Leading for the first time

I’ve been apart of SETI@Home for ever and after joining the UW team i now lead. Wowzers cool!

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/team_members.php?teamid=101570&offset=0&sort_by=expavg_credit

UFO over Seattle in November 2011

As I quest to find more UFO video from around the area I seen this one from a related video (which is no longer on YouTube). The referring video was centered around the Occupy Seattle movement, I personally prefer to Occupy Bacon, and there were news reports sighting the UFO yet after looking online those reports appear to be faked.

UFO in Western Washington April 2012

I was doing some more research for the May 20th partial solar eclipse on YouTube and found a cool UFO sighting video from around Vancouver Washington. The video is good quality and is fairly short though it makes me wonder if anyone will capture a UFO during the eclipse.

For more space posts see the category.

It’s the End of the World as We Know It

I am not talking about a R.E.M. song and if you watched History Channel’s Armageddon Week last week then you’ll know my frame of mind while writing this post.

Recently connections have been found between the ancient Mayan calendar, I-Ching, Jewish Bible, Book of Revelations, intergalactic alignment, and the end of days. If you grew up in the 80-90s then more than likely you’ve heard at one time or another the world will end. I can remember the Y2K crap that went around and got everyone into a uproar and nothing happening with at start of the new millennium. Though this time it maybe different.

Let’s start by taking at look at the Mayan calendar and intergalactic alignment. It is well documented that the Mayan calendar is the most accurate calendar in history and that it also has a specific end date, December 21, 2012 (oh shit Batman! that is less than two years away). With all the different end of days stories and beliefs, the correlation between the Mayan calendar and intergalactic alignment is intriguing to say the least. The Mayans heavily documented the planets and stars and based their entire civilization on specific dates gained from watching the heavens but why have it end? Did the Mayans predict a cataclysmic event over 5,000 year earlier before its supposed to happen? Maybe…

On December 21, 2012 the Earth, Sun and the center of the Milky Way (the name of our galaxy) will be in perfect alignment and its that alignment which could reverse the magnetic poles of the planet. If the magnetic poles are shifted then the Earth’s crust could shift all over its self. Just think about John Cusack’s movie 2012 but this would be real. Sorta makes your butt hole tighten up huh? Scientist though are unclear on the severity because for all anyone knows the shift could be a slow and gradual process. This leads into the biblical outlook on the end of world.

Don’t believe me? Read it on Wikipedia

Biblical and other religious textes point to the end of days as a series of events culminating in massive destruction that include famine, climate, disease, and war. We humans are extraordinarily efficient at killing each other and creating more problems than we solve. Taking a short glimpse at the daily headlines consist of famine, climate change, disease, and war and its pretty easy to see how destructive we have become. Recently, the world has been experiencing increasing storm strength, Hurricane Katrina, violent earthquakes, the latest in Haiti, that topple buildings or send huge Tsunamis on a collision course with coastal residents, Sumatra 2004, and the spread of highly contagious diseases like H1N1. Are these the real time biblical events described and are we now leading up to the end of the world?

There is also a time date associated with the end of days and it’s very close to 2012. Is this just coincidence? I am not sure.

But it is not just people making the predictions now. The dawn of the internet has lead to the development of The Web Bot program. The Web Bot looks at the world wide web, a pretty big task, and analyzes keywords looking for patterns. The data gathered points to end date of planet Earth on December 21, 2012. I do have 1 question for the developers of the Web Bot. As the Web Bot crawls around the web analyzing keywords could the amount of information online regarding a certain topic actually influence its outcome? Like say, I dunno, December 21, 2012 and the end of the world.

Like many other doomsday proficiencies, December 21, 2012 may come and go without a fleeting glance. The proficiencies expire and nothing else can disrupt the perfect little cycle we have down on planet Earth. Wrong-O!

On Friday April 13, 2029 an asteroid name MN4 will make a flyby planet Earth, think Top Gun – "Negative ghost rider the pattern is full". MN4 will fly so close to Earth that it will pass in between orbiting satellites and the planet. Whew that is close one. Crazy as it maybe, and a miss is likely, the real crazy will begin approximately 7 years later when MN4 makes its return visit. The 2029 flyby may alter the asteroid’s trajectory just enough for it to impact the Earth in 2035. Not what I call comforting.

