The Best Sights For Astronomy

What are the best sights for astronomy? That's hard to say. There is so much out there that the determination of what are the best sights for astronomy probably requires you to do some advance study and decide for yourself what you'd like to learn about.

There are a couple of very helpful books that can guide you through a determination of what are the best views for astronomy.

A new beginner or intermediate handbook for stargazers is the "Guide to Stars and Planets" by Patrick Moore. This accomplished astronomer has concisely gathered reference information on the night sky that details the best views for astronomy. It looks at the moon as well as the various constellations. You'll find charts, photographs and maps that have been garnered through study with earth bound and space telescopes. The best areas for astronomy are laid out in this book as well as some guidance on how you're going to take a look at the best views for astronomy yourself

Here you'll find guidance on what telescope to buy, how to set up an observatory for yourself as home and how to become a good amateur astronomer. Details about the perfect sights for astronomy include information on the moon, our sun, the various planets, the debris found in the solar system, a myriad number of stars, the various galaxies we know about, the constellations, and comets, asteroids, meteors and eclipses that humans have noted and photographed in the past.

The best sights for astronomy have been highlighted in the book, including important features in the moon and the stars we've studied extensively.

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Ethnicity Testing: Where Has Your DNA Been?

Have you ever wondered about your ethnic origin? Do you know for sure where all your ancestors were from and which countries' histories were a direct influence on the people who made you who you are?

I've always known I'm Canadian, but not until recently did I wonder: am I part Finnish?

It was just last week when I was broadcasting to the world on MSN that I was "60% Finnished" a personal project when I became truly intrigued about my heritage. What I was trying to tell the world was that I was 60% finished a large-scale car engine endeavor; however one of my friends that HAS to be right about everything pointed out that I wasn't spelling correctly. Was I just a bad speller or could it be that I was sending out an underlying message about my own self? I facetiously pointed out to Ms. Always-right that it was conceivable I was a descendant of Finland, and that perhaps she was wrong for once. But was it really true? I've always loved Finland's flashy flag; I can't seem to get enough of the Finnish rhubarb stew; and on top of it all, I keep christening custom toboggans in the name of Finland. How could I find out if I really am Finnish?

A good friend showed me that there is hope! Ethnicity testing is available to me and anyone else with similar curiosities (not necessarily a Finnish fetish, of course). There are also applications that extend beyond personal curiosity, but for the most part, everything the test tells you is more-than-fascinating.
Ethnicity testing starts with the widely held assumption that all human DNA originates in Africa and the goes on a 150-thousand-year journey. The test is the first of its kind ever developed. It reports proportional European, Western sub-Saharan African (African) and East Asian ancestry. For example, one person may obtain a result of 80% European 20% East Asian, while another may type as 33% African, 22% East Asian and 22% European. The DNA test is accurate to from 4-8% and sensitive enough to detect, for many customers, a single (100%) African or European great-great-grandparent or a single (100%) East Asian great grandparent.
As far as I know, the only Scandinavian blood in me is due to a package of Swedish Fish; however, with ethnicity testing, I can make my own claim to the honorable Finland.

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Alternative Fuel Source - An Urgent Need For One

Using alternative fuel sources is not just a matter of environmental responsibility. It is not just about assuaging your conscience. It is good sense, and sound planning. Although most of us are in denial, the fossil fuels which form the backbone of our world economy are dwindling quite rapidly, even as we go about our daily business in our cars. Although few Americans use an alternative fuel source to commute, those who do are soon going to be at an advantage.

If your alternative fuel source is your feet, whether through walking or bike riding, you are already at an advantage, taking care of your body and using transportation that is essentially free. However, even if you can not get around solely on your feet, it makes sense to start planning your life around alternate fuel sources now, before things go any farther.

Although few Americans use an alternative fuel source to commute, those who do are soon going to be at an advantage. If your alternative fuel source is your feet, whether through walking or bike riding, you are already at an advantage, paying nothing to move from one place to another and training your body at the same time. However, even if you can not get around solely on your feet, it makes sense to start planning your life around alternate fuel sources now, before it becomes too late.

In addition, many areas will probably not be adequately prepared to work with an alternative fuel source. There may be no where to even refill your biodiesel cars, and that will make things quite hard. People will have become so used to the convenience of their gas powered vehicles, that they will not be able to really get around this formidable-looking problem. But if you plan your life around an alternative fuel source, you will have no trouble adjusting.

The most fool-proof alternative fuel source is your own two feet, but since not all of us have athletic bodies or enjoy walking hours under the sun and snow, the real solution is public transport. If you live in an area where public transportation is already in place, and runs on electric vehicles, then congratulations. I bet that your local economy will suffer far less damage from the fuel crisis.

The public transit, driven by an alternative fuel source, will be able to pick up the extra passengers who have been forced to suddenly give up their cars, and there will be minimal inconvenience. If you have an electric vehicle, you will similarly be in a good position, as electricity will always be a good alternative fuel source. No matter how bad the fuel crises gets, the government will know better than letting the national power grid collapse. Therefore, electricity makes a lot of sense.

