Ewan's Corner

Ewan McPhail's blog and soapbox – sporadically blogging since 2003

Archive for category sci-tech

South Africa’s 2nd Satellite – First Images

Feb 23

Posted by ewan in Local, out there, sci-tech | No Comments

Horison-sensor-imageSouth Africa’s second satellite – Sumbandila (“lead the way” in Tshivenda) – has produced its first official images from orbit (see left).

Launched on 17th September 2009 from Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket, Sumbandila is a small 81kg low orbit (500 km) solar-powered satellite with a Butane propulsion system successfully fired in January. It carries a 6 spectral band imager (6,25 m × 6,25 m resolution) for ground photography and video (agriculture, mapping of infrastructure and land use, population measurement and the monitoring of dam levels etc), as well as an amateur radio transponder (SA-AMSAT) among other experiments.

See the Sumbandila mission blog for details, as well as the Wikipedia article – there is also a Facebook group.

A video taken of Earth from orbit (13th October 2009, moving over Namibia).

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African Skeptics / Science Blogroll and Carnival

Jan 29

Posted by ewan in Local, Religion, sci-tech | No Comments

Skeptical-Hippo_500x500 From Ionian Enchantment – the latest version of the African science and skepticism blog-roll, or a list of “those dedicated to science and reason on the African continent”. I am proud to be included. Definitely something thought-provoking for everyone – and quite a few reasons to get vocal and involved, no matter what your viewpoint is on science, pseudo-science, skepticism, religion, homeopathy, maths, vaccines, general woo-woo etc.

The latest Carnival of Africans – the Phoenix Edition – is well worth a read.

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Upgrading your BlackBerry Operating System

Dec 5

Posted by ewan in Local, misc, sci-tech | No Comments

blackberry
I own a BlackBerry Curve 8310 – one of the nicest phones I have ever used for an extended period, and the best by far when it comes to corporate email / calendar sync.

In the BlackBerry world, your service provider (MTN South Africa in my case) approves the version of OS and default application software available for your phone model – MTN currently only approve package version 4.5.0.52 (Applications: 4.5.0.37, Software Platform: 2.7.0.55) which was released around June 2008 and is quite buggy.

My phone was stable as long as I didn’t install any 3rd party apps (BerryBuzz which is highly recommended, GMail, Google Maps, Garmap for Mobile which is great and *free* for MTN users – go MTN, UberTwitter, Opera Mini…) but as soon as I did, it became horribly unstable – locking up at least once every 2 days and requiring a battery pull. Having to restart / reboot the phone is a real pain since the phone can take over 5 minutes to boot up / get back to a usable state.

Having an otherwise great phone with an unlimited data plan meant I *really* wanted to be able to install 3rd party apps. A little searching found that other network operators (O2 UK in this case) have approved a much more recent OS / apps version (for my 8310 at least) : package version: 4.5.0.174 (Applications: 4.5.0.124, Software Platform: 2.7.0.92).

Working around MTN’s silly restriction and updating my phone turned out to be easy – these steps are for my reference, and worked for me, but use them at your own risk. This procedure isn’t officially supported by BlackBerry or MTN, caveat emptor. I found the initial guide at blackberryrocks.com, an invaluable resource for all BB owners – and added a few steps and warnings of my own:

  1. Download and install BlackBerry Desktop Manager if you don’t already have it (I recommend version 5 or later, especially for Windows 7)
  2. Save a complete backup of your phone and data using Desktop Manager
  3. Remove any media cards from your phone – failure to do so could mean the upgrade hanging (getting a solid red LED on “connecting to device firmware”).
  4. Download the installable version of the OS/applications update.
    Warning: Make sure you download the correct update *for your phone model*, e.g. don’t download an update for the 8350 if you have an 8310. In my case, I downloaded filename “8310M_PBr4.5.0_rel174_PL2.7.0.92_A4.5.0.124_O2_UK.exe” (89.92MB) from the BlackBerry O2 download page.
  5. Warning: If you sync with your office via BES, then you need to do the upgrade while connected to the BES via desktop manager – i.e. at work. If you don’t, auto-activation after the upgrade will likely not work, and your phone won’t sync until you manually activate it
  6. Run / install the downloaded update
  7. If you are installing an update from a different service provider (MTN vs O2 in my case), you need to delete “vendor.xml” in Program Files –> Common Files –> Research in Motion –> AppLoader
  8. Run “Loader.exe” in the same AppLoader folder
  9. Follow the prompts, set things as you choose, and I recommend allowing the Loader app to do its own backup before the upgrade.

Just be aware this is not a quick process… the upgrade and subsequent re-activation took several hours for me.
Worked for me. I now have a rock-solid crackberry.

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Putting paid to the moon landing conspiracy theorists

Nov 5

Posted by ewan in out there, sci-tech | No Comments

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/lroc_20091104_apollo12.html

Apollo 12 landing site images taken from the LRO – you can see astronaut footpaths, lunar module descent stage and experiments they left behind.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/lroc_20091028_apollo.html

Apollo 17:

The descent stage of the lunar module Challenger is now clearly visible, at 50 cm per pixel (angular resolution) the descent stage deck is 8 pixels across (4 meters), also note that the legs are also now distinguishable. The descent stage served as the launch pad for the ascent stage as it blasted off for a rendezvous with the command module America on 14 December 1972.

