Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group.
The American mastodon, Mammut americanum, lived from about 3.7 million years ago until about 10,000 BC. It was the last surviving member of the mastodon family. It is known from fossils found ranging from present-day Alaska and New England in the north, to Florida, southern California, and as far south as Honduras and El Salvador.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastodon
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Cryogenic energy storage
Cryogenic energy storage plant could provide valuable back-up | News | The Engineer
"The UK’s first cryogenic power storage plant, which uses liquid nitrogen to store and release energy, is scheduled to open next month. Its operator, Highview Power Storage, said the system could provide a relatively cheap way of storing power, particularly from intermittent sources such as wind turbines, to better match the supply of electricity to demand.The pilot facility near Slough has been providing electricity to the National Grid since April last year by evaporating liquid nitrogen stored at -200ºC to drive turbine generators. Highview is now installing equipment to re-liquefy and compress the nitrogen using electricity from the grid, creating a closed cryogenic system that can store energy at times of surplus and release it when it is needed, while re-using the cold air exhaust."
"The UK’s first cryogenic power storage plant, which uses liquid nitrogen to store and release energy, is scheduled to open next month. Its operator, Highview Power Storage, said the system could provide a relatively cheap way of storing power, particularly from intermittent sources such as wind turbines, to better match the supply of electricity to demand.The pilot facility near Slough has been providing electricity to the National Grid since April last year by evaporating liquid nitrogen stored at -200ºC to drive turbine generators. Highview is now installing equipment to re-liquefy and compress the nitrogen using electricity from the grid, creating a closed cryogenic system that can store energy at times of surplus and release it when it is needed, while re-using the cold air exhaust."
Lanzan pájaro espía
Un miniavión espía en forma de colibrí que funciona a control remoto fue presentado por el Pentágono.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Dancing galaxies
Il Sole24ore propone una collezione di immagini con la danza delle galassie. Vedi
http://foto.ilsole24ore.com/SoleOnLine5/Tecnologie/Scienza/2011/danza-galassie/danza-galassie_fotogallery.php?id=2
http://foto.ilsole24ore.com/SoleOnLine5/Tecnologie/Scienza/2011/danza-galassie/danza-galassie_fotogallery.php?id=2
A stellar superfluid
Physics - A stellar superfluid, is the Nicolas Chamel's viewpoint on the paper:
Rapid Cooling of the Neutron Star in Cassiopeia A Triggered by Neutron Superfluidity in Dense Matter
Dany Page, Madappa Prakash, James M. Lattimer, and Andrew W. Steiner
Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 081101 (2011) – Published February 22, 2011
Download PDF (free)
Friday, February 18, 2011
Physicists create 'anti-laser'
Physicists create 'anti-laser' - physicsworld.com
"In a fascinating case of physics being turned on its head, a group of researchers at Yale University in the US has created an "anti-laser" that almost perfectly absorbs incoming beams of coherent light. The invention is based on a theoretical study reported last summer in which Douglas Stone and his Yale colleagues claimed that such a system could be possible in a device that they call a coherent perfect absorber (CPA). Instead of generating coherent light beams with a laser, the devices absorb incoming coherent light and convert it into either heat or electricity."
DNA puts a new spin on electrons
DNA puts a new spin on electrons - physicsworld.com
"A new and highly efficient way of filtering electrons according to their spin has been built using double strands of DNA. The technique, which has been developed by physicists in Israel and Germany, is about three times more efficient than using magnet-based spin filters. The method could be used in spintronic circuits, which exploit both the spin and charge of electrons, and could even lead to a better understanding of the possible role that spin plays in biological processes."
"A new and highly efficient way of filtering electrons according to their spin has been built using double strands of DNA. The technique, which has been developed by physicists in Israel and Germany, is about three times more efficient than using magnet-based spin filters. The method could be used in spintronic circuits, which exploit both the spin and charge of electrons, and could even lead to a better understanding of the possible role that spin plays in biological processes."
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Sun in 3D
"Beginning on February 6, 2011, the two STEREO spacecraft are 180 degrees apart providing Naval Research Laboratory scientists with a 360-degree view of the Sun. NASA's STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft were launched on October 25, 2006, and have been gathering spectacular images of solar activity, especially solar storms, since the mission began."
