Agnes Cheek

The ordinary is the part of our world that is somehow the most extraordinary. Show someone first the ordinary and then show them the extraordinary and see if either one of you can tell the difference.

“It is a great adventure to contemplate the universe, beyond man, to contemplate what it would be like without man, as it was in a great part of its long history and as it is in a great majority of places. When this objective view is finally attained, and the mystery and majesty of matter are fully appreciated, to then turn the objective eye back on man viewed as matter, to view life as part of this universal mystery of greatest depth, is to sense an experience which is very rare, and very exciting. It usually ends in laughter and delight in the futility of trying to understand what this atom in the universe is, this thing—atoms with curiosity—that looks at itself and wonders why it wonders. Well, these scientific views end in awe and mystery, lost at the edge in uncertainty, but they appear to be so deep and so impressive that the theory that it is all arranged for god to watch man’s struggle for good and evil seems inadequate.” —The Meaning Of It All: Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist, 1998

“We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on.” —What Do You Care About What Other People Think?, 1988

(Earthsky.org)  The best time to see the planet Saturn is here. April and May 2012 are when this golden world – planet of the rings – is easiest to spot and brightest. The planet Saturn is relatively easy to find in 2012, because it’s near a bright star, Spica, in the constellation Virgo. This star always returns to the early evening sky in April – spring for the Northern Hemisphere, autumn for the Southern Hemisphere. Spica stays out all night long – or nearly all night long – on April and May nights. Likewise, April or May of 2012 will also be the best time to see the ringed planet Saturn in all its glory.

Read more HERE!

You only get one life and you are the one who gets to define what that life is going to be. Make it matter, make it yours, make it amazing. I believe in our ability to inspire greatness in each other and prove that everything is possible.

Daniel Fabrycky from the Kepler science team put together a visualization of all the multiple-planet systems discovered by the Kepler spacecraft as of February of 2011. This second version illustrates the planet candidates found as of Feb 2012: 885 planet candidates in 361 systems—double the number of systems in the original Kepler Orrery. The orbit radii are to scale with respect to each other and planet sizes are to scale with respect to each other, but orbits and planet sizes are different scales. The colors are in order of semi-major axis: two-planet systems (242 in all) have a yellow outer planet; 3-planet (85) green, 4-planet (25) light blue, 5-planet (8) dark blue, 6-planet (1, Kepler-11) purple.

credit: Daniel Fabrycky

“Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don’t think about what you want to be, but what you want to do. Keep up some kind of a minimum with other things so that society doesn’t stop you from doing anything at all.” -Feynman

Billions of potentially habitable planets may exist within our galaxy, the Milky Way, raising new prospects that life could exist near Earth, a study has found.

Check it out.

Thanks Ian for sending this in!

The lesser of two weevils

Einstein was a giant. His head was in the clouds, but his feet were on the ground. Those of us who are not so tall have to choose!

https://www.facebook.com/thesaganseries The Feynman Series is a companion project of The Sagan Series working in the hopes of promoting scientific literacy in the general population. Created by @ReidGower http://twitter.com/reidgower

Your own life or even your species might be owed to a restless few drawn by craving they can hardly articulate or understand to undiscovered lands and new worlds. Each victory is only a prelude to another. And no boundaries can be set to rational hope.

If Santorum becomes president then it will no longer be Bush’s fault.  It will be Santorum’s fault.  Recently, seismologists have detected tremor patterns under Santorum’s Fault.  [see attached map]  If Santorum’s Fault erupts it could trigger a devastating tsunami.  Now, that’s what I call “a sticky situation.”

Either the campaign folks are really clever…or really clueless. This is awesome!

Flying robot quadrotors perform the James Bond Theme by playing various instruments including the keyboard, drums and maracas, a cymbal, and the debut of an adapted guitar built from a couch frame. The quadrotors play this “couch guitar” by flying over guitar strings stretched across a couch frame; plucking the strings with a stiff wire attached to the base of the quadrotor. A special microphone attached to the frame records the notes made by the “couch guitar”.

