NASA's "Beyond Einstein" Program: Exploration at the Limits of Space & Time

NASA's "Beyond Einstein" Program: Exploration at the Limits of Space & Time
52 min 54 sec - Aug 30, 2007
www.google.com


Google Tech Talks August, 30 2007

ABSTRACT
Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity predicted results that were so incredible that even he did not accept them: space is expanding from a Big Bang, space itself contains an energy that is pulling the Universe apart from within, and deep chasms of gravity called black holes actually exist. Astonishingly, all of these wild ideas are now known to be true. But now we need to build on Einstein's work to take the next step -- to study the underlying physics of the very phenomena that came out of his theories. NASA's Beyond Einstein program consists of a series of space missions, large and small, that push Einstein's theories to their limits, using increasingly more sensitive probes. The two flagship missions now in development, Constellation-X and LISA, will explore extremes of space, measuring X-rays and gravitational waves. The smaller missions, the Einstein probes, will target specific science questions such as "What is Dark Energy?" and "What powered the Big Bang?"
Speaker: Randall Smith Randall Smith is an X-ray Astrophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University and NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. He worked at the Chandra X-ray Center for six years after the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory before moving to JHU & NASA to work with the Suzaku X-ray Telescope.

NASA's "Beyond Einstein" Program: Exploration at the Limits of Space & Time

Searching For Evil in the Web

Searching For Evil
1 hr 0 min 6 sec - Aug 23, 2007
Google Tech Talks August 23, 2007

ABSTRACT
Computer security has recently imported a lot of ideas from economics, psychology and sociology, leading to fresh insights and new tools. I will describe one thread of research that draws together techniques from fields as diverse as signals intelligence and sociology to search for artificial communities.
Evildoers online divide roughly into two categories - those who don't want their websites to be found, such as phishermen, and those who do. The latter category runs from fake escrow sites through dodgy stores to postmodern Ponzi schemes. A few of them buy ads, but many set up fake communities in the hope of having victims driven to their sites for free. How can these reputation thieves be detected?
Some of our work in security economics and social networking may give an insight into the practical effects of network topology. These tie up in various ways with traffic analysis, long used by the signals intelligence agencies which trawl the airwaves and networks looking for interesting targets. I'll describe a number of dubious business enterprises we've unearthed. Recent advances in algorithms, such as Newman's modularity matrix, have increased the robustness of covert community detection. But much scope remains for wrongdoers to hide themselves better as they become topologically aware; we can expect attack and defence to go through several rounds of coevolution. I'll therefore end up by talking about some strategic issues, such as the extent to which search engines and other service providers could, or should, share information in the interests of wickedness detection.
Speaker: Ross Anderson Ross Anderson is one of the top security researchers in the world.





Searching For Evil

Thinking Beyond Borders - video

Thinking Beyond Borders
Google engEDU
32 min 44 sec - Sep 27, 2007


Google Tech Talks September 27, 2007

ABSTRACT
Our global society faces great challenges such as Global Warming, HIV/AIDS in ... all » sub-Saharan Africa, wide-spread hunger, and poverty. To effectively address these issues in years to come, we must re-envision how we prepare our next great leaders to be conscious agents of change. Thinking Beyond Borders is a 35-week program to educate Gap Year students about the economic, political, and cultural realities of our world while empowering them with the tools to create proactive social change. Through varied service learning opportunities, the itinerary immerses students in cultures and communities around the world to provide experiences with various issues of International Development. The curriculum challenges students to synthesize academic research and their collected observations into powerful conclusions about the nature of globalization, world hunger, human rights, cultural change, and political systems. The most unique aspect of this program is that students return to the US to meet with international policy makers and share their conclusions with student and philanthropy groups to raise awareness and funds for the NGOs they worked with abroad. In these ways, Thinking Beyond Borders seeks to create a community of conscious agents of proactive change, equipped to tackle our world's greatest challenges.


