The Troubadour: Burger Power. Space and Science News. The Imaginarium

Hello Troops,
It is a slow Wednesday. There is no Space Center news to report, so let's just get down to the really good stuff.....

Mr. W.

Burger Power
I worked at McDonalds in the mid 1970's for nearly four years and earned the reputation of being the fastest grill man in South Dakota. If necessary, I could make sixty hamburgers in 4 minutes (I think), a skill that came in handy whenever an unannounced bus pulled into the parking lot and out streamed the football team, band and their supporters. Trainees would watch me work, then ask me to slow down and do it again because their untrained eyes couldn't follow my razor sharp moves. The foolish and overconfident would challenge me, only to find themselves disgraced and sent back to the cash register or milk shake machine to live out the rest of their McDonald's career.

I was it. I was at the top of my game.

I humble share this story as a background to what I'm about to say. The guy in the video below is AMAZING. I graciously yield my title of South Dakota Lord and Master of the Grill to him. I'm hanging up my crisp white apron, admitting defeat and taking my place at the cash register. I already know what to ask, "Would you like fries with that?"

Mr. W.

Space and Science News

Is Warp Drive Feasible?

In the "Star Trek" TV shows and films, the U.S.S. Enterprise's warp engine allows the ship to move faster than light, an ability that is, as Spock would say, "highly illogical."
However, there's a loophole in Einstein's general theory of relativity that could allow a ship to traverse vast distances in less time than it would take light. The trick? It's not the starship that's moving — it's the space around it. Read More

Why Robots will Take All Our Jobs

In the Industrial Revolution, we got big productivity increases from steam engines but there were still people required to run those machines. We had a huge increase in the amount of stuff you could make, but you needed people to design the machines, and make the machines, and use the machines.
With the digital revolution, the difference is that smart machines provide both power and intelligence. You don’t need human beings for anything anymore. You don’t need them for power, or for the intelligence to use the power. It puts everyone out of work eventually. Because smart machines will become as smart as human beings, there simply is not a job that a machine can’t do on its own. Read More

What's Happening on the Sun!

In less than 24 hours, the Sun has unleashed a trio of X-Class solar flares. They are the first, second and third X-class eruptions of 2013, making them the most powerful of the year by a substantial margin. What's more, each burst has been more violent than the last. So uhh... what the hell is going on here?

The outbursts began late Sunday night with a powerful X1.7-explosion, pictured below. Solar flares are classified as A, B, C, M, or X, in order of intensity, with each category 10-times stronger than the one before it. Long story short: X-class surges are biggies, and Sunday's was the first of 2013.

The flare was a surprise (it's impossible to predict when or where a solar storm will roil into existence), but its arrival was anticipated; this fall, our resident star will reach the peak of its 11-year sunspot cycle. With more sunspots comes more solar activity – and as solar activity ramps up, energetic flares like the doozy belched out on Sunday night are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity.

Using Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity to Find New Planets

Due to their relative faintness compared to their parent stars, most known exoplanets have been discovered using indirect detection methods – that is, detecting the effects they have rather than observing them directly. There are numerous indirect methods that have proven useful in the detection of exoplanets and now yet another, which relies on Einstein’s special theory of relativity, has joined the list with the discovery of an exoplanet known as Kepler-76b. Read More

By the time most of us realize we’ve been out in the sun too long, it’s too late. It can take up to 24 hours after exposure before you realize you have a sunburn.
Now, a Michigan Technological University Senior Design team has devised a sensor that tells you when it’s time to seek shelter, long before your skin gets red and tender. Read More

Swaziland Bans Witches Flying Higher than 150 Feet

Witches flying broomsticks in Swaziland above 150 metres will be subject to arrest and a hefty fine of R500 000, c
Broomstick-flying witches to be brought down in Swaziland
Witches’ broomsticks are considered similar to any heavier-than-air transportationortation device that is airborne, reports The Star.

“A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit,” Civil Aviation Authority marketing and corporate affairs director Sabelo Dlamini told the newspaper.

No penalties exist for witches flying below 150 metres.
Read More

The Imaginarium

Yes, this is the place where people more brilliant than you, show off their skills at making the ordinary, extraordinary.......

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