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| NASA Rocket Barrage Should Provide Skywatching Treat | |  NASA will launch five rockets in five minutes Wednesday (March 14) to study fast-moving winds at the edge of space, and many skywatchers along the United States' mid-Atlantic coast will be able to watch the show. The unmanned rocket barrage, which is slated to blast off late Wednesday from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, forms the core of the agency's Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment, or ATREX. The five suborbital rockets will release chemical tracers between 50 to 90 miles (80 to 145 kilometers) up to track high-altitude winds, which can zip around the planet at more than 300 mph (483 kph). These tracers will create milky-white clouds that should be visible to folks on the ground from parts of South Carolina up through New Jersey, researchers said. "They occur in the middle of the night, and they glow," ATREX principal investigator Miguel Larsen, of Clemson University, told reporters March 7. "It's not extremely bright, but it's definitely visible." Mysterious winds at the edge of space ATREX aims to probe the high-altitude jet stream, which whistles along 60 to 65 miles (97 to 105 km) above Earth's surface. This river of air blows much higher up than the jet stream commonly referred to in weather forecasts, which is found at an altitude of just 6 miles (10 km) or so. And it's much stronger, too, with winds routinely exceeding 200 mph and occasionally topping 300 mph. [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere – Top to Bottom] Theory suggests that the high-altitude jet stream should travel at just 50 mph (80 kph), Larsen said. ATREX aims to help scientists understand why their predictions are so far removed from reality. "The reason for doing this mission is that we really don't understand why there are such large winds at those heights," Larsen said. A five-rocket fusillade The $4 million ATREX mission will launch five sounding rockets over the Atlantic Ocean within a span of five minutes and 20 seconds. While the rockets' trajectories are different, they'll all release their tracer — a chemical called trimethyl aluminum — roughly simultaneously, researchers said. Two of the rockets will also carry instruments that measure temperature and atmospheric pressure. Three different cameras, one at Wallops and one each in North Carolina and New Jersey, will track the tracer clouds, measuring how quickly they move away from each other. This information should give scientists a better idea of what's driving the hyper-fast winds. The launch will occur at night under clear skies, to make sure the cameras have a clear view of the glowing tracer clouds. That means many skywatchers along the East Coast will get a good look, too. The tracers should be visible for about 20 minutes after launch to viewers within 250 miles (402 km) or so of Wallops, Larsen said. The ATREX launch window extends from March 14 through April 3, opening no earlier than 11 p.m. EST (0400 GMT) each night and closing no later than 6:30 a.m. EST (1130 GMT) the following morning. NASA will broadcast the five ATREX launches online live, with coverage beginning two hours before the opening of the launch window. The webcast will be available here: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast The rockets being used for the mission are two Terrier-Improved Malemutes, two Terrier-Improved Orions and one Terrier-Oriole. All will fall harmlessly into the Atlantic after they release the trimethyl aluminum. The chemical poses no threat to the environment or human health, researchers said. You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. |
| When Grandparents Meet Photo Booth [VIDEO] | | 12:56:42 AM | Brian Anthony Hernandez |
|  Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks. What's better than watching a sweet elderly couple use a webcam for the first time? Seeing an army of grandparents each trying out Apple's Photo Booth and its effects. The funny video -- which first appeared in February 2011 but is now getting a second wind -- features grandparents recording themselves while their faces are distorted because of Photo Booth. The noises they emit are just as odd as the faces shown in the one-minute compilation. Several websites dedicated to viral videos such as The Daily What and Viral Viral Videos have re-ignited the virility of the clip, which has more than 350,000 views on YouTube. To manipulate the faces, Photo Booth uses facial-recognition technology. It has several effects and backgrounds that users can employ on videos and photos. SEE ALSO: Sweet Elderly Couple Tests Their New Webcam [VIDEO} YouTube user allmightyganesh says the person 33 seconds into the video resembles 78-year-old Carl from the Pixar movie Up. Right? Oh yeah. Do you have any fond memories of teaching someone how to use a camera feature or tool? Share your story in the comments. |
