Engadget has an amazing article on a Nintendo Zapper that fires an actual laser. The team from North Street Labs has done a lot of research on lasers, and decided to have some fun by applying this to the same Nintendo gun that many of us used to play Duck Hunt in the 80s. Check out the video below!
These are pictures of my old video game magazines that I depended on for industry coverage before the Internet days. One of the highlights was reading the coverage on the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), an annual event where technology companies showcase products that are in development for release in the next few years.
I'm honored to announce that I will be reporting from CES in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2013! Even though video games are no longer a part of the show, I'll have the chance to see a lot of early prototype technology - televisions, computers, tablets, etc - and hopefully interview company representatives. All articles, photo, and video will appear here on my site.
Thank you all so much for supporting me and this website!
Also, voting has started for the Black Weblog Awards. You can vote for me in two categories:
- Best Science / Technology Blog - ShareefJackson.com
- Best Podcast - Operation Cubicle
Also, please vote for these other awesome sites:
- Best Group Blog - Nerdgasm Noire Network
- Best Gaming or Comics Blog - The SpawnPoint Blog
- Best Gaming or Comics Blog - The Digitized Ramblings of an 8 Bit Animal
- Best Book or Author Blog - DopeReads
- Best Sports Blog - RingTime Pro Wrestling
- Best Writing - Feminista Jones
- Best Sex Or Relationship Blog - Feminista Jones
Photo via Mike Wall and Space.com shows Clara Ma, the originator of the Curiosity name
I came across a great article profiling some of the women involved with launching the Curiosity rover into space and landing on Mars. In particular, I love the following quote by Ann Devereaux, a flight systems engineer on the Curiosity team:
When she speaks about her job to young students, she tells them she hates math, according to a profile on NASA’s website. “Who ever said you have to like math to be an engineer?” she adds, understanding that a dislike of math keeps many kids from exploring STEM career. “What’s interesting are the cool applications you can do that need some math applied to them to make them work.”
It's not just about learning obscure, theoretical math - it's about applying math to real world solutions. This is something that I try to get across to the youth that I work with, but especially young women that tend to be more easily deterred from math than young men. Showing people the cool applications of math, instead of just problems and equations, is a much better way to get people excited about science.
Image from the Mars Curiosity Rover appears courtesy of NASA
I've had several conversations with people that don't see the point of sending a Rover to Mars. The criticism I've heard most is "what if we don't find the signs of life that we're looking for? Will the mission still be worth it"?
Yep.
Curiosity is essentially a full laboratory on wheels. It will analyze everything it finds, so we will learn more about the surface of Mars than we have ever known. As we yearn to understand the beginnings of the universe and where we all come from, we need as much information as possible, even if it doesn't seem obvious at this point. The knowledge will lay the path for future generations to explore the universe in ways that we could only dream of.
NPR has a great article entitled "Science is Sometimes Wrong, For All of the Right Reasons". From the article:
In order to move forward, a scientist must have the courage to take the risk of being wrong. You stick your neck out so that you can perhaps see a bit farther than the others.
Sally Ride passed away today of pancreatic cancer. As the first American woman in space, as well as the youngest (32) and gay, her impact on history is undeniable. Amongst all of the writing on her life today, my favorite comes from PBS:
Sally Ride saw space as a tool for inspiring young people. She's a hard core scientist, she's an astrophysicist, she's a person who really was the real deal when it came to space science, and yet she never for a moment neglected or overlooked that this was a tool for inspiring a new generation. She wrote books aimed at that clientele, aimed at boys and girls, but primarily girls.
She saw space as a way to keep kids engaged in these subjects. She saw space as part of the overall well-being of our country. To her, bringing humans to space was in some ways a means to an end, in a way that it provided a means for young people to be engaged.
Check out a great video and tweets celebrating her life.
