Blue Marble: The science behind NASA's spectacular Earth images

NASA has released two striking hi-res images of our planet, which the agency has dubbed the 'Blue Marble.'?Here is how the photos were captured.

NASA's newest Earth-watching satellite is beaming back spectacular views of our home planet ? huge mosaics of many images stitched together at the highest-resolution yet obtained. But there's a bit of science mojo at work to create the stunning photos.

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The new Earth photos, which NASA scientists have dubbed "Blue Marble" views, come from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite. The minivan-size spacecraft is the first of its kind: an Earth-observing satellite built to collect data for both short-term weather forecasts and long-term climate models.

The latest photo was released Thursday (Feb. 2) and shows the sharpest view yet of the Eastern Hemisphere as it appeared on Jan. 23. The continent of Africa dominates the view, with the Middle East and Asia stretching up toward the top of the frame.

In the image, the Earth is striped by four huge vertical lines created by sunlight reflecting off the ocean. ?It follows on the heels of NPP's portrait of the Western Hemisphere, which NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center released last week and has been viewed 3.1 million times on the center's Flickr photo-sharing website.

NASA launched the $1.5 billion?Suomi NPP satellite?in October 2011 on a mission to help monitor Earth's weather and natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, wildfires and floods. The breathtaking views of Earth from space are merely a byproduct of that science mission. [Amazing Earth Photos from Suomi NPP]

Here's how the satellite captures the amazing Blue Marble Earth photos:

The Suomi NPP satellite photographs the Earth from about 512 miles (824 kilometers) in a polar orbit (a path that passes over the North and South Poles). While that orbit seems high, it is still not high enough to fit the entire Earth in a single camera frame. For example, Suomi NPP's?BlueMarble photos show the Earth?as it would appear to an observer perched about 7,918 miles (12,743 km) away.

So to make the whole-Earth images, NASA scientist Norman Kuring combined Suomi NPP observations of the same parts of the planet taken over six different orbits, or passes, over the terrain during an eight-hour period. Kuring then stitched the data into a complete mosaic, creating one huge image of Earth.

The Suomi NPP satellite beams about 4 terabytes of data to Earth every day, mission scientists have said. That's enough photos of Earth to fill 800 DVDs.

The extreme clarity of the Blue Marble photos comes from Suomi NPP's Visible Infrared Radiometer Imaging Suite (VIIRS), which is a high-resolution sensor package designed to observe Earth in different ranges of the light spectrum. As the satellite orbits Earth, it snaps photos over a strip of the planet about 1,865 miles (3,001 km) wide.

The VIIRS instrument is the biggest and most important tool of the five instruments riding aboard the Suomi NPP satellite, mission scientists have said. It is designed to measure ocean color, surface temperature, fires on Earth, cloud distribution and the amount of particles called aerosols in the atmosphere.

The Suomi NPP satellite is named after the late meteorologist Verner E. Suomi, who has been hailed as the father figure of satellite meteorology. The spacecraft is expected to observe the Earth through at least 2016. The mission is conducted under a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense.

This story was provided by?SPACE.com, sister site to OurAmazingPlanet. You can follow Tariq Malik on Twitter?@tariqjmalik.?Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/Tw5r5WijLxM/Blue-Marble-The-science-behind-NASA-s-spectacular-Earth-images

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Powering pacemakers with heartbeat vibrations

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Though pacemakers require only small amounts of energy (about 1 millionth of a Watt), their batteries have to be replaced periodically, which means multiple surgeries for patients. Researchers have searched for ways to prolong battery life ? trying to generate energy to power a pacemaker using blood sugar, or the motion of the hands and legs ? but these methods either interfere with metabolism or require a more drastic surgery, such as passing a wire from the limbs to the chest area. Aerospace engineers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor have developed a prototype device that could power a pacemaker using a source that is surprisingly close to the heart of the matter: vibrations in the chest cavity that are due mainly to heartbeats.