These flying quadrotors are completely autonomous, meaning humans are not controlling them; rather they are controlled by a computer programed with instructions to play the instruments.

Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science is home to some of the most innovative robotics research on the planet, much of it coming out of the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab.

This video premiered at the TED2012 Conference in Long Beach, California on February 29, 2012. Deputy Dean for Education and GRASP lab member Vijay Kumar presented some of this groundbreaking work at the TED2012 conference, an international gathering of people and ideas from technology, entertainment, and design.

The engineers from Penn, Daniel Mellinger and Alex Kushleyev, have formed a company called KMel Robotics that will design and market these quadrotors.

More information: http://www.upenn.edu/spotlights/penn-quadrotors-ted

Video Produced and Directed by Kurtis Sensenig
Quadrotors and Instruments by Daniel Mellinger, Alex Kushleyev and Vijay Kumar

All my sqrt(cos(x))cos(300x)+sqrt(abs(x))-0.7)(4-x*x)^0.01, sqrt(6-x^2), -sqrt(6-x^2) from -4.5 to 4.5 to you on Valentines day!

Everyday soap bubbles were combined with exotic ferrofluid liquid to create an eerie tale, using macro lenses and time lapse techniques. Black ferrofluid and dye race through bubble structures, drawn through by the invisible forces of capillary action and magnetism.

Time-lapse sequences: Nikon D90, Nikkor 60mm macro lens and custom built intervalometer.
Motion-control: Arduino driven scanner platform and mirror rigs
Score: Ableton Live

View Compressed 01 vimeo.com/22866665
Twitter twitter.com/kpimmel

(Yahoo News via The Wrap) There may be a little more life in Brian, after all.

Monty Python-ers John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Terry Jones are reuniting for the science-fiction comedy “Absolutely Anything,” TheWrap has confirmed.

Eric Idle, the other surviving member of the Flying Circus, may join the project, as well, producer Mike Medavoy told TheWrap.

Graham Chapman, the other member of the troupe, died in 1989.

Jones will direct the film, with Cleese, Palin and Gilliam playing aliens and possibly several other additional roles, in true Python tradition.

In addition, Robin Williams is in talks to play a dog and a pompous Frenchman, Medavoy said.

Read the rest HERE!

Somehow the subject of what Newt Gingrich would look like during sex came up, and this is what showed up in my inbox.

(GizmoDo) Anonymous has sure been quiet lately, but today’s federal bust of Megaupload riled ‘em up good: a retaliatory strike against DoJ.gov (and plenty of other foes) leaving them completely dead. DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com is reporting the department’s site as universally nuked, and an Anonymous-affiliated Twitter account is boasting success. This is almost certainly the result of a quickly-assembled  DDoS attack—and easily the widest in scope and ferocity we’ve seen in some time. If you had any doubts Anonymous is still a hacker wrecking ball, doubt no more.

The combination of the hacking nebula’s SOPA animosity—they’ve been a vocal opponent of the bill since its inception—combined with today’s sudden Megaupload news has made the group bubble over: hundreds upon hundreds of Anon operatives are in a plotting frenzy, chatting about which site will go down next. In Anon’s eyes, the government and media interests are responsible for the undue destruction of Megaupload (and the arrest of four of its operators), so it’ll be exactly those entities that’re feeling the pain right now. Pretty much every company that makes movies, TV, or music, along with the entirety of the federal government, is in Anonymous’ crosshairs.

Read the full story and see the time line of attacks HERE.

In a former incarnation of my blag, I did many a post during political seasons with what I thought was the intent of reminding people to breathe, step back, and to look at the bigger picture. I came to realize that this was done mostly to keep myself in check and to remind myself have the fortitude to stand by my convictions when it just would have been easier to check out for a while. The message has always been consistent and the desire to get people out of the trenches and back onto even ground has not changed. I believe that we are all in this together, that we all want the same things, and that if we are willing to allow ourselves move forward with one another, good things WILL and DO happen. This is what I believe.

