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technology

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Nine years later, there's still something magical about an iPhone launch

In a few hours, Apple will launch the iPhone 7. It's an event that many of us, both from the journalistic side of the fence, and those who merely have an enthusiasm for Apple products, have been waiting for. There have been so many rumors that seem incredibly plausible, I'm not sure there's going to be any surprises. I don't want to add any more fuel to the flames of speculation god knows I've done that already. Instead, I want to take you back to 2007, when Steve Jobs first launched the iPhone, and changed the world. I've watched the video of…

This story continues at The Next Web
technology

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http://thenextweb.com/google/2016/09/07/google-is-turning-its-search-engine-into-the-ultimate-lookbook-for-fashionistas/
Google is turning its search engine into the ultimate lookbook for fashionistas

Google's search engine is already a handy tool to find inspiration and ideas for your next great outfit. Now, it's looking to make it easier to shop for finds with an interesting new feature. The company describes its new Shop the Look experience as follows: When you search for an outfit with query like ‘cocktail attire', Google will surface a photo of a fashion blogger wearing a cocktail dress and accessories to go with it; you can then check out those exact products, or similar looking ones through relevant Shopping ads. Google says that the images it will feature in its…

This story continues at The Next Web
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http://thenextweb.com/security/2016/09/06/russian-phishing-service-makes-stealing-passwords-easy-sharing-link/
Freemium phishing service makes stealing passwords dead simple

Stealing passwords isn't hard: just set up a fake login page and ask people to sign in. It's called phishing, and its big business in the cybercrime world. Big enough that some “entrepreneurs” in Russia are offering phishing as a freemium service. It's called “Fake-Game,” and security researchers at Fortinet point out it's been online for over a year. Over 60,000 active users have stolen nearly 700,000 passwords using the “service,” which makes stealing passwords as simple as sharing a link. Instead of creating and hosting a fake login page themselves, users can simply select a service they'd like to…

This story continues at The Next Web
technology

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technology

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http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/09/06/creepy-software-startup-attempts-to-algorithmically-score-happiness-at-your-current-job/
Creepy software startup attempts to algorithmically score happiness at your current job

Job searches are often done under the radar and out of the view of your current boss. A new startup wants to make your career search a bit more public, often at the detriment of current employment. The startup, Joberate, scrapes publicly available information from millions of social signals — or buys it from other parties. If a job seeker starts following company Twitter or Facebook accounts, clicks through on articles about resume writing, or even starts making professional connections outside their current employer — Joberate knows. Once Joberate builds a profile on an individual, it starts assigning it a ‘J-Score'…

This story continues at The Next Web
technology

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images

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Gerkin in Blue

Florian Bütow posted a photo:

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Inside the Canyon

Florian Bütow posted a photo:

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魔幻 by 肚皮小

魔幻 by 肚皮小

魔幻

肚皮小: Photos

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art

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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/sep/07/blackpool-illuminations-neon-gavin-turk-tracey-emin-grundy-art-gallery-pictures
Blackpool illuminations: neon art lights up the seaside in pictures

From jagged geometric patterns to an anxious Snoopy, neon works by artists including Gavin Turk and Tracey Emin buzz with static in The Charged Line

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art

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art

From jagged geometric patterns to an anxious Snoopy, neon works by artists including Gavin Turk and Tracey Emin buzz with static in The Charged Line

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art

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http://heptagram.co/post/150053704062
shrbrrpxr: Johan Perjus

shrbrrpxr:

Johan Perjus

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art

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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/sep/07/you-say-you-want-a-revolution-review-v-and-a-dizzying-trip
You Say You Want a Revolution review: a dizzying trip to the heart of the 1960s

V&A, London
From CIA leaflets to Twiggy coathangers, the details matter in this sensory bombardment of a show, jam-packed with music, style and rebellious history

You might be forgiven for heaving a sigh at the subject of the V&A's attempt to come up with a blockbuster pop culture follow-up to 2013's wildly successful David Bowie Is, an exhibition still touring the world three years on. It's not that the late 1960s and their attendant counterculture represent an unfertile area for exploration. You'd have a hard time arguing the era didn't feature sufficient fantastic music, social upheaval and blue-sky fashion choices to support a major exhibition. It's that the people involved have barely shut up about it since the decade ended.

