Boing Boing » contest

Winner of Boing Boing's Noise Pop 2013 contest!

David Pescovitz — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:14:34 +0000

San Francisco's influential Noise Pop 2013 indie music, arts, and film festival kicks off its 21st year next Tuesday, February 26. The stellar lineup this year includes Califone, Yacht, Toro Y Moi, Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, DIIV (video above), and dozens more musical performers, along with documentaries, art shows, panels, and other events. Our pals at Noise Pop gave us a pair of badges (valued at $150 each) to get a Boing Boing reader and a pal into all general admission (non-seated) concerts, films, happy hours, the Culture Club day of workshops and creative sessions, and other events during the festival. Noise Pop's Dawson Ludwig came up with the grand contest idea of asking you to pretend that NOISE POP is an acronym and tell us what the initials stand for. There were a slew of great entries but we managed to pick a favorite! The winning acronym came from Marissa Pike:

NOISE POP
noisemakers overtly inject songs effortlessly.
played out perfectly.

Marissa and a friend have scored a pair of Noise Pop 2013 Badges. What fun they will have making the scene next week. Congratulations, Marissa! Thanks to everyone who entered and see you at Noise Pop 2013!

Win free passes to San Francisco's Noise Pop 2013 music and arts festival!

David Pescovitz — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:56:39 +0000

Next Tuesday, February 26, marks the start of Noise Pop 2013, the 21-year-old San Francisco festival celebrating indie music, arts, and film across more than a dozen venues in the city. Wanna go? The musical lineup alone is marvelous, including the likes of Body/Head (Kim Gordon's new noise duo), The Fresh & Onlys, Toro Y Moi, Starfucker, Amon Tobin, Califone (video above), Yacht, Sonny & The Sunsets, Caspian, and many, many more. There are also excellent movies -- like "See A Little Light" about Bob Mould, "Punk in Africa," "Bad Brains: A Band in DC," -- art shows, talks, and panel discussions over the course of the festival, which runs until March 3.

Our pals at Noise Pop have kindly given us a pair of Noise Pop 2013 Badges that will get you into all general admission (non-seated) concerts, films, happy hours, the Culture Club day of workshops and creative sessions, and other events during the festival. The badges are $150 each but you can win a pair of them right here. All you have to do is pretend that NOISE POP is an acronym and tell us what it's an acronym for. Post your entry in the comments below before 11:00 AM PST tomorrow, Thursday February 21. We'll pick our favorite and announce the winner tomorrow! (Please only enter if you really would attend.) Good luck and hope to see you at Noise Pop 2013!

If you love Blade Runner and also fan art, there is a contest that might interest you

Jamie Frevele — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:46:57 +0000

My friends over at my old stomping ground, The Mary Sue, are currently running a contest that will award two lucky winners the very fancy-looking 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition Blu-ray of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. What do you need to do to win this? Fan art -- your best cosplay, drawings, anything that you create that is inspired by Blade Runner (and can be submitted as a .jpg file), The Mary Sue wants to see it, and then they will give you prizes! But not if you get a replicant to do it for you. Visit the site for more details. (via The Mary Sue)

Enter a drawing for a chance to win a trip to CERN

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:27:31 +0000

The Massey Lectures are an annual event in Canada, where one person gives five different public speeches over the course of a month. This year, the speaker is theoretical physicist Neil Turok. He's also the director of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Institute is sponsoring a contest where you can win tickets to the lectures (there are two left) or copies of Turok's latest book. The grand prize, though, is the really exciting bit. One lucky winner will get a 7-day trip for two to both the Perimeter Institute and CERN (home of the Large Hadron Collider). Feeling lucky? Enter your name in the drawing by October 24.

Pirate Flix: Video remix contest

Cory Doctorow — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 22:54:05 +0000

On the NYC leg of my Pirate Cinema tour, I'll be stopping at Brooklyn's wonderful indie bookstore WORD. The WORD folks have cooked up a remix video competition for the event, inviting you to make short remix videos, 1-3 minutes long. I'll be judging the finalists, and the winner will be screened at my reading and signing on Oct 15. Submissions need to be in by Oct 12, so get cracking!

