Friday, March 11, 2011

SETI releases Android phone app which allows users to help 'hunt' for aliens

The Seti Institute launched a private beta test on Thursday of SetiQuest Explorer in the hope that amateur astronomers will help with tasks that cannot be done well by computers. The app runs on Android 2.2 but will be available on the iPhone this summer. There is also a desktop version for any computer running Flash Player 10.2. "We want to tap into the brain power of the world," Jill Tarter, director of the non-profit Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, said.
Full article: http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/mobile-apps/2011/03/11/seti-releases-alien-hunting-android-app-40092107/

Founder of the Institute for Security and Cooperation in Space to propose treaty banning weapons in space by Earthlings and aliens!

It's a good thing the outer space battles in "Star Wars" happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away -- because under a new space-based weapons treaty drafted by aerospace and military experts, humans and aliens alike would be barred from waging war above Earth.
Full article: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/11/new-treaty-would-ban-space-weapons-for-earthlings-and-ets/

British Wiccan warlock pleads authorities to release him from indoor probation due to religious reasons
a warlock who worships the goddess of the moon, curfews can be a bit of a hindrance.  So when Cerwyn Jones found himself being punished by a court for carrying a five-inch ceremonial knife in a pub he was quick to plead special Wiccan circumstances.  The 52-year-old was sentenced to four months of staying indoors between the hours of 7pm and 7am.
Full article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365093/Criminal-caught-carrying-knife-curfew-lifted-persuading-court-warlock.html

Astrologers believe 'supermoon' may be at fault for the Japanese earthquake
The powerful tsunami that today slammed into Japan's eastern coast comes just two days after warnings that the movement of the moon could trigger unpredictable events on Earth.  Astrologers predicted that on March 19 - a week tomorrow - the so-called 'supermoon' will be closer to Earth than at any time since 1992, just 221,567 miles away, and that its gravitational pull will bring chaos to Earth.
Full article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1365225/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-Did-supermoon-cause-todays-natural-disaster.html

...but The Bad Astronomer Phil Plait says otherwise about the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and gives links to relief organizations
The magnitude 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan last night has done a vast amount of damage. I’m seeing lots of information scattered around the web, and figured a post listing them might help.  First, if you need info about the quake, CNET has a long list of links for finding lost loved ones, information on the quake in general, and more.
Full article: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/03/11/japan-earthquake-info/

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