The authors describe the technique and their progress developing it in a paper recently published in the AIP's Applied Physics Letters. In their method, vibrations in the chest cavity deform a layer of piezoelectric material, which is able to convert mechanical stress into electrical current. Tests indicate that the device could perform at heart rates from 7 to 700 beats per minute (well below and above the normal range), and that it could deliver eight times the energy required for a pacemaker. Furthermore, the authors write, the amount of energy generated is always larger than the amount required to run a pacemaker, regardless of heart rate. Though the team has yet to develop a prototype that is biocompatible, they say that the potential to package this energy harvester with pacemakers gives it an advantage over competing methods.

###

"Powering Pacemakers from Heartbeat Vibrations Using Linear and Nonlinear Energy Harvesters" is published in Applied Physics Letters.

American Institute of Physics: http://www.aip.org

Thanks to American Institute of Physics for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117298/Powering_pacemakers_with_heartbeat_vibrations

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How to be Triumphant in the Business of Product Selling | welcome ...

Just about the best business model a person can try out is the selling of information products online. Believe it or not there are plenty of online businesses who have earned a six figure income through the selling of information based products. If you want to be able to successfully sell information to your target audience you need to understand the science of it.

Not every single kind of information actually sells. That?s really important to understand. It?s important that from the very start you are focused on the fundamentals. Make sure you get it all right with everything from the product?s creation to its sales. If you are trying to figure out how to create incredible information products that actually get people?s attention this article will teach you how to do that.

In the world of selling information products, quality means absolutely everything. If you offer less than total quality to your customers you won?t just be facing down a high refund rate, you?ll be actively creating a bad reputation for yourself in your niche. You need to consistently give more to your buyers than they are expecting from you. If you want to be successful, you need to make sure you are consistently over delivering. If one of your goals is to make selling information products your full time business, it becomes vital to make sure you offer top quality. Some IMers focus just on how many products they can create and not on whether or not those products are good. This is a bad approach to take. It?s a guarantee that if the quality of your offering wanes so will your business. It really is that easy.

If you are hoping to make things happen within the info product industry, you need to understand that some social proof is required. You need to have some kind of proof backing up your info product. Information isn?t exactly the most tangible of products and that?s why you need to show your prospects that it works.

This is pretty simply accomplished?even for people new to the field. You can obtain social proof by asking market experts to review the product you?ve created. And if you?ve been around for a while, then use your customer feedback. It?s always helpful!

Don?t drown yourself in the technical details of your product. Focus instead on the information you?re offering.

Work on your quality so that you can be sure to offer the best to your customers. The smaller techie glitches or hurdles usually get worked out on their own. When you actually feel concerned, though, you should hire a person to finish that particular job for you. You will be glad that you did.

There?s something about the information product business that makes it so appealing. Some Internet Marketers have even created entire lines of ebooks and other information based products.

The above article outlines some of the most common factors that lead to success with information selling. Do not ignore them if success is one of your goals. Take action and apply them. Don?t let this valuable knowledge go to waste. Put it to work in your own information business, the effort will pay off.

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Source: http://www.bermysagainstthedraft.org/how-to-be-triumphant-in-the-business-of-product-selling-2/

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For this next installment of the GWOnline Community Features we ...

?

The two finalists in the PAX 2011 "Biggest smile" competition, Rhonda and Colin Johanson.

For this next installment of the GWOnline Community Features we had a chat with Rhonda, also known as Malibu Barbie to the Guild Wars community. Rhonda is one of the central figures of the ?Pink Day in LA? events in Guild Wars 1, and we were of course thrilled to hear that she and the Gaming World Entertainment Network (GW-EN) are planning to take their good cheer and community spirit on to Guild Wars 2.

GWOnline: Could you tell us a little about the history of the Gaming World Entertainment Network?and the Gamers Giving Back organization?

Rhonda: I wanted to create something unique for video gamers to break the stereotypes that we are all lazy and do nothing all day. I wanted to show what big hearts we have. So initially Gamers Giving Back was the first idea that came to mind. From there I decided to combine it with the idea of GW-EN. The combination of the two really seemed to work well together.

***

Follow after the jump for the full deal on charity in videogames, on-air gaffes, and more!

GWOnline: Starting at the beginning, tell us about?your background in gaming.

