The Boomerang Rocket Ship: Shoot It Up, Back It Comes

What in heaven's name is happening here?

We're in McGregor, Texas, surrounded by farms (and the ghost of Johnny Cash). There, on a launch pad, is a 10-story rocket ready to take off. Its engines ignite. Up it goes, higher, then higher, then higher still, until at 820 feet, something weird happens. It stops moving, hovers in the sky for about 15 seconds as if wondering what to do next. The wind is blowing, (you can see the smoke blowing off in one direction, so there's definitely a breeze up there) but it doesn't wobble, doesn't tilt, it just hangs there like a candle in the sky, and then, suddenly, it switches direction, and looking down, you can see it heading unerringly for a pinpoint spot on the ground below. It's going back to the exact spot where it began, hits its mark, "legs extended" and turns itself off, like a shy student going back to his seat in a classroom.

Why Build A Rocket That Goes Nowhere?

It's such an odd idea, a rocket ship that behaves like an elevator, an elevator, by the way, that doesn't go as high as the one they've got in the Empire State Building. What's being accomplished here?

Well, first off, this is a "student" rocket. It's practicing. On its first launch last year, it went up just eight feet; more recently it reached 262 feet, now 820, so it's doing better and better.

Second, it's a bottom stage booster. It's not the part of the rocket ship that goes into orbit; it's the part that gets things off the ground. In a normal launch, it would detach from the payload (and upper parts that might be carrying people) and either fall into the ocean and have to be retrieved, or drop down softened by a parachute to the ground, where it would be fetched and repaired. This one, as you've just seen, doesn't hurt itself. It just goes back home.

That's huge. Because rockets are exceedingly expensive. SpaceX, the private company that is building this booster (which they call "The Grasshopper") isn't sharing numbers, but while scanning the YouTube comment section, I learned that rockets like these can cost "about 60 million dollars." That's a pricey gizmo to keep dropping and repairing. To build one that doesn't need fetching and that's ready to go again as soon as you need it, must be an enormous money-saver.

What About The Extra Fuel?

It takes more fuel to power the booster to the ground. Up untill now, boosters just fall for free. What does it cost for the extra rocket fuel? SpaceX isn't saying, but common sense says when the rocket comes down, most of that fuel has been burned, so it is much, much lighter. I couldn't find any numbers, but I did find this bit of accounting from a self-described rocket engineer in the comments:

To put it in perspective, the cost of one of these rockets is about $60,000,000, and the total fuel cost for one trip is about $200,000. That means the cost of fuel is 0.3% of the vehicle.

Let's say you spread the vehicle cost over 100 launches in its working life (all LEO launches with 29,000lbs payloads) . That averages out to $20.76 per lb cargo (Space Shuttle was $8200 per lb).

If that's true, SpaceX is on its way to making routine space voyaging much cheaper. As for environmental costs, I worried a little about rocket exhaust. Burned rocket fuel throws off CO₂ and water vapor, I don't know how much, but on this second video, it looks like a lot. The underbelly view of the rocket rising and landing is pretty wild. Especially the elegant finish.

Curious Birds

Then there's that bird, the one you see in the first video about 11 seconds in, that swoops close for a look-see and then swooshes off. Maybe they should have loudspeakers at the launch site broadcast a couple of bangs to clear the flight zone.

The Neighbors

Local farmers, I figure, have to live with these launches; they might even love them. (I think I would. I imagine myself sitting in the living room and out the window there's a ten story object hanging in the air, slowly sinking down behind the cottonwoods. Most people have sunsets. I'd have rocket-sets, a rich roar followed by a deep quiet. I think I could get used to that.)

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/04/30/180057507/the-boomerang-rocket-ship-shoot-it-up-back-it-comes?ft=1&f=1007

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Bizarre bone worms emit acid to feast on whale skeletons: Bone-melting substance drills opening for worms to access nutrients within dead whales

Apr. 30, 2013 ? Only within the past 12 years have marine biologists come to learn about the eye-opening characteristics of mystifying sea worms that live and thrive on the bones of whale carcasses.

With each new study, scientists have developed a better grasp on the biology of Osedax, a genus of mouthless and gutless "bone worms" that make a living on skeletons lying on the seafloor. In the latest finding, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego describe how the wispy worms are able to carry out their bone-drilling activities. As published in the May 1 online edition of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences), Mart?n Tresguerres, Sigrid Katz, and Greg Rouse of Scripps detail how Osedax excrete a bone-melting acid to gain entry to the nutrients within whale bones.

"The acid presumably allows the worms to release and absorb collagen and lipids that are trapped in bone," said Tresguerres. "This model is remarkably similar to how mammals repair and remodel bone, however Osedax secrete acid to dissolve foreign bone and access nutrients."