So with all these different cultures, civilizations, and now science, it is hard to discount that something is going to change the lives of everyone on this planet in the near future. Hopefully people will start evaluate their place on this planet and how they want to live. Will that life be for destruction and chaos or will that be one of peace and cooperation? Nostradamus alludes to the human species in having a choice about the outcome.

In the Lost Book of Nostradamus there is a picture of a monk holding an empty book (Book of Life) face out to the reader. One interpretation of the image is that Nostradamus is telling us that we have a choice and role in our own futures. If humans have a choice then why do continue to make the wrong ones? I don’t know and if I did I would tell no body – MUHAHAHA! Just kidding or am I? MUHAHAHA!

What are my thoughts on all this? Being a person that sides with science, I cannot help but think about the many different ways that ancient civilizations and biblical texts, profits and now scientist have to come together to see similar problems. No matter th

Lunar Eclipse and other evening sensations

Upon turning on the computer yesterday I seen on MSN.com there was going to be a lunar eclipse which would be visible from Washington. I got home and started working on a new project and awaited for the sun to set and the moon to make its rise into the eastern sky. But upon checking the sky after sunset there were many clouds looking to obscure the view. Fortunately the clouds blew out and it was a perfectly clear February night and the back yard gave us a perfect view.

 

I brought out the telescope and binoculars to get a closer look at the Moon’s surface as Earth’s shadow cascaded across it. My roommate and I were treated to an event that does not happen everyday and it was his first looking through a telescope and/or binoculars at the moon let alone a Lunar eclipse. We spent the evening talking about how fascinating space is and what other celestial bodies we can see; Saturn, Mars, the constellation Orion and so much more. It was a fun evening and cannot wait until there is enough money in the back for better optics and a new telescope stand.

Goingbigger’s Tower of Power

It has been 8 long years since I got my very first desktop computer and as of yesterday I now have a top of the line gaming machine that can still be used for work (evil grin). On Monday Todd and I met up at Computer Sonics in Lynnwood with a budget of 1K Todd and the computer guru (aka kid) in the store set out to construct a PC that used every acrnoym in the Computers for Dummy’s Handbook. So to make it simple is the fastest computer Todd has ever built and is what he has dubbed "The Tower of Power".

 

I have been needing a new computer for some time since my old Dell desktop was P III 800 which does not really suffice for the requirements of modern games. So the choice was to upgrade the processor to an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 with a Nivida gForce 512mb video card, 2 gigs of memory and 400 gig hard drive…Jack Pot!! It took Todd to install the motherboard, process, video card and wireless card into the new case in about 25 minutes while I observed impatiently and tried to enjoy football. After the hardware install it was time to install XP Pro (have not upgraded to Vista Ultimate yet) and Service Pack 2. Taking a whole 25 minutes, yea that is super fast, it was time to get the new game ready.

 

The current game of choice is Lord of the Rings Online which is Massive Multiplayer Role Playing Game (MMRPG), I usually God mode strategy games like Starcraft II. The graphics are intense and using my 50" plasma for the monitor is nothing short that a gamer’s dream. Last night was the first full night of gaming on it and could have stayed up to the wee morning enjoy the graphics.

 

In LOTRO it rains, thunders and lightings and the water, in ponds and pools, looks real. You can see through the glistening water to the bottom of the pool making the gaming experience a real treat. Gaming technology has advanced since my first machine and it is nice to be able to enjoy it without getting the Windows Blue Screen of Death.

 

Another item the PC excels in is running SETI@Home’s Bionic research program. It used to take me at least 1 day to crunch a data unit now it is taking me 2 1/2 hours…Boyaoo…Goingbigger is going to find aliens. This will greatly increase the stats being put up by Just Jyll and myself for Goingbigger Exploration, Inc. I am letting the Tower of Power crunch data 24/7 right now to see what it total performance is, I am writing this at work, which should give me at least a 100 average credits per data unit.