Rhonda: I have been gaming since the dawn of time. When I was younger I was totally a SEGA girl. I gradually moved into PC games starting off with the Civilization series, moving on to the Sims, then I moved on to Phantasy Star with led me to Guild Wars. Since then I have played Aion, RIFT, Skyrim, Dragon Age and others. I really enjoy MMOs and RPG games. I do still enjoy a good game of RTS once in a while.

GWOnline: What do you do when not keeping busy with all things GW-EN?

Rhonda: That is actually quite an amusing question. I am a full time Computer and Math Middles Years and High School teacher. Most of my coworkers think I am extremely crazy to handle both of these things at the same time, but somehow I make it work. I also enjoy playing the piano and basketball (is this where I say I enjoy long walks on the beach?)

GWOnline: Most of the Guild Wars community know you from the annual ?Pink Day in LA? in Guild Wars. What?were the origins of this event?

Rhonda:?The event was actually created by Master Saji and his guild DRGN. They held this event in a small?way since 2007 in Guild Wars. In 2010 I approached Saijor, or DJ Mister Pink as I know him, about taking the event to a whole new level and really making a difference for breast cancer research and support. We actually have one listener that really encouraged me to keep up the hard work with the event, as she was diagnosed with breast cancer 1 month before our 1st major event in 2010 and later that year she lost her sister to breast cancer. The event really made me realize how much of close connection you can make with other online gamers. It?s almost like a huge?family!

GWOnline: Do you know how much? money to charity you have collected from the Guild Wars community so far?

Rhonda:?Since we started doing charity events with Gamers Giving Back, between the event for Haiti, two events for Multiple Sclerosis and two for Breast Cancer Research we are looking at well over $35,000. I think this is amazing! We also participated in the Extra Life Campaign and that has raised over $1.5 million dollars in the last two years we participated for the Children?s Miracle Network!

GWOnline: What can people do to help?

Rhonda:?People can do several things to help us. They can sign up to work as an on-air host, which can be casual or on a more regular basis currently in Guild Wars 1. We are starting to plan for Guild Wars 2 and are looking at having hosts for both games, so if you enjoy music and helping out a gaming community, why not check out the Volunteer section on our website!

As far as the charity events go, anything helps. Whether you donate real life or in-game prizes, donate money to the cause or simply help us hand out items in game or show up to support the cause ? every little bit counts. I had a young boy donate his allowance once and write me an email about it. That right there put the biggest smile on my face.

GWOnline: Many people in the Guild Wars community may think that GW-EN is solely a guild running events, but you are also a radio channel. If I were to tune in right now, what might I hear?

Rhonda: GW-EN is anything but?one guild. We are people from all over the world in a variety of guilds and alliances. That is what makes the experience unique. One moment you might tune in and hear some classic rock and maybe?two hours later you hear techno. I can?t forget to mention SHARKIN which is a heavy metal based show on Fridays. Each host brings a unique perspective to their own 3 hour show, which really allows for a variety of listeners. Of course all of the DJs take requests!

GWOnline: Talking of live radios shows, do you have any stories of GW-EN on-air gaffes?

Rhonda: Well I am sure each of the hosts have their own stories, but I think the most embarrassing are those days when you forget your microphone is on and you?just started eating or something and people hear the chewing on-air. I think the most embarrassing thing I did, without even?realizing it, was that?when spelling out my IGN (M A L I B U Barbie) to the community I would say ?Malibu ?spaced out? Barbie?,??implying?that I was an airhead!

GWOnline: Video gaming traditionally being a male-dominated scene (MMOs less so though), did you have any thoughts about running an event for breast cancer awareness?

A drawing of Malibu Barbie and friends sent to her by a listener for Canthan New Year last year.

Rhonda: We want everyone in the gaming community to realize that we don?t want to just focus on the fact that its breast cancer research, we want to find a cure for all types of cancer. The awareness alone to getting yourself examined was enough motivation for this. Men too can get breast cancer and maybe discussing these issues in a game will remind anyone to get a regular physical to be on the safe side.

GWOnline: The event made quite the splash. How did it make you feel to have that many people coming together??