More http://www.nrl.navy.mil/pao/pressRelease.php?Y=2011&R=22-11r and http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/360blog/
A 3D movie at the page:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/multimedia/AnaglyphFull171Movie.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/multimedia/AnaglyphFull171Movie.html
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Two splendid suns
"Earth could be getting a second sun, at least temporarily. Dr. Brad Carter, Senior Lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland, outlined the scenario to news.com.au. Betelgeuse, one of the night sky's brightest stars, is losing mass, indicating it is collapsing. It could run out of fuel and go super-nova at any time.
When that happens, for at least a few weeks, we'd see a second sun, Carter says. There may also be no night during that timeframe."
When that happens, for at least a few weeks, we'd see a second sun, Carter says. There may also be no night during that timeframe."
More The Huffington Post
Friday, February 4, 2011
North Atlantic strait at its warmest for 2000 years
"A stretch of water east of Greenland, considered to be the Arctic's main source of heat from the North Atlantic, is warmer now than it has been in at least 2000 years. That is the claim of researchers in Europe and the US who suggest further warming will amplify the effects of climate change in the Arctic region."
North Atlantic strait at its warmest for 2000 years - physicsworld.com
North Atlantic strait at its warmest for 2000 years - physicsworld.com
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Fotovoltaico organico
Come celle solari organiche si intendono quei dispositivi la cui parte fotoattiva è basata sui composti organici del carbonio, includendo anche quelle celle più prettamente di tipo ibrido. La struttura base di una cella organica è un "sandwich" composto da un substrato e da una o più sottilissime pellicole contenenti i materiali fotoattivi, in mezzo a due elettrodi conduttivi di cui uno trasparente.
"La gamma di celle solari organiche è ampia e si trova in diversi stadi di ricerca e di maturazione tecnologica e comprende, in sintesi, le celle “dye sensitized” (o DSSC), le celle totalmente organiche (anche dette plastiche), e le celle ibride organico/inorganico. Per le celle DSSC (o di Grätzel, dal nome del loro inventore), la parte fotoelettricamente attiva, spessa qualche micrometro ed inserita tra due elettrodi, è costituita da un pigmento organico, da ossido di titanio e da un elettrolita. Le celle DSSC, ispirandosi al processo di fotosintesi clorofilliana, utilizzano una miscela di materiali in cui un pigmento assorbe la radiazione solare e gli altri componenti estraggono la carica per produrre elettricità. Infatti è possibile ottenere l’effetto fotovoltaico anche con pigmenti vegetali. Efficienze massime del 10-11% e tempi di vita di vari anni, valori comunque in costante aumento, sono stati misurati in laboratorio per questo tipo di cella singola, utilizzando pigmenti sintetizzati attraverso i processi della chimica organica. ...
Le celle fotovoltaiche completamente organiche, sia quelle a “small molecules”, realizzate attraverso un’evaporazione sotto vuoto, sia quelle polimeriche, realizzate attraverso deposizione in forma liquida, sono recentemente arrivate al 4-5% di efficienza massima per celle in laboratorio. Queste celle, anche conosciute come “plastiche”, sono molto interessanti in quanto le tecniche di fabbricazione sono le più semplici da attuare."
More Rinnovabili.it: L’evoluzione “organica” delle celle fotovoltaiche
"La gamma di celle solari organiche è ampia e si trova in diversi stadi di ricerca e di maturazione tecnologica e comprende, in sintesi, le celle “dye sensitized” (o DSSC), le celle totalmente organiche (anche dette plastiche), e le celle ibride organico/inorganico. Per le celle DSSC (o di Grätzel, dal nome del loro inventore), la parte fotoelettricamente attiva, spessa qualche micrometro ed inserita tra due elettrodi, è costituita da un pigmento organico, da ossido di titanio e da un elettrolita. Le celle DSSC, ispirandosi al processo di fotosintesi clorofilliana, utilizzano una miscela di materiali in cui un pigmento assorbe la radiazione solare e gli altri componenti estraggono la carica per produrre elettricità. Infatti è possibile ottenere l’effetto fotovoltaico anche con pigmenti vegetali. Efficienze massime del 10-11% e tempi di vita di vari anni, valori comunque in costante aumento, sono stati misurati in laboratorio per questo tipo di cella singola, utilizzando pigmenti sintetizzati attraverso i processi della chimica organica. ...