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jimlovesart: A Stone Head of a Deity, Lepinski Vir Culture,...

jimlovesart:

A Stone Head of a Deity, Lepinski Vir Culture, Middle Danube Region, Mesolithic Period, 7th/6th Millennium B.C.

art

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culture

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2016/sep/07/steve-bells-if-supernormal-owen-smith-daunting-obstacle-ahead
Steve Bell's If ... Supernormal Owen Smith spots a daunting obstacle ahead
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culture

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culture

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2016/sep/06/steve-bell-on-theresa-may-and-grammar-schools-cartoon
Steve Bell on Theresa May and grammar schools cartoon
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culture

1473284078000

culture

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nybooks/~3/evfKE7JVvQg/
US Politics: As Low as It Gets

The story of the summer, and perhaps of the last year, has been the long wait for Donald Trump to go too far. Within weeks of the announcement of his candidacy in June 2015, seasoned observers of the political game were regularly declaring that the reality TV star had crossed the line that separates viability from oblivion, that he had broken this or that unbreakable rule and was therefore doomed.

culture

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culture

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Hillary vs. Donald: The Benefit of the Doubt

As the months wore on, Trump went from showing tendencies toward demagogy to practicing it on a daily basis. The absence of restraint seemed part of the attraction for followers soon numbering in the millions.

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How one college student scored a design commission from the director of Broadway's hottest show

There is a fine line between perseverance and stalking in chasing what you hope to achieve in your career. Those who keep going after they've been turned down run the risk of continued rejection, but something compels them to carry on until they reach their prize. Often, the stories that end in success involve someone going nearly overboard in their pursuit: These ambitious souls just don't pitch an idea to a client they physically make the product and then send it to everyone at that company for consideration.

And that is where Dominic Grijalva's story begins. The 24-year-old Fresno State graphic design student and self-professed theater geek has been enamored with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, so much so that he has followed Miranda's every move on social media and decided to do a personal project that paid homage to Miranda's shows. While most people would stop at completing the project, Grijalva went one step further by simultaneously connecting with Miranda on social media and sending Miranda and 50 members of his cast the final work.

The perseverance has paid off for Grijalva. He can now add freelance designer for Miranda's official artist merchandise site, Tee-Rico, to his resume.

We recently asked Grijalva about how he got Miranda's attention, the process behind this major commission, and how he balances being a full-time student with an exciting freelance design career.

How did you develop a banter with Miranda?

When I watched the 2008 Tony performance of his earlier show In the Heights, I became a Lin-Manuel Miranda fan. As a fellow Latino actor, I was inspired by his work and excited to see what he'd do next. I really liked that Miranda engaged with his social media followers, and would reply or comment to posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr. Occasionally, he would respond to me, and I always wondered if he knew who I was.

At the end of summer 2014, Miranda reached 96,000 followers — an inside reference from In the Heights — and asked fans what he should do to mark this milestone. I Tweeted that he should do a one-man show of In the Heights and post it to YouTube. Miranda responded that he was going to follow some of his favorite fans, and the next morning I received an alert that he was following me.

A few months later, I was going to produce In the Heights in my hometown of Selma, California, and I jumped at the opportunity to tweet Miranda this question: “What's a piece of advice for someone who wants to produce In the Heights?” Miranda responded: “Cast team players. The play is about community and themes of the show need to translate into the cast.”

I took this advice to heart, and it worked. Coincidentally, my summer 2015 opening of In the Heights overlapped with the opening previews of Hamilton, and it felt very special. I had never seen Miranda perform live and hadn't been to New York in 10 years, so a friend and I bought $100 tickets to see Hamilton in the summer 2016. As Hamilton started attracting buzz, I continued to interact sporadically with Miranda on Twitter.

What inspired you to create a Dueler Eye Chart holiday card, a play on an eye chart found at an optometrist's office with references to the Hamilton song “Ten Duel Commandments” for their cast and crew?

