Blue Moon Tonight

In case you don't know it, there will be a blue moon - the first in 20 years - at 7.15pm tonight which should, cloud cover permitting, be viewable across Europe and elsewhere. Not only that, there will be a partial lunar eclipse with the deepest eclipse at 7.22pm.

This eclipse of the Moon is partial, so only eight per cent of the Moon will actually be covered by Earth's shadow. However, quite a lot of the moon will appear to change colour.

Sadly, a blue moon isn't actually blue.The name reflects the relative rarity of two full moons in a month and is linked to the saying "once in a blue moon." Most years on average have 12 full moons, with one appearing each month.

We're told that the whole event is deeply significant astrologically, if not astronomically. The National Geographic notes that the last time a blue moon appeared was on New Year's Eve was in 1990, and it won't happen again until 2028.

NASA notes that while we won't see a blue moon tonight, it is possible for the Moon to appear tinged by a blue hue, sometimes caused by fine dirt circulating in the Earth's atmosphere, possibly from a volcanic explosion. The above picture is of our Moon taken was taken in a dark blue morning sky. The bright crescent is the only part directly exposed to sunlight - the rest of the Moon glows from sunlight reflected from the Earth. The planet Jupiter is also visible along with its four largest moons.

(With thanks to Jessica Abrahams. Image: Vic Winter, ICSTARS)

Americans Are Still "Couch Potatoes"

Despite the excitement generated from new media platforms, the United States is still mostly a nation of couch potatoes who spend a vast majority of their leisure time in front of the boob tube, according to the latest update to the "Entertainment Trends in America" consumer tracking surveys conducted by The NPD Group.

Some 81% of respondents reporting watching an average of 10 hours of TV per week (not including movies) and, according to a company press release, other findings included:

• Despite the proliferation of iPods and other MP3 players, 78% of Americans still spend 5+ hours/week listening to traditional AM/FM radio, with 60% still listening to music on a CD

• 70% of Americans spend 4 hours/week on average on IM and email

• Some 47% visited social networking sites, spending an average of 5 hours/week

• 11% of respondents reported tweeting an average of 3 hours/week

The survey reveals the Top 5 Leisure Time Activities in the U.S. (based on % of consumers who took part in prior week) are:

• Watch TV show/sports/news (excluding movies): 81%

• Listen to music on traditional AM/FM radio (not satellite): 78%

• Instant-messaging or e-mailing: 70%

• Listen to music on a CD: 60%

• Watch a movie on TV (excluding PPV and VOD): 58%

You'd have thought some form of exercise, even if it was getting into a car, might feature...

Pompei, Stonehenge Join StreetView

It's not the same as visiting the actual site itself, which take it from me, is simply stunning (as you can see from my holiday snap, above), but Pompei has now joined the cities and towns that have been mapped by Google's StreetView.

Working with UNESCO, Google have announced an agreement to put imagery of World Heritage sites into Street View from 19 UNESCO sites has been made available, from sites in Czech Republic, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. The 360 degree images are now online for people around the world to explore via Google Maps - including Pompeii.

Google and UNESCO have also announced layers for Google Earth and Google Maps with customised icons and information bubbles, allowing web users to locate and zoom to hundreds of sites with World heritage status around the globe, all linking back to UNESCO's detailed webpage.

In the coming months Google will work with UNESCO to select additional World Heritage landmarks, in countries where Street View imagery is being collected, which will be photographed for the project. The aim is to collect imagery from diverse regions throughout the world including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, US and many countries throughout Europe. With permission from site managers such places look set to one day be available to millions of people around the world who may never have the chance to visit them in person.

It's hoped that putting UNESCO's world heritage sites on Street View will help increase awareness and encourage participation by people around the world in the preservation of our cultural and natural heritage.

People can now virtually swoop over to Italy to explore the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompei and Herculaneum, as well as the many wealthy villas in the area that have been engulfed by Vesuvius eruption on 24th August AD 79. These have been progressively excavated and made accessible to the public since the mid-18th century and are now available for all with a simple click of a mouse, although, having tried it, the level of detail is, as yet, nowhere as impressive as the company's PR claims and you definitely can't play 'spot the lizard'...

Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, one of the most famous groups of megaliths in the world is another location that can be discovered today. The circles of menhirs are arranged in a pattern whose astronomical significance is still being explored. These holy places and the nearby Neolithic sites are an incomparable testimony to prehistoric times.

They can also walk through the Palace of Versailles which was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century.

Other unique and diverse places visible in Street View include the Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout in Nederland, the old town of Cáceres in Spain and the historic Centre of Prague in Czech Republic and many more.

Google uses state of the art camera technology attached to the roof of a car in order to collect these images. They are then processed, stitched together and put into Google Maps, a process which can take several months. Where access by car is not possible, or locations are off the beaten track, like Pompeii or Britain's Stonehenge, Google uses its custom made 'trike' - a three wheeled bike mounted with a camera, to take the images.

"World Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations,” said Francesco Bandarin, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre. "It reminds us of the extraordinary world we live in, and humanity’s creative genius and cultural diversity.

"The alliance between UNESCO and, Google Maps and Street View will provide access for people the world over to these remarkable places."

"Cultural and natural heritage sites are a source of inspiration and fascination for all of us, teaching us about our global history," Carlo D'Asaro Biondo, Google's VP of Southern Europe, Middle East & Africa said. "This is an exciting project and we're thrilled to be working together with UNESCO, to make more World Heritage sites universally accessible and useful to all."

• Tour the UNESCO heritage sites in Street View here: www.google.com/unesco

Solar wind streams bring NASA space scientists to the Lakes

Scientists from my local Lancaster University have joined experts from NASA and other international institutions at a workshop on solar wind streams.

150 years after English astronomer Richard Carrington observed the largest solar flare ever recorded, the international team of scientists gathered in the Lake District to discuss the impact of high speed solar wind on the Earth’s space environment.

The High-Speed Solar-Wind Streams and Geospace Interactions Workshop, held in Ambleside over five days, attended by scientists from several organisations including the British Antarctic Survey, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA and the NASA Langley Research Center, was convened by Dr Mick Denton of the Space Plasma Environment and Radio Science Group from Lancaster University's Department of Communication Systems at InfoLab21.

Dr. Marty Mlynczak, Senior Research Scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center, said the workshop was unique.

“It brings together a small but scientifically diverse group of experts to discuss current questions regarding the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth’s space environment and atmosphere.

"It fosters collaborations amongst scientists whom, without the workshop, might never have worked together.”

The solar eruption observed by Richard Carrington on 1st September 1859 (pictured above) was massive enough to be observed visually, but was only one step in a sequence of events that would have a huge impact upon the Earth.

Observers as far south as Florida and the Canary Islands were treated to brilliant displays of the aurora borealis while the global network of telegraph lines - the Victorian equivalent of the internet - was disrupted for many hours.

Space scientists now understand that the flow of electrically charged material from the Sun known as the “solar wind” carries a powerful magnetic field out into the solar system. Extreme events, such as the 1859 “Carrington Event”, result from the strong interaction between the solar wind with Earth’s own magnetic field.