 

Well I better get to work and quit think about the Tower of Power, P.S. Pictures will be up tonight. I broke my camera so that is why there have not been pictures of Hawks games and only a few from the Marlboro Hot Laps.

Lochness Monster (Nessie) On Video

Talking about Search for alien life to go round-the-clock – Space News – MSNBC.com

Great news for SETI participates and the SETI institue as well. SETI with help from Paul Allen is going to be bringing 42 radio dishes online to conduct a 24/7/365 sweep of the sky. Right now there isn’t any 24/7 sweep so this with dramatically increase the probability of finding a singal from another planet.

I’ve been a part of the SETI program since 2002, my first internet group, using the SETI@HOME software to crunch data units. Now SETI is using a new software package BIONIC that allows for more than just SETI data units to be crunched. My team, Goingbigger Exploration, has 3 members so far and we are continually putting up new stats.

Jyll, the newest member, is climbing up fast and will probably pass me soon. My home computer is unreliable and likes to crash while running the program, probably because it is a 9 year old PIII 800. Chris is slowly getting som numbers up there but I know he is busy doing chores around the house to think about running his BIONIC software. At leas the team is growing and over a period of time we will get some serious statistics up there.

I am glad to see the SETI program get help to keep this dream and pursuit moving forward. It is pretty cool to be a part of something like this and when life is dicovered I can say that my computers helped out

Quote

Search for alien life to go round-the-clock – Space News – MSNBC.com

Meteor Crater – Arizona

On Friday May 11, 2007 I got to go to Meteor Crater as part of my trip to Arizona, finally getting around to blogging about it. It was so cool since being into space and having a interest in what is going on in the galaxy. I’ve seen tv shows after tv show about meteors and always Meteor Crater is brought up because it is the largest and most well preserved crater on Earth.

 

Eduardo Donoso was our tour and what a treat it was. Being the head tour guide and long time expert of Meteor Crater, featured on the History Channel, I got a the fullest and most complete account of the crater’s history and of the surrounding areas. That was a special treat for me and learnign more of th history surrounding the crater, land owners, mining claims and old museums gave me a great appreciatation for this individual crater.Through the tour I felt a a connection with the crater while contemplation my own thoughts what life is like in the universe.

 

Visiting Meteor Crater bring deaper meaning to the Friday 13 asteriod that will pass the Earth in 2029, which could impact Earth in later years. There is a flash video regarding the end of the world and it so funny yet has many truths in to, watch video.

 

If you have a chance to visit the crater I hihgly recommend it for more than just pictures but for the whole experience of how life is on Earth and through the solar system.

Science Channel

Tonight I am having a major geek night on the computer while watching the Science Channel similar to the night back in January when I watched the show on an Asteroid MN4. So far I have watched Search for Alien Planets, Revealing Mars and now On Jupiter and I will probably continue to watch as the evening continues on.

 

The Revealing Mars show reviewed previous missions to the red planet like the Mar’s rovers Spirit and Opportunity and went on to discuss NASA’s new project Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The MRO section was by far the coolest part of the show because it showed what we can expect from the mission. The MRO is the most advanced satellite that has ever been sent to another planet and it will pave the way for further missions. The MRO is equipped with so many sensors and high resolution camera that will map the surface in ways that have never happened yet and NASA can start planning new missions after analyzing the composition of the surface.

 

In On Jupiter, the Galileo Mission was rehashed and what made that mission so important to our knowledge of the gas giant, the study of the thunderstorms. Another mission was discussed, and to my dismay couldn’t find the link for it, that is in the works. The space craft will have Ion engines, so there is no need for liquid fuel, which will enable the space craft to move around Jupiter and it moons throughout the mission. The craft will also come with it own nuclear reaction to supply all the energy to power the loads of gadgets to analyze the composition of the clouds. The craft will also take an inside look at Io, the most volcanic object in the solar system, and Europa, which might have liquid oceans under its thin crust.

 

These two missions will revolutionize the way we view our solar system and can’t wait to see they unfold. Here is an image I found on one of NASA’s and JPL’s websites.