In November 2015, I was taking a printmaking course and our assignment was to create a design to etch in metal. I was struggling for ideas, and, while listening to Hamilton's soundtrack, a lightbulb went off. An eye chart popped into my head, and I immediately went on InDesign to work on my idea for four straight hours until I was done because I didn't want to lose momentum. I ended up being terrible at working on metal, so embarrassingly enough, I failed the course — sometimes the execution doesn't work, but the idea does.

“Sometimes the execution doesn't work, but the idea does.”

I still thought the image could be something bigger, so I decided to turn the Dueler Eye Chart into a holiday card for friends and family. A close friend advised me to send the card to Hamilton's cast and crew as a thank you, and I figured I'd get a Twitter mention at most. I sent 50 copies to friends and family and 50 copies to Hamilton's cast and crew. I included a personal 4×5 placard stating my appreciation for Hamilton and what it meant to me as an artist.

College student Dominic Grijalva meets his creative hero Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Did you receive any feedback from Hamilton's cast and crew?

Mid-December, I received a Tweet from an ensemble member encouraging me on my journey to make a living as a designer. They noted that it can be difficult to have a sustainable career in the arts, so all artists must work hard to remain relevant — especially if you depend on your body as your instrument. A few days later, I watched Star Wars on opening day and took a picture of Miranda's name in the closing credits for writing the Cantina Band music. I Tweeted Miranda the picture, congratulating him, and he replied, “Hey, we love your eye chart — thanks so much!”

At this moment, I realized he actually knew who I was. In January, I started seeing pictures on social media of my eye chart popping up in dressing rooms. It was surreal.

It can be difficult to have a sustaining career in the arts, so all artists must work hard to remain relevant.

How did the commission come to be?

In March, I randomly noticed that Miranda had fiddled with his Twitter page, and it was doing something funky to his Facebook page. I took screenshots of how to correct the issue and sent Miranda a direct message with this information. A few hours later, he Tweeted, “Thanks to Dominic who helped fix this issue!” Two days later, I woke up to a barrage of Facebook and text messages, and didn't know what happened. Miranda had accidentally publicly Tweeted me when he meant to send this direct message, “Hey, I have this idea and I would like to get your brain involved. Please send me your email.”

In the middle of a two-show-day, Miranda had been brainstorming how to give back to fans and artists who were creating amazing Hamilton-inspired artwork, while expanding his brand into merchandising.

After a few email exchanges and calls with Miranda's brother-in-law, who represents him and handles merchandising, I received a proposal to create some sketches for In the Heights-inspired T-shirts.

You followed Miranda closely. At any point did it ever feel like borderline stalking?

(Laughs) I never felt like a stalker. In the past, if a celebrity favorited one of my Tweets, I would reply in all caps, “OMG!” But, that doesn't add any substance, and it's the equivalent of screaming at someone. With Miranda, I just tried to be intentional and tactful with my interactions. I was such a fan and reminded myself that I'm doing this because I respect him, and would love the opportunity to work with him someday.

“With Miranda, I just tried to be intentional and tactful with my interactions.”

What were the specific objectives of the commission?

Based upon the number of characters in the play, songs, and inside jokes and references, I was tasked to create a few sketches, which would work on apparel and could be expandable. In all, I submitted a handful of sketches and over 100 ideas. This exceeded his team's expectations, and Miranda and his team narrowed the field to seven sketches. All seven designs made the cut, and are available for purchase online.

How did you negotiate with Miranda, and what was this like?

I negotiated terms of the commission with Miranda's brother-in-law, Luis, and the process felt very natural. I receive royalties per item sold. Tee-Rico is big on promoting their artists' work, and they always include our Twitter handles and websites on their site, and tag us when customers send pictures wearing our designs. Family is very important to Miranda, and his family members work with him and help run Tee-Rico. Now, I am part of the Tee-Rico family, and it reminds me of my family. I feel safe and cared for, and it has been great connecting with other Tee-Rico artists. I know that my creative ideas are heard and valued, and I feel fortunate to work with someone I respect and admire.

“I am currently using revenue earned from Tee-Rico to pay off my student loans.”

How does this work as a business?

I am still a full-time college student and will be graduating in December 2017. Tee-Rico is understanding of my responsibilities, and I'm able to manage my course load, theater schedule, and juggle freelance projects. I am currently using revenue earned from Tee-Rico to pay off my student loans.