Dr. Denton said: “Dynamics on the Sun cause the solar wind to flow past the Earth at over 500 kilometres per second, or about a million miles per hour, for many days a time. These high speed streams are particularly effective at driving geomagnetic storms”.

Geomagnetic storms generate dramatic aurorae, but can also have less desirable consequences lasting several days. The impact of the Carrington event demonstrated that human technology was vulnerable to the impact of “space weather”, even 150 years ago.

“Modern society’s dependence on space technology means that it’s more important than ever to understand the physics that underpins space weather” explained Dr. Denton.

Participants at the workshop heard new evidence that high-speed solar-wind streams affect many regions of near-Earth space, from the solar wind, to the aurora borealis, and even aspects of the upper-atmosphere that may link solar activity to changes in the Earth's climate.

Dr. Joe Borovsky from the Los Alamos National Laboratory explained some of the research discussed during the week. “The meeting provided a great focus for our science. We've made progress on understanding connections between hot plasma in the solar wind and its impact on the Earth and its atmosphere - in effect by using the inner solar system as a vast plasma laboratory.

The Lakes had its attractions, tooo. "It has also been great to work in such a wonderful location.”

Bletchley Park Trust Welcomes Turning Apology

After the unequivocal apology to wartime code breaker Alan Turing by the British government, prosecuted for his homosexuality in 1952, Bletchley Park Trust has urged the nation to support its preservation as a permanent tribute to the legacy of Turing and the thousands who worked there, providing vital intelligence gathering during the Second World War.

Turing, who committed suicide in 1954, was, among other things a mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He's been described by his biographer Andrew Hodges as the founder of computer science, mathematician, philosopher, codebreaker, strange visionary and a gay man before his time - the latter to prove his downfall at a time when homosexuality was illegal and considered to be a mental illness during his lifetime.

Influential in the development of computer science, Turing provided an influential formalisation of the concept of the algorithm and computation with the Turing machine. In 1999 Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century for his role in the creation of the modern computer and his Turing test is regarded as a significant and characteristically provocative contribution to the debate regarding artificial intelligence.

The work done by Turing and the codebreakers at Bletchley Park was utterly fundamental to the allied victory and freedom in the west. The contribution of Alan Turing himself cannot be exaggerated – he illuminated the whole of the cryptographic work undertaken at Bletchley Park and stands alongside wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill as a truly great Briton.

Turing was a very well-liked but incredibly shy and eccentric man. In 1952, he was prosecuted for his homosexuality and accepted treatment with female hormones as an alternative to going to prison.

At his trial, two of his fellow codebreakers, Max Newman and Hugh Alexander, stood alongside him in support.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has now issued an unequivocal apology for the way Turing was treated.

"Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes," notes Brown in the apology. "It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could well have been very different... The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ - in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence - and he was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison - was chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his own life just two years later.

"Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can’t put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted under homophobic laws were treated terribly. Over the years millions more lived in fear of conviction.

"... on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan’s work I am very proud to say: we’re sorry, you deserved so much better." (read the full statement here)

“The government apology is a landmark in recognising the contribution of Turing and Bletchley Park to the way we all live today," Simon Greenish, director of the Bletchley Park Trust comments. "It's important that as a nation, we celebrate the achievements of Turing and his fellow codebreakers and ensure that Bletchley Park is preserved as a permanent tribute to their legacy”.

Bletchley Park today. Photo: Matt Crypto

Located near Milton Keynes, its modern day activities funded by the Bletchley Park Trust, the wartime codebreaking site is host to the Nazi Enigma Machines, including the rare 'Abwehr G312', considered a highlight of a busy day out at Bletchley Park, but there is much more than machines in a visit to the historic site. You can check out the tales of spies and strategic deception and you may even be the one to discover the map to genius mathematician Alan Turing's silver, supposedly buried in or near Bletchley Park.

There are more than enough different activities and exhibitions to occupy most families for a whole day, from wartime toys to working computers, a wartime mini cinema and an outstanding Churchill collection.

• Bletchley Park is open every day except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. For Bletchley Park visitor information, call 01908 640404, info@bletchleypark.org.uk, or go to www.bletchleypark.org.uk


• The cost of an Annual Season Ticket is: adults £10, concessions £8 (OAPs and student with valid ID card), children £6 (aged 12 to 16 - children under 12 admitted free of charge) and a family ticket £22.50 (two adults and two children aged 12 to 16). Tickets include a guided tour (subject to availability) and/or the use of an audio guide. On-site parking is £3 per car.

• Read the Government apology


• alanturing.net


The Turing Archive for the History of Computing

• The Alan Turing ScrapBook


• The Alan Turing Home Page


Maintained by Turing's biographer, Andrew Hodges

PRS Deal Restores YouTube Music to Brits

Welcome news this week for music lovers, after PRS for Music and YouTube announced a new licensing agreement that covers music contained in videos streamed via the online video platform, which means premium music videos will be reinstated to YouTube in the United Kingdom.

The deal will be backdated to January 2009, when YouTube's previous licence expired. As a result of the agreement the songwriters, composers and music publisher members that PRS for Music represents will be rewarded when their music is used.

"It's important that those who are creating music ˆ the writers and composers we represent - be rewarded when their works are used," commented Andrew Shaw, Managing Director of Broadcast and Online at PRS for Music commented. "YouTube is a popular online video destination, and this new licence continues to support musical talent.

"This is an achievement for songwriters, composers and the YouTube community alike and it reinforces the value of our members‚ work.‰

"We're dedicated to establishing and fostering relationships that make YouTube a place where existing fans and new audiences can discover their favourite content - whatever it might be," said Patrick Walker, YouTube‚s director of video partnerships.

We're extremely pleased to have reached an agreement with PRS for Music and look forward to the return of premium music videos to YouTube in the UK where they will join a variety of other content to be enjoyed by our British users."

This is great news, as it shows that major companies can aim to share revenues from ad clickthroughs on hub sites like YouTube.

Snow Leopard's Anti-Trojan Package Unveiled

Along with the launch of Apple's latest OS, Snow Leopard, there has been a lot of speculation about its rumoured anti-virus functionality to protect against the rising problem of Mac malware. With today’s release it is now possible to actually see what it can – and importantly – can’t do.

Anti virus company has welcomed the development, arguing it's now no longer uncool to have anti-virus on your Mac, says Sophos has produced a video, above, showing exactly this, above.

Sophos notes that the anti-virus protection only covers two families of Mac Trojan horse and is not equivalent to a true anti-virus product (it won't, for instance, protect you if you try to copy an infected file from a USB stick and doesn't offer clean-up facilities). Indeed Apple is at pains to insist that people should not describe this as an anti-virus.

“The malware problem on Apple Macs is very small compared to Windows, but it does exist, so well done to Apple for taking their first baby steps in countering it,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

“Apple didn't make a big song-and-dance about the inclusion of this malware protection facility in Snow Leopard which was perhaps surprising as the new version of the operating system wasn't exactly bulging with new functionality.”

