From the Data is Beautiful subreddit, a visualization of how long it takes for light to travel from Earth to the Moon, and then from Earth to Mars.
This animated video of light pulses from Earth make it clear how far away Mars is
Zooming into the moon with the "world's sharpest" tele lens
Enjoy Markus Stark's zoomy video of the moon, shot with a Leica 400mm F2.8 lens (about $10k, used) attached to a Panasonic GH4 with 1.4x, 2x, and 2x Leica APO focus module extenders. [via Leica Rumors] The video clips were filmed in August 2015 at only 290m above sea level (camping side in Germany). Some zooming… READ THE REST
How to fly a helicopter on Mars
On Sunday, Ingenuity—the small helicopter delivered to the surface of Mars by the Perseverance rover—will, hopefully, take its first flight. The distance between Earth and Mars means that lagtime precludes real-time remote control. The helicopter flies autonomously, but the helicopter's digital twin had a lot of practice in simulations back on Earth. At IEEE Spectrum,… READ THE REST
Space Force has an operational weapon, and there's no going back
I've been following the work of military technologist Kelsey Atherton for years, and I've always enjoyed his insights into the most fascinating and horrifying aspects of the defense industry. In a recent article for Slate's Future Tense section, Atherton explored the theoretical future of Space Force, and how the Biden administration could potential handle the… READ THE REST
This tiny little backup battery packs enough punch to jump a car back to life
An extra power bank or charging hub that keeps your smartphone or tablet powered up in a pinch is always a great idea. But those batteries will only handle the needs of your small electronics. They aren't really built for those heavy-duty power tasks that you might encounter. You know…like when your car battery is… READ THE REST
Score a refurbished HP ProBook x360 laptop for almost 50% off right now
If you're in the market for a laptop, it's tough out there. Between companies producing incredibly similar models with only slight tweaks and variations and shoppers starved for reliable sources of information to make sense of it all, you practically have to be a computer science major to untangle what's what. And when shoppers get confused… READ THE REST
This cool 3D build toy sparks creativity and key tech learning for youngsters
If you've ever seen a 3D printer in action, you know it's a pretty wondrous process. Even if you're crafting nothing more than a plastic bauble or a geometric shape, just watching that filament settle and build into something recognizable and useful is fairly awe-inspiring. And man, to a kid…it's like a miracle. And they really,… READ THE REST