Amazon Releases Kindle 2!

Today Amazon.com released Kindle 2, the next-generation wireless reading device.

Kindle 2 can download a book wirelessly in under 60 seconds from the largest e-Book store in the world, which contains over 240,000 books.

Its improvements over the original Kindle include: more storage, longer battery life, and improved display.

Get Kindle 2 at Amazon.com Now!


Posted under Gadgets, Technology

Using Gmail as Your Universal Email Account

I have begun to use gmail as my universal email account.  I currently have emails from three different addresses converging into my gmail.  It is easy to set up.  Follow the instructions in the tutorial below:

Tutorial: Gmail as universal email

Gmails excellent spam filters outperform those used by the university.  This has saved me a lot of time as I no longer have to go through hundreds of emails a day.  In addition, I can use gmail to send email from any one of my accounts by using the “Send From” drop-down menu.

Easy!

Posted under Internet, Solutions, Technology

This post was written by drknuth on February 4, 2009

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GigaPixel Images with the GigaPan EPIC Robotic Camera System

The GigaPan EPIC Robotic Camera System takes your camera and uses it to take multiple images from a robot-controlled platform. These are then stitched together to form a single Gigapixel panoramic image.

Here is an example of a Gigapixel image from President Obama’s inauguration.  Special prize if you can find Yo-Yo Ma taking a picture with his camera.

My brother even found WALDO!

Posted under Gadgets, Technology

This post was written by drknuth on February 4, 2009

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Webcast on New Mars Science Laboratory Rover

Mars Science Laboratory

On Thursday October 16th at 7pm PST, JPL will host a webcast of a lecture on the new Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Rover. This webcast will require RealPlayer—the free RealPlayer 8 Basic can be downloaded from RealPlayer.
More info can be found here at JPL.

This talk is part of the JPL von Kármán Lecture Series.
Here is the Summary from the JPL Website:

New Wheels on Mars: The Mars Science Laboratory
Dr. Richard Cook
Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager

Building on the success of the two rover geologists that arrived at Mars in January, 2004, NASA’s next rover mission will depart for the Red Planet in 2009. Twice as long and five times as heavy as the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Mars Science Laboratory will collect Martian soil and rock samples and analyze them for organic compounds and minerals which demonstrate that Mars can or did support life. This sophisticated science laboratory will be delivered to the Martian surface using an innovative new landing system. The spacecraft will start by steering itself through the Martian atmosphere in a fashion similar to the way the Apollo entry capsule controlled its entry through Earth’s upper atmosphere. This approach will allow the spacecraft to fly to a desired location above the surface of Mars before deploying its parachute for the final landing. Then, in the final minutes before touchdown, the spacecraft will activate its parachute and retro rockets before lowering the rover package to the surface on a tether.

If you are local, you may be able to attend the talk:

Thursday, October 16, 2008, 7p.m.
The von Kármán Auditorium at JPL
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA
+Directions

Friday, October 17, 2008, 7p.m.
The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College
1570 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
+Directions

Posted under Astrobiology, Exploration, Mars, Research, Robotics, Space, Technology

This post was written by drknuth on September 13, 2008

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The Money Shot!

The Phoenix Probe parachuting into the Martian Atmosphere 

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) caught the Phoenix probe parachuting in to its landing site!

Full Article here…

SWEEEEET!!!

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

Posted under Astronomy, Mars, Robotics, Space, Technology

This post was written by drknuth on May 26, 2008

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