“However, the limited protection that Apple has implemented may help otherwise incautious and unsuspecting users," continued Cluley. “It would be marvellous if this is also the first step in Apple becoming more involved in the fight against cybercrime.

"Wouldn't it be great if Apple could quickly move forward to build a collaborative programme - rather like Microsoft's MAPP initiative – to unite with the computer security industry?

"The bottom line is this - it's no longer uncool to have anti-virus on your Mac.”

• For more information, visit: http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2009/08/28/snow-leopard-malware-protect

Technology ousts Fashion for Style Conscious

It's official: the Geeks have taken over. Technology is replacing clothing as the medium that defines ‘Fashion’, according to new research that unearths a new breed of style-conscious consumer who puts gadgets over Gucci when it comes to looking good.

A major report by Microsoft today reveals that for the first time ever, nearly half the nation believes that being able to show off the latest new ‘in’ gadget is as important to their overall fashion image as an item of clothing or a designer haircut.

While we're a little bit wary of a report published by a company whose owner, Bill Gates, can hardly be considered the most style conscious when it comes to fashion -- surely a weird personality trait among many US billionaires who always seem to dress oddly, although Bill's become a lot better dressed in recent years -- the report says forty per cent of over 1,000 polled agree that the style and appearance of the technology devices they carry around with them is much more important now than it was five years ago and indeed critical to their overall look.

The ‘Microsoft Tech To Impress Report’ reveals it is the astronomical rise of ‘mobile working’, which has seen the average office worker spend over an hour a day longer working on the move than they did two years ago, that has created this shift in perception.

As people use technology on the go, and therefore in front of others, this increases the role that technology plays in one’s image and therefore places a far greater importance on having the ‘right’ looking gadgets.

The news is backed up by consumer shopping habits which has seen spending of mobile technology rise by 14 per cent in the past five years, with nearly a quarter of the population admitting to purchasing a piece of technology based only on its appearance – regardless of whether they really needed it.

43 per cent of those surveyed confirmed that they would now rather spend their money of a piece of technology than an item of clothing, and nearly six out of ten people admit to subtly leaving their new gadget on the table for envious friends to gorge on.

The report reveals that this ‘Tech to Impress Nation’ is led by young professional women who are much more likely than men to own several portable gadgets such as a mobile phones, digital cameras and laptops and the research suggests it is manufacturer’s relatively recent focus on creating products aesthetically aimed at women that has contributed to this trend.

Recent focus, of course, probably referring to almost every technology company except Microsoft rival Apple who surely spearheaded the move to make technology look good as well as working well with the iPod, iMac and iPhone?

The way consumer electronics is marketed has also played a key role amongst tech-savvy, image conscious consumers. Experts claim the rise in fashionable technology is also down to the explosion of fashionable celebrities getting involved with tech brands to make the devices more desirable. Where historically they would only get involved in fashion or lifestyle brands, celebrities such as David Beckham, Girls Aloud, Kate Moss and Beyoncé have all been used in recent advertising campaigns for tech brands.

“Without any doubt, modern women are putting more of a focus than ever on the tech accessories they carry around with them to help compliment their overall image," feels Pat McNulty, Assistant Editor of InStyle Online. It's not just about the hottest Mulberry bag or those lustworthy Louboutin heels anymore... A style savvy girl wants the sleekest, sexiest gadgets around and she isn't afraid to use them!

"Being able to pull the hottest piece of technology from her handbag is all part of the modern woman's independent image."

“This research is further proof of the social impact of the rise of mobile working," argues Andre Reuter from Microsoft. "As more people use technology on the move and therefore in front of others, this places far more importance on the look of the accessories they are using than ever before.

"It's got to the point where technology is now an integral part of many people's image, and is why Microsoft is committed to producing the very best-looking, easy to use mobile hardware for busy people who need to look good."

So, is Microsoft now a Style Guru? What do you think?

• More information at: www.microsoft.com/uk/hardware/fashion.

• Picture of Bill Gates by Oliver Bruchez and posted under Creative Commons usage on Flickr

Dick Tracy, eat Your Heart Out...

With every other major UK mobile network laying claim to the latest and best mobile phones, Orange has been struggling to find an exclusive that can match the iphone and other devices. It still hasn't, but news that they have grabbed the LG Touchscreen Watchphone (LG-GD910) is at least a little cool for those of us who remember Dick Tracy, or grew up watching Thunderbirds, where the International Rescue boys would communicate by watchphone.

The first phones will first go on sale in the UK in its Bond Street Station shop on Thursday, 27th August, but they're not cheap - what Orange describes as the must have gadget of the year will set you back £500.

Available on a first-come-first-serve basis, and one device per customer to those who arrive in person at the store, the device offers a slick scratch resistant touch-screen interface makes writing text messages easy, while an in-built speaker and MP3/AAC player lets you listen to the Essential James Bond theme album when you’re imprisoned in a fake volcano or battling with Jaws.

To make a voice or video call – in true 22nd Century fashion – all you have to do is ask it nicely. The combination of voice activated command, VGA camera and Bluetooth technology mean you’ll never have to raise a finger to make a call again... just turn your wrist and talk away. The handmade timepiece is designed with the image conscious in mind too and features eight different watch faces – one to suit your every mood or crime-fighting outfit.

“The LG Touchscreen Watchphone is one of several ‘future phones’ we’re bringing to UK consumers this year," says Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK, which make you wonder what else they have up their, um, sleeves. (The Palm Pre, perhaps?) "Being handmade, the device really is highly original and exclusively limited - so you’ll be the envy of all your friends if you’re fortunate enough to get your hands on one.”

• A limited number of the devices will also be made available from mid-September via the Orange online shop. For more info visit www.orange.co.uk/watchphone.

Spammers Sleazy Images follow Twitterers

IT Security and data protection firm Sophos is warning Twitter users to be wary of new followers posting sleazy images and inviting them to connect on MSN.

Spammers have created scores of bogus profiles and followed random users en masse. Each of the profiles comes complete with a sexy picture featuring an embedded message from the spammer. By embedding messages into images, spammers know that it is harder for Twitter to identify their adverts than if they were presented in plain text in a regular tweet.

“Email spammers have been using this trick for years, so it was a only a matter of time before we started seeing it on Twitter,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

“Connecting with these spammers by adding them as a friend on MSN, could lure Twitter users into a flirtatious instant messaging chat, ultimately leading to an adult website. While some Twitter users might be flattered to discover they have so many new followers, making friends with strangers online is always going to be a risky business."

• For more information and screenshots, visit: www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2009/08/20/twitter-spammers

FaceBook Buys FriendFeed

Facebook bought the social media aggregator FriendFeed this week, a service that melds users' updates from a number of sites in real time including Twitter, Yelp, Netflix, Blogger and Flickr in a single stream.

Facebook could easily afford the purchase: Cynopsis Digital reports that with a 250 million member social network Facebook says 83 of the top 100 advertising spenders in the United States now use the site to advertise including Johnson & Johnson, Nike and AT&T, per FT.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has predicted a 70% revenue gain for Facebook this year and expects that the company will be cash-flow positive by next year.