Le celle fotovoltaiche completamente organiche, sia quelle a “small molecules”, realizzate attraverso un’evaporazione sotto vuoto, sia quelle polimeriche, realizzate attraverso deposizione in forma liquida, sono recentemente arrivate al 4-5% di efficienza massima per celle in laboratorio. Queste celle, anche conosciute come “plastiche”, sono molto interessanti in quanto le tecniche di fabbricazione sono le più semplici da attuare."
More Rinnovabili.it: L’evoluzione “organica” delle celle fotovoltaiche
Drilling for geothermal energy
"An exploration team in Newcastle plan to drill through old mining tunnels to search for geothermal energy under the city centre. Researchers from Newcastle University who are leading the project hope it could initially provide up to 5MW of thermal energy, with potentially more heat and electricity from future boreholes. This would provide heat for a new campus that will combine research facilities with affordable housing, while some energy may be siphoned off the power a nearby shopping centre."
Read more Drilling to begin on Newcastle geothermal energy scheme | News | The Engineer
Read more Drilling to begin on Newcastle geothermal energy scheme | News | The Engineer
Polarization of light
At the HyperPhysics site you can find a classification of the polarization of light.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/polclas.html
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/polclas.html
The 3D light for spintronics
"Circularly polarized light, which is used in 3D movies, has its electric field vector rotating like a clock hand. It's typically produced by sending light through a filter, but now a team has created a small, solid device that emits partially circularly polarized light, as they describe in the 4 February Physical Review Letters. If this semiconductor technology can be further perfected, it could be used in devices that help biochemists control protein synthesis or help physicists control electrons in spintronics--a futuristic type of electronics." More in "Giving Light a Spin", Physical Review Focus
Nanobeads with liquid hydrogen to fuel cars?
"Plastic nanobeads that can store hydrogen at room temperature as a liquid are being commercialised for fuel applications by technology start-up Cella Energy." This is announced in an article by Andrew Czyzewski, The Engineer. More Nanobeads could store liquid hydrogen to fuel cars | News | The Engineer
Atlantic Wind Connection
Su Google. "... il gigante di Mountain View lancia un progetto mastodontico di energia eolica per le famiglie americane. Si chiama Atlantic Wind Connection (Awc) ed un progetto che si pone l'obiettivo di portare energia pulita nelle case di almeno due milioni di famiglie americane della East Coast. Il progetto vede coinvolta Google e vale sulla carta circa cinque miliardi di dollari, cifra necessaria per erigere a circa 15 miglia dalla costa degli Stati Uniti bagnata dall'Oceano Atlantico una dorsale di turbine eoliche lunga 350 miglia, che partirebbe da New York per raggiungere in direzione Sud la Virginia in quel di Norfolk."
More sole24ore
More sole24ore
A star and six planets
"A newfound planetary system has six worlds, five of which rank among the smallest known, and the list of unconfirmed candidates has swelled to four figures.
Thirty million kilometers away, trailing the pale blue dot that is Earth as it orbits the sun, is a spacecraft designed to find some of the countless other pale blue dots that may speckle the galaxy. NASA launched this spacecraft, known as Kepler, in 2009 to take a census of Earth-like planets in the hopes of figuring out how common—or how rare—are the conditions under which life has thrived here."
more Scientific American
Una stella e sei pianeti
"Una stella molto simile al Sole ed intorno a lei 6 pianeti che ruotano, un vero e proprio Sistema solare. Ma non è certo il nostro, dato che sta a 2.000 anni luce dalla Terra, una distanza enorme su scala umana, ma molto piccola i termini astronomici. La stella si chiama Kepler 11 e la scoperta del sistema di sei pianeti, tutti piccoli e alcuni con caratteristiche di tipo terrestre, è riportata nella rivista Nature del 3 febbraio."
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Eye of Osiris
"The Eye of Osiris" is a novel written by Richard Austin Freeman (1862 - 1943). He was a British writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr Thorndyke. A large proportion of the Dr Thorndyke stories involve genuine points of scientific knowledge, from areas such as tropical medicine, metallurgy and toxicology. In this crime novel, Dr Thorndyke solved the mistery using a X-ray photography of a mummy.