In their report, the scientists describe a process in which the worms use a "proton pump" to secrete acid onto the bone. Tresguerres says similar acid-secreting enzymes exist in all other organisms, such as in human kidneys to handle blood and urine functions.

Because they lack mouths, bone worms must use an alternative method of consuming nutrients from whale bones. Bacteria that live symbiotically within the worms are involved in this process, however, the exact mechanism is not yet fully understood. Some evidence suggests that the symbiotic bacteria metabolize bone-derived collagen into other diverse organic compounds, and that the worms subsequently digest the bacteria for their own nutrition.

"The Osedax symbiosis shows that nutrition is even more diverse than we imagined and our results are one step closer in untangling the special relationship between the worm and its bacteria," said Katz, a Scripps postdoctoral researcher.

A 2011 study led by Rouse found that bone worms have primarily been found attached to whale skeletons, but they are capable of making a living on other bones as well, including fish. That finding supported a hypothesis that Osedax's bone-eating lifestyle may have evolved millions of years ago, even before the dawn of marine mammals.

To continue learning more about bone worms, the scientists plan to collaborate with colleagues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in the coming months to collect and study additional bone samples with live worm specimens. They also plan to maintain live Osedax in aquaria at Scripps to study their physiology.

"Determining how Osedax gets into bones was the first challenge in understanding the nutrition of these bizarre animals," said Rouse. "Now we'd like to understand how they transport and utilize the nutrients that they have uncovered."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - San Diego.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Martin Tresguerres, Sigrid Katz, and Greg W. Rouse. How to get into bones: proton pump and carbonic anhydrase in Osedax boneworms. Proc. R. Soc. B., 2013 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.0625

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/HygXOw1sVKc/130501091900.htm

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The Whole of The Matrix in Just 60 Seconds

For the terminally impatient or those just short of time, here's everything that happens in The Matrix crammed into just 60 seconds of animation. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vBP3RF96JAQ/the-whole-of-the-matrix-in-just-60-seconds

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Jimi Hendrix estate rolls out "People, Hell and Angels" studio set

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If there were any doubts about the lingering force of fabled rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix more than four decades after his death, his latest single should put them to rest.

The single "Somewhere" went to No.1 on the Billboard Hot Singles sales in February. That bodes well for the latest posthumous album plucked from the Hendrix musical vaults, which producers say has stood up well to the test of time.

"People, Hell and Angels," to be released on CD this Tuesday, is billed as a collection of twelve previously unreleased studio performances by Hendrix, although some of the songs have emerged in other versions since his death at age 27 in 1970 from an accidental drug overdose.

The album arrives with the simultaneous release of newly struck mono vinyl editions of early Hendrix classic albums "Are You Experienced" and "Axis: Bold As Love."

The tracks on "People, Hell and Angels," were planned as a follow-up to the influential guitarist's chart-topping 1968 album "Electric Ladyland."

"After the huge success of the (Jimi Hendrix) Experience and those first albums, he wanted to branch out more, and the blues sound on this is just different from the others," said Janie Hendrix, Jimi's step-sister and president and CEO of Experience Hendrix, the company founded by the musician's father to oversee the star's estate.

"This new album is very important for all his fans as it really showcases his creativity and a different side to him," she told Reuters.

Feeling constrained by the limitations of the Jimi Hendrix Experience trio (which included drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding), the guitarist had already started working with an eclectic group of musicians.

They included the Buffalo Springfield's Stephen Stills, drummer Buddy Miles, saxophonist Lonnie Youngblood and bassist Billy Cox, with whom Hendrix had served in the U.S. military.

The resulting sessions, culled from 1968 and 1969, form the basis of "People, Hell and Angels," co-produced by Janie Hendrix, original engineer and mixer Eddie Kramer and long-time Hendrix historian John McDermott.

CREATIVELY FREE

"What we wanted to do with this new album is provide what we all felt are really compelling examples of Jimi's artistry and also his often-overlooked role as a producer," said McDermott, a long-time collaborator with Experience Hendrix on various Hendrix projects.

"He saw right away that guys like Buddy Miles and Billy Cox, with whom he later formed Band of Gypsys, brought a new approach and sound to his songs and music. And Jimi was always very free creatively. He wasn't afraid to serve the song," McDermott told Reuters.

McDermott cites "Electric Ladyland," which featured such diverse players as Stevie Winwood, Dave Mason and Chris Wood.

"Working in the studio was a totally different palette for him, compared with playing live," he said. "He could experiment with extra percussion, an additional guitar, organ - whatever he felt the track needed."