Rhonda: To be honest I was really overwhelmed with a variety of emotions. From excitement to tears of joy to fear of the unknown and anxiety. I just thought, ?Wow! This gaming community really has the huge heart that I thought they did!? Like most people know about me already,?basically was on the planning board for the next event as soon as this one started. I am always planning to make things bigger and better. One of the best and worst things about being a perfectionist I suppose.

GWOnline: ArenaNet even introduced a special pink dye vendor?to the game so people could dress up for the occasion. How did you first find out about the dye?

Rhonda: I had actually sent in a few proposals several months before the event. This was one of the proposals. The Guild Wars community team let me know that something special was going to happen before the event, it was really exciting to see that one of my wishes came true and it helped the event an an even?bigger success.??I never realized that it would impact the game as much as it did! It was really cool to see people embrace the new colour. Even the manliest of men were in pink!

GWOnline: Do you have any ideas on how videogame developers, especially MMO ones, could better facilitate charity?

Rhonda: I actually have been pushing for a variety of videogame developers to think about participating in the variety of events out there. If you have items for same that people are paying for, why not have special promotions where $1 from the sale goes to a charity of the month? The whole idea behind Gamers Giving Back was based on the idea of gamers who pay monthly fees. If every gamer who paid fees set aside $1 a month for a charity as well that would make a huge difference in the world.

I really enjoyed seeing Trion offer an ingame title to players who participated in the Extra Life campaign this year. The staff of Trion hopped on the game and played along side the players as they gamed for the 24 hours. That was really cool, to see the video game company raise money along side the players. That shows that the company really cares about its community.

GWOnline: What advice would you give someone wanting to combine their love for video games with charity? Any special pitfalls to look out for?

Rhonda:?Always be aware that not everyone is going to?love?your idea of trying to be nice to everyone and help everyone. Not everyone wants to have reality strike them so fierce in a videogame. A lot of people use videogames to escape reality, so don?t push the idea on people if they are not willing to participate. On a more positive note, if you are planning on doing an event like this, make sure to start planning early on and don?t do it by yourself! The gaming community is full of really helpful people that have huge? hearts and are willing to help. So many vounteers have come forward since our 1st event? it?s great! Whether you raise a huge amount of money or not, the reality of the events is that you are spreading awareness and creating a support system for those who have lost loved ones or those that are struggling.

GWOnline: I am sure many people are anxious to hear of your plans for Guild Wars 2. Do you have any you can share?

Rhonda: Well one thing for sure is that GW-EN will definitely be in Guild Wars 2. We are not quite sure how it will work just yet, but it is in the works. As many know, GW-EN?s staff is completely volunteer and I want my hosts to still enjoy gaming while they are giving back to the community. We are looking at staying on in Guild Wars 1 and making a transition into Guild Wars 2, where the hosts will have several months into the game before they start giving back to the players of the community. I am really excited to see how Pink Day in LA is going to work in Guild Wars 2. I can just imagine a whole area packed with Pink Asura!

GWOnline: Finally, Canthan New Year, one of Guild Wars? major holidays, is coming up this weekend. What will GW-EN be up to?

Rhonda: Canthan New Year is my favorite event in Guild Wars. Its really how I got so involved in the community. I believe the singing of ?Magic Dance? with Gaile Gray was involved somehow here, but that is a story for another time *winks*

We, along with the Cult (CrossingTyria.com), Aol and Ankh Alliances and Guildwars2live.com will be hosting Traditional Chinese 1-4 and Japanese 1-3 for the feast ! We also are bringing back our lunar collectors. People will be given missions throughout the 24 hours to bring us back items and they will be testing their ?luck? for a chance of some bigger prizes. Its well worth it to head out there for it, believe me! Its something about Celestials that makes me extra?.giving! I will be staying up the 24 hours, so please come keep me awake in Traditional Chinese 1. Did I mention that we will be giving away a lovable Charr Plushie and several other items on-air during the event as well? Yes we are definitely going all out this year!?(Link to full details)

?