"It was all clear enough so far. The peculiar sound that filled the air was the hum of the interrupter; the bulb was, of course, a Crookes' tube, and the red spot inside it, the glowing red-hot disc of the anti-cathode. Clearly an X-ray photograph was being made; but of what? I strained my eyes, peering into the gloom at the foot of the gallows, but though I could make out an elongated object lying on the floor directly under the bulb, I could not resolve the dimly seen shape into anything recognisable. Presently, however, Dr. Norbury supplied the clue. 'I am rather surprised,' said he, 'that you chose so composite an object as a mummy to begin on. I should have thought that a simpler object, such as a coffin or a wooden figure, would have been more instructive.' "
http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0605551h.html
"It was all clear enough so far. The peculiar sound that filled the air was the hum of the interrupter; the bulb was, of course, a Crookes' tube, and the red spot inside it, the glowing red-hot disc of the anti-cathode. Clearly an X-ray photograph was being made; but of what? I strained my eyes, peering into the gloom at the foot of the gallows, but though I could make out an elongated object lying on the floor directly under the bulb, I could not resolve the dimly seen shape into anything recognisable. Presently, however, Dr. Norbury supplied the clue. 'I am rather surprised,' said he, 'that you chose so composite an object as a mummy to begin on. I should have thought that a simpler object, such as a coffin or a wooden figure, would have been more instructive.' "
http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0605551h.html
Eye of Horus
The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power and good health. The eye is personified in the goddess Wadjet. The name Wadjet is derived from 'wadj' meaning 'green' hence 'the green one' and was known to the Greeks and Romans as 'uraeus' from the Egyptian 'iaret' meaning 'risen one' from the image of a cobra rising up in protection. More at Wiki
Wadjet was one of the earliest of Egyptian deities who later became associated with other goddesses such as Bast, Mut, and Hathor, who is also depicted with this eye. Burial amulets were often made in the shape of the Eye of Horus, to protect the owner in the afterlife and to ward off evil. Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern sailors would frequently paint the symbol on the bow of their vessel to ensure safe sea travel (Charles Freeman, The Legacy of Ancient Egypt, Facts on File, Inc. 1997. p.91).
"Horus was the ancient Egyptian sky god who was usually depicted as a falcon. His right eye was associated with the sun Ra. The eye symbol represents the marking around a Peregrine Falcon's eye that includes the "teardrop" marking sometimes found below the eye."
It is interesting to note that, in the ancient egyptian calculus, the Eye Of Horus defined number one (1) = 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + 1/64, by throwing away 1/64. The parts of the Eye were used to represent fractions.
Wadjet was one of the earliest of Egyptian deities who later became associated with other goddesses such as Bast, Mut, and Hathor, who is also depicted with this eye. Burial amulets were often made in the shape of the Eye of Horus, to protect the owner in the afterlife and to ward off evil. Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern sailors would frequently paint the symbol on the bow of their vessel to ensure safe sea travel (Charles Freeman, The Legacy of Ancient Egypt, Facts on File, Inc. 1997. p.91).
"Horus was the ancient Egyptian sky god who was usually depicted as a falcon. His right eye was associated with the sun Ra. The eye symbol represents the marking around a Peregrine Falcon's eye that includes the "teardrop" marking sometimes found below the eye."
It is interesting to note that, in the ancient egyptian calculus, the Eye Of Horus defined number one (1) = 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + 1/64, by throwing away 1/64. The parts of the Eye were used to represent fractions.
Amulets on display at the Egyptian Museum, Torino
Second sight
In English, "second sight" indicates a form of extrasensory perception - a supposed power to perceive things that are not present to the senses - by means of which a person gains information in the form of a vision. The person "sees" future events before they happen (precognition), or things at remote locations (remote viewing). "Second sight" is so called because normal vision is coming as first, while supernormal vision is a secondary thing, confined to certain individuals.
Ecco una divinita' solare mesoamericana (cultura Chupicuaro), che con i suoi occhi raddoppiati evoca il dono della "doppia vista". Il giallo, colore del Sole, simboleggia la perfezione spirituale ed è specifico dell'intelligenza; è stato spesso usato negli oggetti di culto e magici. Bella statuetta che illustra chiaramente il concetto della doppia vista.