| Every Awesome Moment You Missed at SXSW [PICS] | |  It's been well documented that attending every SXSW panel, happy hour and party is out of the range of human possibility, unless you possess the ability to travel through time or can avoid sleeping for five days straight. Fortunately for you, Mashable was everywhere with our cameras, taking photos of all the Austin fun. The range of events and speakers at this year's festival was impressive, and we hope that is apparent with the images above. If you were there, we hope you'll recognize some of the featured events and remember great moments from esteemed speakers such as Al Gore or Ray Kurzweil. And if you weren't there, then this is your opportunity to get a glimpse of what goes on in Austin. Have a favorite memory about your time at SXSW? See something we didn't cover? Leave us a comment and let us know. |
| Smallest 3D Replicas Print Out in Four Minutes | | Tuesday, March 13, 2012 10:37 PM | Joann Pan |
|  Austrian researchers broke the world record for quickest printout of a three-dimensional object in the fast-evolving field of 3D printing. Smaller than a grain of salt, 3D replicas of cathedrals, national landmarks and race cars were printed out layer by layer in about four minutes. Looking at the photo of the blown-up replicas (see video above), it's hard to imagine these intricate details are on a nano-scale and not full-sized. "Until now, this technique used to be quite slow," said Professor Jürgen Stampfl from the Institute of Materials Science and Technology at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna). "The printing speed used to be measured in millimeters per second - our device can do five meters in one second." The researchers at TU Vienna used a process called two-photon-lithography. The technique utilizes plant resin that turns into a solid after being glazed over by a laser. The race car was made by placing 100 layers on top of one another. The researchers say 3D printing is a product of mechanics and chemistry. A team of chemists at a lab developed the materials needed to activate the special resin. The research team plans to take these innovations and hopefully use them in hospitals. Researchers want to apply the two-proton-lithography print process to make biological tissues. Other 3D print-out innovations in recent months have included models of chocolate, a jawbone and miniature dinosaurs. Would you use biological body parts or organs developed from 3D printing technologies? Tell us in the comments. Image courtesy of the Vienna University of Technology |
| The Radical Growth of the App Economy [INFOGRAPHIC] | | Tuesday, March 13, 2012 8:58 PM | Christine Erickson |
|  Since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007, the production and mainstream usage of smartphones has exploded. The device opened a world of innovation in mobile technology, which was soon followed by a similar boom from apps. Today, we rely on apps to do just about everything, from keeping us organized to pure entertainment. Millions of downloads later, the app economy is as strong as ever. App development has created 466,000 jobs across all available platforms, according to a survey performed by TechNet. This includes local baristas, since many developers rely on coffee shops to get work done. Our friends at Frugal Dad have created this inforgraphic about the economy and how it's been affected by smartphones and apps. |
| Why the iPad 2 is Far More Likely to Break than the Original iPad [INFOGRAPHIC] | | Tuesday, March 13, 2012 7:47 PM | Pete Pachal |
|  Are you planning to buy the new iPad when it launches on Friday, or pick up an iPad 2 now that it's cheaper? If so, you might want to think hard about getting an AppleCare+ protection plan. A new study shows that the tablet has gotten more breakable over the past two years. The iPad 2 is 3.5 times more likely to break due to accidental damage than the original iPad, according to the survey conducted by SquareTrade, an independent warranty provider. In its survey of 50,000 iPad owners, 9.8% of iPad 2 owners reported accidental damage to their tablet in the first year compared with 2.8% of iPad 1 owners. Why the big increase? SquareTrade doesn't give any definitive conclusions, but it has a couple of suspects: 1) Design: Besides being thinner, the iPad 2's glass is exposed slightly above the bevel. On the first iPad, the aluminum frame protected it better. In addition, the curved edge of the iPad 2 makes an impact much more likely to damage the screen. The iPad 1 had a mainly flat edge. 2) Smart Cover: The survey states that Apple's Smart Cover, which it introduced with the iPad 2, "may be contributing to breakage rates" instead of preventing them. Some owners have even tried to "grab" the Smart Cover on a falling device, which can make the situation worse since the cover attaches magnetically, and isn't intended as a fall protector. Of the iPad 2 owners surveyed, 72% had some kind of cover on the tablet when they broke it, and 33% of those used a Smart Cover. SEE ALSO: Analyst: Apple Will Sell 1 Million iPads on Launch Day So what are the leading causes of iPad breakage? Simply dropping it during use is most common, accounting for 54% of broken iPads. After that, it's falling off a table, at 15%. Car-related incidents are next, comprising 11% of cases, followed by misuse by a child, at 8%. Pet owners should feel a bit safer, as pets only accounted for 1% of the broken iPads. Have you ever broken an iPad? What was the reason? Share your stories in the comments. Update: Sorry, comments were accidentally closed on this post for a time. They've been re-opened. Correction: This piece originally gave the wrong number of iPad owners surveyed. The correct number is 50,000. |