Treasure Island Music Festival 2012: contest finalists

David Pescovitz — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:51:26 +0000

There were a slew of amazing entries in our Treasure Island Music Festival ticket contest! We asked you to post a Haiku about your favorite band performing at this year's festival, October 13-14, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The amazing line-up includes The XX, M83, Grimes, Best Coast, Ty Segall, SBTRKT, Youth Lagoon, The Presets, and more than a dozen more eclectic artists. The finalists below each receive a Boing Boing t-shirt! The winner, to be announced tomorrow (Friday), will score a pair of VIP 2-Day Tickets, a $479 value, courtesy of our pals at co-promoters Noise Pop. Here are the three finalist Haikus:

mrambulancedriver:
How to describe Grimes:
Canadian Space Mermaid,
A Cyborg Banshee!

Joseph V:
the youth lagoon song
used in that skype commercial
saved me in prison

Russell Walks:
Love the Double X
He says, staring at her shirt.
Man, she hates liars.

Treasure Island Music Festival 2012

Win VIP tickets to San Francisco's Treasure Island Music Festival (10/13-10/14)!

David Pescovitz — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:57:19 +0000

The always-fantastic Treasure Island Music Festival returns to the San Francisco Bay Area on October 13 and 14. The exquisitely-curated line-up includes the likes of Girl Talk, The XX, M83, Joanna Newsom, Public Enemy, Youth Lagoon, Grimes, War On Drugs, and more than a dozen other acts. Our pals at Noise Pop, co-promoters of the event, have provided us a pair of VIP 2-Day Tickets (a $479 value) to give to Boing Boing readers. VIP includes preferred viewing area next to main stage, tented lounge with access to full liquor bar, private restroom facilities (yay!) and access to special VIP food concessions. Here's how to win 'em:

Write a Haiku about your favorite band performing at the festival. Here's the full line-up. The Haiku must consist of three lines, with the first line containing 5 syllables, the second containing 7 syllables, and the third line containing 5 syllables. Then post your Haiku in the comments of this thread. You have until 11:59pm tomorrow (Tuesday, 9/25). On Thursday (9/27), I'll post our three favorites. Those finalists will each receive a Boing Boing t-shirt! On Friday (9/28), I'll announce the winner. Please only one entry per person. Good luck!!!

Win tickets to see David Byrne and Cory in Toronto, Sept 19

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:14:18 +0000

Yesterday, I reviewed the new David Byrne book, How Music Works and mentioned that I'd be interviewing Byrne about it live on stage in Toronto on Sept 19, as part of the Harbourfront International Festival of Authors.

The IFA folks have made a pair of tickets for the event available to Boing Boing readers. To win, answer the following question:

What is David Byrne's favourite mode of transportation?

And send us your answer by midnight eastern on September 16 to authorsmedia@harbourfrontcentre.com with the subject line "BYRNE TIX." One winner will be notified September 17.

The event is called "David Byrne and Cory Doctorow: Wassup Internet?!—Music in the Digital Landscape," and it'll be held at 7:30pm on Sept 19 at the Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West.

Singularity and its skeptics, in haiku

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:51:27 +0000

Jill from Tachyon Books sez, "Is the Rapture of the Nerds just around the corner? Or is the Vingean posthuman technological Singularity the biggest myth since Y2K? You know—and you can prove it in verse. Post or email (tachyon@tachyonpublications.com) Tachyon a haiku that is either pro- (it's totally gonna happen) or con- (as if!) Singularity. There will be two winners, one for each argument. In addition to getting a signed copy of Digital Rapture: The Singularity Anthology, attendees at Chicon 7, the World Science Fiction Convention, will be treated to A FREE LUNCH with James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel."

