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Another Possible Bright Supernova Discovered In Spiral Galaxy M74
One of the first photos of the possible new supernova (at tick marks) in the nearby galaxy M74 taken by the Italian Supernova Search Project. The object is located 93? east and 135? south of the galaxy’s center. Click to learn more about the search group. Credit: Fabio Martinelli
Not only does M74 display a near perfect spiral form but if this latest supernova is confirmed, it will be the third to “go boom” in the galaxy in just 11 years. The new object, designated PSN J01364816+1545310, was discovered blazing near 12.4 magnitude by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search at Lick Observatory near San Jose, Calif. “PSN” stands for “possible supernova” and the long string of numbers give the object’s position in the sky using the celestial equivalents of latitude and longitude.
Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/103766/another-possible-bright-supernova-discovered-in-spiral-galaxy-m74/
The Charitable-Industrial Complex
By PETER BUFFETT
Published: July 26, 2013
I HAD spent much of my life writing music for commercials, film and television and knew little about the world of philanthropy as practiced by the very wealthy until what I call the big bang happened in 2006. That year, my father, Warren Buffett, made good on his commitment to give nearly all of his accumulated wealth back to society. In addition to making several large donations, he added generously to the three foundations that my parents had created years earlier, one for each of their children to run.
Early on in our philanthropic journey, my wife and I became aware of something I started to call Philanthropic Colonialism. I noticed that a donor had the urge to “save the day” in some fashion. People (including me) who had very little knowledge of a particular place would think that they could solve a local problem. Whether it involved farming methods, education practices, job training or business development, over and over I would hear people discuss transplanting what worked in one setting directly into another with little regard for culture, geography or societal norms.
Often the results of our decisions had unintended consequences; distributing condoms to stop the spread of AIDS in a brothel area ended up creating a higher price for unprotected sex.
But now I think something even more damaging is going on.
Because of who my father is, I’ve been able to occupy some seats I never expected to sit in. Inside any important philanthropy meeting, you witness heads of state meeting with investment managers and corporate leaders. All are searching for answers with their right hand to problems that others in the room have created with their left. There are plenty of statistics that tell us that inequality is continually rising. At the same time, according to the Urban Institute, the nonprofit sector has been steadily growing. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of nonprofits increased 25 percent. Their growth rate now exceeds that of both the business and government sectors. It’s a massive business, with approximately $316 billion given away in 2012 in the United States alone and more than 9.4 million employed.
Philanthropy has become the “it” vehicle to level the playing field and has generated a growing number of gatherings, workshops and affinity groups.
more
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/opinion/the-charitable-industrial-complex.html
Scientists have created "electronic foils" that will allow circuits to conform to any surface
by JOSEPH BENNINGTON-CASTRO
Scientists have created "electronic foils" that will allow circuits to conform to any surface — or get stretched, bent, and crumpled. The electronics may someday become as common as plastic wrap, researchers say.
In recent years, we've seen a number of breakthroughs in softer, flexible electronics. Much of the work is spearheaded by the uber-productive John Rogers, a materials scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A few months ago, Rogers and his colleagues developed stretchy, bendable batteries to power a new generation of flexible displays, solar panels and other devices.
Before that, Rogers helped create the "epidermal electronic system" — a type of small, pliable electronic circuit that can be applied to the skin in a similar manner as the application of a temporary tattoo — and transient electronics that dissolve in the body.
"Rogers' work is really great," says Martin Kaltenbrunner, an engineer at the University of Tokyo. But to expand the applications of flexible electronics even more, Kaltenbrunner and his colleagues decided to design bendy circuits that can be cheaply fabricated over a large area. The electronics, the researchers reasoned, would also have to be super thin. "You cannot really wrap current flexible electronics around anything, but if they were really thin, they could even go into the wrinkles of your skin."
Enter electronic foils.
more
http://io9.com/this-substance-will-let-you-turn-your-skin-into-a-compu-890113662
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