Walk us through a typical school week. How much time do you devote to school work and how much to your freelance design work?

Typically, I try to schedule all day classes or evening classes to block my time. All of my clients know that I'm a student, so my schoolwork comes first. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have afternoon classes, so I'll crank out my freelance work in the evenings. On Tuesdays, and Thursdays, I take night classes, so I'll work on my freelance projects earlier in the day. At times, everything overlaps, so making lists allows me to prioritize my deliverables. I always have my laptop on me, so that I can work from anywhere! On weekends, I might catch up on some freelance work, but I spend a lot of time at the theater.

Have you ever had to juggle the deadline of a Tee-Rico project with a school project? If so, how did you deliver both on time?

I'm actually doing this right now! I just opened a show and it's consuming a lot of my time, in addition to my classes. However, on my first call with Tee-Rico, Luis said, “I know you're a student, so your schooling comes first. Work on Tee-Rico projects when you have the time.” I owe him some concepts, so I'm keeping in touch via email and phone to provide frequent updates. Open communication is key.

What's your advice to young designers looking to get their foot in the door somewhere?

If you're approachable and voice your opinion, it's easier to get noticed. Relationships and connections help as well. It's random, but I have a good friend in New York who was babysitting for the director of marketing at licensing agency, Musical Theater International. I told her I was coming to New York in June, and asked if she'd put in a good word for me, and share my website. She did, and the director of marketing agreed to meet with me while I was in town. He literally pulled up my portfolio on the spot, and I walked him through projects in my portfolio.

When he asked what my dream job would be, I named the advertising firm SpotCo, which handles marketing and branding for Broadway's hottest shows. I don't have any contacts there, so he offered to connect me with a guy who works there. We scheduled an informational call when I returned to California, and he too requested an overview of projects in my portfolio.

After graduation, I'm planning to move to New York, and the Musical Theater International director of marketing asked me to call him when I arrive. I've at least planted a seed at SpotCo., and when I do move to New York, I want to be absolutely ready.

culture

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general

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Lessons From a Life in Two Genders

Twelve years into her marriage with her partner, Jennifer Finney Boylan transitioned to womanhood. In this interview filmed at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the author, trans advocate, and Barnard College professor discusses identity and which ones are fixed. “The thing that may have changed about me as a trans person most visibly is...how I look,” she says. “But in some ways for me the big difference in transition wasn't going from male to female, it was going from someone who had a secret to someone who didn't have a secret.”

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Root-maggot fly (Bot

Root-maggot fly (Botanophila sp.) collected in Prince Edward Island National Park, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and photographed at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (sample ID: BIOUG10394-F04; specimen record: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=CNPED1574-14; BIN: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BarcodeCluster?clusteruri=BOLD:ACL7928)

pin-gaia

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astronomy

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/sBQjfsDlkA0/milky-way-star-cluster-fossil-revealed-unlike-any-other-known.html
Ancient Milky-Way Star Cluster Fossil Revealed --"Unlike Any Other Known"

A fossilized remnant of the early Milky Way harboring stars of hugely different ages has been revealed by an international team of astronomers. This stellar system resembles a globular cluster, but is like no other cluster known. It contains stars remarkably similar to the most ancient stars in the Milky Way and bridges the gap in understanding between our galaxy's past and its present.

Terzan 5, 19 000 light-years from Earth, has been classified as a globular cluster for the forty-odd years since its detection. Now, an Italian-led team of astronomers have discovered that Terzan 5 is like no other globular cluster known.

The team scoured data from the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3 on board Hubble, as well as from a suite of other ground-based telescopes. They found compelling evidence that there are two distinct kinds of stars in Terzan 5 which not only differ in the elements they contain, but have an age-gap of roughly 7 billion years.

The ages of the two populations indicate that the star formation process in Terzan 5 was not continuous, but was dominated by two distinct bursts of star formation. "This requires the Terzan 5 ancestor to have large amounts of gas for a second generation of stars and to be quite massive. At least 100 million times the mass of the Sun," explains Davide Massari, co-author of the study, from INAF, Italy, and the University of Gröningen, Netherlands.

