The Troubadour: A Thank you to Two of My Community Circles. Time for Bugs in School Lunch? Colder in Canada than Mars? The Imaginarium.

Hello Troops,
Let's get 2014 off to a good start by being grateful to the people in our community circles who make a difference in our lives. I'm grateful for two community circles I'm a part of: The Sandwich Club and you totally awesome Troubadours.
The Sandwich Club meets monthly at my home. Our membership is comprised of people who've spent years of their lives working to provide the Space EdVentures experience to the people in our community. They are a great group of friends and co-workers. I'm grateful for them.
I'm grateful for you Troubadours. Hundreds of you visit this little corner of the internet daily to keep up on Farpoint, Space Center, DSC and DSim news. You're fans of the Space EdVentures movement I started 31 years ago and have an interest in seeing it continue. Thank you for reading and thank you for your continued support.

Simply,
Mr. W.

Space and Science News

Is it Time to Consider Serving Bugs in School Lunches.

Star Wars is Here! Look at this Army Laser Blaster and Watch it in Action.

The The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (U.S. Army)

In December, the U.S. Army successfully tested a vehicle-mounted laser, destroying more than 90 mortar rounds and several unmanned aerial drones.

And an Army official tells Yahoo News that the test could have broad implications for the future, giving the U.S. an edge in low-cost and high-functioning defense technology.

The Army first conducted tests using low power, 300-watt lasers in 2011. But the most recent test used a significantly more powerful 10-kilowatt laser powered by batteries and diesel fuel. Although the "High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator" may not sound that intimidating, it was essentially perfect during its test, knocking out dozens of airborne targets. Read More

It is Colder in Canada than on Parts of Mars Today!

From the AP

A "polar vortex" will affect more than half of the continental U.S. starting Sunday and into Monday and Tuesday, with wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama. The vortex is a counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air, and is behind the startling forecast: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago.

The bitterly cold temperatures already pushed into northern states Sunday morning. The National Weather Service reported a temperature of 9 below zero in Bismarck, N.D., and negative 21 at Duluth, Minn. At the height of the cold, wind chills may reach 50, 60 or even 70 below zero.

The Surface of Mars

Astronauts hopeful of stepping foot on Mars may first want to make a visit to Winnipeg in winter, as temperatures there are currently on par with Martian highs.

At one point on Tuesday temperatures in the central Canadian city were colder than on the surface of Mars.

On New Year's Eve, the Winnipeg Museum, citing data from the NASA's Curiosity rover, reported that the high temperature on the Red Planet was -29°C. Thermometers in Winnipeg only reached a high of -31°C that day.

Learn the Difference Between Correlation and Causation and Save Yourself from Looking Like an Idiot

The internet is the home for many logical fallacies. Just because someone has a graph or two showing a correlation between two sets of data doesn't mean there is a correlation. Remember the old adage, "There's a sucker born every minute". Everything can be falsely proven with statistics, so never jump to conclusions when someone presents 'the facts'. Always best to look at the source. Who is the presenter or author working for? What agenda are they pushing? What's in it for them? Is this a neutral source?

Do you need an example?