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Alternative Energy And The Need For A Proper Storage Technology

A number of energy storage technologies have been developed or are under development for electric power applications, including:

* Pumped hydropower

* Compressed air energy storage (CAES)

* Batteries

* Flywheels

* Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES)

* Super-capacitors

This is the future that we can safely anticipate, especially when there is a rapid depletion of other energy resources. Of course, the most important energy resource still remains the sun from where we can derive solar power and fulfill various energy and power requirements. Off late, many companies have started to build mono-crystalline and polycrystalline solar cells, which can be used in several sectors like aerospace, the aviation industry, residential power generation, traffic lights, automobiles etc. Solar energy apart from other renewable energies is being looked at as one of the key areas because it is a clean energy source.

Pumped Hydro
Pumped hydro has been in use since 1929, making it the oldest of the central station energy storage technologies. In fact, until 1970 it was the only commercially available storage option for generation applications.

Conventional pumped hydro facilities consist of two large reservoirs, one is located at base level, and the other is situated at a different elevation. Water is pumped to the upper reservoir where it can be stored as potential energy. Upon demand, water is released back into the lower reservoir, passing through hydraulic turbines, which generate electrical power as high as 1,000 MW.

The barriers to increased use of this storage technology in the U.S. include high construction costs and long lead times as well as the geographic, geologic, and environmental constraints associated with reservoir design. Currently, efforts aimed at increasing the use of pumped hydro storage are focused on the development of underground facilities.

Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)
CAES plants use off-peak energy to compress and store air in an airtight underground storage cavern. Upon demand, stored air is released from the cavern, heated, and expanded through a combustion turbine to create electrical energy.

In 1991, the first U.S. CAES facility was built in McIntosh, Alabama, by the Alabama Electric Cooperative and EPRI, and has a capacity rating of 110 MW. Currently, manufacturers can create CAES machinery for facilities ranging from 5 to 350 MW. EPRI has estimated that more than 85% of the U.S. has geological characteristics that will accommodate an underground CAES reservoir.

Studies have concluded that CAES is competitive with combustion turbines and combined-cycle units, even without attributing some of the unique benefits of energy storage

Batteries
In recent years, much of the focus in the development of electric energy storage technology has been centered on battery storage devices. There is currently a wide variety of batteries available commercially and many more in the design phase.

In a chemical battery, charging causes reactions in electrochemical compounds to store energy from a generator in a chemical form. Upon demand, reverse chemical reactions cause electricity to flow out of the battery and back to the grid.

The first commercially available battery was the flooded lead-acid battery, which was used for fixed, centralized applications. The valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) battery is the latest commercially available option. The VRLA battery is low-maintenance, spill- and leak-proof, and relatively compact.

Flywheels
Flywheels are currently being used for a number of non-utility related applications. Recently, however, researchers have begun to explore utility energy storage applications. A flywheel storage device consists of a flywheel that spins at a very high velocity and an integrated electrical apparatus that can operate either as a motor to turn the flywheel and store energy or as a generator to produce electrical power on demand using the energy stored in the flywheel.

Advanced Electrochemical Capacitors/Super-Capacitors
Super-capacitors are also known as ultra-capacitors are in the earliest stages of development as an energy storage technology for electric utility applications. An electrochemical capacitor has components related to both a battery and a capacitor.

Consequently, cell voltage is limited to a few volts. Specifically, the charge is stored by ions as in a battery. But, as in a conventional capacitor, no chemical reaction takes place in energy delivery. An electrochemical capacitor consists of two oppositely charged electrodes, a separator, electrolyte, and current collectors.

Presently, very small super-capacitors in the range of seven to ten watts are widely available commercially for consumer power quality applications and are commonly found in household electrical devices. Development of larger-scale capacitors has been focused on electric vehicles.

The future is something that we can’t predict but yes, as time passes, most of the current energy sources will reach a point from where we will not be able to use them. This is where alternative energy sources come into play and will be one of the major driving forces of the world energy requirements.

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Saving The World With Forensic Science

Forensic Science is the application of science in forensic studies, the forensic part of forensic science implies that it is to be utilized in some form or another with a court of law and is relevant to legal proceedings. Forensic Science is rapidly progressing to the point that the science fiction of today could well be the science reality of tomorrow.

Forensic Science has been around for many centuries. However, it was not until recently that advances in scientific research and scientific studies made this a true and individual aspect of forensic research. Recent studies and research have brought the field of forensic science to new heights and given it increasing credibility and importance as a deciding factor in many legal proceedings, where forensic evidence often outweighs the testimony even of witnesses on the scene.