Thinking Beyond Borders

Toward the First Revolution in the Mind Sciences

Toward the First Revolution in the Mind Sciences
Google engEDU
1 hr 2 min 31 sec - Aug 8, 2006


Google TechTalks August 8, 2006

B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D. has been a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970. He is currently seeking ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practices and Western science to advance the study of the mind. He is the founder and president of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies ( http://sbinstitute.com ).

ABSTRACT Galileo took a seminal role in launching the first revolution in the physical sciences, and a key element in this revolution was the rigorous, sophisticated observation of physical phenomena. Darwin likewise launched a revolution in the life sciences on the basis of decades of meticulous observation of biological phenomena. Although scientists have been studying the mind for more than a century, no comparable revolution has taken place in the mind sciences, and the missing element that may account for this delayed revolution is the absence of rigorous, precise observations of mental phenomena. By integrating the third-person methodologies of the cognitive sciences with the first-person methods for examining the mind that have been developed in Buddhism and other contemplative traditions, our present generation may bring about the first revolution in the mind sciences.


Toward the First Revolution in the Mind Sciences

1963 - World The Future

Google: "I'm feeling lucky" button costs Google $110 million per year

Google: "I'm feeling lucky" button costs Google $110 million per year:

Google 'I'm feeling lucky' button costs Google $110 million per year Google cofounder Sergey Brin told public radio's Marketplace that around one percent of all Google searches go through the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button. Because the button takes users directly to the top search result, Google doesn't get to show search ads on one percent of all its searches. That costs the company around $110 million in annual revenue, according to Rapt's Tom Chavez. So why does Google keep such a costly button around? 'It's possible to become too dry, too corporate, too much about making money. I think what's delightful about 'I'm Feeling Lucky' is that it reminds you there are real people here,' Google exec Marissa Mayer explained, or at least tried to."

1944 - V2 lanch Von Braun-Color Footage

1944 Peenemunde, Germany. Testing of the new V2 missiles. Color footage with original captured sound.This is a clip from the Collection "1919-1947 Between two post-wars: steps in the fate of Germany".



YouTube - 1944 V2 and young Von Braun-Color Footage-Original Sound

Playlist: Rocket Launches from on-board camera



YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Playlist: NASA International Space Station

1946 - First Movie Taken in Space. V-2 rocket

Historic movie taken from rocket as it goes from the ground into space. Original soundtrack.
On Oct. 24, 1946, a Nazi designed V-2 rocket launched from White Sands Missile Range, in New Mexico, USA. Its 35mm movie camera recorded its ascent by snapping a new frame every second and a half. The rocket reached an altitude of 64.94 miles (103.67 kilometers). Then, as planned, it fell back to Earth at 500 feet per second and slammed into the ground. The metal cassette which held the film remained intact.
The launch was made possible because the US military and intelligence services had smuggled hundreds of Nazi scientists into the country in an project codenamed "Operation Paperclip." At the time, the Russians were also grabbing up as many Nazi scientists as they could. It was the beginning of the space race. Some of the German scientist gained recognition and honors in America until their pasts were discovered.



YouTube - First Movie Taken in Space. V-2 rocket - 1946.

Cruise Missile launches from nuclear submarine in Florida!

Cruise missile launches from nuclear sub in Pan... (more)
Added: November 27, 2006
Cruise missile launches from nuclear sub in Panama City, Florida's Bay area



YouTube - Cruise Missile launches from nuclear sub in Florida!

Alfred Hitchcock Documentary on the Nazi Holocaust

An Alfred Hitchcock documentary on the Nazi Holocaust
52 min 59 sec - Apr 17, 2007



A film the British Government deemed too grisly for release after World War II - has received its public debut on British television. Fifteen minutes of the black-and- white film, which was shot by the armed forces after the war, were televised Tuesday night by the Independent Television News.