In Italian, we call it the "doppia vista", that is the double sight, physical and spiritual. It is considered an awakening of consciousness.
Ecco una divinita' solare mesoamericana (cultura Chupicuaro), che con i suoi occhi raddoppiati evoca il dono della "doppia vista". Il giallo, colore del Sole, simboleggia la perfezione spirituale ed è specifico dell'intelligenza; è stato spesso usato negli oggetti di culto e magici. Bella statuetta che illustra chiaramente il concetto della doppia vista.
Museo Barbier-Mueller
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Centenario - Emilio Salgari
Quest'anno è il centenario della morte di Emilio Salgari.
Chi non ha letto un libro o visto un film il cui protagonista è Sandokan, la Tigre della Malesia?
Read more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandokan
Chi non ha letto un libro o visto un film il cui protagonista è Sandokan, la Tigre della Malesia?
Read more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandokan
Thursday, January 27, 2011
"Eye" of Sahara
During a survey by means of Google Maps of the desert near the Nile, I have seen this structure, which seems an eye on the sand.
It is small when compared to the huge Richat structure in Mauritania.
It is small when compared to the huge Richat structure in Mauritania.
Richat Structure
The Richat Structure is a huge circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania near Ouadane. It has attracted attention since the earliest space missions because it forms an eye. The structure has a diameter of approx 50 kilometres. It was initially supposed a meteorite impact structure.
Image obtained by Google Maps
Arabia: craters and stone circles
More
Arabia: from craters to stone circles, by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, arXiv, 9 Nov 2010
Keywords: Satellite maps, Landforms, Artificial landforms, Image processing, Archaeology
Subjects: Geophysics (physics.geo-ph), Cite as: arXiv:1011.2111v1 [physics.geo-ph]
http://arxiv.org/abs/1011.2111
Arabia: from craters to stone circles - di Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
Archaeogate, 19-11-2010
Paper cited by
New Evidence for a Large Prehistoric Settlement in a Caldera-Like Geomorphological
Structure in Southwest Morocco, by M. Huebner and S. Huebner
asalas.org, Germany
Abstract: In this article, the results of two expeditions to a prehistoric settlement
in southwest Morocco are summarized. It is situated in the Souss-Massa plain inside an annular
(circular) geomorphological structure and once covered about 20 km2.
The center was densely populated and surrounded by a 9 km long wall.
The authors found many ruins of houses, large monuments, caverns, cisterns, kilns, tumuli, paths, rock
carvings and various types of landscaping.
To see the paper: Archaeogate
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1011/1011.2111.pdf
Arabia: from craters to stone circles, by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, arXiv, 9 Nov 2010
Keywords: Satellite maps, Landforms, Artificial landforms, Image processing, Archaeology
Subjects: Geophysics (physics.geo-ph), Cite as: arXiv:1011.2111v1 [physics.geo-ph]
http://arxiv.org/abs/1011.2111
Arabia: from craters to stone circles - di Amelia Carolina Sparavigna
Archaeogate, 19-11-2010
Paper cited by
New Evidence for a Large Prehistoric Settlement in a Caldera-Like Geomorphological
Structure in Southwest Morocco, by M. Huebner and S. Huebner
asalas.org, Germany
Abstract: In this article, the results of two expeditions to a prehistoric settlement
in southwest Morocco are summarized. It is situated in the Souss-Massa plain inside an annular
(circular) geomorphological structure and once covered about 20 km2.
The center was densely populated and surrounded by a 9 km long wall.
The authors found many ruins of houses, large monuments, caverns, cisterns, kilns, tumuli, paths, rock
carvings and various types of landscaping.
To see the paper: Archaeogate
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1011/1011.2111.pdf
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Woodhenge
Woodhenge is a Neolithic henge and timber circle monument located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. Woodhenge was identified in 1925 after an aerial archaeology survey by Alexander Keiller and OGS Crawford. Crawford credits the discovery to an aerial photograph.