Its unusual properties make Terzan 5 the ideal candidate for a living fossil from the early days of the Milky Way. Current theories on galaxy formation assume that vast clumps of gas and stars interacted to form the primordial bulge of the Milky Way, merging and dissolving in the process.

"We think that some remnants of these gaseous clumps could remain relatively undisrupted and keep existing embedded within the galaxy," explains Francesco Ferraro from the University of Bologna, Italy, and lead author of the study. "Such galactic fossils allow astronomers to reconstruct an important piece of the history of our Milky Way."

While the properties of Terzan 5 are uncommon for a globular cluster, they are very similar to the stellar population which can be found in the galactic bulge, the tightly packed central region of the Milky Way. These similarities could make Terzan 5 a fossilised relic of galaxy formation, representing one of the earliest building blocks of the Milky Way.

This assumption is strengthened by the original mass of Terzan 5 necessary to create two stellar populations: a mass similar to the huge clumps which are assumed to have formed the bulge during galaxy assembly around 12 billion years ago. Somehow Terzan 5 has managed to survive being disrupted for billions of years, and has been preserved as a remnant of the distant past of the Milky Way.

"Some characteristics of Terzan 5 resemble those detected in the giant clumps we see in star-forming galaxies at high-redshift, suggesting that similar assembling processes occurred in the local and in the distant Universe at the epoch of galaxy formation," continues Ferraro.

"Terzan 5 could represent an intriguing link between the local and the distant Universe, a surviving witness of the Galactic bulge assembly process," explains Ferraro while commenting on the importance of the discovery. The research presents a possible route for astronomers to unravel the mysteries of galaxy formation, and offers an unrivaled view into the complicated history of the Milky Way.

The Daily Galaxy via ESO/Hubble

Star Streams of the Milky Way --"Trace of the Orbits of Ancient Globular Clusters"

Found! "The Missing Piece in a Long-Standing Milky Way Puzzle"

Six Million Years Ago Milky Way's Central Black Hole Erupted --"When First Humanoids Walked the Earth"

The Milky Way's Monster Black Hole Awakes! Fired Out a Massive Flare 300 Years Ago (Weekend Feature) - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

"Biggest Explosion Since the Big Bang" --From a Supermassive Black Hole a Billion Times the Mass of Our Sun

Monster Infant Star Discovered in Milky Way --"Thirty Times the Size of Our Sun"

The Milky Way's Globular Star Clusters --"Relics from the Early Universe"

Alien Invaders of the Milky Way - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

astronomy

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astronomy

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"Far, Silent Side of the Moon" --Upcoming NASA and China Missions to "Fill a Void" in Our Knowledge of the Universe

China's increasingly ambitious space program plans to attempt the first-ever landing of a lunar probe on the moon's far side. Radio transmissions from Earth are unable to reach the moon's far side, making it an excellent location for sensitive instruments.The Chang'e 4 mission is planned for sometime before 2020, according to Zou Yongliao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' in an interview with China's state broadcaster CCTV.

Zou said the mission's objective would be to study geological conditions on the moon's far side, also known as the dark side. That could eventually lead to the placement of a radio telescope for use by astronomers, something that would help "fill a void" in man's knowledge of the universe, Zou said.

China's next lunar mission is scheduled for 2017, when it will attempt to land an unmanned spaceship on the moon before returning to Earth with samples. If successful, that would make China only the third country after the United States and Russia to have carried out such a maneuver.

China's lunar exploration program, named Chang'e after a mythical goddess, has already launched a pair of orbiting lunar probes, and in 2013 landed a craft on the moon with a rover onboard.

China has also hinted at a possible crewed mission to the moon. China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003 and has powered ahead with a series of methodically timed steps, including the deploying of an experimental space station.

This July, NASA announced that a University of Colorado Boulder research team — led by Jack Burns of the Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) — is working on a radio telescope array that would be unfurled on the far side of the moon by an unmanned rover operated by astronauts in NASA's Orion spacecraft, which would be hovering in a gravitationally stable spot near the lunar far side called Earth-moon Lagrange Point 2.

