Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, December 06, 2010

Why Did NASA Create a Material Ten Times Blacker than the Blackest Black Paint? [Astronomy]

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center scientists have created a new material that is ten times blacker than the blackest black paint in the world. It's made of carbon nanotubes grown on titanium. Why does NASA need this material?

Once it goes through some manufacturing fine-tuning, the new material will be used to coat the guts of cameras and telescopes in space. Right now, these instruments use NASA's Z306 paint, a pitch black painting that reduces photon contamination by absorbing errant light. According to NASA, this light "has a funny way of ricocheting off instrument components and contaminating measurements."

But Z306 is not black enough: 40% of the data captured by space cameras is unusable because of light contamination. With the new blacker than black coating, this is what will happen:

The new material absorbs 99.5 of the light in the tiny gaps between the tubes, practically eliminating the problem. The material is close to final production, and NASA is looking into using it in ORCA, "the Ocean Radiometer for Carbon Assessment, a next-generation instrument that is designed to measure marine photosynthesis." [NASA]

Nexus S shows off its camera, video recording abilities

At this point, there's essentially nothing that we don't already know about the Nexus S... except when it'll be officially revealed, of course. But up until now, we haven't had a good look at what exactly the impending smartphone's camera sensor could do. Thanks to an unsuspecting Picasa stream, we're now being treated to a handful of images captured by a Samsung GT-I9020 -- or in other terms, a Nexus S. Better still, someone uploaded a brief video clip of its HD motion capturing abilities, and that's embedded just past the break (horizontal and portrait versions, to boot). Have a peek yourself and see if you're impressed.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Continue reading Nexus S shows off its camera, video recording abilities

Nexus S shows off its camera, video recording abilities originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FTC says it's talking to Adobe about the problem with 'Flash cookies'

We've already heard that the Federal Trade Commission is pushing for a "do not track" button of sorts to stop cookies from watching your every move, but it looks like it isn't stopping at the usual, non-edible definiton of a "cookie." Speaking at a press conference on Friday, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz also dropped the rather interesting tidbit that it's been talking with Adobe about what it describes as "the Flash problem." As Paid Content reports, newly-appointed FTC Chief Technologist Ed Felten later clarified that the problem in question is actually so-called "Flash cookies," or what Adobe describes as "local shared objects." As Felten explained, those can also be used for tracking purposes, but they usually aren't affected by the privacy controls in web browsers -- Chrome is one notable exception. For it's part, Adobe says that Flash's local shared objects were never designed for tracking purposes, and that it has repeatedly condemned such practices -- the company also added that it would support "any industry initiative to foster clear, meaningful and persistent choice regarding online tracking."

[Image courtesy dopefly dot com]

FTC says it's talking to Adobe about the problem with 'Flash cookies' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid Pro dropped to $50 on contract by Best Buy Mobile (update: $20 at Amazon)

If free Android phones on every US carrier weren't enough to entice you into a Best Buy Mobile store this month, maybe a deeply discounted Droid Pro will be. Motorola's Android 2.2 handset, which launched at $179.99 with the usual two-year Verizon tie-in, is now available for purchase for exactly $130 less at Best Buy's mobile outlets -- both the online and brick-and-mortar varieties will let you walk away with one for $49.99 and a 24-month commitment. We don't know where all these crazy deals are coming from, but we ain't complaining.

[Thanks, Tony]

Update: Amazon.com is undercutting Best Buy with a $19.99 price for those opening new Verizon accounts when buying the Droid Pro.

Droid Pro dropped to $50 on contract by Best Buy Mobile (update: $20 at Amazon) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frontal Concepts' Infuse iPod nano watch strap wins imaginary design award, our hearts

By now, you've decided if you're going to use Apple's iPod nano 6G as a watch. We obviously have our own feelings on the matter, but those who can't be bothered with actual functionality should definitely be looking in the direction of Frontal Concepts. This Australian outfit has just released its first product, and it's far and away the most sensibly designed iPod nano watch strap to date. Rather than just looping a band through the device's rear clip, the Infuse strap actually has a simple, one-click locking mechanism to keep your digital timepiece in position. It's also positioned to allow the audio cord to run upwards along the arm, and it's built from polycarbonate plastics and silicone -- plenty tough to withstand the occasional gym visit. Americans can get their pre-order in today for $24.95 (black, white and brown hues are available), with the first shipments expected to head out in around a fortnight. Time's ticking, Santa.

Gallery: Frontal Concepts Infuse iPoad nano wristmount