Almost everybody has heard of DNA evidence or fluorescing as well as many other recent scientific developments in forensic science. While many of us get our information from television programs such as CSI, the reality is that forensic science is rapidly moving from the realm of television to the broader expanse of the real world. DNA evidence is now an important part of most legal proceedings involving any human body. Whether discussing fibers from hair, clothes or even something so mundane as dust, forensic science can often draw conclusions and point to irrefutable facts that often lead to convictions of criminals who, if not for forensic science, would be free to commit more atrocities.

Fibers can have a telling tale that can only be exposed by the use of forensic science. Carpet fibers are unique to makes and manufacturers. Gunpowder contains microscopic residue that can correctly identify the type of powder, the manufacturer of the shell and much more information. Simple particles of dust, when viewed by using forensic science can place items or individuals at definitive places often down to an exact time frame. Something that we may see as just a bug or insect can tell how long an item has been in a particular location. There are many factors that are explored with Forensic Science. The scientific conclusion offers irrefutable proof and can be an effective tool in the fight against crime.

Advances in science and in particular with forensic science are not only new and fascinating but are constantly improving and being refined. Not only is forensic science a great tool for today, but the future looks bright indeed. An interest in Forensic science may even help the underachiever of today take enough interest in science and related fields of study to turn around and study harder to become the next practitioner of forensic science tomorrow. Forensic science benefits society as a whole in many different ways.

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How to Build a Robot

Robots as we all know are considered as friendly creature created by human beings as we are created by God. They are created for human being to simplify life even more basically for our daily chores with the specified sequence and even by military for the purpose of doing things which has the danger to life of human beings and thus they are developed over years to substitute human beings in all the fields.

Many of us are not that qualified to make a robot by ourselves and that why we all are anxious to know how to make a robot and even depends upon the task we want to create it for. We all have the tendencies of exploring whatever new comes in the field of science and hence a basic prototype robot can be created knowing few basic high end programming stuffs.

Robots are almost 30% programming and hence if we target one specific purpose and program it well enough then it serves our purpose and the program mostly used for this is Unix and for beginner's Lego Mindstorms series is the best and how complicated your robot might turn up to be depends upon your technical acumen.

While learning how to make a robot we should always keep in mind that fewer the moving parts be of the robot better it is for the beginner's as for startup we might just want it to move from here and there or hold something and sort of stuff. We should link if-then statement well and it should be taken care of that battery is never less then 50% and if so happens it should be re charged.

Thus we now understand that knowing how to make robot can never be known as there is no limit to what can be achieved with the knowledge of science and development of robots can never end.

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Steorn, free orbo energy - fact or fiction

Steorn have made claims that have upset some people in the scientific world, in this short article I will discuss there claims and progress so far, hoping to come to some sort of conclusion, are they for real?

The first time most people heard of Steorn was when they published an advertisement in the Economist late last year (2006). The main idea of this was to attract the attention of qualified experimental scientists to prove off there technology by means of testing.

It worked! More than 5000 people applied to become involved in this jury validation process, from which Steorn duly picked 22 qualified academic scientists / engineers

From the Q1 2007 Steorn update it was suggested that these 22 people are high ranking academia and will be recognized and accepted by the public and peer groups alike.

Orbo is the brand name of Steorn's free energy technology


Current scientific laws

The principle of conservation of energy in Physics (COE)


The main crux of this law is that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form of energy to another

A simple example of this is when electrical energy is changed into heat energy


Steorn's main claim

Orbo produces free, clean and constant energy


I remember getting taught the COE at school, it is also a fundamental part of scientific / engineering further education.

COE has also played a major historic role in the development of thermodynamics.

Thermodynamics is a fundamental strand in the history of physics, the history of chemistry and the history of science in general

So this one law (COE) is a biggie

So on the face of it Steorn's claim directly contradicts one of the most fundamental scientific laws that has ever existed. Not a good start!

This is why most scientists got upset or will get upset, imagine if you have spent 40 years of your life experimenting, testing, creating new ideas and technologies all based around fundamental laws, these laws are shown to be correct through your own testing and the scientific worlds testing. Then some bright spark comes along and says hold on a minute that's all boll*cks. Most scientists will then undoubtedly call Steorn a hoax or a scam and at best tell them to politely stop wasting our time.

Having worked in the engineering industry for over 10 years, I know a little about next generation testing and development. One thing I can say is that I respect the 40 year+ experienced scientists and engineers, they are usually right unfortunately, but sometimes they are wrong. Also when testing and developing new ideas or products I have found that the best creations or new ideas have come by means of accident or alternative results / surprises when developing something else. Someone usually comes along later to steal the glory of there, new idea.

I think what I am trying to say is that law's are just law's they CAN be broken and are anyhow always developing and changing. Also respected peers can be wrong and there unbending views can restrict development and progress.

So orbo energy, fact or fiction well I do not know, but one thing I do is that it may be one of those magical moments that changes the world and rewrites science and history.

Steorn and orbo energy are an addictive unfolding saga and I wish them well and success in the future.

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