Burn's team is evaluating how a small rover can spool out lengthy pieces of Kapton film on the lunar far side that would serve serve as a lightweight backbone for an array of low-frequency antennas that could be deployed by a simple rover, Burns said. The "arms" would be stretched out, free of the constant radio-frequency interference coming from Earth, allowing NASA scientists to study the formation of the first stars and black holes, among other cosmic phenomena.

The moon rover plans were presented during the NASA Exploration Science Forum, which was held July 21 through July 23 at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. The conference was organized by the Ames-based Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI).

The Daily Galaxy via BEIJING (AP), space.com and cbsnews.com

NASA Observes Pluto's 'Tail' --"A Complex and Fascinating World"

NASA: "We've Only Scratched the Surface of Our Pluto Exploration"

"We're Losing Control" --Chinese AI Program Defeats World Masters at Planet's Oldest Most Difficult Board Game

NASA Scientists --"Vast Ocean of Saturn's Moon Enceladus Could Be the Site of a Second Genesis"

Maven Mission Nearing Mars Orbit in Search for Clues to Fate of Ancient Oceans

NASA: Earth is Vulnerable to Invisible, Microscopic Black Holes --"Universe is Filled with Primordial Black Holes Speeding Through Space Like Bullets"

astronomy

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astronomy

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"Gigantic Compared to Our Solar System" --Two Massive Holes Caused by Dark Matter Observed Just Outside Milky Way"

The discovery of two massive holes punched through a stream of stars could help answer questions about the nature of dark matter, the mysterious substance holding galaxies together. Researchers have detected two massive holes which have been ‘punched' through a stream of stars just outside the Milky Way, and found that they were likely caused by clumps of dark matter, the invisible substance which holds galaxies together and makes up a quarter of all matter and energy in the universe.

The scientists, from the University of Cambridge, found the holes by studying the distribution of stars in the Milky Way. While the clumps of dark matter that likely made the holes are gigantic in comparison to our Solar System with a mass between one million and 100 million times that of the Sun they are actually the tiniest clumps of dark matter detected to date.

“While we do not yet understand what dark matter is formed of, we know that it is everywhere,” said Dr Denis Erkal from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, the paper's lead author. “It permeates the universe and acts as scaffolding around which astrophysical objects made of ordinary matter such as galaxies are assembled.”

The results, which have been submitted to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, could help researchers understand the properties of dark matter, by inferring what type of particle this mysterious substance could be made of. According to their calculations and simulations, dark matter is likely made up of particles more massive and more sluggish than previously thought, although such a particle has yet to be discovered.

Current theory on how the universe was formed predicts that many of these dark matter building blocks have been left unused, and there are possibly tens of thousands of small clumps of dark matter swarming in and around the Milky Way. These small clumps, known as dark matter sub-haloes, are completely dark, and don't contain any stars, gas or dust.

Dark matter cannot be directly measured, and so its existence is usually inferred by the gravitational pull it exerts on other objects, such as by observing the movement of stars in a galaxy. But since sub-haloes don't contain any ordinary matter, researchers need to develop alternative techniques in order to observe them.

The technique the Cambridge researchers developed was to essentially look for giant holes punched through a stream of stars. These streams are the remnants of small satellites, either dwarf galaxies or globular clusters, which were once in orbit around our own galaxy, but the strong tidal forces of the Milky Way have torn them apart. The remnants of these former satellites are often stretched out into long and narrow tails of stars, known as stellar streams.

“Stellar streams are actually simple and fragile structures,” said co-author Dr Sergey Koposov. “The stars in a stellar stream closely follow one another since their orbits all started from the same place. But they don't actually feel each other's presence, and so the apparent coherence of the stream can be fractured if a massive body passes nearby. If a dark matter sub-halo passes through a stellar stream, the result will be a gap in the stream which is proportional to the mass of the body that created it.”

The researchers used data from the stellar streams in the Palomar 5 globular cluster to look for evidence of a sub-halo fly-by. Using a new modelling technique, they were able to observe the stream with greater precision than ever before. What they found was a pair of wrinkled tidal tails, with two gaps of different widths.

By running thousands of computer simulations, the researchers determined that the gaps were consistent with a fly-by of a dark matter sub-halo. If confirmed, these would be the smallest dark matter clumps detected to date.