No details of the deal were released, and both parties said the FriendFeed app would continue to operate as normal for the time being. "We're still figuring out our longer-term plans for the product with the Facebook team," said Friendfeed founder Brett Taylor, a former Google engineer who helped develop Google Maps.

ITPro reports the plan is likely to include real-time search, as Facebook unveiled a new search tool (see the Facebook blog for more details) as well. Making its search more timely could line up Facebook to take on Twitter or Google.

Blade Runner Tops "Greatest SciFi" Poll

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford and set in a bleak LA of the future, has been named the greatest sci-fi movie of all time by the Titan Magazines-run sci-fi website, Totalscifionline.com.

The online publication has produced a definitive list of the top 100 films in sci-fi, with the 1982 film beating off strong competition to take the top slot.

Stanley Kubrick’s epic 2001: A Space Odyssey comes in second place, while the first release of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is at number three.

As the news breaks that Ridley Scott is set to make Alien 5, his first entry in the franchise is named the fourth best sci-fi movie of all time, and Metropolis, Fritz Lang’s iconic film from the silent period, completes the top five.

The authoritative list spans more than a century of movies in the sci-fi genre, with current release Moon making position 74, and the pioneering A Trip to the Moon from 1902 in the top fifteen.

Other entries in the list include two versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a plethora of titles from the genre’s 1970s heyday such as Silent Running, The Man Who Fell To Earth and The Andromeda Strain, and classic films by Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky.

Surprisingly, the recent smash hit Star Trek movie prequel makes the list, but comes in at a lowly 93. Two other Star Trek movies, The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country, are adjudged to be superior entries in the franchise, coming in at 19 and 67 respectively.

“It’s odd to think that Blade Runner was not a critical or commercial success on its initial release in 1982," commented Matt McAllister, Editor of Totalscifionline.com. "Some critics dismissed it as a case of style over substance. Yet while the depiction of a neon-lit future LA is still breathtaking, Ridley Scott’s film is backed up a real sense of sadness, fear and longing. It also contains career-best performances from Harrison Ford as Deckard and Rutger Hauer as the charming, feral Roy Batty, and terrific supporting performances from the likes of Daryl Hannah and Sean Young.

"However many times you’ve seen Blade Runner before, it retains its awe-inspiring power. A sci-fi masterpiece.”

The Top Ten:



1. Blade Runner (1982)

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

3. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

4. Alien (1979)

5. Metropolis (1927)

6. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

7. The Terminator (1984)

8. The Planet of the Apes (1968)

9. E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

10. Solaris (1972)

• To view the 'Top 100 films in sci-fi' list in full, visit:
http://totalscifionline.com/features/3809

Orwell's Telescreen Now Available

Technolvolgy.com notes George Orwell's Telescreen Now Available. Initially, MIT Technology Review; reports, this device could be used to create wearable displays that also offered eye tracking. However, it's basically a display that both presents an image and takes pictures at the same time.

The rudimentary version of the telescreen has been created by researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS). The design interlaces photodetector cells with organic light-emitting diode display pixels. The end result is a device that can display a moving image while imaging movement that is directly in front of the display.

Trek Yourself!

The Star Trek PR campaign for the upcoming film out in May marches on -- and this latest widget is a lot of fun. Head over to the new website and application "Trek Yourself" at http://www.trekyourself.com to turn a photo of yourself into a Vulcan, Romulan, or Starfleet officer.

Clearly seeking to ensure Star Trek becomes with a younger, healthier demographic, we were disappointed to discover that this clever animation is, for now, "Beardist" - no facial hair is allowed in any image you upload. You'll have to take off your bifocals, too, if you wnat the best results. Fortunately, as you can see, Gordon Brown has neither and we think he makes rather a good Vulcan...

Once you’re done, you can post your "trek'd out" photo to your favourite social network or blog. And be sure to grab the "Trek Yourself" widget to post on your own site.

Razer and Raptr Partner Up

High-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripheral makers Razer have announced a new partnership with Raptr, the first social platform that allows users to know, in real-time, what games they and their friends are playing across multiple platforms.

When combined with Razer’s keyboards and mice, the joint offering provides Razer’s millions of customers the opportunity to seamlessly join Raptr’s community and build friendships, compete and connect while gaming.

The partnership will also enable Razer to communicate directly with its fan base and better understand their gaming habits with Raptr’s innovative unique social network integrations, enabling the peripherals maker to better engage with its customers.

With Raptr, users can also automatically broadcast this information via the Internet’s most popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, thus extending users’ ability to reach their friends.

Raptr and Razer also plan to hold contests that give Raptr users the chance to show off their gaming skills and win special Razer gear.

“Razer’s products have traditionally been created and marketed for hardcore gamers and with this new partnership, Raptr is providing us with the best way to build a deeper connection with our existing gamers as well as reach new gamers in a consumer-friendly and innovative way,” said Razer president Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff. “We feel incredible synergy with Raptr, specifically in our goal to continuously engage new gamers and introduce them to the very best gaming products and services available.”

Glu Mobile's Latest Games Announced

Glu Mobile has just released its list of the games it plans to release in Europe in the first quarter of 2009, combining licensed fare in partnership with Konami and Sony Pictures with its own originated titles.

“We're very excited about our European line up for the first quarter of 2009, said Frank Keeling, who's MD of Publishing at Glu. "We're releasing a host of popular titles along with recognised franchises, again demonstrating the strength of our partnerships

Included in the batch of the titles launching in Europe for mobile is Power of 10, based on the hit TV show. Each round of questions sees the virtual prize values rise by the power of 10, giving players the opportunity to win up to a virtual $10 million, just like in the TV series.

Hamster Mansion is a gangster movie parody in which hamsters face off gophers as players aim to build the sweetest pad possible and make friends along the way. Packed with hostile environments and featuring a unique underground style, this adventure leads players across seven challenging levels, each one with its own groovy look and feel.

Jeopardy! Deluxe brings back the TV show-inspired game with brand new graphics, enhanced interactivity and three modes of play as competitors try to win virtual trophies and record their top score. Players can choose from new avatars, and with an accurate interactive imitation of the set and game-play, Glu claim playing Jeopardy! on the mobile phone is now more like the show than ever before.

Blackjack 21 is based on the Sony Pictures feature film, 21, and it’s all about counting cards and not getting caught. In the classroom, players learn a variety of simple card counting techniques. Players then head to the tables, taking risks to win big and playing safe to avoid attention. Players who keep their cool win big. Get too greedy and it’s game over.

The award-winning Metal Gear Acid returns to mobile phones in Metal Gear Acid 2, an extended sequel of the tactical turn-based Metal Gear game, this time out with a highly improved graphics engine. Players take the roles of Snake and the mysterious female agent, Venus. Having been led into a trap by the US military, Snake sees himself caught between two sides. Play through more than 10 challenging levels in the Story Mode or replay already accomplished missions with redefined objectives in the Stealth and Eliminate Modes.

Other titles releasing globally in the first quarter of 2009 are Monsters vs. Aliens, Lemmings Tribes, Demolition Derby, Build-a-lot, Watchmen: The Mobile Game and Family Feud.

• For more information, go to www.glu.com.