An Alfred Hitchcock documentary on the Nazi Holocaust

Thomas Jefferson on the role of religion in politics

Thomas Jefferson on the role of religion in politics
"As for America being founded on Christian principles, perhaps we should look at a few quotes from Thomas Jefferson, arguably one of the greatest of our Founding Fathers. These are just a few, extracted from a collection of many, many more: The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. -- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-82 (capitalization of the word god is retained per original; see Positive Atheism's Historical Section) [N]o man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities. -- Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1779), quoted from Merrill D Peterson, ed., Thomas Jefferson: Writings (1984), p. 347 I never will, by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance, or admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Dowse, April 19, 1803 The 'Wall of Separation,' Again: Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. State churches that use government power to"

Friedrich Nietzsche - 1895- THE ANTICHRIST






THE ANTICHRIST

SPACE SHUTTLE BASICS




SPACE SHUTTLE BASICS

Everest Summit Panorama

The view from the summit is awesome and stretches 100 miles where the horizon is curved. This panorama was filmed at about 8.10am after spending 30 mins on the summit and then descending 1800m to the relative safety of Camp 1 at 7100m. You can just see 3 climbers from the south col route about 100m below, approaching the summmit at the end of the clip.



YouTube - Everest Summit Panorama

Sergey Brin and Larry Page at Zeitgeist '07

Robert Wright interviews Robert Pollack

48 min 56 sec - Jul 1, 2002
Robert Pollack is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University.
Dr. Robert Pollack is an American biologist who studies the intersections between science and religion. He currently works at Columbia University, where he serves as the director of the university's Center for the Study of Science and Religion and lectures for its Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Additionally, he is a professor of religion at the Union Theological Seminary. From 1982 to 1989 he served as Dean of Columbia College. In addition to teaching, Pollack has authored more than one hundred reviews, articles, and opinion pieces on molecular biology, medical ethics and science education.



Robert Pollack

Robert Wright interview Freeman Dyson



Freeman Dyson

Freeman Dyson - Charlie Rose Talk

Freeman Dyson, Physicist Princeton University, Author of "The Sun, Genome and the Internet"



YouTube - Charlie Rose - DYSON / PETIT

Helen Fisher, The science of love, and the future of women

Anthropologist Helen Fisher studies love: its evolution, its biochemical foundations and its vital importance to human society. She outlines the three stages of love (lust, infatuation and long-term attachment), shedding light on eternal questions like why we love, and why we cheat. She also discusses the natural talents of women, and their new significance in the modern world. She ends with a warning about the widespread use of antidepressants -- and a truly hilarious story of romantic pursuit.

1932 Histomap of Evolution

1932 evolution chart. 10 billion years of history

Paleo-Future: Wernher von Braun's Space Shuttle (1950s)

Wernher von Braun's Space Shuttle (1950s)

These illustrations by Fred Freeman show Wernher von Braun's concept for a space shuttle in the 1950s. The illustrations can be found in the book Visions of Spaceflight: Images from the Ordway Collection.

To provide safety in case of a malfunction of the reusable upper stage - von Braun's 1950s shuttle concept - crew and passengers press buttons on their chair arms. Contour seats straighten automatically and enclosures snap shut forming sealed escape capsules. To abandon ship, the crew and passengers push another button and the capsules, guided by rails, are ejected by explosive powder charges. The arrangement is seen in cross-section.

After ejection, the capsules' descent is controlled by four-foot steel mesh parachutes. At about 150 above the ground or water, a proximity fuse sets off a small rocket that further slows the rate of fall.


Paleo-Future: Wernher von Braun's Space Shuttle (1950s)

SETI Verification Protocols

Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities
Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Note: By resolution of the Board of Trustees on 17 August 1997, The SETI League, Inc. officially endorses the following Protocols, and respectfully requests that our members embrace them.
Adopted by the International Academy of Astronautics, 1989
We, the institutions and individuals participating in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence,
Recognizing that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is an integral part of space exploration and is being undertaken for peaceful purposes and for the common interest of all mankind,
Inspired by the profound significance for mankind of detecting evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, even though the probability of detection may be low,
Recalling the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, which commits States Parties to that Treaty "to inform the Secretary General of the United Nations as well as the public and the international scientific community, to the greatest extent feasible and practicable, of the nature, conduct, locations and results" of their space exploration activities (Article XI),
Recognizing that any initial detection may be incomplete or ambiguous and thus require careful examination as well as confirmation, and that it is essential to maintain the highest standards of scientific responsibility and credibility,