Most of the 168 post holes held wooden posts, although Cunnington found evidence that a pair of standing stones may have been placed between the second and third post hole rings. The positions of the postholes are currently marked with modern concrete posts which are a simple and informative method of displaying the site. Further comparisons with Stonehenge were quickly noticed by Cunnington; both have entrances oriented approximately on the midsummer sunrise.
more wiki
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Crop circles - 1
Crop circle, near the ancient monument of Avebury, UK
Monday, January 24, 2011
Archimedes's steam cannon
A steam cannon is a cannon where projectiles are launched by steam. The first steam cannon was designed by Archimedes during the Siege of Syracuse. Leonardo da Vinci was also known to have designed one. The device is metal tube, which would be placed in a furnace: one end of the tube is closed and the other loaded with a projectile. Once the tube reached a high enough temperature, a small amount of water in injected in behind the projectile. Leonardo da Vinci guessed that the water would rapidly expand into vapour, blasting the projectile out the front of the barrel.
See how the ArchiMITes cannon is working: http://web.mit.edu/2.009/www//experiments/steamCannon/ArchimedesSteamCannon.html
See how the ArchiMITes cannon is working: http://web.mit.edu/2.009/www//experiments/steamCannon/ArchimedesSteamCannon.html
Thermal water pump
A water pump that uses thermal energy from the sun is to undergo field testing before potentially being used by farmers in the developing world for irrigating fields. The device uses a non-inertive-feedback thermofluidic engine (NIFTE) that converts relatively small temperature differences between its heat source and heat sink into mechanical force.
Thermal water pump could aid farmers in developing nations | News | The Engineer
NIFTE is the core product of an univerisyt spin-off, http://www.thermofluidics.com/ . It would be interesting to have more details.
Thermal water pump could aid farmers in developing nations | News | The Engineer
NIFTE is the core product of an univerisyt spin-off, http://www.thermofluidics.com/ . It would be interesting to have more details.
Thermodynamic solars: a new italian technology
"Encouraging news in the renewable energy come from solar thermal industry that, in 2009, has experienced considerable growth and that seems destined to play an even more important in coming years. The U.S., in fact, intend to achieve by 2020 the technology for new power plants with a total capacity of 10.3 GW of power.
Also Italy is taking decisive steps in this field, as evidenced by the recent birth of a company called Archimedes Solar Energy, which produces the key component of solar thermal power plants, pipes receptors, according to a new technology patented by ENEA." World of Solar Thermal - Solar Thermal Energy Daily News, Events, Companies, Products, Jobs and more - Thermodynamic solars: a new italian technology
Why the name "Archimedes"? Let us remember what the 2nd century AD author Lucian wrote about.
"During the Siege of Syracuse (c.214–212 BC), Archimedes destroyed enemy ships with fire. Centuries later, Anthemius of Tralles mentions burning-glasses as Archimedes' weapon. The device, sometimes called the "Archimedes heat ray", was used to focus sunlight onto approaching ships, causing them to catch fire. This purported weapon has been the subject of ongoing debate about its credibility since the Renaissance. René Descartes rejected it as false, while modern researchers have attempted to recreate the effect using only the means that would have been available to Archimedes. It has been suggested that a large array of highly polished bronze or copper shields acting as mirrors could have been employed to focus sunlight onto a ship. This would have used the principle of the parabolic reflector in a manner similar to a solar furnace." More wiki
Also Italy is taking decisive steps in this field, as evidenced by the recent birth of a company called Archimedes Solar Energy, which produces the key component of solar thermal power plants, pipes receptors, according to a new technology patented by ENEA." World of Solar Thermal - Solar Thermal Energy Daily News, Events, Companies, Products, Jobs and more - Thermodynamic solars: a new italian technology
Why the name "Archimedes"? Let us remember what the 2nd century AD author Lucian wrote about.