When the noise machines grow louder and people become more entrenched in their own versions of a fight, our community on all levels; state, local, and national, only tears itself apart in a war of words where no one wins. The only ones that benefit from this battle of egos and special interest money are the organizations leading the charge against the other “side.” They use politicians to be their names and faces, then inflict them on a people who are being used to champion the causes of a machine whose very existence depends on divisions and distraction. Distract, divide, and conquer. Don’t fall for it.
You are the only one who gets to decide where your life will take you. You always have a choice.

Facing each other to see one another as human beings, as individuals, as neighbours is going to remain as important as ever. Don’t be afraid to recognize when you need to get out of your own way. It seems as though more and more people are willing to have discussions and explore new ideas, even when they don’t agree. I hope we all can not only remember this, but follow through then continue the conversation and dialogue that has taken place. Finding our way to a mutual respect and patience is a positive step in expanding our ideas, resources, and connection. When this leads to an understanding of each other, that is what keeps authentic dialogue moving forward. The best solutions and ideas can come from working through the greatest points of contention.

Stepping back to see the bigger picture and giving up the idea that we need to control every aspect of not only our own lives, but the lives of those around us is not an an easy thing to do. Accepting that you don’t always win arguments is okay. Resizing your own experiences to fit the realities of people around you only serves to sell yourself short and to lower your expectations of everyone, including yourself. Permit yourself to be the passionate, creative, and engaged person that you are, have the courage to set the bar high for yourself, then empower others to do the same. Expect the best.

There is freedom that comes with giving up perceived control and surrendering part of yourself to the possibilities of the unknowns. Within the realization and eventual acceptance that there are things that you do not have control over, that is where the real growth and change can begin to happen. Usually the hardest part is getting out of your own way.

Among things we can not control are other people. People are still going to do what it is that they do regardless, but if you are able to spark an interest and curiosity in another person and encourage creativity, amazing opportunities can open up, and there really is no limit to what can be accomplished.
A desire to learn and a passion that defines you is contagious.
There is an excitement that once sparked, is tangible and spreads as people engage with one other and work together. By stepping outside of yourself, you are allowing other people into your life, in turn they do the same, you begin to evolve, and so the circle grows. The paths for everyone may be different but the destination is often the same.

The prize is the pleasure of finding things out. The discovery, the observation, implementation and the resultant growth that happens as we pull together. When we work to expand our focus and keep each other accountable and inspired to create and to engage in new ideas-those are the real things, that is what is important. The point is not to be “right.” The point is to find solutions, to keep each other from falling, and to do good by those around you. If we are all working together to motivate each other, push our boundaries, lift each other up and foster a purposeful connection to one another as friends, colleagues, and neighbors, no goal or idea is impossible. The only thing that can stop you is yourself.

“We have what we seek — it is there all the time. And if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.” — Thomas Merton

Everything you do in your life requires you to step outside the limits of what you think your comfort zone is, to make the proverbial leap of faith. Even if you think what you’re considering is a small or trivial, it’s not. Don’t ever sell yourself short. When it comes to the choices in your life that you commit yourselves to, nothing is trivial. It’s your life! You only get one and you are the one who gets to define what your life is going to be. Make it matter, make it yours, make it amazing.
Part of the beauty is the freedom that comes with allowing yourself to take chances, open yourself to others, and permit people to come into your life in positive and significant ways.

This may be idealistic to say the least, and I can only speak for myself, but I believe that it is an ideal that is based in reality. I think that these times right now are exciting. We are connected in more ways than we ever have been before and amazing things are happening right now. Every second. Every hour. Every day, 24 hours a day. The more of us that choose to continue to move forward together with honesty, conviction of our ideals and the courage to do right by others, the more the unlimited potential in each of us is only magnified, allowed room grow and to spread, and then manifest as goals and as action.
I believe in our ability to inspire greatness in each other and prove that everything is possible. Go be amazing.