Hat Creek Radio Observatory about to start

By Mark O’Neill

In what is being touted as a “new switchboard for aliens“, the 42 telescope dishes at Hat Creek Radio Observatory will soon kick into action.

When the full 350 telescope dish display is finished in a few years time – initially funded by $30 million from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen – it will be the biggest extra-terrestrial search station ever in the world.

But problems are already cropping up.   Allen’s $30 million is already gone and they need a further $40 million to finish the rest of the dishes.    So they are having to resort to tacky “Adopt a Scientist” schemes to raise the extra money as the government isn’t going to rush in and write them a check.

It’s a sad day when science and exploration gets pushed to the back of the line in favour of billions getting pumped into pointless wars in the Middle East.





Geek Gang Signs Won’t Make You Look Any Cooler

Ladies and gentlemen, after Nerdcore Rap and other endless crossovers between the geek and hip hop culture, let me present you the brand new way to express your nerdiness to your fellow geek friends: The geek gang signs.

Geek Gang Signs

Maybe 20 years ago, I would have find these signs very cool and tried to emulate them, but now I think I would just roll my eyes and have a good laugh while seeing geek kids do them.

[via]

Online Staring Contest Heats Up

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

The human need to compete has never been more evident than in the new web sensation called iBeatYou.

The site definitely wins when it comes to number of ways to waste time online. You can find a competition for practically any “skill,” so to speak. Think you’re a staring contest champ? See how you stack up against other top competitors across the world. All you have to do is stare straight ahead for as long as you can without blinking, and record the action on your webcam. I used to do that for hours on end at my old job, just minus the webcam. Too bad this site wasn’t around back then.

Other popular contests include best photo of you with a celebrity (current winner: woman with the Backstreet Boys), hottest girl playing Xbox (an admirable category; Jessica Alba currently has the top-rated photo), best drunken photo (definitely will be some regrets from these competitors in a few years), and of course, best abs.

The list goes on and on. Basically, if you can think of it, there’s a contest for it. So, the question is, are you ready to step up to the challenge? If so, please post a link to your entry in the comments section below so the rest of us can mock you incessantly.

What have they DONE to the Hulk?!

By Mark O’Neill

I was starting to enjoy the anticipation of the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie but having now seen some new pictures that have just been released, I am horrified!

What have they done to him? He looks like he has caught a severe dose of leprosy!

Bill Bixby must be turning in his grave and Lou Ferringo must be getting ready to smash something!

What is it with Hollywood that they can’t turn a classic TV series into a movie without royally screwing it up?  Why do they have to make a stupid CGI version of the Hulk anyway?   What’s wrong with the perfect Lou Ferringo method of getting a big muscular guy and painting him green?   Oh wait, that would be too realistic-looking.

Take a Walk on the Keyboard Carpet

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Wii Fit, meet your match. A creative guy has come up with a room-sized, foot-controlled keyboard carpet.

The strip, as you’d expect, lets you step on letters to control your computer. Active, productive, and a lovely addition to any home. I’m sure every woman in the world will be thrilled when her significant other brings one of these into the living room.

Hackaday has a step-by-step look at the construction, and you can see more photos at the developer’s Flickr site. The guy’s got some other interesting-looking projects in the works there, too, including a glove with some kind of built-in switches and an odd invention I can’t quite figure out called the “Dog and Gong.”

Missed The Andromeda Strain? Catch it Again on Saturday Night

By Patrick Biz
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

This week, A&E broadcasted its awaited mini-series, The Andromeda Strain, featuring Benjamin Bratt, Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Rick Schroder (24). The 2 two hour episodes aired on Monday and Tuesday night, but if you’ve missed the show, you can watch the rerun this weekend.

The Plot

Following the crash of a US satellite near a small town in Utah, a micro-organism, codenamed Andromeda, kills virtually all citizens as their blood instantly coagulates. Mysteriously, two survivors are found alive and may hold the key to a possible cure. A team of highly specialized scientists led by Dr. Jeremy Stone (Benjamin Bratt), is running against time to stop the spread, while a reporter investigates a possible government conspiracy to save a sample of Andromeda.

5 Million Viewers

The Andromeda Strain is the second most-watched A&E show ever, reaching 5 million viewers for part II. If you’ve missed this great mini-series, catch it again on Saturday night, or make sure to set your PVR from 8:00pm to 12:00am EST. The show is also available in HD.

Introducing the “Luke Skywalker” Prosthetic Arm

Researcher Dean kamen was recently interviewed at the All Things D conference concerning his new “Luke” robotic arm (Yes, that’s Luke as in Luke Skywalker.) This new revolutionary arm can do a lot more than what all current prosthetic arms can do right now. I invite you to check it out in the following video. The possibilities this new thing offers to disabled people are truly mind-blowing.

Could a Polish monastery hold missing Mozart works?

By Mark O’Neill

Being a classical music fan, I am excited at the thought that there may be the chance of some previously unknown musical works of Mozart being found at a monastery in Poland.

Musicologists there are reviewing various musical scores to determine if they do indeed belong to the genius Austrian composer. Some of the scores have already been dismissed as being “misattributions” (is that a polite word for “fakes”?) but there are nine others that are still being looked at.

I live in the German city of Würzburg which holds an acclaimed annual Mozart music festival in the summer, attended by thousands of international visitors. If indeed lost Mozart works are found in Poland, this will set the festival alight. It’ll be standing room only with no tickets to spare – and I will be stampeding to the front.