| Apple's iTunes Match Update Restores Genius to iPhone -- or Does It? | | Tuesday, March 13, 2012 5:06 PM | Chris Taylor |
|  If you signed up for the $25-a-year Apple service iTunes Match, which lets you access your entire iTunes library on the fly from your iPhone or iPad, you may have noticed one major flaw: iTunes Match killed Genius. Well rejoice, for Genius has been restored -- kind of. Genius is Apple's answer to Pandora, effectively. Choose a song, hit the Genius button on that track -- the one that looks like an atom -- and you get an instant playlist of similar-sounding tracks. It's a great way to DJ from your iPhone if you're feeling lazy. But iTunes Match users were dismayed to discover that signing up for the service, which launched last November, meant losing Genius. Apple has offered no explanation; the Genius icon simply disappeared from your tracks. Mac experts offered all kinds of workarounds, such as creating a bunch of Genius playlists in iTunes on your computer. But none of them quite got the lazy DJ nature of Genius. The whole point was that we like to use it spontaneously, an intelligent shuffle to match our mood. It was especially useful in offline situations, such as in-flight or on a long road trip. As of the iOS 5.1 update, however, Genius has been quietly restored. Apple made as much mention of its return as of its departure (ie. none, though we have reached out to the Cupertino company for comment). There's one big difference with this new version of Genius, however -- you have to be online to use it. Even then, it appears not to work for some users. SEE ALSO: Apple is Censoring Music on iTunes Match "I was so excited to see 5.1 added Genius," wrote one user in an Apple forum that has been discussing the problem since November. "But every time I try to use it I get a message to try again. Come in Apple, I really want to use this service!" In Mashable's tests, we were able to replicate the "try again" message on obscure tracks with few Genius matches. It does not appear to be a bandwidth issue. Are you using iTunes Match or Genius? Have you seen this issue? Let us know in the comments. |
| Photo Password Ends Up Locking Everyone Out | | Tuesday, March 13, 2012 4:35 PM | AppAdvice |
|  Photo Password (.99) by Revolutionary Concepts is a new app that promises unique security for photos and videos on your iPhone. The app allows you to draw a combination of three shapes that are used as a passcode instead of the traditional four number lock. The app opens with a quick tutorial and setup of the pass code. You choose a background image from one of three presets or from the camera roll. Then you're prompted to create a passcode combination. Combinations consist of three shapes; straight lines, triangles and circles. The shape and direction drawn are recorded and verified before the password is set. You also have the option of emailing the passcode combination to yourself in case you forget. Once inside the app, you can store pictures and videos for your viewing only. Photos can be added from your iPhone’s photo album or taken from the camera and saved directly to the app. Photos and videos can also be imported. While this app may sound like a great idea, it is not very practical. Drawing shapes in the same location on a screen is actually quite difficult so, more often than not, the app ends up locking everyone out, even if you know the password. There is no mechanism to reset the password if forgotten; users have to delete and re-download the app. Also from the app description it seems as if this is a replacement to the iPhone lock screen, which it is not. The photo password only protects for content within the Photo Password app. |
| Homeless Hotspots: Not a Terrible Idea | | Tuesday, March 13, 2012 4:25 PM | Lance Ulanoff |
|  A couple of days into my first-ever SXSW experience, I remarked on Twitter how awesome the Wi-Fi connectivity was at the convention center. Perhaps that's why I never saw the Homeless Hotspots; I was never desperately searching for connectivity. I did see homeless people-much as you would in any major metropolitan city-but none of them were carrying a 4G MiFi. Had I seen any of them, I don't think I would have been upset or offended. I might, though, have wanted to ask one of them how they ended up becoming human infrastructure. At one time or another most of us who spend our days online have likely served as digital infrastructure ourselves. That's right, if you've ever used a hotspot and shared connectivity with a few people, you're one of the tiny tendrils at the end of an Internet backbone. It's unlikely, though, that anyone paid you for the pleasure. Your pals simply sucked data off you with no more than a thank you. For most of us, that's enough. For these homeless people, though, they're doing this with an obvious purpose. If you were one of the people who tapped into their roving hotspots without paying, you'd feel like a heel. These people have no home and no source of income-save this digital avenue. Some people think this is a terrible idea and that it nothing more than a craven marketing scheme and