"During the Siege of Syracuse (c.214–212 BC), Archimedes destroyed enemy ships with fire. Centuries later, Anthemius of Tralles mentions burning-glasses as Archimedes' weapon. The device, sometimes called the "Archimedes heat ray", was used to focus sunlight onto approaching ships, causing them to catch fire. This purported weapon has been the subject of ongoing debate about its credibility since the Renaissance. René Descartes rejected it as false, while modern researchers have attempted to recreate the effect using only the means that would have been available to Archimedes. It has been suggested that a large array of highly polished bronze or copper shields acting as mirrors could have been employed to focus sunlight onto a ship. This would have used the principle of the parabolic reflector in a manner similar to a solar furnace." More wiki
Wind turbines need more studies
Wind turbines need to be farther apart, suggests study | News | The Engineer
"Currently, turbines on large wind farms are spaced about seven rotor diameters apart. The new spacing model developed by Meneveau and Johan Meyers, an assistant professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, suggests that placing the wind turbines 15 rotor diameters apart - more than twice as far apart as in the current layouts – results in more cost-efficient power generation. Large wind farms - consisting of hundreds or even thousands of turbines - are planned or already operating in the western United States, Europe and China."
"Currently, turbines on large wind farms are spaced about seven rotor diameters apart. The new spacing model developed by Meneveau and Johan Meyers, an assistant professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, suggests that placing the wind turbines 15 rotor diameters apart - more than twice as far apart as in the current layouts – results in more cost-efficient power generation. Large wind farms - consisting of hundreds or even thousands of turbines - are planned or already operating in the western United States, Europe and China."
Friday, January 21, 2011
Museo in 3D
Dettaglio di una scultura indiana, da vedere in 3D con gli occhialini rosso/ciano.
Museo Arte Orientale
Profiles - Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph (1840 – 1904) was the chief of the Wallowa band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho. For his principled resistance to the removal, he became renowned as a humanitarian and peacemaker.
"Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
From Wiki
Joseph the Younger succeeded his father as chief in 1871. Before his death, the latter counseled his son:
"My son, my body is returning to my mother earth, and my spirit is going very soon to see the Great Spirit Chief. When I am gone, think of your country. You are the chief of these people. They look to you to guide them. Always remember that your father never sold his country. You must stop your ears whenever you are asked to sign a treaty selling your home. A few years more and white men will be all around you. They have their eyes on this land. My son, never forget my dying words. This country holds your father's body. Never sell the bones of your father and your mother." Chief Joseph commented "I clasped my father's hand and promised to do as he asked. A man who would not defend his father's grave is worse than a wild beast."...
Chief Joseph formally surrendered to General Nelson Appleton Miles on October 5, 1877 in the Bear Paw Mountains of the Montana Territory, less than 40 miles south of Canada in a place close to the present-day Chinook in Blaine County. The battle is remembered in popular history by the words attributed to Chief Joseph at the formal surrender:"Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
The image shows Alice Cunningham Fletcher and Chief Joseph at the Nez Percé Lapwai Reservation in Idaho, where Fletcher arrived in 1889. The image is adapted from the original photograph by Jane Gay. This image is in the public domain due to its age.
Alice Cunningham Fletcher (1838 - 1923) was an American ethnologist who studied and documented American Indian culture. More Wiki and also http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/fletcher/ (this web page has an image archive with original stereoscopic pictures).
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Caligula's Tomb
"Hallan la tumba de Calígula", Tras dos milenios de su muerte, hallaron la tumba del emperador Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, más conocido como Calígula, de quien se decía que era promiscuo, depravado, cruel y demente, en el sur de Roma. El lugar fue detectado cuando la policía descubrió a un hombre que trataba de contrabandear una estatua del emperador robada del sitio, de dos metros y medio de alto. Calígula murió a los 28 años, cuando sus propios guardaespaldas acabaron con su vida en el año 41 A.C. Una de las locuras más célebres de Calígula fue nombrar consejero y sacerdote a su caballo favorito, Incitatus. http://connuestroperu.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14915&Itemid=1
Police arrest tomb raider loading part of 2.5 metre statue into lorry near Lake Nemi, south of Rome, where Caligula had a villa. The Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/17/caligula-tomb-found-police-statue The lost tomb of Caligula has been found, according to Italian police, after the arrest of a man trying to smuggle abroad a statue of the notorious Roman emperor recovered from the site. ... The emperor had a villa there, as well as a floating temple and a floating palace on the Lake Nemi.
La tomba perduta di Caligola è stata trovata, secondo la polizia italiana, dopo l'arresto di un uomo che cercava di contrabbandare all'estero una statua dell'imperatore romano famigerato recuperata dal sito.