Creative Commons music contest: Freedom & Free Beer

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:17:34 +0000

Christian sez,

2012's Free! Music! Contest has opened it's gates at july first. It is the fourth time, that this event is being organized by Musikpiraten, a german society that promotes free art and espacially free music. Bands from all over the world participate in it to win a publication on CD, the so called "Free! Music! Sampler" and prizes worth more than 1.000 Euros.
This year's motto "Freedom and Free Beer" reflects the very basic choice, every artist has to challenge: Shall my art be "free" as in "freedom" or "free" as in "free beer"? So unlike last year, where only cc-by and cc-by-sa licenses where allowed, this year music licensed under and creative commons license can be submitted.
The contest is officially supported by Creative Commons and the remixing portal ccMixter. The latter even announced a project featuring the contest, titled "Free Music & Free Beer. Background is, that Musikpiraten e.V., the foundation behind the contest, is being sued by the german royalty collection society GEMA for having published a creative commons licensed song last year without unrevealing the civil name of the artists. GEMA claims, they cannot verify that the artists are really allowed to publish their songs for free in the internet.

Freedom & Free Beer - der Free! Music! Contest 2012 (Thanks, Christian!)

Crack the crypto in Agrippa, win every William Gibson book ever published

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 04:23:46 +0000

Quinn DuPont writes in with "A cracking challenge to cryptanalyse a William Gibson poem ('Agrippa', written in 1992). The winner will receive a copy of every William Gibson book published. Project is academic (non-commercial)."

Gibson's poem is a beautiful work, and it came on a floppy disk that erased itself after displaying the poem's text a single time. Of course, it was cracked almost immediately (..f. all DRM, ever) but that wasn't really the point. The challenge site includes a System 7 emulator, an image of the floppy, some of the sourcecode for the app (which was apparently written in Lisp?!), and more.

Based on the pioneering work of Alan Liu and his team at The Agrippa Files, working in collaboration with Matthew Kirschenbaum at the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities and the Digital Forensics Lab, a a bit-for-bit copy of this application has been recovered, along with numerous archival documents.
The first person to successfully crack the code will win a copy of every William Gibson book ever published (except Agrippa). Every runner-up will have their name (if provided) posted on this website. To win you must submit a technical description of your cryptanalysis below, under Creative Commons usage rights (the results of which will be used to further research on Agrippa). The technical description should explain what kind of encryption is used (if any), how it functions, and how it was reversed or cracked (and what the key is, if there is one). Should there be no encryption at all (a possibility), or should the application merely “scramble” or “destroy” the data, this must be technically demonstrated or proved. Since the plain text is known, the cryptanalysis is purely for fun and academic curiosity, and thus the description should provide technical details.

Cracking the Agrippa Code (Thanks, Quinn!)

Liberated Pixel Cup: Creative Commons and Free Software Foundation contest to produce free-as-in-freedom games and game elements

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:57:37 +0000

Rob sez, "Do you like classic game graphics? Do you support free culture and free software? Can you see where this is going? Creative Commons, the Free Software Foundation, and OpenGameArt have launched a free-as-in-freedom game design competition, the Liberated Pixel Cup:"

Liberated Pixel Cup is a two-part competition: make a bunch of awesome free culture licensed artwork, and program a bunch of free software games that use it. Hopefully many cool projects can come out of this… but that will only happen if people like you get involved! Liberated Pixel Cup is a great opportunity for the commons in many ways! Right now it’s hard to find free culture content to bootstrap games that match a consistent style and hard for artists to collaborate on such. We’re also very interested in areas where free software and free culture directly intersect, which we don’t always see enough of (and which sometimes can even get a bit complex, so it’s good to have opportunities to think about them when we can), and games are a great example of this overlap. We hope you’ll participate!

Announcing the Liberated Pixel Cup: an epic contest for gaming freedom (Thanks, Rob!)