And while those tracks, which include such titles as "Earth Blues," "Baby Let Me Move You" and "Izabella," are now 45 years old, the audio quality is superb, because nothing beats analog tape for enduring sound quality.

"Jimi's masters were recorded before the era of mass-production that caused the archival nightmares of the Seventies, for example, where tapes lose their glue backing, (so) we've never faced that problem with the Jimi Hendrix library. His whole tape archive is in very good shape," McDermott said.

The new album is the latest in a slew of albums, films, tribute tours and books following Hendrix's death in 1970 in London. These materials far outnumber the three studio albums he released in his four-year career at the top.

"He's a timeless artist and the technology's finally caught up to what he was trying to do musically," Janie Hendrix said.

"People are still hungry for real music and good songs, and Jimi was a great songwriter and one of the greatest guitarists of all time," she said.

Every new generation regards Hendrix as a touchstone, said McDermott. "If you want to understand the role of rock guitar and listen to real virtuosity, then Jimi's the man.

"People react to the originals, and that's what he was, a true visionary whose music doesn't sound dated at all nearly half a century later," he said..

(Reporting By Iain Blair, editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jimi-hendrix-estate-rolls-people-hell-angels-studio-145124825.html

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Teens with Learning Disabilities Benefit from Closer Relationships ...

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 2, 2013

Many kids with learning disabilities also face social and emotional challenges, which in adolescence can lead to depression, anxiety and isolation.

For these youngsters, more positive relationships with the significant adults in their lives ? including parents and teachers ? can improve learning and ?socioemotional? experiences, said?Michal Al-Yagon, Ph.D., of Tel Aviv University in Israel.

In a recent study, Al-Yagon reported that teens with learning disabilities were less likely to have secure attachment relationships to their mothers and teachers compared to peers without learning disabilities.

The study, found in the journal of Journal of Youth and Adolescence, suggests the absence of close and supportive relationships can harm a teens? social and emotional functioning. In turn, this void can contribute to behavioral problems including isolation, depression, and aggression.

?We found that more secure child-adult attachments may act as a protective factor during this developmental period, whereas insecure attachments are a risk factor? for social and emotional issues,?Al-Yagon said.

These results could help researchers design more effective interventions for children and adolescents with learning disabilities. Helping to strengthen their relationships with parents and teachers may decrease their emotional and behavioral problems.

Researcher say attachment theory, which describes long-term relationship dynamics, may explain how parental involvement, availability, and support can shape a child?s social and emotional development.

Insecure attachments are damaging to a child, hindering future relationships with peers, romantic partners and family members.

For this study,?Al-Yagon measured the socioemotional state and the security of attachments to parents and teachers for 181 adolescents with learning disabilities and 188 with typical development, all between the ages of 15-17.

Participants completed a series of questionnaires regarding their attachment to their mother and father, perceived teacher availability and rejection, loneliness, experience of positive and negative emotions and behavioral problems.

Adolescents with learning disabilities were discovered to have less secure attachments with significant adult figures compared to their non-disabled peers, which had a direct impact on their socioemotional state.

Within the disabled group, those who had more secure attachments to their mother and father, or who considered their teacher caring and available, exhibited fewer negative emotions, feelings of loneliness, and behavior problems ? all of which can interfere with learning.

Experts say these findings can help guide clinicians in developing effective treatment strategies.

Examples include family intervention techniques that focus on creating more secure attachments between parents and children, or school workshops to help teachers understand the needs of their learning disabled students and make more of an effort to include them in classroom activities, said Al-Yagon.

While social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties cannot be entirely avoided,?Al-Yagon believes that a little effort, care, and attention can go a long way toward helping learning disabled children and teens feel happier and more secure.

?Parents and teachers should be aware not just of academic difficulties, but also of socioemotional difficulties ? and work to treat them. They should not avoid or ignore issues such as depression or aggression, which are another dimension of the original problem,? she said.

Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University

Mother and daughter spending time together photo by shutterstock.

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2013). Teens with Learning Disabilities Benefit from Closer Relationships. Psych Central. Retrieved on March 3, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/02/teens-with-learning-disabilities-benefit-from-closer-relationships/52087.html

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/02/teens-with-learning-disabilities-benefit-from-closer-relationships/52087.html

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More student loan debt progress and other news: Ceejay74's ...

March 1st, 2013 at 07:14 pm

Another payment hit NT's account where it hurts. $296 went to principal.

$1050 down, $5720 to go on the March debt goal.

$5239.89 of big-picture progress, so we just need $1447.11 more to meet the March benchmark.