Make Money from Your Old DVDS

Musicmagpie.co.uk, the UK’s only cash-for-old-CDs web site, has just launched the UK’s first ever online cash for old DVDs service. The site now allows users to sell their old unwanted DVDs at the same time as old CDs and Games.

It all sounds like a great idea when you consider that in 2008, over 251 million DVDs were sold in the UK. Many people only watch their DVDs once or twice and then throw them away -- or simply leave them lying around, gathering dust.

Unwanted DVDs can be worth anything up to £3 each at Musicmagpie.co.uk -- and with millions of DVDs lying around in homes unwatched or unwanted the new service gives users the chance to make some extra money, as well as free up space on their shelves.

"We've had great success with thousands of people wanting to turn their old CDs into cash," says Craig Dawson who is MusicMagpie's head of operations for the new service. “Now users can get cash for their old DVDs as well as their CDs and games all in one place.

"There are millions of DVDs waiting to be turned into cash and Musicmagpie makes it really simple to do and it’s totally free to use.”

Unlike auction sites, users can get cash for as many of their old CDs, DVDs and games as they want without the hassle and cost of selling each individually. When people trade in their old CDs, DVDs and games for cash they receive a welcome pack which contains freepost labels for them to use.

Musicmagpie has now paid out over £440,000 to users and hopes to reach £500,000 by the end of January.

• For full details of the service, visit www.musicmagpie.co.uk

Monster, USAjobs Hacked

IT security and control firm Sophos is advising all users of careers website Monster.com and USAJobs.gov, the official job site of the US Federal Government, to change their passwords after news that both sites have been the victim of a serious hacking attack which has compromised both and usernames and passwords.

Over 4o per cent of people use the same password for every website they access, so many Monster and USAJobs users are also likely to be at risk of their accounts on other websites are at risk of being hacked.

According to a warning published by Monster, other data stolen included users' email addresses, names, phone numbers and some demographic data. The incident follows a similar attack on both sites 18 months ago when hackers used the Monstres Trojan horse to steal details of jobseekers via recruiter accounts. That hack was unsurprisingly followed by a widespread phishing campaign.

"Customers of both Monster and USAJobs have been placed at serious risk because of this attack," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

"One very real risk is that the hackers will use the email addresses and personal information they have stolen to mount a very realistic phishing campaign to gather more sensitive information from the victims. But, that's just the tip of the iceberg - since so many people use the same password for every website, there's a good chance the cybercriminals will be able access users' bank accounts and other sites."

Sophos has recommended that all users of these sites take steps now to minimise the risks. This should first include changing your password for your Monster and/or USAJobs account, as well as for other websites.

When choosing passwords, it's a good idea to choose a non-dictionary word that is hard to guess, and use different passwords for different websites.

Media reports suggest Monster is not planning to warn its users via email about the security breach, but instead posted an advisory on its website.

"There will be a few raised eyebrows about how Monster is choosing to inform its members of this serious security breach," continued Cluley. "As the company's database was hacked in what appears to have been a similar attack in 2007, customer confidence in the company may be damaged following this latest incident."

• More on Monster.com hacking and advice on passwords and login security on the Sophos web site

Runes Of Magic Design Competiton

With the turn of the year, numerous pieces of new furniture and decorative items for player housing were added to the fantasy world of Frogster’s acclaimed MMO, Runes of Magic. Now, Frogster using this occasion to challenge Taborea’s creative amateur interior designers in an exciting competition with a twist.

Every active player in the game with character level 10 that signs up for the contest at www.runesofmagic.com before the ‘event’ ends on 2nd February will receive a magnificent two-story house to permanently reside in within the game. Those who send in a screenshot of their homey domicile also have a chance to win a brand new Gainward GF 9800 GTX+ graphics card, virtual war horses and fan T-Shirts.

Besides the player’s house, Frogster has re-worked the item shop in Runes of Magic. After updating their game software with a new patch, players can now spend in-game coins in the online store. Investing their in game money players are now able to acquire helpful potions, pets, mounts or teleports without using real currency.

The update also integrates the new instance “Cyclops Stronghold“ and the event “Flower Festival” for Valentine’s Day.

While this might not sound the most exciting of news to non gamers, the customisation being put into Runes of Magic is a canny move on the part of the publishers. Longtime virtual world fans know just how popular virtual objects can be, and the items Frogster are developing for the game are bound to make it an attractive package for MMO players, whatever their experience level.

In Runes of Magic, players can start furnishing their house at Level 1, and a broad range of items is available, ranging from decorative interactive weapon racks, fireplaces and candle holders to more practical furniture like treasure chests that can store items, mannequins to display spare armour or anvils for crafting. Players can even give their unique house code to friends to invite them over for a viewing. (”Come up and see my orc heads,” perhaps being a popular line?)

As previously reported, Runes of Magic started the open beta with an English and a German version in the middle of December 2008. The game conveys an absorbing story through more than 1.000 quests embedded in an atmospheric fantasy setting.

• All interested players can now download the online-role playing game and enter into the fantasy world after creating an account for free on www.runesofmagic.com

5000 To Go at Microsoft

When Microsoft start cutting jobs things have to be getting bad. CBS Marketwatch (and other news sites) report the software giant has reported an 11% drop in fiscal second-quarter profit and said it will cut 5,000 jobs as demand weakened for its Windows software.

Microsoft will also cease giving per-share forecasts for the rest of 2009 because of the uncertainty caused by a slumping US and global economy. In the final three months of 2008, meanwhile, Microsoft said earnings fell to $4.17 billion, or 47 cents a share, from $4.71 billion, or 50 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter. Revenue edged up slightly to $16.63 billion from $16.4 billion from a year ago.

Seeking to reduce its annual operating expenses by $1.5 billion this year, the company says that jobs will be eliminated in research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal, human resources, and IT.

Seattle TechReport reports that Microsoft also said that travel budgets and market expenses would be cut and confirmed that most new construction on its Redmond campus was on hold. The company also said that it would reduce the number of vendors and contingent staff.

Anatomically Incorrect: Star Trek Barbie Dolls

Come on, you know you secretly want one. The Star Trek Barbie dolls are back, this time styled after the actors in the upcoming Star Trek film, which debuts 8 May in the US.

Captain Kirk, Spock and Uhura will go on sale in April, sans nipples, just in case any of you would dare to think of doing anything naughty with them, like make a rude video and put it on YouTube.

Ken and Barbie donned Star Trek uniforms back in 1996 to mark the 30th anniversary of the show, so the uber-brand isn't new to scifi geekery.

More figures, toys and playsets are on the way, incidentally, from Playmates. USA Today has an exclusive first look at what kids are going to be playing with this summer.

Lord of the Riings Games Tops download carts

The demo for Pandemic and EA's Lord of the Rings: Conquest has been downloaded over one million times and knocke Activision's Call of Duty: World at War off the top of the Live charts after nine weeks on top.

Available on Sony's PSN and Microsoft's Xbox Live services, the game was released earlier this month but has received lukewarm reviews from the specialist press. The game thrusts players in to key moments of the story and on the frontlines of the epic battles.