Source: http://guildwars.incgamers.com/blog/comments/gwonline-community-feature-rhonda-a-k-a-malibu-barbie

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Jailed con artist describes role in Google case (AP)

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. ? When federal investigators decided to look into whether Google Inc. was letting rogue pharmacies from overseas target American consumers with advertising, they turned to a convicted con artist with experience pushing pills on the Internet.

That man, David Whitaker, says he became a pill peddler to support his life on the lam ? hawking placebos and tiny water vials online that became a hit with bodybuilders searching the Internet for steroids and other drugs. Now serving a prison sentence for fraud, Whitaker says he spends a lot of time thinking about "the people hurt by the pill problem in America."

In an interview with The Associated Press at a private prison in Central Falls, Whitaker, 37, described for the first time how he took up the online pharmacy business while hiding in Guadalajara, Mexico, from a federal indictment for a multimillion dollar fraud case in Rhode Island.

His experience helped federal investigators orchestrate a 2009 undercover sting that resulted in Google forfeiting $500 million last year. The forfeiture allowed Google to avoid criminal prosecution for allegations that it improperly profited from ads promoting Canadian pharmacies that illegally imported drugs into the United States. U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators found employees helped create advertising on Google's AdWords system for products they were told were manufactured overseas and did not require customers to have a valid prescription, authorities have said.

"It really changed my life working with the agents with the FDA," said Whitaker, wearing beige, prison-issued clothing.

Businesses using AdWords select keywords for advertising. When people search on Google using a business's keyword, that ad may appear next to the search results.

Shipping prescription drugs into the U.S. is illegal, investigators have said. When the forfeiture was announced, Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha said had the case gone to trial prosecutors would have had to prove that Google helped pharmacies violate federal law.

The Internet search engine has said it banned the advertising of prescription drugs in the U.S. by Canadian pharmacies and that it should have never allowed the ads. In 2010, Google announced new restrictions for online pharmacies seeking to advertise with AdWords. A company spokeswoman declined to comment on Whitaker's account of the investigation.

Whitaker has posted a written account of the Google probe online and shares details about his jet-setting past, criminal history and bipolar disorder on a website that is maintained by his lawyer.

He also says he saw the Google representatives he was tasked with snaring as "good people," but the operation convinced him Google was creating an "urgent danger."

One Google representative in Mexico, he said, didn't bat an eye after hearing plans about advertising the prescription abortion pill RU-486. Whitaker said he thought the venture would end the investigation.

"I was actually nervous and afraid. My voice would get shaky talking to him," Whitaker said.

He was wrong. Authorities placed an ad for RU-486 including the language "no prescription needed."

Whitaker fled to Mexico in 2006 while being investigated for allegations he defrauded customers of an electronics business, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Even though he was accused of being involved in a multimillion dollar-fraud, Whitaker said he still needed cash while on the run.

He said he got the idea to sells drugs online while visiting a farm supply store. The store had a ceramic horse and cow out front and sold steroids inside, Whitaker said.

Whitaker launched a modest enterprise working a few days a week.

Eventually, he said he expanded by hiring a lawyer and doctors. At its peak, the business was grossing $1 million in monthly revenues, said defense attorney Joseph Balliro Jr.

Whitaker credits AdWords with helping the business take off. He recalls talking with a Google representative in Buenos Aires, Argentina, about the anti-aging, bodybuilding and weight-loss products the site was selling.

"She did not hesitate at all and wanted to start advertising it right away," said Whitaker, reading from a written account of his time in Mexico. He said he deposited $30,000 to start.

"Once they know you had the money to spend, they let you advertise," Whitaker said.

As calls came in from bodybuilders wanting muscle-growing drugs, Whitaker said he consulted with doctors working for him and made a major change, developing a placebo targeting bodybuilders. In a more brazen move, Whitaker said he started selling $1,000 millimeter vials of what he marketed as an injectable sterile liquid purporting to offer multiple health benefits, but was actually water.

Whitaker recalled being surprised by the rave reviews from customers.

"I was expecting people to say, `This stuff doesn't work,'" he said.

Whitaker said he stopped advertising on AdWords after a few months because he didn't want the additional exposure while on the lam. But the experience became invaluable after he was arrested in 2008 and learned he was facing up to 65 years in prison for the fraud case.