(Image: Liberated Pixel Cup example outdoor artwork / Lanea Zimmerman / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Contest celebrates paperback for Welcome to Bordertown

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:21:49 +0000

The paperback for Welcome to Bordertown is out, this being the most excellent, long-awaited volume of short stories set in the Bordertown shared world, where Faerie has returned to Earth, and the Bordertown is the place where magic and technology meet and mix. To celebrate, the editors are holding a contest:

So you've already found your way to Bordertown. It wasn't easy, but you did it. You've found a place to live, and maybe a friend or two. Maybe you're in a band, or selling your sketches on the street, or just looking for work.... And now you'd like your friend (from the World or from the Realm, depending on your own origins) to come and join you.
Write them a letter, or send them a postcard (a photo or a drawing + a short note) telling them why they should come.
Then post it on your blog, Tumblr, Facebook notes, DeviantArt account... anywhere your friends* can read it. And then, to enter it in the contest (and make sure we know it's there!), put the URL for your post in the Comments on this page. The contest runs from now through Tuesday, April 17th at 11:59 p.m. EST (U.S.A. Eastern Time).

My story Shannon's Law appears in the collection.

WELCOME TO BORDERTOWN paperback

Win a signed copy of Before the Lights Go Out

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:39:30 +0000

Neatorama is offering two signed copies of my new book, Before the Lights Go Out, as part of a contest drawing. To enter: Go read the interview Neatorama did with me about energy, infrastructure, and my writing process. Then answer a couple of quick questions in the comments.

Register for a chance to watch a SpaceX launch in style

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:56:59 +0000

Plan on being in Florida on April 29/30? Then you should register to watch the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as part of a NASA Social. There are only 50 spots available, randomly selected from the pool of registrants. If you get in, you'll get a tour of the launch pad and Kennedy Space Center, get to talk to people who work in both public and private space programs, and get to watch the launch from a splendid vantage point with a bunch of other awesome space geeks. Downside: You cover your own transportation. (Via Karen James)

Win a signed copy of Maggie's new book

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:18:12 +0000

Would you like a signed copy of Before the Lights Go Out, my new book about the future of energy?

The book comes out on April 10th and pre-orders have already started shipping. Between now and the end of April, you can earn a fun prize for telling other people about my book.

1) Tell people on your social networks that you're reading Before the Lights Go Out. This applies to Facebook, G+, or Twitter. When you talk about it, be sure to tag me in the post—@maggiekb1 on Twitter, Maggie Koerth-Baker on Facebook and G+—so I know that you mentioned the book.

In return, I'll send you a sticker with my signature and personal thank-you. You can put it in your printed book and create an instant signed copy. Or, if you're an e-book reader, you can put the sticker on ... something else. Maybe your e-book reader. Maybe your pet/baby. Either way, it's yours!

UPDATE: I had another part to this, offering cookies to people who would write reviews of the book. It was meant to be fun. But, talking to a few people, I think that cuts too close to bribery. So I'm canceling that part of the contest.

Describe a flame, win a VIP pass to the World Science Festival

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:47:29 +0000

What is a flame?

If you can explain that, on a level that an 11-year-old can understand, then you could win a VIP pass to the World Science Festival, May 30 to June 3 in New York City.

This is one of those questions that is harder to answer than it first appears. Alan Alda, the man behind this contest, asked his teacher that question when he was 11. Her answer, "It’s oxidation," meant nothing to him. So this contest isn't just about accuracy, it's about communication.

I often hear people complain about journalists and science popularizers "dumbing down" the science. And I suppose that's something reasonable to complain about, if what you mean is that those people are getting the science grossly wrong.

But that's not usually what "dumbing down" means. In fact, most of the time, when somebody is complaining about a dumbing down of anything, I've found that what they mean is that the topic has been made accessible and entertaining to a broad audience. Dumbing down means taking the information beyond the experts and enthusiasts, and convincing people that this is a topic they should be interested in. That's not a bad thing. It just means that there are different ways to reach different people with the same information.