***

I got freaked out that we were going to be withholding too much with our recent adjustments, because the IRS calculator didn't say how much we'd actually be netting each paycheck. I found a calculator at paycheckcity.com that gave us estimates, and sure enough we'd only be bringing in about $50 more per month. I wanted more like $300 per month, so I'm going to adjust mine and NT's back down. I claimed 4 exemptions last year and had adjusted it to 0, but I'm moving it back up to 3. The only way we can come close to breaking even on taxes is for me and NT to owe a bit, since some of AS's refund is refundable credits, not actual taxes paid. Hopefully this will come out right in our next paychecks.

***

We're starting the weekend grocery spending with MORE than the budgeted amount! This is because we only dipped into March a bit last month, and then our Amex rewards hit, which I always put back into the grocery budget. So we're starting the weekend with $389 instead of $375 (or less, which is usually the case. Smarter spending + potty training are already helping the budget!

Tomorrow's my birthday, so I've got some treats and drinks on the shopping list. I've determined we should only spend $170 of the $389 if we want to stay on track through the 15th. So, if groceries go over that, I'll pay for my own treats, but otherwise I can pay for them with grocery money.

Birthday plans are pretty mellow this year. I'm having a few friends over to eat and play videogames and chat. That's all I want (or have energy for!) this year.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comments ?

Source: http://ceejay74.savingadvice.com/2013/03/01/more-student-loan-debt-progress-and-othe_101388/

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Swiss vote on bosses' pay could hit offshore firms

BERLIN (AP) ? Foreign executives who moved their company headquarters to Switzerland to get better tax deals for their firms may find themselves paying the price for it this weekend.

A plan to crack down on excessive corporate pay packages is predicted to pass at the ballot box Sunday.

If the "Rip-off Initiative" succeeds, shareholders will be given the right to hold a binding vote on a company's compensation of executives and directors. This includes both base salary and bonuses.

It would also ban "golden hellos" and "golden goodbyes" ? one-time bonuses that senior managers often receive when joining or leaving a company which can run into millions of dollars.

Finally, the proposal pushes greater corporate transparency, for example by requiring that all loans to executives be declared to shareholders.

Breaching the rules could lead to a fine of up to six annual salaries and up to three years in prison.

The measure targets all Swiss-based companies ? homegrown and offshore alike ? as long as their shares are publicly traded. International companies like oil rig owner Transocean Ltd.; fire and safety company Tyco International Ltd., and a bakery conglomerate Aryzta AG would be treated just like Swiss banks UBS AG and Credit Suisse Group, food and drinks giant Nestle SA or watchmaker Swatch Group.

In Europe, some other countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark already have similar legislation allowing shareholders at least a binding vote on executive compensation. In the U.S. and Britain, however, such "say-on-pay" votes are non-binding.

The proposal has divided Swiss business groups, political parties and labor unions. But public opinion in Switzerland ? traditionally a haven for light-touch regulation and pro-business sentiment ? has been overwhelmingly in favor of the Rip-off Initiative.

A survey conducted mid-February by the respected polling group gfs.bern found 64 percent of voters in favor of the proposal, 27 percent against, 9 percent undecided, with anger at perceived corporate greed the driving force for voters backing the initiative.

As in the United States, public opinion toward executive pay is still shaped by the outrage at bank bosses who received million-dollar bonuses during the 2008 financial crisis, when ordinary investors were seeing their dividends slashed and the value of their shares fall sharply.

The campaign for a "Yes" vote recently got an unexpected boost when it emerged that the outgoing board chairman of Swiss drug maker Novartis AG, Daniel Vasella, was due to receive 72 million Swiss francs ($77 million) over five years as part of a deal to prevent him from going to a rival firm.

When Vasella ? facing public outrage ? dropped the deal, attention shifted to Edward Breen, the American chairman of Tyco, for reportedly earning 30 million francs last year.

Opponents of the initiative warn that approving it would damage Switzerland's competitiveness in the global economy and endanger jobs.

So far, no companies have publicly declared they would leave Switzerland if the referendum passes, said Brigitta Moser-Harder, a shareholder activist and backer of the proposal.

But Tyco is keeping its options open. "We await the outcome of the vote in Switzerland on Sunday and we will assess the impact at that time," company spokesman Brett Ludwig said Friday.

The Swiss proposal comes on the heels of a European Union decision this week to cap bankers' bonuses at one year's base salary except in the case of overwhelming shareholder approval.

The idea that shareholders should have a strong say in their company's affairs chimes with Switzerland's tradition of direct democracy. Voters in the country who collect 100,000 signatures can force a binding referendum on any issue.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-02-Switzerland-Bosses'%20Pay/id-857f61f613d4404fb1d332844e0c27c0

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