“‘The Lord of the Rings’ experience is something our team has been passionate about delivering and we believe players will discover a Middle-earth experience like no other,” said Andrew Goldman, Pandemic Studios co-founder and general manager on the launch of the game. Now "Lord of the Rings fans can choose to save The Shire or set to destroy it. Providing that level of control and freedom is something we are proud to offer.”

Created by the same team behind the best-selling Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II titles, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest opens the fantasy world of Middle-earth giving players the choice to join the powers of good or the forces of evil, in the eternal struggle to control the One Ring.

Players can choose to control their favorite heroes and villains including Aragorn, Gandalf, the Witch-king, the Balrog and even the Dark Lord Sauron. Players can also engage surrounding characters in the world such as wargs and oliphaunts, control catapults and balistas, and even play as giant creatures such as cave trolls and Ents. As well, fans can play through the campaign modes cooperatively via online or split-screen and relieve their favorite battles competitively via four-player split-screen or online with up to 16 players.

• For more information on The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, please visit: http://www.pandemicstudios.com/conquest.

Cartoon Network Launches FusionFall Online Game

Five years in the making, Cartoon Network's much-anticipated massively multiplayer online game (MMORPG) Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall is now available to play.

The creation of Cartoon Network New Media along with development partner Grigon Entertainment, FusionFall takes Cartoon Network characters, re-imagines them in an anime-inspired style and sets them in dynamic new environments.

Players create their own in-game avatars and battle alongside characters from some of Cartoon Network's most popular shows -- Ben 10: Alien Force, Dexter's Laboratory, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Ed, Edd' n Eddy, The Powerpuff Girls, Kids Next Door and Samurai Jack, among others -- to save the world from an epic alien invasion.

The launch is accompanied by a number of promotions, including a FusionFall manga comic, viewable online or available as a PDF.

"The response to FusionFall during our beta phase and sneak peek play weekends has been phenomenal," said Chris Waldron, the executive producer of FusionFall. "We're thrilled to finally offer fans the opportunity to fully explore the Cartoon Network universe online with friends and family."

Launch of the International Astronomy Year, at UNESCO in Paris

2009 has been declared the International Year of Astronomy by the UN General Assembly in collaboration with the International Astronomical Union. Like other space organisations, the European Space Agency is participating in the opening ceremony taking place in Paris today and tomorrow, 15 and 16 January.

Launched under the theme, 'The Universe - Yours to discover', IYA2009 involves more than one hundred countries, and will stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science.

The official opening ceremony takes place in Paris, 15-16 January 2009, under the aegis of the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Nobel Prize winners, scientists from all over the world and government ministers are attending this prestigious event.

On 16 January, Professor David Southwood, Director of ESA's Science and Robotic Exploration programme will present the future scientific missions currently being studied within the framework of ESA's Cosmic Vision.

Throughout the two days the general public can visit two scientific attractions that have been produced in cooperation with ESA: the Planck Dome exhibition and a travelling Herschel Discovery Truck.

Using images, videos and interactive games, visitors can discover two key ESA astronomy missions, Planck and Herschel, planned for launch in 2009. Using revolutionary instruments these two satellites will investigate how the first galaxies and stars formed and evolved and will give new insights as to the origins of the Universe.

iPhone Set for Lion's Share of Mobile Market?

Analysis carried out by Generator Research suggests that Apple’s embryonic mobile business could knock Nokia from the top spot in the smartphone market, and transform the mobile services market.

“Our analysis is that the iPhone and App Store constitute a vertical platform for the delivery of advanced mobile services that will be developed in a similar manner to how Apple developed its digital music platform, which included the iPod and the iTunes Music Store,” says Andrew Sheehy, head of research at Generator. "Outsiders are rewriting the mobile industry’s rulebook for how to deliver mobile services and the new rule Number One is that you need a fully-integrated service development platform that has a rich API which is open to third party developers on favourable commercial terms.

"Right now, Apple has the best platform and the best-looking forward road map."

Generator’s research finds that with cash reserves exceeding $25 billion, 33% gross margins and the iPhone just about to enter its fastest-growth phase, Apple has the resources, competencies and motivation to invest in the mobile sector just at the time when the economic climate is forcing many established players in the mobile industry to cut back on product development. The impact on some incumbent players could be substantial, with Nokia’s share of the smartphone market falling from 40% today to 20% by 2013.

“We think that Apple will use its financial strength and revenue velocity to try to get one or more design cycles ahead of the competition,” said Sheehy. "The result could see Apple shipping as many as 77 million iPhones in calendar 2013.

"By that time the iPhone will include a range of different models, each addressing different market segments and the App Store will have developed to the point where third party developers have access to network assets that will allow them to write programs that can send messages and establish voice calls between different iPhones."

• Generator’s analysis is presented in the report “Apple: iPhone and App Store” published on 12 January 2009. The report is available at http://www.generatorresearch.com/productinfo.php?pid=279

Video Games 2008's Top Selling Entertainment Media

Sales of videogames hit an all-time high in 2008 in the UK, according to ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) which revealed annual sales figures from GFK Chart-Track this week of over one billion pounds.

Total sales of all videogame software and hardware amounted to £4.034 billion and there was a huge increase in games sales in 2008, with growth of 23 per cent on figures for 2007, indicating the market has now more than doubled over the last five years.

The increasing popularity of videogames took total sales to £1.905 billion, compared to £1.552 billion in 2007 and hardware sales have been equally spectacular.

Nintendo formats led the way, with software sales of nearly 40 million units in the UK. Nintendo Wii games were up 153 per cent, with 20.1 million units sold last year compared to 7.9 million units in 2007. Revenue from Nintendo Wii software sales also enjoyed a dramatic increase of 112 per cent to £481 million, compared to £227 million in 2007.

The Nintendo DS came through as the star hand-held performer, notching up a record-breaking 19.1 million software sales in the country, compared to 14.9 million in 2007. The leap represents an increase of 28 per cent year on year, while revenue from Nintendo DS videogames sales increased by 17 per cent - from £314 million in 2007 to £366 in 2008.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 console notched up its first full year of videogame sales in 2008. Sales rose 145 per cent, with 10.4 million units sold – more than double the 4.2 million games sold in 2007. The PlayStation 3 saw a 115 per cent rise in revenue and software sales reached £334 million in 2008 compared to £156 million in 2007.

Already crowing over strong volume sales in Europe, Microsoft Xbox 360 also continued to see growth in sales with a rise of 51 per cent of videogames sold – a total 14.9 million units sold in the UK last year, compared to 9.8 million in 2007. Revenue was also up by 38 per cent, with £443 million in 2008 compared to £320 million in 2007.

The total revenue for the UK’s console hardware sales in 2008 was a staggering £1.422 billion - an increase of 14 per cent compared to £1.252 billion in 2007. The total value of console gaming peripherals increased by 82 per cent, with total sales reaching £549 million compared to £301 million in 2007. Total videogames software sales reached an all-time high in 2008 with 82.8 million units sold all-told in the UK. The total gross generated from the sale of all videogames including hardware and accessories rose 23 per cent to £4.034 billion.