To me, that's what this contest is about. Explain a flame—without using jargon—and make the science behind it capture a kid's imagination. That's not easy. It will take some dumbing down. But I think some of you can do this. And I'm excited to see the results.

Entries can be turned in as text, video, audio, or graphics. But they're due by April 2, so get to work!

Enter Alan Alda's Flame Challenge

Via Lauren Wolf
Image: Flames, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from juniorvelo's photostream

Prize for best visions for the future of copyright

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:27:34 +0000

Jaroslaw Lipszyc sez, "Modern Poland Foundation organizes crowdfunded contest for the best work on the Future of Copyright. Idea is simple: the bigger the prize, the more attention contest will get and more participants will be attracted. All works participating need to be published on the web under free license, so we can all use them as we wish. Independent jury under head of prof. Michael Geist (well known copyright scholar from Canada) and Piotr Czerski (of We, the Web Kids manifesto fame) will decide, who gets the money. All supporters will receive e-book consisting of best works created for the contest, with personalized 'Thank you!' note on the first page - and much more if they pledge more than minimum $5 to the prize. Together we will help society to get more creative ideas on the Future of Copyright. Now it's your turn to show your support and make this contest bigger than Nobel."

This is simple. If you want to take part in the contest, publish the work on the Internet and mail us at contest@nowoczesnapolska.org.pl. Just follow these general rules:
1. On topic
The work may be of any kind (text, video, audio), and of any genre (i.e. legal analisys, dystopian or utopian story, educational video – sky is the limit here), but it must address the general subject of the Future of Copyright. Your work has to be in English or you need to provide an English translation.
2. Limited size
The size of the work is limited to 20,000 characters for text or 15 minutes for audio and video. Small print: we will accept only first 500 works. Sorry, but we are unable to process more.
3. New and original
We accept only original works prepared specially for this contest. You must have all the rights to the work. Team work is acceptable. If your work is a remix, you need to provide the source for the works you re-used.

Future of Copyright Contest (Thanks, Jaroslaw!)

Win $100K worth of 3D printing gubbins

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:57:42 +0000

gmoke sez, "Post an Instructable on how to turn a virtual item into a tangible object by April 30, win $100,000 in 3D printing tech and supplies. Examples include 3D printed objects, laser-cut files, and even printed decals using an inkjet printer."

A new name for the Very Large Array

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:33:15 +0000

Remember the contest to rename the Very Large Array? (I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that it resulted in one of the best BoingBoing comment threads ever.) The good news: A name has been chosen! The bad news: It's not "Emily". But it's still nice. Starting March 31, the Very Large Array will become the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, in honor of the father of radio astronomy. (Thanks Tim Heffernan!)

Contest winners - Contact me!

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:49:42 +0000

Last week, I got to interview astronaut Rex Walheim using questions submitted by BoingBoing readers. Those readers (plus one runner up) are entitled to a Jackhammer Jill pin and an awesome BoingBoing sticker. But to get those prizes, you need to email me. Kansas, Scratcheee, spocko, ganman, and Titus: You should email me at maggie.koerth@gmail.com.

Five questions with astronaut Rex Walheim

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:14:28 +0000

Rex Walheim is an astronaut. He's gone to space three times, including on the last flight of the space shuttle. He has spent an accumulated 36 hours outside the ISS on spacewalks. He has tweeted from 240 miles above sea level.

Walheim reached those heights the old-fashioned way: Air Force test pilot school (plus a masters in industrial engineering). But his isn't the only path to the stars. Today, NASA has Walheim chatting with lots of different news outlets about the astronaut recruitment process and what it takes, in the modern world, to have the right stuff. I got to talk to him this morning. Walheim was kind enough to answer five questions, submitted by BoingBoing readers, about astronaut training, the astronaut selection process, and how the Earth-bound can recreate some of the astronaut experience in our daily lives.

