when black bears started coming out of every nook and cranny to feed in the stream, they were largely ignored. It was a scene where even the tour leader and captain of the Maple Leaf, Kevin Smith considered a rare priveledge
“I know I’m supposed to be, ‘Oh, it’s always like this.’" Smith said, "but it just isn’t.”
The group had taken a risk and put themselves in a spot where they might get some adventure and were handsomely rewarded.
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Moiras Garden
Childrens games reflect the world they live in. In Gaza, their games are a mirror of the violent world around them, but Australian Moira Kelly wants to build a garden there that will give kids a safe place to play.
Kelly applied for, and was granted 12 000 sqm of land in the Gaza strip where she will build "Moira's Garden" over the next 3-4 years at a cost of $5 million.
She believes giving children a safe place to play is important in any part of the world, but in Gaza, a place for kids to escape the dangers surrounding them so they can just go and play without fear is essential. After all, "children will always be children, no matter where they're from." she said.
a safe place to play.
Kelly applied for, and was granted 12 000 sqm of land in the Gaza strip where she will build "Moira's Garden" over the next 3-4 years at a cost of $5 million.
She believes giving children a safe place to play is important in any part of the world, but in Gaza, a place for kids to escape the dangers surrounding them so they can just go and play without fear is essential. After all, "children will always be children, no matter where they're from." she said.
 |
| Loay is now blind after being struck by a missile |
In most gardens in the world, stepping in dog poo or tripping over a stick are the biggest dangers, but in Gaza, the stakes are much higher. Loay is 10-years-old and was playing outside with friends when they were struck by a missile. Loay suffered severe facial injuries which left him blind. He is now unable to do things for himself and can no longer play with his brother. He is angry, tearful and has started wetting the bed.
.
In a world where children are afraid of being hit by missiles while they play, "Moira's Garden" will offer something every child should have,a safe place to play.
Monday, 11 February 2013
The journey is complete
 |
| Expedition-Leader Tim Jarvis and mountaineer Barry Gray arrive at Stromness at 0945 AEDT |
The expedition was an exact copy of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 journey, a "double" of an 800 mile crossing of the Southern Ocean, and an overland crossing of South Geoergia Island in which the crew wore the same clothes and used the same equipment as the original crew.
Ernest Shackleton's original voyage is a story of survival, famous for the treachory of the conditions his crew faced, and the 21st century version faced the same threats from the uncertainty of the Antarctic weather. They battled eight metre swells, 50 knot winds, sleep deprivation, dehydration, being constantly wet and cold and having no room to move or stretch out while the 6 men were cramped aboard their 6.9 metre lifeboat, the Alexandra Shackleton. On arrival at South Georgia, three of the crew were diagnosed with ‘trench foot’, while others camped for five days in a cave waiting for a break in the weather to commence the climb.
On the 3 day crossing of South Georgia Island, expedition leader Tim Jervis and mountaineer Barry Gray fell into crevasses as deep as their armpits more than 20 times. These regular falls, and blizzards that literally blew some of the crew to the ground, led Jervis to think that reaching the destination might be impossible.
Most people would probably agree that it's a venture beyond most people's limits, but Jervis thinks everybody has it in them to achieve something great.
"There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone has a Shackleton double in them," he said, "and I hope we’ve inspired a few people to find theirs,"
The crew will now rest aboard the Australis before trekking around to Grytviken tomorrow, the site of Shackleton’s grave to raise a glass of Mackinlay’s whisky to "the Boss"
On the 3 day crossing of South Georgia Island, expedition leader Tim Jervis and mountaineer Barry Gray fell into crevasses as deep as their armpits more than 20 times. These regular falls, and blizzards that literally blew some of the crew to the ground, led Jervis to think that reaching the destination might be impossible.
Most people would probably agree that it's a venture beyond most people's limits, but Jervis thinks everybody has it in them to achieve something great.
"There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone has a Shackleton double in them," he said, "and I hope we’ve inspired a few people to find theirs,"
The crew will now rest aboard the Australis before trekking around to Grytviken tomorrow, the site of Shackleton’s grave to raise a glass of Mackinlay’s whisky to "the Boss"
Saturday, 9 February 2013
A good wire collection better than a pub full of pokies
The owners of the Spalding pub in South Australia wanted to do something different, so instead of filling it with poker machines, they bought a wire collection off a town local and put it on display.
When Geoff Tiller took part ownership 2 years ago, he had been turned off poker machines after managing pubs with pokies in the past, so with his co-owner, Josie Watson, he bought a collection of 500 pieces of wire and other fencing paraphernalia from “Barbed-Wire Bob's” son Leon.
Among the collection of fencing wire, barbed wire, razor wire, military wire, snake wire, spacers, strainers, twitching tools and 150 different varieties of star droppers, Tiller’s favourite piece is a C.A. Hodge 10 point spur Rowell wire.
Far from being an obscure collection of shaped metal that was bought from the son of a salt and pepper shaker collector, the wire in the Spalding pub is a rare collection of historical artefacts dating back to the 1850’s. Snake wire from Texas is from circa 1853 and a barbed net fence that was used for hog pastures, was patented by Dodge and Washburn on January the 4th 1882. There are also WW1 and WW2 Concertina Entanglement Wires and Korean War wire.
A bloke from a small town trying to fix a social problem by putting up a display of wire in his pub...
Where else?
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