PS3 ID

The PS3 is starting to catch up with Xbox live great features, we now also have a gamertag banner.

2007 already!

Best wishes for 2007, be safe and have fun!
It's been a busy year, hence the lack of updates and this one is heading the same way.

Since February of 2006, I got an MS X-Box 360, besides the well know problems of reliability and the amazing lack of testing of their products; it is a great gaming console.
I'm totally addicted to the X-Box live service. From the community features, video chat and downloads to the online gaming, it rocks! (Except, obviously, for the unbelievable moron who came up with the microtransaction idea, EA anyone?)...

A message to MS though: stop selling beta/unfinished products to the consumers, remember, they are the ones making your platform a success or a failure. Stop ignoring the community, no divx/xvid support for a next gen multimedia console is laughable and your arguments are pathetic, even the cheapest dvd player on the market has such capabilities... 2 different SKU's, was it really worth it? 20Gb hard disk, no comment. What's up with the microtransactions? How is it even possible you allow EA and EA-wannabe to charge for content that is by default available on other platforms and already on the disc? Stop shooting yourself in the foot: X-Box live is great, innovative and has lots of potential, keep it that way.

I've been spending countless hours on Gears of War leading to lots of frustration but with so much fun! I admit, it's far from being perfect and there are still a lot of nasty issues that they need to fix (the lag, matchmaking, lobby system, number of players; cheating, voice-chat, the weapons balance, the maps...) To summarize: the multiplayer mode seems rushed and under-tested, the single player campaign is way too short, it's a shame as it was so close to being a reference!

Out next week: Lost planet! ;-)

A few links you may want to chek out:

EN:
http://www.xboxscoop.com/
http://www.kotaku.com/
http://www.achieve360points.com/index/
http://xboxelle.spaces.live.com/
http://www.fragdolls.com/us/
http://gearsofwar.com/Emergenceday/
http://www.consumerist.com/

FR:
http://x360.gx-mod.com/modules/news/
http://www.fragdolls.com/fr/

New rings by Saturn's moons?

"Cassini scientist discovered two new rings and confirmedthe presence of two thers"

For the first time ever, as the Sun's blinding glare is occulted by Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft could take photos of previously unseen features. Adding even more shine to the extraordinary beauty of the planet that many consider as being the jewel of our solar system.

This photo is the combination of 165 photos taken by the spacecraft.
[Full Story]

e-Voting, does your vote matter?

Update 17.11.06: Clear Evidence 2006 Congressional Elections Hacked

If it wasn't so dramatic, I reckon it would have made me laugh... pathetic!

[ Google it ] [ MS Live it ]

Reuters showcase

2005's photos by Reuters. An interesting 'around the world' tour in pictures; be aware that some photos are explicitly showing the crude reality in all its sadness while other ones just captures beauty in its simplicity. We are such strange creatures...

[ Reuters 2005 showcase ]

Rocketboom

You are probably already familiar with blogs, RSS, podcasts... but what about the next step called: vlogs (videoblogs). Time to dive in and investigate what all the fuss is about. Well, I was quickly intrigued by the format and found out that some of them are really hilarious. But one above all caught my attention, making me come back for more… every day: Rocketboom!

Some could argue that my stance may slightly be tainted by the show’s anchorwoman: Amanda Congdon, while I certainly can’t deny that I find her charismatic, alluring and fun, this vlog is a real point of interest, from the concept to the daily content they present, it is addictive! Rocketboom covers a wide range of news every day; viewers can also suggest stories or add their comments about the show.

I applaud the well deserved success, using modest equipment and virtually no resources at all, their constant dedication and hard work finally paid off; as now, they measure up with some of the hottest comical TV shows out there!

So, if you want to keep up with the latest in an entertaining manner, save 3 minutes of your time to visit Rocketboom today, 100.001 visitors can be that wrong… everyday! ;-)

Rocketboom: [ www.Rocketboom.com ]
Amanda’s blog: Amanda unBoomed
More info on videoblogging: [ videoblogging ]
World Map of Video Blogs: [ vlogMap ]

Our Sun's nuclear Nirvana

While writing about India joining the Iter project, I couldn't resist getting lost in talking about the fusion processes, so I decided to make an elementary post dedicated to it. :-)

To achieve fusion on earth, scientists will use Hydrogen isotopes: deuterium and tritium. Isotopes are part of the same atomic species as their parent atom but with extra neutrons; therefore with a higher mass.