Maggie Koerth-Baker: This question comes from reader kansas: When you're going through the selection process, hoping beyond hope to be chosen to train as an astronaut, would you admit to being afraid of anything, or would than seem not very astronaut-like? Is there a place in the training for people to admit to having fear?

Rex Walheim: I think it would depend on how you talk about something like that. If you say, "I'm scared to death," you might not make it. But you can say, "I'm concerned about my safety." Frankly, if you're not concerned about sitting on 10 stories of high explosives, you're not thinking hard enough. The funny thing is, after 5 years of training, it actually doesn't cross your mind too much.

I remember my first flight. You're so excited. You've been wondering, is it ever going to really happen. You never know whether launch day will actually be launch day. I remember that I felt the engine sart and the rocket boosters start, and I thought, "I really get to do this today! Nobody can stop me now!" That was an incredible adrenaline rush. On simulations we have things breaking and going wrong to test us. But on the real day nothing went wrong. I had the chance to look around and think, "Oh, this is kind of dangerous." But 8.5 minutes later we were at 17,000 mph and in orbit. You're so trained to do the job, you just kind of put the danger aside. The harder time is leading up to the mission, when you're with your family and thinking about what could happen several weeks and months ahead.

MKB: Reader penguinchris wants to know: What can we average folk do (within Earth's atmosphere and outside NASA training centers) that most closely simulates the various sensations of space flight? I mean, most of us have experience with g-forces, including brief moments of zero-g/freefall on roller coasters. But what I'm really wondering is if there's something here on the ground that we regularly experience that reminds you, an astronaut, of space flight. Not necessarily just the physical sensations, but perhaps mental state of mind.

RW: The first thing that comes to mind is actually finals week in college. On the space shuttle program, we're sprinting the whole time. We have so much to do. I was on the final mission and there were only 4 people to get everything done in 13 days. We're moving so fast and have so much do concentrate on. The mental frame of mind is that you're doing this hugely important job and doing it quickly.

On long duration stays, you get time to enjoy it a bit more, free time on weekends and whatnot. Then it's like being in the mountains, where the views are spectacular. It's incredible, being able to see 1000 miles in any direction. Incredible. But it's that, plus all the support you're getting from Earth. You have an internet phone to call people anywhere. It's great to be able to call somebody on their cell. They might be on a ski lift in Colorado and you can talk to them from ISS. And you can talk to celebrities and people you wouldn't normally get to interact with and they're really happy to hear from you.

MKB: Here's what Scratcheee asked: Who is the least stereotypically astronaut-like astronaut you know?

RW: There's really a lot of variety of people. But one of the best is Don Pettit. [Pettit was a chemical engineer at Los Alamos before entering astronaut training — MKB] He's launching in just a few days, actually. He's the professor, and the nicest guy you'd want to meet. He knows all sorts of things, on lots of different subjects. And he does Saturday Science on board the space station with things we just have on hand, like what happens to Alka-Selzter in water in zero-g. He's just got an incredible curiosity. He's not the steely eyed test pilot, but he's so much fun to have around.

MKB: Here's a question from spocko: We all loved the Apollo 13 story about creating a C02 detox filter using duct tape and notebook binders. In your training do they ever run "MacGyver drills" where you need to fix things with improvised parts?

RW: I think that is part of space station training, because on long duration stays, over 6 months, you do have to fix things. One of the first things I learned is that duct tape holds the space program together. So you have this maintenance training. They do get into that. You have to fix a lot of stuff. Mike Fossum was telling us recently that that's the great thing about being in the space program: One day you're walking in space, and the next day you're fixing a toilet.

MKB: It looks like we've got time for one final question, so let's try this one from ganman: What reason for candidates getting the axe surprised you the most (or was the most surprisingly frequent)?

RW: Unfortunately, it's the medical stuff. You get people who look perfectly healthy, and tests during training find things they didn't even know about. It's frustrating sometimes, because you'll say, "That person was perfect!" but there's this medical issue that counts them out.

