Scientists have found significant amounts of water in a crater at the moon’s pole. This significant discovery will revise the impression of moon as a dead planet, which attract more attention on future human space missions. “The moon is alive,” declared Anthony Colaprete, the chief scientist for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission. A rocket has punched a hole about 100 feet deep from the moon’s surface, and then they found about 25 gallons of water in the form of vapor and ice. “It’s kind of like when you’re drilling for oil. Once you find it in one place, there’s a greater chance you’ll find more nearby.” said Peter Schultz, a geology professor at Brown University. This discovery has make NASA’s plan seem practical, which is to return to the moon at the end of next decade and construct a lunar base where astronauts can live and work for several months. However, in order to fulfill this plan, NASA needs at least 3 billion dollars a year from the Obama’s administration!
Category: technology
The Future of Online College Courses
Recently finishing up an online course conducted by Santa Monica College last semester, I have personally undergone the process of being taught by an unseen teacher, surrounded by invisible, unknown students in the confines of my bedroom, my dining room table, and even my car.
I didn’t mind the ambiguity of my class, and the ability to complete each paper and assignment by a certain time and simply receive the teacher’s feedback worked perfectly in my eyes.
However, as students continually enjoy these online classes, teachers whose home consists of blackboards and perfectly rowed seats have grown worried that the future of online courses will render actual classes obsolete in the long run.
Technology: Beneficial or Superficial?
Either in movies or in real life, many of us have experienced the over working, over bearing parent whose blackberry seems to be a survival necessity in their quest to gain a new promotion or simply balance their hectic work schedule.
Though surprisingly, recent technology has provided more ways for people to spend time with their loved ones, rather than taking this time away.
While Avaya executive Craig Wilson double tasked by enjoying a Linkin Park concert with his children and finishing up tasks for one of his clients in Australia, Covestor’s chief executive Perry Blacher engaged in his business’s board teleconference while enjoying a christening celebration at the local English pub.
This is the power of technology: being in two places at once, accomplishing two things at once.
However, arguments still remain that this sense of multitasking takes away from the whole experience.
People may find themselves unable to participate fully in experiences with friends and families, and may also lack proper concentration on their business work.
These issues became noticeable after the rapid development of the Blackberry and have increased exponentially with the inventions of the smart phones and the increased accessibility to social media.
“Home has invaded work and work has invaded home and the boundary is likely never to be restored,” said the director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, Lee Rainie. “The new gadgetry has really put this issue into much clearer focus.”
But an intriguing question still remains unanswered. What drives a person’s desire to balance work and play, even in times of supposed leisure?
Its simple. It’s the recession.
Not only do these business men and woman need steady paychecks, but many have shown an increased worry over simply maintaining their jobs.
“Even if you have a career that is pretty solid, there is the feeling that advancement requires being plugged in at all times,” said Peggy Klaus, an executive coach residing in Berkeley, California.
While pressures may disable parents from taking a true “vacation,” technology has enabled them to be both a parent and a professional.
In my opinion, technology has enabled us to grow in many aspects. And even if one does feel as though the newest gadgets have caused a multitasking, unfocused population, simply do what my parents do and banish it from the dining room table.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/business/06limits.html?_r=2&src=me&ref=general
Solar Panels
Generating electricity from solar panels is currently the newest technology to get energy from renewable sources. One of the benefits for this method is that sunlight is free, so we don’t need to spend money and labor to mine coal or oil. The other benefit is that it won’t produce any greenhouse gases or pollution while generating the electricity.
However, building a solar power plant requires a large area, so most of the power plants are built in the desert. Some of the environmentalists are concerned about building power plants at the desert will destroy the fragile ecosystem, so that is why we haven’t really build many power plants now.
However, a study showed that we don’t need to build any power plants and we can produce 90% of the electricity we use in America. Let’s assume that there are 100 million houses and then each house installs a 100m2 solar panel on the roof, so there are total 100 billion m2. According to the research, there are 5 kwh per m2 per day of insolation to earth, and our recent solar panel can transfer 20% of the sunlight to electricity, so every m2 of solar panel can generate 1 kwh of electricity per day. So 100 billion m2 of solar panels can produce 3.65 trillion kwh of electricity per year.
And during 2005, America use about 4 trillion kwh. Although that not everyday and everywhere can have sunlight all the time, at least we can generate plenty of electricity by using solar panels and without using any lands.