Fusion is routinely happening within the sun, thanks to the high temperatures (15 million °C) and huge pressure, hydrogen (simplest element, atomic number 1: H) atoms are transformed into Helium (atomic number 2: He, heavier element) by a proton-proton chain. Our Sun is made up of 92% hydrogen, 7.8% helium, and the remaining 0.2% is a mixture of other elements, this helps understand how it can continue to shine for another 5 billion years or so.

Well, that doesn't really give you any perspective compared to our Earth, so let's approach it differently; the Sun alone carries 98% of the total mass of our entire solar system, you can easily fit 1,3 million Earths in it (volume), a 100 times the diameter (disk surface), 300.000 times the mass and the density is eight times that of gold. Sounds big? Think again, our Sun is just a little dwarf within the star's realm; there are billions of stars out there hundreds of time bigger!

Now that we have a better understanding of the proportions, let's get back to our topic. Each second the sun produces 4 million tons of energy by transforming 600 million tons of H into 596 million tons of He. The produced energy is split as follows: 50% is infrared or heat energy, 40% comes out as visible light and most of the remaining is ultraviolet light.

What's even more impressive is that, due to the extreme density of the plasma core, it takes anywhere between 150.000 an a million year for that energy (mostly gamma rays, at the time, which is the highest energetic form of an electromagnetic radiation) to finally escape from the core and make its way to the outer regions of the sun (photosphere and chromosphere), the good news is that by then it has, among other things, been transformed into visible light and heat. About 8 minutes later, we can all enjoy the show on Earth!

As this is a rather complex and exciting topic, it is now clear that several posts will be required to fully appreciate the beauty of such dynamics. In later posts, I will approach, on a modest level and in a simplified way, fusion in more depth. How are the heavier elements of the periodic table forged? Which quantum principles are involved? What forces are at play?

Meanwhile, check out some stunning space-themed wallpapers: Space Wallpapers

To be continued...

India joins the nuclear fusion club

Scientist have known for long that nuclear fusion would be far more effective than today's nuclear fission, which by the way leaves some nasty and highly radioactive materials in the process, but so far only small pockets of scientists claimed to have actually achieved it: the community is still debating on the veracity of these claims.

Iter will be the second largest science project in history after the International Space Station.

ITER - NUCLEAR FUSION PROJECT

Project estimated to cost 10bn euros and will run for 35 years
It will produce the first sustained fusion reactions
Final stage before full prototype of commercial reactor is built
After decades of experimentation at national and regional level, it should demonstrate once and for all whether it is possible to harness the tremendous potential of nuclear fusion in a practical and economic way.

Link: India joins Iter
More details: Step by step guide

If you missed the previous report about this kind of topic, read it here: [Focus Fusion]

Bamjan: Nepal Buddha boy

Scientist are to investigate the claim of a Buddha boy in Nepal, so far, huge crowds were gathering to see Ram Bahadur Bamjan, who could possibly be the nth reincarnation of the Buddha.

"A meditating teenage boy in south-central Nepal is drawing the attention of scientists after attracting huge crowds in the past six months and earning himself the name Buddha-reincarnate. [...] Ram Bahadur Bamjan's friends, relatives and managers say he has been meditating without drinking water for six months now and that he will carry on for another six years until he gains enlightenment." As a reminder: "Siddartha Gautam, who later attained Mahanirvana and became the Buddha, was born in 560 BC."

I fond the following quite intriguing, or is it just a mere coincidence: The name of Buddha's mother was Maya Devi exactly the same as this young boy's mother.

It is a very interesting read and a fascinating story, by BBC News: Scientists to check Nepal Buddha boy

Echizen kurage

Who would believe you if you told them you came across a 200 kg jellyfish? Well, probably the japanese; they are, for some unknown reasons, seeing more and more of these giants (echizen kurage) in the Sea of Japan. Besides their poisonous tentacles highly hazardous to humans, they also cause an economic plague: some fishermen saw their business plunge by 80%.

"Often the weight of the echizen kurage broke the nets or crushed the fish to death; those that survived were poisoned and beslimed by their tentacles. [...] The problem has become so serious that fishery officials from Japan, China and South Korea are to meet this month for a “jellyfish summit” to discuss strategies for dealing with the invasion."

"In some places jellyfish density is reported to be a hundred times higher than normal. Worst of all, no one yet understands why. One theory is that global warming is heating up the seawater and encouraging jellyfish breeding. " Richard Lloyd Parry

Read the complete story @ the Times: Nomura’s jellyfish