• • • •

•NASA is now taking applications for its astronaut selection program.

• Kansas, penguinchris, Scratcheee, spocko, ganman, and (although we didn't have time for your question) Titus: Please contact me at maggie.koerth@gmail.com. You've all won an awesome BoingBoing sticker and Jackhammer Jill pin. Thanks to you six, and all the readers, for submitting such great questions. It was a hard choice to narrow them down.

Image: Rex Walheim at work on a spacewalk during STS-122 in February 2008. NASA photograph.

Contest: Ask Astronaut Rex Walheim a Question

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:42:59 +0000

On Friday morning, I'll get 10 minutes to talk to astronaut Rex Walheim about the astronaut recruiting process—how candidates are chosen, who should apply, what happens to you at different levels of the process ... all that good stuff.

Ten minutes ain't much. I'm normally tearing through an interview if I can get it done in 20 minutes. I'll probably have time to get through two questions with Walheim before he's on to the next reporter. So I wanted to do something fun. I'm going to ask him your questions. What do you want to know about how astronauts are recruited and chosen? Now's your chance to find out.

Here's how this will work: You've got until Thursday at 2:00 Central to submit your questions in the comment section of this post. Thursday night, I'll pick the two best questions—via wholly subjective methods. Those will be the ones I take to Walheim, and I'll post his answers here on BoingBoing.

Chances are, there will be lots of good questions and I'll have a hard time choosing. Luckily, I've got a stockpile of awesome BoingBoing stickers and Jackhammer Jill pins. So the two winners, and four runners-up, will all receive a sticker and a pin.

Sound good?

Teenagers: Enter YouTube Space Lab competition by December 14

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:26:36 +0000

Scientific American and YouTube are offering teenagers a chance to participate in real science. It works like this: Think up a question that can only be tested via an experiment performed in space. Make a video about your idea and submit it to the contest by December 14.

The two best ideas will actually be tested in space. That's right. If you win this, an experiment you designed will be performed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. And you'll get some cool stuff—like a zero-G flight on board the "Vomit Comet" now, and, when you turn 18, actual cosmonaut training in Russia. Yeah. For real.

Oh, and Stephen-freaking-Hawking will be one of the judges.

This whole thing is a little insane.

If you're between the ages of 14 and 18, and you live on Earth, you can enter. Do it. Seriously. There are grown-ups who want to live vicariously through you.

For inspiration, here are some sample entries.

A vote for Shiffman is a vote for sharks (in a good way)

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:11:58 +0000

College student bloggers from across the United States are currently competing to win a $10,000 scholarship. You can vote for the winner. And you should consider voting for David Shiffman, one of the ocean science bloggers who writes for Southern Fried Science. If he wins, he has pledged to adopt a satellite-tagged shark in the name of his blog's readers, hold a contest to name said shark, and provide regular blog updates about what the shark is up to. My suggestion: Vote Shiffman, because sharks are awesome.

Contest: open 3D print designs for sustainable development

Cory Doctorow — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:59:09 +0000

Ivana sez,

You are invited to participate in a design competition for development of sustainable technologies and their components for printing on open source 3-D printers!
The goal of the contest (organized by Queen's University Applied Sustainability Lab and Michigan Technological University) is to facilitate an open exchange of 3-D sustainable technology designs that can be printed to meet various needs in the context of sustainable and self directed development.
3-D printers such as RepRap and open sourced innovation hold great promise for development of technologies to help millions of world's poorest communities reach a better standard of living. Designs will be judged on the technical printing viability, feasibility and functionality of the innovation, as well as ecological, economic and social sustainability.
Anyone can enter the competition however the contestants must post their digital designs on Thingiverse under an open license (e.g. CC-BY-SA). The contest is funded by the Queen's Applied Sustainability Group and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Competition closes February 1st 2012.

Top prize is CAD1,000, second is CAD500, and there will be three runners up who get a satisfied glow. All winners also get a copy of my novel Makers, which is pretty flattering, if I do say so myself!