Tracks are clearly visible and can be followed to the east, where astronauts Jack Schmitt and Gene Cernan set up the Surface Electrical Properties experiment (SEP). Cernan drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) in an intersecting north-south and east-west course to mark positions for laying out the SEP 35-meter antennas (circle labeled “SEP” marks the area of the SEP transmitter). The dark area just below the SEP experiment is where the astronauts left the rover, in a prime spot for monitoring the liftoff.

(except this won’t convince the nutters – they’ll just say the photos themselves are faked)

Posted via email from Ewan’s posterous

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STS-125 Launch Camera Videos (6 cameras)

May 21

Posted by ewan in out there, sci-tech | No Comments

SRB Camera snapshot - STS-125Awesome camera footage from 6 of the cameras attached to the two Solid Rocket Boosters and external propellant tank of the Shuttle – from lift-off to splashdown in the ocean – on mission STS-125.
The video is 35 minutes in length, so being the obsessive I am I flagged the times of the more interesting moments as well as the switch to each camera.

Interesting times, camera 1 (SRB Left Aft):

  • 2:24 -
    detach
  • Much
    tumbling
  • 5:07 -
    you can see something else falling into the atmosphere and starting to burn up
    (the other SRB I assume)
  • 5:30 -
    start to stabilise, or at least less flipping end over end
  • 6:15 – in
    cloud
  • 6:50 -
    glimpse the deployed parachutes (looking up)
  • 7:07 -
    splash

Camera 2 (SRB Lr Intertank):

  • This
    camera has a microphone, so make sure
    you have audio enabled – eerie stuff
  • 7:17 – camera view starts
  • 7:48 -
    detach (watch an SRB rotate in sync with us)
  • Amazing
    views and eerie sounds – the white specks are apparently unburned propellant
  • 10:30 – quick view of a smoking SRM entering the atmosphere, more atmospheric noise now
  • 11:30
    skip to upward view of deployed chutes
  • 11:50 -
    splashdown, and we fall over. Gurgling.

Camera 3 (SRB Left Forward, facing down):

  • 12:08 -
    launch at t-10 (facing down, great launch view)
  • 14:30 -
    detach
  • Camera
    view is unfortunately fogged :(
  • 17:03 -
    view clears somewhat, beautiful Earth views
  • More
    stable now, view mostly down.
  • 18:20 -
    some puffs / fire from the exhaust, this thing is still burning
  • Parachute
    deployed?
  • 18:30 -
    ocean through the clouds
  • 19:15 -
    splash, fall over, cool

Camera 4 (SRB Right Aft, facing up):

  • 19:40 -
    footage starts of launch
  • 21:58 -
    detach, bye bye shuttle
  • Rest of
    video cut short

Camera 5 (SRB Rt Intertank – like the other intertank camera
has a microphone feed):

  • 22:22
    starts
  • 22:56 -
    detach
  • Beautiful
    falling / tumbling views of earth
  • 25:25 -
    things get noisy
  • 26:05 -
    mic feed stops, view mostly down now
  • 26:40 -
    skip to parachute deployment, facing up, looking almost straight into the sun
  • 27:12 -
    splash. Get to see the chutes falling into the sea and collapsing

Camera 6 (SRB Right Forward):

  • 28:18 -
    footage starts, probably the best launch footage of the down view
  • 30:41 -
    detach
  • View
    fogged :(
  • Sun-earth-sun-earth-etc
    :)
  • 33:17
    clearer view briefly, more stable
  • 34:35
    parachute? Ocean incoming
  • 35:17 -
    splashdown, splash reaches camera

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Chemical Pollution Destroying Masculinity, not Humour

Dec 10

Posted by ewan in haha, sci-tech | No Comments

As usual the comments are the best part of today’s Slashdot coverage of a new study claiming that “A host of common chemicals is feminizing males of every class of vertebrate animals, from fish to mammals, including people“:

  • On behalf of my fellow males I’d like to say:

    …shit

  • Polygamy? Most man can hardly tolerate one wife!
    • You think tolerating multiple wives is difficult, try more than one mother in law!
  • No you wouldn’t, because you can only have sex so many times in a given day. The rest of the day you’d have to put up with female whining — which is bad enough when it’s just coming from one of them.
    • Two words: Coolidge Effect
  • women are complex, emotional creatures who need a whole lot of care and feeding
    • Oh come on, your wife isn’t that fat.
  • On the behalf of my fellow males I’d like to say:

    …wait a minute, that dress is for sale? brb

  • Finally an excuse for my weak body, small penis and my interest for tea. And sadly my limited interest for breasts.
    • You need an excuse for being British?
    • Hey, the British are completely obsessed with breasts (that’s why The Sun sells so many copies a day). As for the other bits, it’s 51 degrees N and the central heating is dodgy, so lack of exercise, shrinkage of extremities and interest in hot drinks are natural.
  • Not only is it destroying our masculinity, but it’s making my nails really dirty and I’ve just had them done :(
  • I can drink longer, fight harder, shout louder and piss further than any other man in the Yukon, and anyone who doesn’t believe me can step outside!
    • “He’s a Lumberjack and he’s OK…”
  • Is one of those chemicals…. named Oprah?
  • What this really means is that us old guys have bigger dicks than you nelly boys. Now get off my lawn, pansy.

