Four-propellered drone vehicle can spy for you from afar

Four-propellered drone vehicle can spy for you from afar: "

Here's something you don't want to see flying right at you: it's Australia's new hovering drone, kept aloft by four ducted fans.

This futuristic contraption, called the Cyber Quad, was designed by Cyber Technology Pty Ltd. It's set to be used to carry out surveys of offshore drilling platforms, but it could really be used to survey anything from afar, while scaring the hell out of anyone nearby. I want one.

Via Danger Room

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Rejecting Prophets for Apparently Bad Behavior: What Tapestry Do You Look At?

Rejecting Prophets for Apparently Bad Behavior: What Tapestry Do You Look At?: "I have often explained that prophets are fallible, like all mortals, and that making a mistake or doing something that strikes us as objectionable is not necessarily a reason for rejecting someone God has called. One ex-Mormon asked me how much bad behavior I am willing to accept before finally giving up on the Church altogether, for there are long lists of objections and complaints that can be crafted for Joseph Smith and other modern prophets. It's a fair question, but one that might be missing some important considerations. The discussion was in the context of the numerous anti-Mormon arguments against the Church that might be refutable or answerable on their own, but which together allegedly create a 'tapestry' that weighs against the truthfulness of the Church.

In response, let me ask this question: If you currently accept the Bible as true, how much apparently bad behavior on the part of Abraham would it take to reject him as a prophet? How much would it take to reject the Old Testament? How much would it take to reject someone who taught as official doctrine that Abraham was a great prophet who should be considered the “friend of God” (which is what Christ called him)?

The record from the pro-Abraham writers in the Old Testament – those loony Abrahamic apologists – admits (warning: anti-Abrahamic spin follows) that he was guilty of polygamy and shacking up with concubines. It admits that he sent one of his women and his unwanted son out into the desert where they would have died were it not for miraculous help. It admits that he tried to kill his own son in a pagan human sacrifice. It admits that he was a bloody man of war and a greedy profiteer rolling in wealth and seeking more. Now what if we dug up additional evidence from his critics and victims? Can you imagine what a tapestry we’d have then? So at what point do you reject Abraham, the Old Testament, and even Christ because of the vast tapestry one can create by picking out the ugliest threads and discarding everything else?

One can seek to understand the big picture, the real tapestry, or one can seek to craft objections and weave their own new tapestry to tell an ugly story from a flawed but, at many times, divinely inspired life.

For me, the tapestry that needs to be considered has a rich and repeating pattern of a divine gift, the Book of Mormon, with power and rich internal and external evidences for authenticity. It has repeating patterns in many other areas indicating divine authority and majesty in the revealed and restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are rich experiences, intellectually stimulating and fulfilling journeys involving the Temple, the scriptures, the Priesthood, the relation to ancient Christianity, and many other elements, that together form a joyous tapestry – with some ugly threads in there as well that come from mortal fallibility. When examined, the ugly threads do not destroy the value of the whole, though they do raise some problems and require examination of assumptions and, most often, more careful readings of texts and more complex interpretations of events.

So let me ask one illustrative question along these lines. If you know, really know, as I do, that the Book of Mormon is simply too powerful, beautiful, and authentic as an ancient text for Joseph Smith to have fabricated or any scholar in his day to have concocted, at what point does your trouble with polygamy or the Kirtland bank disaster or Brigham Young’s views on minorities lead you to conclude that the Book of Mormon is a fraud and all the witnesses who went to their graves affirming the reality of the gold plates must have been pathological liars? If the Book of Mormon is true, if the First Vision really happened, would that make a difference in how you approach a puzzling issue like polygamy or other problems later on?

Critics want us to see only some ugly threads and throw away the whole cloth, but there is much more the picture that needs to be considered.

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What If Earth Had Rings Like Saturn (Spoiler: It Would Be Freakin' Sweet, That's What)

What If Earth Had Rings Like Saturn (Spoiler: It Would Be Freakin' Sweet, That's What): "

This is a little video showing what earth would look like if it had rings like Saturn. The first minute explains the orientation of the rings, and the next two show what the rings would look like from different cities around the world. It's pretty awesome. So awesome, in fact, I just wrote a petition to God asking for our own rings. I'll let you know what he says.

UPDATE: He said no, but I'm still the handsomest man he ever made. You can't argue with the Creator!

Imaging Earth with Saturn's rings [kottke]

Thanks to twellve, who agrees if Saturn gets rings it's only fair we should have some too."

Practical Steps Toward a Quantum Propulsion Machine

Practical Steps Toward a Quantum Propulsion Machine: "

An Israeli scientist has proposed a way to build a quantum propulsion machine by pushing on the electromagnetic fields within a quantum vacuum, generating a force that, theoretically, could be harnessed. Sounds simple enough, right? But leaving the complex jargon of quantum mechanics aside, the implications are pretty amazing.

The mechanics are essentially this: according to quantum mechanics, vacuums are not simply voids, but contain, fleetingly, electromagnetic waves popping into, and out of, existence. These waves possess measurable force, but the new approach is less concerned with those forces and more concerned with the momentum associated with the electromagnetic fields. If we can manipulate that momentum, shouldn't we be able to create an opposite reaction force? (For a bit of background on this, see Wikipedia's useful articles here and here, or enroll in your nearest four-year university.)

That reaction force -- propulsion, to the rest of us -- is what's interesting here. Alex Feigel at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center in Yavne, Israel, suggests that by introducing magnetoelectric nanoparticles to interact with the electromagnetic fields inside a quantum vacuum, we should in theory be able to create mechanical energy -- a magnetoelectric quantum wheel, as he calls it -- harnessing the forces generated inside a quantum vacuum.

What's so significant about all this? For starters, unlike many other theories in quantum mechanics, this one is relatively easy to test. If that works out, it could open the door to new ways of researching and investigating the quantum world around us. In the future, quantum wheels could have practical applications, like correcting satellite orientation in space.

Moreover, while the wheel is not rewriting the laws of physics -- that is, manipulating the particles will consume energy -- the propulsion occurs without any loss of mass. We don't want to jinx anything by bringing up deep space travel here, but the idea of propulsion that potentially wouldn't require large reservoirs of propellant is exciting, to say the least.

[Technology Review]

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Incredible Robot Space Marine Figures

Incredible Robot Space Marine Figures: "

If these weren’t already sold out, I’d be all over them. At $45 each (there’s a set of 6), these 6.5″ tall ‘Bertie Mk2′ figurines are beautifully battle scarred in that way that made Wall-E so endearing. More pics:

As I said, the pre-order is entirely sold out, but hopefully these robot toys will become available again in January.

[ Tenacious Toys ] VIA [ Boing Boing ]

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IQ Pentagon makes the Rubik's Cube look like Candy Land

IQ Pentagon makes the Rubik's Cube look like Candy Land: "

Is the Rubik's Cube just too easy for you? Do you crave punishment? Do you enjoy giving yourself a frustration headache? Well, say hello to the 12 Surface IQ Pentagon!

This horrifying monstrosity of a puzzle looks next to impossible to actually complete. I mean, the Rubik's Cube is damned hard, and this takes it to a whole other level. But hey, don't let me tell you how you should or shouldn't punish yourself when bored. It's available now for $60.

ThinkGeek via Coolest Gadgets

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