“It's also encouraging to see that the popularity of videogames continues to grow year on year," commented Michael Rawlinson, Managing Director of ELSPA. "More than ever, videogaming is increasingly bringing families together with the introduction of so many outstanding family-based console titles. These have really opened up the market to those who may never have even considered playing a videogame before.”

Thumbs Up for new PalmPre

Remember Palm, the one-time champion of the PDA market? Various technology journalists at CES are urging fans not to the brand just yet - the company finally unveiled its long-awaited smartphone, the Palm Pre, last week at CES.

A winner of this year's CNET Best of Show award, the Pre is designed to take the best of both the Blackberry and iPhone, combining a 3.1 inch touchscreen allowing, users to pinch and expand photos and web pages, with a full QWERTY keyboard women with two-inch nails can operate.

"I think this phone's biggest appeal will be the central role the internet plays in the OS," writes Adrian Covert on gizmodo. "The way it pulls data from various web services, and melds it into its own framework is top notch... being able to text, and gChat and send IMs over AIM all from the same window is such a benefit to the user to not have to switch windows for three different apps for messaging. And obviously, you won't be talking to someone on a bunch of different messengers at once, but over a period of a week, you might have convos over these different services, and it's good to keep track of all these interactions in one place."

"The UI is incredibly well thought out and smooth," comments Joshua Topolsky over on EnGadget, noting what was on display at CES was not a final product. "Animations going in and out of apps, and all of the menus and switching are done with a grace and simplicity that we rarely see on any device... Touching the screen is responsive and precise, we never felt like it was 'glitching out' on us, and with a few exceptions everything in the OS was large enough to be tapped on the first try with our gargantuan fingers."

The Pre also offers Wi-Fi connectivity, a 3 megapixel camera, GPS capability and - like the T-Mobile G1 - integration with the Amazon Music Store for direct MP3 purchases.

"The Palm Pre and Palm Web OS isn't necessarily going to revolutionize the smartphone market, in that it doesn't offer any crazy, new features," comments Bonni Cha on CNET, "but it definitely brings a fresh look into the way you interact with a device and how it organizes information. It also brings innovation and life back to the struggling company and has certainly set the tech world abuzz. Palm's undeniably taken a beating from the media and general public, so it's good to see the company respond and take action."

• The Pre, due out during the first half of 2009 in the US, will run on a brand new WebOS designed to synch with Microsoft Outlook and other productivity software More info on the Palm US web site

ShowStoppers Highlists StartUps and more at CES

Fighting back at the doom and gloom that has begun 2009 worldwide in the face of ongoing economic crisis, some 90 companies aimed shot new life into the US economy last night by introducing and demonstrating new products and technologies for work, home and play to more than 1,000 journalists, analysts and bloggers attending ShowStoppers, the press-only special event during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

“At ShowStoppers events, journalists get to see, touch, feel and play with new products, as they are announced,” said Steve Leon, partner. “For exhibiting companies, it’s an incredibly effective use of executive time and marketing dollars in a tough economy. There’s nothing like being one-on-one and face-to-face with a reporter – who’s actually holding your product in her hands – to help push product coverage and interviews.”

Some of the journalists, analysts and bloggers tracking hot products from cool companies included, among others, ABC News, BBC, Crunchgear, gizmodo, Good Housekeeping, Wall Street Journal, Which?, Wired and more. The invitation-only event featured start-ups, upstarts, innovators and industry leaders, including Astrogaming, AT&T, Bug Labs, Jakks Pacific, Slacker, Smith Micro Software, and Zoombak, with demonstrations that offered the world’s first demonstration by Ford, Microsoft and partners of the next-generation edition of SYNC, the hands-free information and entertainment system for drivers – just one hour after it was announced by Alan Mulally, chief executive office of Ford.

IFA invited exhibitors, journalists, analysts and bloggers to Berlin for the largest consumer-electronics and home-appliances tradefair outside North America – and ShowStoppers @ IFA 2009, the official press event, while Intuit introduced Quicken Online, the first forward-looking personal-finance service on the Web.

Other demos included Boingo Wireless and Skype, who announced an agreement that allows Skype users to access more than 100,000 Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide. Schwinn gave rides to journalists on its innovative electric bike, the Tailwind. Start-up Cloud Engines launched Pogoplug, a small device that connects a USB hard drive to the Internet, giving users access to files from any Web browser, from anywhere. FusionOne, GoTV, Juice Wireless, Truphone, Vringo and Vuzix also demonstrated tools that won Mobile Entertainment Awards.

Making the Real Unreal

Tiltshift Photography is a technique that makes real photographs look like miniature scenes. It's an impressive creative technique, whereby a photograph of a life-size location or object is manipulated to give an optical illusion of a photograph of a miniature scale model.

Altering the focus of the photography in Photoshop (or any similar program) simulates the shallow depth of field normally encountered with macro lenses making the scene seem much smaller than it actually is.

• Here's a gallery of 50 stunning examples published by Smashing magazine.

• This Photoshop tutorial offers tips on how to make your own tiltshifted images

• Above: A bus photo from Tiltshiftphotography.net

Tech Bites: 12 January 2009

• Two search requests on the internet website Google produce "as much carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle", according to a Harvard University academic. BBC News reports US physicist Alex Wissner-Gross claims that a typical Google search on a desktop computer produces about 7g CO2.Honestly, don't these academics have anything better to do -- like boiling a kettle, for example? Mine's white, one sugar. Still let's not be too harsh, Alex is a darn clever bloke: an Environmental Fellow at Harvard University, he's authored 14 publications, received 88 national and international distinctions, and been issued seven full and pending patents. Braniac!

• Talking of Google, if you're one of those people who simply can't have enough browsers on your PC, the websearch and technology giant has made an early test version of Chrome 2.0, available for download. The Inquirer reports the update overhauls the way the browser handles HTTP and adds functionality such as auto-complete fields. Released quietly via Google's Chrome developer channel, the early access code has an updated version of the WebKit rendering engine, and new network code to provide a cross-platform implementation of the HTTP protocol.

• Bacteria seem to release a powerful detergent into the atmosphere that may be one of nature's most powerful rain-makers, according to New Scientist. Meanwhile, the top British science mag also reports that researchers are still trying to scrape CO2 from the atmosphere, arguing that air capture is not only theoretically feasible, it will soon be a practical weapon against global warming. Maybe they should start talking to the rain making bugs.

• It's getting hard to tell who's real and who's not on all these social networks. Rosetta, the largest independent interactive marketing agency in the US, has released a social media study showing 59 percent of 100 leading retailers currently have a fan page on Facebook. According to the study, which was first conducted in April of 2008 and updated in September, 29 of the retailers surveyed added Facebook pages during those four months including Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, Kohl's and Wal-Mart. Maybe someone should create an UnFriend Application for the service. You know, "I Am Not a Friend of Apple..." etc.

• Talking of how difficult it is to separate reality from fiction, in a weird twist on the world it seems Marvel character Captain Britain, like President Obama and other major world figures, is now officially on Twitter, posting daily: twitter.com/Captain_Britain. If you've been holding out from being part of this social communication revolution, what better reason to leap aboard? (Hmm, nope, still not convinced, but if you are a Twitterer, you might be interested in TweetScan, which enables you to download a portable web page and CSV file with your message archive including replies back to December 2007).