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Derivco hosting SEAS in December

Nov 14

Posted by ewan in Local, sci-tech | No Comments

Derivco will be hosting a SQL Server Enterprise Architectural Summit in December. Speakers are Stuart Ozer, Gert Drapers and Thomas Kejser (members of the Microsoft SQL Server dev team and of SQLCAT - SQL Customer Advisory Team).

See the Derivco site for details and to apply (only experienced DBAs considered :-)

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Track 13,000 Satellites in real-time

Oct 3

Posted by ewan in Google, out there, sci-tech | No Comments

“Many people have no idea how many satellites orbit around the Earth. Now you can see the real-time positions of over 13,000 satellites updated every 30 seconds with Google Earth. The satellite positions come from a US government-sponsored database which Analytic Graphics, Inc., has interfaced with to make the data visible in 3D. Zoom around in space and pause to see the names of the satellites. Click on the satellite placemark icons to see more information on each one. Here is a YouTube video showing what the satellite visualization looks like. You can view the actual collection with AGI’s KML file in Google Earth. You can also watch it in your browser using the Earth plugin on this page by Google Earth Blog.”

~From the October 2008 issue of “The Sightseer” monthly newsletter for Google Earth.

The AGI KML file describes itself like so:

“This KML network link visualizes all earth orbiting objects tracked by the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) using the satellite database processed by Analytical Graphics, Inc. using the Dynamic Geometry Library. All satellites are tracked in real-time and updated every 30 seconds.

USSTRATCOM has been tracking space objects since 1957 when the Soviets opened the space age with the launch of Sputnik I. Since then, they have recorded more than 26,000 space objects orbiting Earth. There are currently more than 12,000 man-made orbiting objects, the rest have re-entered Earth’s turbulent atmosphere and disintegrated, or survived re-entry and impacted the Earth. The space objects now orbiting Earth range from satellites weighing several tons to pieces of spent rocket bodies weighing under 10 pounds. About 3,000 space objects are operational satellites, the rest are space debris, retired satellites and rocket bodies left over from launches.

Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) develops commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) analysis software for land, sea, air and space that is relied upon by the national security and space communities. With more than 32,000 worldwide installations, the main applications of AGI technologies focus on battlespace management, geospatial intelligence, space systems and national defense programs. In addition to the STK product suite, AGI produces the desktop software applications Navigation Tool Kit and Orbit Determination Tool Kit; interactive visualization AGI Viewer software; and the embedded technology development tool 4DX. For more information about AGI or its commercially available software technologies, e-mail info@agi.com or explore www.agi.com.”

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Matthias Rath and Bad Science

Sep 14

Posted by ewan in Local, sci-tech | 2 Comments

I don’t think I’ve ever had the occasion to congratulate a newspaper – usually exactly the opposite. But for this I think the Guardian (and Ben Goldacre) deserve serious congratulations both for courage under fire and responsible journalism:

Matthias Rath drops his million pound legal case against me and the Guardian.

The Guardian article is also well worth reading for more on Matthias Rath, the vitamin campaigner: Fall of the doctor who said his vitamins would cure Aids.
Speaking of bad science, I was upset to hear the name Danie Krugel mentioned in a news report on the search for missing local girl Kerry Winter (Kerry recently went missing in Dubai in seriously dodgy circumstances, and has not yet been found). Danie Krugel is a charlatan of note and a South African embarrassment, famous for his “Matter Oriented System” or MOS which he claims can locate anything from missing people to diamonds and bacteria using “quantum physics, GPS Technology and DNA samples”. Despite being proved a fake time and time again, he keeps making it into the media. It wouldn’t be so upsetting if he didn’t give desperate people false hope.
Update: Subtle Shift in Emphasis has a great write-up on Danie Krugel, his voodoo science claims and his growing list of public failures. Also a growing list (and surrounding discussion) on the South African skeptics forum.

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Are we searching Google, or is Google searching us?

Jul 31

Posted by ewan in Google, sci-tech | No Comments

A thought-provoking work of fiction (but with historically accurate quotations) – ENGINEERS’ DREAMS by George Dyson (Edge).

“When Ed examined the traffic, he realized that Google was doing more than mapping the digital universe. Google doesn’t merely link or point to data. It moves data around. Data that are associated frequently by search requests are locally replicated–establishing physical proximity, in the real universe, that is manifested computationally as proximity in time. Google was more than a map. Google was becoming something else.” …

“Any system simple enough to be understandable will not be complicated enough to behave intelligently; and any system complicated enough to behave intelligently will not be simple enough to understand.”