“If dark matter can exist in clumps smaller than the smallest dwarf galaxy, then it also tells us something about the nature of the particles which dark matter is made of namely that it must be made of very massive particles,” said co-author Dr Vasily Belokurov. “This would be a breakthrough in our understanding of dark matter.”

The reason that researchers can make this connection is that the mass of the smallest clump of dark matter is closely linked to the mass of the yet unknown particle that dark matter is composed of. More precisely, the smaller the clumps of dark matter, the higher the mass of the particle.

Since we do not yet know what dark matter is made of, the simplest way to characterise the particles is to assign them a particular energy or mass. If the particles are very light, then they can move and disperse into very large clumps. But if the particles are very massive, then they can't move very fast, causing them to condense in the first instance into very small clumps.

“Mass is related to how fast these particles can move, and how fast they can move tells you about their size,” said Belokurov. “So that's why it's so interesting to detect very small clumps of dark matter, because it tells you that the dark matter particle itself must be very massive.”

“If our technique works as predicted, in the near future we will be able to use it to discover even smaller clumps of dark matter,” said Erkal. “It's like putting dark matter goggles on and seeing thousands of dark clumps each more massive than a million suns whizzing around.”

The Daily Galaxy via University of Cambridge

"Cloud D" in Nearby Dwarf Galaxy --Obscures Spectacular Cluster of Massive Stars Billion Xs Brighter Than Our Sun

"Large Chunk of Milky Way's 1st Generation Stars are Missing"

Alien Invaders of the Milky Way - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

NASA/Hubble: "For Far-Future Milky Way Civilizations Evidence of Big Bang and Evolution Will be Erased"

Mystery Star Clusters of Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A --"Something Dark, Hidden and Massive"

"Milky Way Danger Zone" --Solar-System Devouring Mini Black Holes (Today's Most Popular) - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

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Aeolus launch contract

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

The contract between ESA and Arianespace to launch the ADM-Aeolus satellite was signed on 22 July 2016 by ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, (left) and CEO of Arianespace, Stéphane Israël, (right) in the presence of Jan Woerner, ESA Director General, (centre), at ESA headquarters in Paris, France. Aeolus will be launched on a Vega rocket from Europe's Spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana at the end of 2017. Using novel laser technology, this new mission will provide profiles of wind, aerosols and clouds to advance our understanding of atmospheric dynamics and to improve weather forecasts.

Read more: Vega to launch ESA's wind mission

Credit: ESANadia Imbert-Vier, 2016

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Sit! Stay! Spell!

“Alphabet” border, designed by William Wegman, distributed by A/D Gallery, New York, 1993.
Gift of A/D Gallery. 1997-108-1

William Wegman's 1993 “Alphabet” border is a charming representative of the vast body of children's wallpaper that has been around since the 19th century.

Wegman began photographing his Weimaraners in 1970, and his photographs became a favorite with adults and children alike. After all, what's not to like about a beautiful dog holding a goofy pose?

The border elevates Wegman's dogs from cute to educational by arranging them into letters of the alphabet from A to Z. It was available in white, blue and rust and each color was printed in a limited edition of 1,500, each signed and numbered by the artist.

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum contains children's wallpapers dating back to the 1870s. While early children's wallpaper was designed to be instructional, it didn't capture the whimsy exuded by this border, for which Wegman also designed a complementary sidewall paper.

Wegman started out as a painter, receiving degrees from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1970, he moved to southern California to teach at California State College, Long Beach. That's when he purchased his Weimaraner, Man Ray, and began photographing him in unusual poses. This photography continued in 1986 with the addition of Fay Ray, another Weimaraner, and then with her offspring. Wegman has created numerous books for children and adults, and film and video for such companies as Saturday Night Live, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street.

The post Sit! Stay! Spell! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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Hungarian poster for ZABRISKIE POINT (Michelangelo Antonioni,...

Hungarian poster for ZABRISKIE POINT (Michelangelo Antonioni, USA, 1970)

Designer: Laszlo Lakner

Poster source: Film/Art Gallery

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How did you develop a banter with Miranda?

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