Mount St. Helens is showing some activity. This is from the webcam page at Johnston Ridge Observatory.
Read the latest geological survey update below the fold.
Technobabble
Auroras from Space
Some especially intense auroras resulting from solar flares associated with sunspot 930 were visible from outer space via an Air Force satellite. Here’s the story from SpaceWeather.com:
AURORAS FROM SPACE: How bright were the auroras of Dec. 14th? As bright as city lights and easily seen from space. A US Air Force DMSP satellite took this picture from orbit 830 km above the United States:
The bright arc stretching from Montana to Maine is the aurora Borealis. In many places it completely overwhelms the city lights below.
“The DMSP satellite has the ability to detect auroral light at night,” says Paul McCrone of the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt AFB in Nebraska. “These images are mosaics of various DMSP overflights on Dec. 12-13, Dec. 13-14, and Dec 14-15. The Dec. 14th image is quite striking.”
How the Chinese See Us
While browsing through the activity logs for the blog, I ran across a referring link that aroused my curiosity. When I followed the link, I found myself looking at our blog in Chinese! Apparently, Babel Fish, a service of AltaVista offers a universal web page translator.
It won’t translate words in images or Flash™ and it leaves unknown words as they were. Fun to try in a couple of different languages.
Ringtones, etc.
Today’s Dilbert Comic Strip is dedicated to the bluetooth-toting mall and sidewalk loudmouth, the ringtone-in-the-meeting inconsiderate doofus and to the distracted-while-dialing-the-wireless driver.
It ain’t a phone booth – other folks have to listen to your inane crap and dodge your distracted a$$ in traffic. Hang the *&%$ up!
Does Mars Leak Water?
NASA Scientists announced today that there is compelling evidence that liquid water flows on Mars: From NASA:
NASA Images Suggest Water Still Flows in Brief Spurts on Mars
NASA photographs have revealed bright new deposits seen in two gullies on Mars that suggest water carried sediment through them sometime during the past seven years.
“These observations give the strongest evidence to date that water still flows occasionally on the surface of Mars,” said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, Washington.
Image right: A new gully deposit in a crater in the Centauri Montes Region. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Liquid water, as opposed to the water ice and water vapor known to exist at Mars, is considered necessary for life. The new findings heighten intrigue about the potential for microbial life on Mars. The Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor provided the new evidence of the deposits in images taken in 2004 and 2005.
“The shapes of these deposits are what you would expect to see if the material were carried by flowing water,” said Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. “They have finger-like branches at the downhill end and easily diverted around small obstacles.” Malin is principal investigator for the camera and lead author of a report about the findings published in the journal Science.
Cellphone Safety Law
We’ve blogged before about “Distracted Drivers” and offered humor in “Top 10 Reasons Why People Use a Wireless While Driving.” Now, Governor Schwarzenegger has signed a law to require the use of hands-free devices except for emergencies. That’s good, but it won’t take effect until next July.
From sacbee.com
Governor launches cell phone law
The law that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Friday banning motorists in California from holding cell phones while driving does not take effect until July 1, 2008, but the governor is urging drivers to begin complying now.
“You can use a cell phone, but use a headset or use a speaker system and you will be fine,” the governor said during a signing ceremony at a hotel in Oakland.
State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, predicted Senate Bill 1613 — the law he pushed through the Legislature after four unsuccessful attempts — will save lives by decreasing driving distractions.
Under the law, motorists will be required to use a headset, speaker phone, ear bud or other device that frees up both hands when they talk. Motorists who need to make emergency calls are exempted.
Violators will be fined $20 for the first infraction and $50 for subsequent violations.
Vacation Planner Addict
The Damsel and I have been planning a vacation. One of my co-workers recommended Google Earth® as a possible tool to help with the planning. So I tried it and now I can’t put the @!?*%$& thing aside.
Image: screenshot of approach to St. George UT
The graphics and virtual reality are extremely intriguing to a pilot who isn’t an active flyer these days. You can get your copy from Google Earth, but you have been warned.
Maybe I can get The Damsel to post one of her pretty photos while I futz around with this.