• Everyting's going virtual these days. The Guardian reports the city of Decatur, Georgia in the US has opened up their call for developers to create a virtual city, titled Virtual Decatur, in a massively multiplayer online environment. Potential winners of the competition will have creative liberties to the extent that any activity supported in the online version must be "considered acceptable in the actual environment of Downtown Decatur" and is aligned with their mission for the project.

• While not the first to offer such a service, Vote For Art is a new new online gallery, where you can vote and shop for your favourite art.

Cassiopeia A Comes Alive Across Time and Space

Two new efforts have taken a famous supernova remnant from the static to the dynamic. A new movie of data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows changes in time never seen before in this type of object, and a separate team will also release a dramatic three-dimensional visualization of the same remnant.

Nearly ten years ago, Chandra's "First Light" image of Cassiopeia A (Cas A) revealed previously unseen structures and detail. Now, after eight years of observation, scientists have been able to construct a movie (available to view in QuickTime format here) that tracks the remnant's expansion and changes over time.

"With Chandra, we have watched Cas A over a relatively small amount of its life, but so far the show has been amazing," said Daniel Patnaude of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "And, we can use this to learn more about the aftermath of the star's explosion."

A separate, but equally fascinating visualization featuring Cas A was presented, along with the Patnaude team's results, at a press conference at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Long Beach, California. Based on data from Chandra, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and ground-based optical telescopes, Tracey DeLaney and her colleagues have created the
first three-dimensional fly-through of a supernova remnant.

"We have always wanted to know how the pieces we see in two dimensions fit together with each other in real life," said DeLaney of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Now we can see for ourselves with this 'hologram' of supernova debris."

This ground-breaking visualization of Cas A was made possible through a collaboration with the Astronomical Medicine project based at Harvard. The goal of this project is to bring together the best techniques from two very different fields, astronomy and medical imaging.

"Right now, we are focusing on improving three-dimensional visualization in both astronomy and medicine," said Harvard's Alyssa Goodman who heads the Astronomical Medicine project. "This project with Cas A is exactly what we have hoped would come out of it."

While these are stunning visuals, both the data movie from Patnaude and the 3-D model from DeLaney are, more importantly, rich resources for science. The two teams are trying to get a much more complete understanding of how this famous supernova explosion and its remnant
work.

Patnaude and his team have measured the expansion velocity of features in Cas A from motions in the movie, and find it is slower than expected based on current theoretical models. Patnaude thinks the explanation for this mysterious loss of energy is cosmic ray acceleration.

Using estimates of the properties of the supernova explosion, including its energy and dynamics, Patnaude's group show that about 30% of the energy in this supernova has gone into accelerating cosmic rays, energetic particles that are generated, in part, by supernova remnants
and constantly bombard the Earth's atmosphere. The flickering in the movie provides valuable new information about where the acceleration of these particles occurs.

Likewise, the new 3-D model of Cas A provides researchers with unique ability to study this remnant. With this new tool, Delaney and colleagues found two components to the explosion, a spherical component from the outer layers of the star and a flattened component from the
inner layers of the star.

Notable features of the model are high-velocity plumes from this internal material that are shooting out from the explosion. Plumes, or jets, of silicon appear in the northeast and southwest, while plumes of iron are seen in the southeast and north. Astronomers had known about the plumes and jets before, but did not know that they all came out in a
broad, disk-like structure.

The implication of this work is that astronomers who build models of supernova explosions must now consider that the outer layers of the star come off spherically, but the inner layers come out more disk like with high-velocity jets in multiple directions.

Cassiopeia A is the remains of a star thought to have exploded about 330 years ago, and is one of the youngest remnants in the Milky Way galaxy. The study of Cas A and remnants like it help astronomers better understand how the explosions that generate them seed interstellar gas
with heavy elements, heat it with the energy of their radiation, and trigger shock waves from which new stars form.

Lawrence Rudnick of the University of Minnesota led the Spitzer part of the Delaney study. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls Chandra's science and flight operations from Cambridge.

• View the Cassiopeia movie in QuickTime format here
• For the latest Chandra news and imagery visit the official web sites: chandra.nasa.gov

Smart Heart Link for your iPhone

In January, whether New Year Resolutions last one day or one month or more, it's inevitable that many people start thinking about their health -- and ways to improve or at least monitor it.

For iPhone and iPod Touch users, a new development from TMP Technology, a pioneering smartphone hardware and software developer is poised to do just that - and, the company says, bring unparalleled health and fitness capabilities.

The developer has just launched SMHeart Link, a wireless bridge that enables any iPhone or iPod touch to double as a heart monitor and cycling computer, collecting data generated by distributed fitness sensors such as heart rate chest straps and cycling sensors on bikes and sending it to the iPhone for easy display and tracking.

In the past two months, iTMP has unveiled three demo iPhone fitness applications that currently run in simulation. Their pending upgrades, which will be demonstrated live at Macworld and coming soon to the iPhone App Store, will be the only apps, among hundreds of other iPhone health and fitness apps, that actually listen to a person’s heart to track and display their unique vital fitness metrics.

• iSPINNING is a cardio fitness system and cycling computer that enables Spinning enthusiasts around the world to track and record their cardio exercise anywhere. Whether riding on a Spinner bike, road or mountain bike, iSPINNING workouts can also be uploaded to eNewLeaf to add key cardio training and cycling metrics to your online fitness diary.

• iNewLeaf is a cardio fitness system and cycling computer that allows you to incorporate unique metabolic profile data from New Leaf to more precisely track and monitor the right intensity for “real results.” Upload your completed workouts to eNewLeaf to add key cardio training and cycling metrics to your online fitness diary.

• iRPM+ is a cardio fitness system and cycling computer that allows you to track any cardio exercise, anywhere. Upload your completed workouts to eNewLeaf or MapMyFitness to add key cardio training and cycling metrics to your online fitness diary.

The apps are available now, and free for a limited time, on the iPhone App Store. Once downloaded, users can take the apps for a test drive with simulated heart rate data to understand how they monitor and manage cardio fitness.

The apps being demonstrated at Macworld Expo will be available in a soon to be released version 2.0 upgrade on the iPhone App Store in the coming days.

“We wanted to make the fitness metric tracking experience cool, fun, simple and custom,” says iTMP CEO & Founder Michael Williams, “we’ve done just that. By leveraging the iPhone’s technology and partnering with leaders in the industry, we are raising the bar in the fitness metrics monitoring space.”

• SMHEART LINK will be available for purchase at www.SMHEARTLINK.com in the coming days. Until then, users can register for an alert that will notify them when the product is ready to ship. At that time, users will be able to purchase SMHEART LINK by tapping a button that takes them to an online store without ever leaving the app. SMHEART LINK will initially be bundled with SMHEART Sleeve, a flexible, lightweight case that integrates with the heart monitor chest strap, and will be included for an introductory period at 50% off.