March 6, 2016

There will be Netflix on Mars

The future of space travel demands better communication. The pokey pace at which our current Martian spacecraft exchange data with Earth just isn't enough for future inhabitants who want to talk to their loved ones back home or spend a Saturday binge-watching Netflix. So NASA engineers have begun planning ways to build a better network. The idea is an interplanetary internet in which orbiters and satellites can talk to one another rather than solely relying on a direct link with the Deep Space Network, and scientific data can be transferred back to Earth with vastly improved efficiency and accuracy.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:43 PM PST - 41 comments

may God bless the children of Israel and the children of all the nations

Remembering a Great U.S. Judge Doron Weber remembers Federal Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, who died in February after serving 30 years as a judge for the U.S. District Court of Manhattan.
posted by brainwane at 4:25 PM PST - 2 comments

OS X Ransomware

First OS X ransomware detected in the wild, will maliciously encrypt hard drives on infected Macs. [more inside]
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:32 PM PST - 75 comments

Black hole paint

Artist Anish Kapoor has been granted exclusive rights to use Vantablack, which is so dark it makes everything look two-dimensional, useful for military and space technolgies, as well as making urinal cakes. [more inside]
posted by jeather at 2:32 PM PST - 54 comments

Yankees vs. StubHub

"Two weeks ago the Yankees announced they will eliminate the print-at-home ticket option this season. Hard-stock tickets and mobile barcodes will be the only way into Yankee Stadium."
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:42 PM PST - 42 comments

Give us this day our daily WTF

Most blessed Father..... five international auditors wrote to Pope Francis on 27 June 2013, three months into his papacy, ‘there is an almost total lack of clarity in the accounts of both the Holy See and the Governorate.’ (via LRB).
Part of the auditing committee and the only woman was Francesca Chaouqui (read the comments) another was Lucio Balda, presently in jail.
Meanwhile two other Italian journalists refused to answer the Vatican prosecutor’s questions. The spinners say The truth of the Vatileaks scandal is that there is no scandal.
posted by adamvasco at 12:11 PM PST - 12 comments

Nancy Reagan (1921 - 2016)

Nancy Reagan has died at age 94. [more inside]
posted by John Cohen at 9:45 AM PST - 242 comments

Thinking in Slow Motion

"Why are so many smart people such idiots about philosophy?"
posted by cosmic owl at 9:25 AM PST - 170 comments

You betcha

2016 Minnesota State High School All Hockey Hair Team
posted by starman at 9:06 AM PST - 29 comments

New Looks for Old Books

Recovering the Classics is a crowdsourced collection of original covers for 100 great works in the public domain, designed to increase interest and access to classics in e-book format. [more inside]
posted by Miko at 8:27 AM PST - 14 comments

Where ships go to die

Drone flyover of the Arthur Kill ship graveyard, Staten Island, NY (SLYT)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:20 AM PST - 25 comments

The Kids

Judges, academics, pundits and activists keep wondering how children are impacted by gay marriage. Maybe it’s time to ask the kids. A rich media photo essay coupled with audio interviews, by Gabriela Herman. [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 7:13 AM PST - 17 comments

“They tell their friends, ‘My mom’s a truck driver!’”

Road Runner: A Week On The Road With A Female Trucker by Jessica Ogilvie [Buzzfeed] When most Americans think of truckers, they imagine big, burly men — not Melissa Rojas. The Michigan-based mom is one of less than 6% of long-haul drivers who are women. Though weeks on the road can sometimes bring more frustration than freedom, she wouldn’t have it any other way. [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 6:15 AM PST - 24 comments

Cognition without Cortex

“Delay of gratification, mental time travel, reasoning, metacognition, mirror self-recognition, theory of mind, and third-party intervention.” A review article published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences describes certain bird species demonstrating these complex cognitive functions. [more inside]
posted by seyirci at 6:02 AM PST - 22 comments

Replication study fails under scrutiny

A much publicized study (previously) suggested that more than half of all psychology studies cannot be replicated. A new study finds that the replication study was full of serious mistakes and its conclusion is wrong. [more inside]
posted by hawthorne at 3:56 AM PST - 50 comments

Watch THIS

Neighbo(u)rhood Watch signs in Toronto have been vandalized improved with pictures of Pop Culture 'watchers'. More pics of signs at The Celler
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:11 AM PST - 23 comments

The best afternoon teas in London

Treat your mother on Mothers Day
posted by Gilgongo at 12:18 AM PST - 13 comments

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