Open source sustainability 3-D printing design competition (Thanks, Ivana!)

Physics contest winners

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:54:09 +0000

Yesterday, I asked you to submit your physics questions for a chance to win either VIP tickets to see Brian Greene tonight in New York City, or a DVD set of Greene's new NOVA series. I did the drawing this morning and the winners are:

• Kevin Harrelson — Proud new owner of a DVD set of Brian Greene's Fabric of the Cosmos!

• r matt — You're going to see Brian Greene live tonight in New York!

Both of you need to contact me to claim your prizes. You can reach me by email at maggie (dot) koerth (at) gmail (dot) com.

Remember: Not being chosen as the winner of the drawing doesn't mean your question won't make it into Brian Greene's hand. I'm sending on all the great questions from yesterday's thread to the fine folks at the World Science Festival. Watch the live stream tonight, starting at 10:00 pm Eastern, to see if your question made it!

Image: Dark and ordinary matter in the Universe, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from argonne's photostream

Submit your physics questions, win cool prizes

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:21:04 +0000

Tomorrow night at 9:00 pm Eastern, physicist Brian Greene will be speaking in New York City about ... well ... life, the Universe, and everything. He'll be joined via live link by theoretical physicist Leonard Susskind, and 2011 Nobel Prize winner Saul Perlmutter. It's part of the launch of Greene's new PBS series: NOVA: Fabric of the Cosmos. You can watch the NOVA episode anywhere. The live event will be streamed online starting at 10:00 pm Eastern.

Want to see the live event in person? You can't. It's sold out already. EXCEPT, here's the thing. The World Science Festival, which is cohosting the event, has a pair of confirmed VIP tickets set aside for a special BoingBoing reader.

How do you become special? It's easy. As part of the live event, Brian Greene, Leonard Susskind, and Saul Pearlmutter will be answering questions about all the weird and wiggly concepts that make physics so much fun, from dark matter, to the multiverse, to time travel. To get a crack at the VIP tickets, all you have to do is submit your question. Just post it here, in the comments, along with a mention of whether or not you live in the New York City area. I'll get the questions to the folks at the World Science Festival, and I'll pick one commenter (at random) to receive the free VIP tickets.

Don't live in New York City? Me, neither. That's why I'll also be drawing a second winner who'll receive a Fabric of the Cosmos DVD set.

You'll have until 10:00 pm central tonight to submit your questions.

Winners will be announced tomorrow morning, bright and early.

Image: Dark and ordinary matter in the Universe, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from argonne's photostream

Suggest a new name for the Very Large Array

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:30:26 +0000

The Very Large Array is a spectacular piece of a scientific equipment with a less-than-compelling name. Located in New Mexico, you've seen this radio observatory pop up in the background of movies, album covers, and on Carl Sagan's Cosmos.

This year, the Very Large Array, which has been around since the 1970s, got some much-needed electronic upgrades and now the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which runs the Array, would like to rename it. Ideally, the new name should sound less like a Best Choice product and/or something produced by the Dharma Corporation. (We've got your "Canned Peas", your "Potato Chips" and your "Very Large Array".)

Entries will be accepted through December 1. The new name will be announced in January. The comment section will be full of sarcastic jokes.

Via Sarah Kavassalis

Image: Wikipedia user Hajor, used via CC

Copepod up close

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:12:47 +0000

This image of a tiny crustacean called a copepod is one of the winners of this year's Nikon Small World photography competition. At Deep Sea News, blogger ParaSight explains how the photographer, scientist Jan Michels, got the shot:

That right there is one gorgeous copepod, one of the bigger and more important groups of planktonic crustaceans. It looks huge but is actually tiny; probably 1-2mm. You can see how much richer and more detailed the image is (although the colour is stained flouresence, not natural). That particular image uses a technique called confocal microscopy, which uses lasers and clever optics to achieve great depth of field (where everything is in focus).