that it somehow dehumanizes the homeless. I don't know about that. I think the reality of being homeless and having most people walking by on the street actively ignoring you could be pretty dehumanizing. It's no secret that the Homeless Hotspot idea is the 21st-century update to Street News. I remember when that project launched as well. It was, I believe, in the late '80s and most of the press it got was positive. The idea was that homeless people would hawk 75-cent newspapers that featured stories about the homeless in their locale. The newspaper was a broadsheet and it had newsy stories, a lot of commentary, photos, and a lot of details about the homeless experience. SEE ALSO: SXSW 2012: The Year of Infectious Optimism For a time, the homeless newspaper hawkers were all over New York City. I remember buying more than a few issues. People you typically saw sitting on the sidewalk with a cup or their hand out, were standing, shouting, greeting and selling the newspapers they helped produce. The problem was, though, the newspapers weren't very good. The writing was often average (or worse) and the stories, though real and important, started to lose their impact. Overall, Street News wasn't enough of a real newspaper to survive and within a few years, the number of homeless paper hawkers began to dwindle. Eventually, major media companies introduced free newspapers (like AM New York), which rival some of the paid alternatives, and that pretty much marked the end of Street News. What really doomed the Street News program, though, was that the homeless were given nothing of value to sell. Homeless Hotspots (an abysmal name -- even Street News knew better) are a different story. Outside the Austin Convention Center, finding affordable and lightning-fast Internet connectivity could be a godsend. If you needed it, wouldn't you be happy to fork over $8 for an hour of connectivity? Plus, you're really helping someone. If I stopped to give a homeless person some money, I likely would have handed them a dollar or two. Eight dollars? Probably not. Since Homeless Hotspots use PayPal, I could have given that or more and I would have hung around the homeless person manning the hot spot for an hour or more. Would we have talked? I don't know. It probably would've depended on how talkative the homeless person was. So, what is so bad about this? You're giving the homeless more money than they might normally have. The homeless are providing a high-quality service. And you may actually get to know someone new (making a literal and figurative connection). Even if you think Homeless Hotspots is a good idea, it is by no means a solution for the plight of the homeless, who may often need far more than just money (support, counseling, help overcoming addiction). On the other hand, it is doubtlessly better than doing nothing, which is what most of us do. The sad truth, though, is that this is likely the end of the Homeless Hotspot program. This backlash almost ensures that it will expire in Austin. Is that the goal we were aiming for, to have fewer options to help the homeless? |
| What Would You Do as Apple CEO for a Day? [CONTEST] | | Tuesday, March 13, 2012 4:02 PM | Todd Olmstead |
|  Congratulations -- you've been made CEO of Apple. What are you going to do on your first day? But there's a catch: you're only the CEO for one day. You don't have a lot of time before you go back to being just an average Apple consumer. This is your 15 minutes of fame, so to speak. How will you make it count? Part of being Apple CEO is making sure that the Apple experience stays top-notch. To get a feel for customer sentiment about Apple, start by looking at yesterday's contest, in which we asked our readers to tell us their all-time best Apple story. The stories spanned decades and different products, but one of the common themes was how great Apple's customer service continues to be. Others said Apple technology helps them accomplish things in their jobs or personal lives, and that the devices bring them together with their loved ones. But our favorite response was from Tom Croom, who wrote about an early and formative experience that shaped his life.
Tom's response won him a $500 Apple gift card and a Belkin prize pack. He's our fourth out of five winners, so if you haven't won yet, the good news is that we're giving away one more prize pack, and we'd love to give it to you! Read on to learn how to enter.
Today, we're asking: What would you do if you were made Apple CEO for a day?
How To Enter The Contest Tell us in the comments: What would you do if you were made Apple CEO for a day? OR Tweet your response with the hashtag #mashtech. Submit your response by 12:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 14. If you've not commented before, it's easy: Just sign in to Mashable Follow with your existing Facebook or Twitter account and start posting! Please use your real identity in the submission so that we may contact you via email, Twitter or Facebook to let you know you've won. This contest is limited to residents of the United States who are 18 or older. We look forward to hearing your responses! Read our full contest rules here. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, STEEX |
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