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Jun 25, 2019

Data visualization could reveal nature of the universe

Posted by in category: space

As cosmologists ponder the universe—and other possible universes—the data available to them is so complex and vast that it can be extremely challenging for humans alone to comprehend.

Jun 25, 2019

Russian Volcano Erupts for the First Time Since 1924 And the Images From Space Are Stunning

Posted by in category: satellites

Astronauts and satellites acquired these stunning images of a Russian volcanic eruption.

Jun 25, 2019

Germany’s Got a 4-Barrel Laser Gatling Gun

Posted by in category: futurism

It’s real and it’s spectacular.

Jun 25, 2019

New Tesla Pickup Truck Costs Just $49,000 And Will Topple The F-150s

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space, sustainability, transportation

Tesla and the electric cars they produce are renowned for their sleek design and high tech capabilities. There is currently a saloon car (Model S), a budget version (Model 3), an SUV (Model X) and of course, the famous Roadster model which was launched into space by Elon Musk himself. There’s also a mid-sized car which is planned to be released later this year — the model Y, which is in between an S and an X. So, what’s missing from this luxury vehicle line-up? A pickup truck, of course! Tesla’s got that covered as well!

The latest Tesla model that Elon Musk has revealed is an electric pickup truck. Currently, it’s just a rumor and there has been no leak of the design or any details about this truck. That said, there is no shortage of speculation and many people seem to have their own opinions on the appearance of the new Tesla truck. However, one thing that is known is Tesla’s are expensive. Not only the design but the interior and the technology they scream luxury and offer amazing comfort. They are arguably some of the best electric vehicles on the market today but costs can run upwards of $100,000 for the latest models.

So, as anyone would expect, the new pickup truck was predicted to cost in the region of high five-, maybe even low six-figures. However, the price range has been revealed and it’s shocked everyone — apart from the Model 3, this could be one of the cheapest Tesla cars ever produced.

Jun 25, 2019

A Medievalist’s Guide to Magic and Alchemy in A Discovery of Witches

Posted by in category: entertainment

For a medievalist like myself, it doesn’t get much better than Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches. Both the internationally bestselling trilogy and the newly adapted TV show have many of the conventions of a kickass fantasy story. There’s a 1,500-year-old vampire, a powerful witch who can literally make it rain, and their prophesied love story. There’s the imminent threat of the end of all creatures—demons, vampires, and witches—and the ensuing battle between good and evil. And, at the heart of A Discovery of Witches is an enchanted alchemical manuscript hidden deep within Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, Ashmole 782, and the witch who was able to call it up for the first time in 500 years. That witch is a medievalist, badass feminist, and history of science professor, Dr. Diana Bishop.

The British television network SkyOne’s adaptation of the books will begin streaming in the U.S. today on Sundance Now and AMC’s Shudder. To give layfolk a sense of how dope an obscure, 15th-century alchemical manuscript can be, we’ve prepared a medievalist guide to some of its features—from the philosopher’s stone to the alchemical child and more.

Where many fantasy novels are complete works of fiction, perhaps inspired by the medieval period, but not in any way historically accurate, A Discovery of Witches combines the fantastical with the academic. Deborah Harkness, the author of the series, is a history of science professor at the University of Southern California. She wrote her doctoral thesis on the history of science and magic in Europe from 1500 to 1700—the same subject her protagonist, Dr. Diana Bishop (played by Teresa Palmer in the adaptation), is researching in Oxford’s Bodleian at the outset of A Discovery of Witches.

Jun 25, 2019

US Navy tests its crazy electromagnetic railgun

Posted by in category: military

Watch as the Navy puts a high-tech railgun through its paces with a multi-shot salvos from the frightening weapon.

Jun 25, 2019

This Pet Shelter Only Hires Homeless People Who Love Animals

Posted by in category: futurism

A new type of shelter needs donations to help homeless animals and homeless people get a new start.

Jun 25, 2019

Physicists develop new method to prove quantum entanglement

Posted by in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics

One of the essential features required for the realization of a quantum computer is quantum entanglement. A team of physicists from the University of Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) introduces a novel technique to detect entanglement even in large-scale quantum systems with unprecedented efficiency. This brings scientists one step closer to the implementation of reliable quantum computation. The new results are of direct relevance for future generations of quantum devices and are published in the current issue of the journal Nature Physics.

Quantum computation has been drawing the attention of many scientists because of its potential to outperform the capabilities of standard computers for certain tasks. For the realization of a quantum computer, one of the most essential features is quantum entanglement. This describes an effect in which several quantum particles are interconnected in a complex way. If one of the entangled particles is influenced by an external measurement, the state of the other entangled particle changes as well, no matter how far apart they may be from one another. Many scientists are developing new techniques to verify the presence of this essential quantum feature in quantum systems. Efficient methods have been tested for systems containing only a few qubits, the basic units of quantum information. However, the physical implementation of a quantum computer would involve much larger quantum systems.

Jun 25, 2019

Hacker used Raspberry Pi computer to steal restricted NASA data

Posted by in category: computing

A hacker used a tiny Raspberry Pi computer to infiltrate NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory network, stealing sensitive data and forcing the temporary disconnection of space-flight systems, the agency has revealed.

The April 2018 attack went undetected for nearly a year, according to an audit issued on June 18, and an investigation is still underway to find the culprit.

A Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized device sold for about $35 that plugs into home televisions and is used mainly to teach coding to children and promote computing in developing countries.

Jun 25, 2019

Russia reveals bulletproof ‘solider suit’ with claws to be ‘walking army robot’

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Kalashnikov — famous for making the AK-47 — reveals machine monster which looks straight out of Avatar or Robocop as a ‘demonstration of what is to come’ at Moscow’s Army 2018 Fair.