Whitaker recalled getting a tepid response when he described his online pharmacy to federal agents, who were aware of his pill shop.

"Agents don't tend to give you reaction," he said. But by early 2009, he was using undercover websites to see whether Google would allow ads for illicit drugs from abroad.

Whitaker said the first site looked like the handiwork of a Mexican drug lord trading in HGH and steroids. But after a few rejections by Google and some advice from a U.S.-based representative on what revisions to make, Whitaker said the ads went live.

"You have to take the drugs off the site," Whitaker quoted the U.S. representative as saying. "We were fine with it because that meant she knew we were selling drugs."

He said investigators spent about $200,000 on Google ads. Aside from ad spending, Whitaker said Google representatives in the U.S. and Mexico were enticed by his claim that he represented a Mexican hotel chain that wanted to advertise.

In total, Whitaker put in about 1,100 hours working over four months on the sting. He was sentenced in December to nearly six years for the fraud charges and faces a Massachusetts case that hasn't been settled, Balliro said.

Whitaker said he thinks the Google representatives did what they did because of greed.

"I believe these are good people. I think that good people often do get caught up in greed and greed causes them to do things they don't mean to do," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120201/ap_on_re_us/us_google_investigation_convict

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Uproar over rightist leader's comments about Jews (AP)

VIENNA ? Far-right Austrian politicians were widely criticized Monday for comparing protests against a fancy ball that attracts extremists to the Nazis' persecution of Jews.

Vienna's Jewish community demanded an investigation into the remarks but the Freedom Pary insisted no harm was meant.

The comments by Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache and an associate were first reported Sunday on the website of the daily Der Standard, but they drew little attention until Monday.

The furor extended the controversy over Friday's far-right ball, which attracts guests who include the neo-Nazi fringe and was held this year on the same day the world pays tribute to victims of the Holocaust.

Police recorded only isolated violent incidents Friday from demonstrators outside the Viennese palace where the ball was being held. But Strache was quoted as saying the violence was "like Kristallnacht," referring to the 1938 anti-Semitic riots across Germany and parts of Austria that left streets strewn with broken glass from the windows of Jewish-owned property and synagogues. Kristallnacht was an ominous sign of the Holocaust to follow.

"We are the new Jews," Strache declared to other ball guests, according to Austrian media.

Strache associate Klaus Nittmann, meanwhile, was quoted as saying "whoever works for this ball immediately gets a Jew star pinned on him" ? a reference to the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear under Nazi rule.

Austria's Jewish community demanded that the state prosecutor investigate the comments and urged Strache to give up his parliamentary immunity from legal action.

Karl Oelligner of the opposition Green Party suggested that such comments can only come from someone who "has either lost his marbles or is trying to trivialize the horrors of Nazi rule."

Hannes Rauch, whose centrist People's Party is in the government coalition, called Strache's words "an open slap in the face for all those who were victims of the criminal National Socialist regime."

Freedom Party officials dismissed the criticism. Spokesman Harald Vilimsky spoke of "artificial and ridiculous outrage," adding that Strache only meant the denunciations of ball supporters and attacks on their property are reminiscent of "the horrible reports about the sinister era of National Socialism."

Strache, he said, did not intend to play down "the agony that was forced upon the Jews."

Austria has moved from its postwar portrayal of being Nazi Germany's first victim to acknowledging that it was Hitler's willing partner. Most young Austrians reject Nazi ideology and condemn the part their parents might have played in the Holocaust.

At the same time, the rightist-populist Freedom Party ? whose supporters range from those disillusioned with more traditional parties to Islamophobes and Holocaust deniers ? has become Austria's second-strongest political force.

Although the annual ball regularly comes under criticism, its overlap this year with worldwide commemorations of the Holocaust had increased the pressure on organizers and attendees.

Because it was listed among other champagne-laced Viennese balls, an Austrian committee reporting to UNESCO, the U.N.'s culture organization, struck all the balls from its list of Austria's noteworthy traditions earlier this month.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_eu/eu_austria_rightist_ball

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