Emperor Caligula, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. (courtesy, Louis le Grand)
Caligula's Floating Palaces
"Caligula was a man of many passions, and he indulged nearly all of them, including his passions for chariot racing, theatrical performances, gladiatorial games, and ships. During his brief rule from A.D. 37 to 41, he had two enormous ships--a sailing ship and an oared galley--built and anchored on Lake Nemi as pleasure craft. Pillaged and deliberately sunk later in the first century, they were recovered in a feat of engineering sponsored by Benito Mussolini in the 1930s, but destroyed during a German retreat in 1944." http://www.archaeology.org/0205/abstracts/caligula.html
Here an interesting description, written by Colonel Maceroni, in 1838.
A very singular piece of antiquity exists in the lake of Nemi, of which I have never seen any mention made by travellers. On the north-east side of the lake, in about forty feet water, lie the ruins of a large floating palace constructed by the Emperor Claudius or by Nero (in fact, Caligula). The lakes of Albano and Nemi are the craters of extinct volcanos, from which, at the time when they were covered by the sea, has proceeded all that vast quantity of tuffo and puzzolana which covers the Campagna di Roma. The high, steep banks of these circular lakes, covered with most beautiful trees and villas, cause one side of the water below to be constantly sheltered from the wind. Hence a floating habitation will give the choice of shade and shelter, or sunshine as the season may require. The way in which I became acquainted with this sunken palace was quite accidental. Being one evening in my punt about to lay some eel lines, the fisherman whom I employed told me, that the best place in that vicinity was "about the old palace". I stared and looked about. "What palace?" said I. I see plenty of houses and cottages, and ruins, on the hills around, but they are not even quite at the water's edge. My man rejoined : "I mean about the wooden palace under water in which the Emperor Claudius used to live." Delighted and excited by this announcement more than I should have been by the capture of a thousand eels as big as the mast of a ship, I hastened to the spot, but the declining sun had sunk below the high crater wood-clothed margin of the lake, and looking down into the limpid waters, all seemed dark and blue, and nothing could be seen but the hills and trees, and my own anxious physiognomy reflected in the watery mirror. However, I laid my lines, the hooks being baited with the thighs of frogs, and next morning I found fourteen eels, all about a pound a piece, and some of three pounds weight. Moreover, a brilliant sunshine enabled me to see the sunken palace, which appeared to be about one hundred feet square and fifteen to twenty feet high. How did I then regret not having the command of a diving-bell! What most curious and precious objects of antiquity might not be found in the interior of this construction? But this discovery I must leave to some future traveller, who may have the means of causing a diving-bell to be constructed at Rome, and know how to use it. As for myself, I mentioned the discovery to General Miolis, the imperial locum tenens, or Governor of Rome, and also to the learned antiquary, Mr. Norviuse de Monbreton, but nothing was done.
From the MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI. LATE AlDE-DE'-CAMP to JOACHIM MURAT, King of NAPLES etc.
LONDON, JOHN MACRONE, ST. JAMES' SQUARE, MDCCCXXXVIII
Star and Stripes - Geoglyphs Titicaca
A geoglyph of Titicaca - As seen by Google Maps
Coordinates -15.544474,-70.03443
Note that this structure is superimposed to an older one. Is it an incongruent restoration?
The star viewed from the ground (Courtesy, Gary Mariscal Herrera, Director Instituto Nacional de Cultura, Peru)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Manidhara-Nagaraja
Un grande frammento, forse parte dell’alone luminoso di una statua, è esposto al Museo d'Arte Orientale ed è una tipica produzione degli artigiani Newar operanti in Tibet alla metà del secolo XV. Un vegetale rampicante disegna le volute al cui interno si collocano le figure di un Nagaraja (re dei serpenti e protettore dei tesori contenuti nelle profondità delle acque) e di Manidhara (il Portatore del Gioiello). Manidhara e Nagaraja insieme rimandano al mito di Nagarjuna (Acharya Nāgārjuna, 150-250 AD, filosofo indiano, fondatore di una scuola buddista) che portò agli iuomini il gioiello della Prajñaparamita (La perfezione della saggezza trascedente) ricevuto dal re dei Naga.
Arte tibetana, Museo Arte Orientale, Torino