Space doesn’t seem so far anymore
When most people think of space, they imagine a massive area splattered with start and planets, forming thousands of galaxies that seem intangible. However science is now not too far away from actually attempting to spread our species to other planets.
Space exploration has been a hot topic since we first landed on the moon, but who would’ve thought that actually living on another planter would become realistic in our time?
A total of 1,235 collective planets have been discovered including 68 Earth-sized, 288 super-Earth-sized, 662 Neptune-sized, and 165 Jupiter-sized planets all from between 500 and 3,000 light years away. Optimistically speaking, one of those has to be realistic option.
I mean honestly, how cool would it be to be re
For more information click here
“Private” Screening?
In the past couple of months, 16 airports across america have introduced a new system in the screening process or entering an airport.
I’ve been flying my whole life. From San Francisco to Melbourne, and from Phoenix to Indianapolis it’s safe to say that I’ve experienced a plethora of airports.Throughout my time flying, and even my parents for that matter, I’ve never been confronted with any issues involving airport security.
As the imagine shows above, the odds of being attacked by a terrorist while in flight is one in 10,408,947. It is very unlikely that terrorists are going to target planes. However I don’t believe that it’s because they are scared of the airport security and getting caught. If they were attempting to blow up an airplane they have already come to terms with death and punishment. The amount of security placed in airports doesn’t really make as much as a difference as originally thought. At least that’s my opinion.
I’m not sure if I’d rather have someone see me practically naked or have to pat me down. How about you?
For information on the body screens clicker here
Trojan Horse
We know about the Trojan Horse from Homer’s Iliad.
According to the book, this “horse” delivers a triumphant victory to Greece.
In the digital world, the Trojan Horse disguises its malicious intentions and harms the computers.
This function may sound similar to Virus, a highly contagious and stealthy from of software, and Worm, also contagious software that duplicates exponentially on its own, but the Trojan Horse behaves differently.
It does not pervade other Personal Computers or programs but steals personal information, credit card numbers, passwords of importance, and files and controls the speed of PC.
The Trojans often attracts its customers by offering “safe” software to “protect” passwords and transaction information. If one downloads this software with camouflaged titles such as exe, vbs, com, bat, zip, then the trouble begins.
From my personal experience with my Adroid phone, I strongly recommend to not download any attachments with the slightest suspicion.
Because once this Trojan Horse invaded my device, I could finally comprehend the hopelessness of the Trojans.
Our Generation’s Sputnik
Since the world is promoting green energy, more and more ideas have come out. During the State of Union, President Obama announced a lesser-known photovoltaic energy source which looks like roofing shingles, but can power houses more cheaply than the regular solar panels. The company, LUMA, which produces the solar shingles, states that one shingle cannot produce a lot of power. However, hundreds of square feet of them can produce between 2400 and 8640 watts of electricity. The solar shingles look almost like the regular roofing shingles and cost less than regular solar panels. Although that the solar shingles are not cheap, it is an available solar product for most people, and enable us to have a cleaner tomorrow!
This Site Is Sick
My brother is a college freshman. He acts like one too. He goes to classes, listens to dubstep and hip-hop, and tries desperately to get into frat parties. He, being the older of us two, has always been ahead of me in most aspects of pop culture, with me trying desperately to stay as cool as my big brother. Well, when it comes to music, he managed to beat me again. He showed me a website called thissongissick.com, and it makes sense he would know about it. It’s a website that dedicates itself to finding the newest songs from dubstep and hip-hop artists that are relatively unknown, or in some cases, just really good. Wiz Khalifa has been featured on there, as well as artists like Sam Adams and Skrillex. Well worth a look, “this song is sick” has become a standard in what a lot of college and high school kids listen to.
“This Changes Everything, Again.” Again
“Beginning February 10, the phone that changed everything will be available on both AT&T and Verizon Wireless in the United States.” This is the message posted on the apple website recently that announces the long-awaited decision to expand the networks on which the iPhone is available.
AT&T will continue to sell the iPhone, and apple has decided that both networks will offer all of the same features (things like FaceTime and Video Recording) and has also included an incentive for Verizon customers to upgrade their phone’s, saying “Qualified Verizon Wireless customers will also have the exclusive opportunity to pre-order iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability.”
This marks a turning point in the mobile phone market, creating a large incentive for other major providers to step up their game. With two of the main service providers carrying one of the best smartphones in the world, the others will be playing catch up for some time. In the words of apple, “This changes everything, again.”
OVS Journalism Blog 
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