Agree to observe the following principles for disseminating information about the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence:


1. Any individual, public or private research institution, or governmental agency that believes it has detected a signal from or other evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence (the discoverer) should seek to verify that the most plausible explanation for the evidence is the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence rather than some other natural phenomenon or anthropogenic phenomenon before making any public announcement. If the evidence cannot be confirmed as indicating the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, the discoverer may disseminate the information as appropriate to the discovery of any unknown phenomenon.

2. Prior to making a public announcement that evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence has been detected, the discoverer should promptly inform all other observers or research organizations that are parties to this declaration, so that those other parties may seek to confirm the discovery by independent observations at other sites and so that a network can be established to enable continuous monitoring of the signal or phenomenon. Parties to this declaration should not make any public announcement of this information until it is determined whether this information is or is not credible evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. The discoverer should inform his/her or its relevant national authorities.

3. After concluding that the discovery appears to be credible evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, and after informing other parties to this declaration, the discoverer should inform observers throughout the world through the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams of the International Astronomical Union, and should inform the Secretary General of the United Nations in accordance with Article XI of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Bodies. Because of their demonstrated interest in and expertise concerning the question of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, the discoverer should simultaneously inform the following international institutions of the discovery and should provide them with all pertinent data and recorded information concerning the evidence: the International Telecommunication Union, the Committee on Space Research, of the International Council of Scientific Unions, the International Astronautical Federation, the International Academy of Astronautics, the International Institute of Space Law, Commission 51 of the International Astronomical Union and Commission J of the International Radio Science Union.

5. A confirmed detection of extraterrestrial intelligence should be disseminated promptly, openly, and widely through scientific channels and public media, observing the procedures in this declaration. The discoverer should have the privilege of making the first public announcement.

6. All data necessary for confirmation of detection should be made available to the international scientific community through publications, meetings, conferences, and other appropriate means.

7. The discovery should be confirmed and monitored and any data bearing on the evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence should be recorded and stored permanently to the greatest extent feasible and practicable, in a form that will make it available for further analysis and interpretation. These recordings should be made available to the international institutions listed above and to members of the scientific community for further objective analysis and interpretation.

8. If the evidence of detection is in the form of electromagnetic signals, the parties to this declaration should seek international agreement to protect the appropriate frequencies by exercising procedures available through the International Telecommunication Union. Immediate notice should be sent to the Secretary General of the ITU in Geneva, who may include a request to minimize transmissions on the relevant frequencies in the Weekly Circular. The Secretariat, in conjunction with advice of the Union's Administrative Council, should explore the feasibility and utility of convening an Extraordinary Administrative Radio Conference to deal with the matter, subject to the opinions of the member Administrations of the ITU.

9. No response to a signal or other evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence should be sent until appropriate international consultations have taken place. The procedures for such consultations will be the subject of a separate agreement, declaration or arrangement.

The SETI Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics, in coordination with Commission 51 of the International Astronomical Union, will conduct a continuing review of procedures for the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence and the subsequent handling of the data. Should credible evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence be discovered, an international committee of scientists and other experts should be established to serve as a focal point for continuing analysis of all observational evidence collected in the aftermath of the discovery, and also to provide advice on the release of information to the public. This committee should be constituted from representatives of each of the international institutions listed above and such other members as the committee may deem necessary. To facilitate the convocation of such a committee at some unknown time in the future, the SETI Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics should initiate and maintain a current list of willing representatives from each of the international institutions listed above, as well as other individuals with relevant skills, and should make that list continuously available through the Secretariat of the International Academy of Astronautics. The International Academy of Astronautics will act as the Depository for this declaration and will annually provide a current list of parties to all the parties to this declaration.


SETI Verification Protocols

Playlist: McMurdo Base Antarctica

Playlist: Emergency Landings