After an 11 year survey astronomers have compiled the biggest ever picture of night sky. Photo / Supplied
After an 11 year survey astronomers have compiled the biggest ever picture of night sky. Photo / Supplied
1.2 TERABYTE PHOTO: Space is big, eh. After an 11 year survey astronomers have compiled the biggest ever picture of night sky. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey mosaic is a high-resolution, zoomable database. The massive 1.2 trillion pixel photo is made from millions of telescope images. It would take 500,000high-def TVs to see the whole image at full resolution. Some artist somewhere is going to turn that into a challenge! More at MSNBC and video on YouTube.
PHREAKING LIGHTS: Johannesburg, South Africa, has 600 intersections whose traffic lights use mobile phone sim cards cards. Or, they used to, before thieves stole the cards from 400 of the traffic lights. The sim card, modem and GPS systems were intended to alert authorities to faulty lights. Before the cards were blocked the thieves used them to rack up huge phone bills. That's a different kind of trafficking. More at Joburg.
SUGAR ALERT: Tears can be a good indicator of glucose levels. Researchers are developing a contact lens with tiny electrodes to measure blood sugar levels for diabetics. The data is sent wirelessly to a nearby receiver. Another contact lens can already monitor eye pressure, warning of glaucoma. Hah! Even Star Trek didn't have that technology. More at NewScientist.
YES, I'M REALLY ME: The US National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace is an idea for enhancing online security and privacy. Individuals could opt in to create a trusted digital identity, perhaps with a smart card or digital certificate. The digital ID would allow people to prove their identity online, and save them from having to memorise dozens of unique passwords. But will they have to memorise the Certificate number instead? Details at CNet.
MODULATED FREQUENCIES: How do you hide a submarine? Perhaps with a metamaterial cloak. If the surface of a disk made of a metamaterial has 16 concentric rings, each ring with a different index of refraction, objects behind the disk become 'invisible' to sonar. The speed of sound waves changes between the rings, so ultrasound or sonar can't detect the object. There'll be vessels decloaking off the port bow before we know it. More at DiscoveryNews.
