Posts tagged humanity
is this going to kick off a new space race?
China to Launch Manned Space Mission in 2013
The Shenzhou-10, with three crew members, is aiming for a primary launch window in June, Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chi
ef of the manned space program, told China National Radio in an interview Friday.
He said one of the three astronauts would likely be a woman. China has also said it was working towards landing a man on the moon, but did not specify a time-frame.
soldiers occasionally used pigeons to carry messages during WWII. This one has quite the morbid history.
Coded WWII Message Found on Dead Pigeon
British intelligence agents are working on deciphering a coded message that has remained a secret for nearly 70 years — attached to the leg of a hero World War II carrier pigeon.
Found in the chimney of 17th-century home in Bletchingley, Surrey, the bird’s skeleton was found in 1982 when the home’s current owner David Martin decided to restore the fireplace.
Almost certainly, the carrier pigeon was dispatched from Nazi-occupied France on June 6 1944, during the D-Day Invasions.
“We know it’s an Allied Forces pigeon because of the red capsule it was carrying — but that’s all we know,” he added.
The message was sent to XO2 at 16:45 and contain 27 codes, each made up of five letters or numbers.
even astronauts can cast a ballot!
How Space Station Astronauts Can Vote
Two U.S. citizens may be hundreds of miles above the nearest polling booth, but they still cast their ballots.
Astronauts residing on the orbiting lab receive a digital version of their ballot, which is beamed up by Mission Control at the agency’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. Filled-out ballots find their way back down to Earth along the same path.
This system was made possible by a 1997 bill passed by Texas legislators (nearly all NASA astronauts live in or around Houston). It was first used that same year by David Wolf, who happened to be aboard Russia’s Mir space station at the time.
QUIZ: Is This Haunted or Not?
Being a ghost hunter can’t be easy, especially this time of year when there seems to be a ghoul around every corner.
Put your sixth sense to the test and decide whether you think the building you see is haunted — at least in terms of popular superstition — or just an old and kind of creepy-looking dump.
Abandoned prisons, creepy houses and famous spots… do you think they look haunted?
i used to live in a haunted house, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying scary movies, especially the campy ones.
What possesses people to seek out experiences that make them tremble with fear?
With Halloween approaching, it’s hard to avoid ghosts, goblins and other spooky decorations. But some people go even further, seeking out horror movies and convoluted haunted houses that are designed to scare the living daylights out of them.
Enjoyment likely comes not from the fear itself, experts say, but from the physical and emotional release that follows scary situations.
Sometimes justice tastes sweet! The National Archives holds the records for many Federal court cases, including this one from 1957 when the Life Savers Corporation sued the Curtiss Candy Company for trademark infringement.
Depositions of witnesses were taken in different cities to show that consumers were so used to simply reaching for the multi-colored packaging of Life Savers that Curtiss would be able to take advantage of this with its own colored label. One witness, Lillian Poshkus of St. Louis, when asked about her candy purchase, answered, “I just go right up to the counter and I see the different colored package and I pick that up, put it on the counter and pay for it.” Several others answered similarly.Who won? Read the full blog post on NARAtions.
*laughing* are they serious? i’m pretty sure i know fruit stripe gum when i see it.
Two Months Until the Mayan Doomsday Nonevent
For some reason, people really want to remind the world that Oct. 21 marks two months before the biggest nonevent in recent history. Even more perplexing is the fact that others seem to really want the world to end in 61 days time.
Why do these strange individuals want us to believe in this nonsense? Some have a book to sell, while others have a horribly-edited YouTube video they want to share. Others are just plain odd. But regardless of the intent, the result is confusion and fear. Sadly, it is often people who would have otherwise gotten on with their lives peacefully who have swallowed the doomsday nonsense and become needlessly worried about the end of the world.
But wait! There are still Mayan descendents who live in Central America. Are they currently digging bunkers and stocking up on canned “Apocalypse-ready” baked beans? Um, no. Why’s that then?
The Mayans never predicted doomsday! The end of a calendar cycle doesn’t mean it’s doomsday. The calendar wasn’t a magic calendar, it was just a way to document time, remember future dates and record past events. That’s what calendars do. Lacking a culture to renew the Long Count, it looks like the final cycle — the 13th bak’tun — will come to an end… and that’s about it.
my roommate described it akin to, “our generation’s moon landing.”
Personally, I hope this isn’t the most exciting scientific endeavor we have for a generation, but it certainly was a fantastic experience. I was literally on the edge of my seat.
When Felix Jumped, the World Jumped with Him
High above Roswell, New Mexico, late Sunday morning, a helium-filled balloon ascended to around 128,000 ft carrying Felix Baumgartner into the history books. Just after noon local time (2 p.m. EDT), the Austrian daredevil leant forward and slowly stepped into the void — gravity took over, causing him to plummet through the stratosphere, traveling faster than the speed of sound.
Every step of the way, millions of people watched online and live via Discovery Channel and online. With the help of Twitter and other social media platforms, the Red Bull Stratos team gave us all an intimate and exhilarating ride from launch to landing. During that heart stopping moment when Baumgartner jumped — beating Joe Kittinger’s 52 year-old record — we all jumped with him.
“I know the whole world is watching now, and I wish the world could see what I see. And sometimes you have to go up really high to see how small you really are.” — Felix Baumgartner, just before he jumped.
The Books They Gave Me: Nabokov.
When I turned sixteen, my English teacher asked me what I got for my birthday. He was surprised that I hadn’t received a book, because I perpetually had one with me. He told me that I could pick any book from his bookshelf, that all of the books were something special to him: life lessons,…
what a beautiful story. what have books taught you?
Amazing map of the world with each country depicted in its national currency. More striking currency art here.
our money is so green. we should throw a bit more color in there.
don’t worry, we’d still get the day off.
but what do you think? should we change the name?
Should Columbus Day Become ‘Exploration Day’?
“Rededicating Columbus Day as Exploration Day will allow those who wish to commemorate his accomplishments to continue doing so, but for those who find Columbus’s role in history disquieting, it will enable them to celebrate the day in a very different way.
Exploration Day covers the depth and breath of America’s rich history of exploration, research and discovery. Thus, Exploration Day will be something that unites rather than divides.” — Karl Frank
Skulls from Sacrificial Rituals Found at Temple
Archaeologists have unearthed gruesome evidence of brutal Aztec rituals by uncovering 50 skulls and over 250 jaw bones at the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City).
Found at one sacrificial stone below a ceremonial platform called the “cuauhxicalco,” the human remains date back more than 500 years and represent the largest number of skulls ever found in one offering.
Each of the five skulls had holes on both sides, suggesting they belonged to a tzompantli. This was a skull rack on which the crania of sacrificed people were hung and displayed near temples or at other locations.
