Two Eras, Two Iconic Images
glenn's posterous |
a microblog from the fear & loathing guy |
Auroras may dazzle more people than usual this weekend as Earth receives a glancing blow from an enormous solar outburst that erupted on Jan. 19.
It would be absolutely fantastic if scientists coulod actually take a picture of the event horizon of a black hole. Since as we now know, even Hawking was wrong in hypothesizing that nothing escapes...
Taking a picture of a black hole, an object so gravitationally bound that not even photons of light can escape, sounds like an oxymoron, but astronomers this week will attempt to do just that. What they're hoping to glimpse is something called the "event horizon" -- the swirl of matter and energy that are visible around the rim of the black hole just before it falls into the abyss.
Watch out for those late-night splurges!
First there was drinking and driving. Then came drinking and dialing. And now drinking and buying? More consumers may be going online and shopping after having an alcoholic drink or three. Some online retailers see a consumer pattern of buying later in the evening and are adjusting their marketing accordingly.
In the social media realm, social gestures appear to be the leading trend of 2012. Launched by Facebook in September, this so-called "frictionless sharing" functionality removes the need to click a button to share media with your friends. Instead, everything you listen to, read or watch is automatically posted to your profile once you approve the relevant app.
Creepy!!
The pace of change has become blisteringly fast, with traditional industries -- bookstores, video-rental chains, newspapers -- crumbling more quickly than we could have imagined. Predicting what will happen in 2012, therefore, is a shot in the dark: A year is virtually a lifetime in the digital era.
At 7:45am EST, this Saturday morning's upcoming lunar eclipse may be a little late for me. So California friends, please watch and report!!
"For people in the western United States, the eclipse is deepest just before local dawn," NASA scientists said in a statement. "Face west to see the red moon sinking into the horizonas the sun rises behind your back. It's a rare way to begin your day."
Dec. 10 Total Lunar Eclipse | Eclipse Viewing & Skywatching | Space.com.
Another catchy headline, and excellent analysis, by John Paczkowski of AllThingsD.
Research in Motion can mend the infrastructure failure that led to what is now a metastasizing three-day BlackBerry service disruption, but recovering from the PR nightmare it has caused will likely take quite a bit longer.
We're living in a dysfunctional age. And our political system is as bad as the economic melt-down America has experienced for the past three years. Part of that, as Ezra Klein cogently explains, is that procedural rules are being used to stall substantive progress.
Harry Reid will head to Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue and join the drum circle before a majority of Senators agree to give up their individual powers of obstruction so that the country can be governed effectively.
The Blue Angels perform over San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island during Fleet Week 2011.
Web pioneer, tech lawyer, double-diamond skier, social media devotee, F1 aficionado, photography buff, bonsai master, iPad and Fantasy Football fan.
