Архива за 'SF' категорију

Volite li naučnu fantastiku?

октобар 3, 2008

Davne ‘91 godine pokrenuo sam Oreska BBS, koji je bio karakterističan po tome što je sadržavao veliku bibliotaku naučne fantastike, i to još uglavnom domaće. Mnogi su potrošili impulsa i impulsa na međugradskim vezama da bi sa Oreske preuzeli nešto za čitanje.

Oreska je postojala do ‘99, prestala je da radi nakon drugog bombardovanja Užica, kada je konačno ostala bez telefonske linije i tako simbolično otišla u istoriju. Bibloteka je ipak, još neku godinu ranije bila prebačena na Internet, tako da čitalište ništa nije izgubilo

Moja ideja je bila da oko biblioteke okupim što više ljubitelja naučne fantastike, ali, Internet je tada još uvek bio prilično nedostupan i skup, tako da su se sva dešavanja svela na poluaktivnu imejl listu, tako da je oce dele ideje ostala uglavnom samo biblioteka.

I ja sam upao u vode privatnog posla, vremena je bilo sve manje, tako da je bibloteka ostala na vetrometini, poluzapuštena, ali ipak tu, svima dostupna. I još uvek je, možete je videti na http://www.datavoyage.com/sfbay/.

Ovih dana mi se javilo nekoliko ljudi, imejlom, da pohvale biblioteku. U prvi mah mi bi čudno, s obzirom na to koliko je stara, čak sam morao da odem na sajt da proverim da li to sve još uvek…

WATER ON MARS

август 1, 2008
"We found what we're looking for" Scientists said today they have "found proof" of water ice on Mars away from the polar ice caps, a discovery made by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.The finding is a crucial first step toward learning whether the ground on Mars is hospitable, because all life as we know it requires water. Now scientists can get on with the business of studying the chemistry of Mars dirt in more detail.When the probe took photos of a ditch it had dug four days before, scientists noticed that about eight small crumbs of a bright material had disappeared. They concluded those crumbs had been water ice buried under a thin layer of dirt that vaporized when Phoenix exposed them to the air.Phoenix's robotic arm first revealed the crumbs about 5 cm deep in the trench called "Dodo-Goldilocks" on June 15. By June 19, they had vanished. If the crumbs had been salt, they wouldn't have disappeared, scientists said, and if the ice had been made of carbon dioxide, they wouldn't have vaporized."What this tells us is we found what we're looking for," said Mark Lemmon, a Phoenix co-investigator from Texas A&M University. "This tells us that we've got water ice within reach of the [robotic] arms, which means that we can continue the investigation."Finding ice on Mars isn't completely shocking, since observations from past satellites sent to orbit the planet, such as the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, have indicated that ice is likely to lie beneath the planet's surface. Still, if confirmed, this would be the first direct finding of that ice by a probe on the ground. The next questions to answer are what chemicals, minerals and organic compounds might be mixed in with the water. "The real excitement will come when they start to study the ice in detail and attempt to learn how it formed and how old it is." Additional reporting for this article was contributed by Jeremy Hsu, SPACE.com staff writer.Subscribe in a reader

Thomas M Disch izvršio samoubistvo

јул 8, 2008
Jedan od najčudnijih SF pisaca koje sam imao prilike da čitam, Thomas M Disch je u petak 4. jula, na američki praznik Dan nezavisnosti, izvršio samoubistvo. Kako javljaju vesti, Tomas je dugo vremena bio depresivan a posebno je bio u lošem psihičkom stanju od kako mu je preminuo prijatelj Charles Naylor. Discha ću najviše pamtiti po knjizi [...]

Theory of Everything (Teorija Svega)

јануар 4, 2008
Jedinstvena formula koja objašnjava sve sile multiverzuma možda postoji. Einstein Albert nije prvi pokrenuo ovu ideju ali ne mogavši da prihvati neke principe kvantne mehanike, samo je još veću uneo zabunu. Teorijom struna(String Theory) i najposle M Teorijom, na pragu smo otkrića koje će nam, kako je Einstein voleo da kaže, omogućiti da Bogu čitamo misli. Einstein je naravno bio genije i pre svega naučnik, pred kraj života dobio je i titulu ludog naučnika, ali je verovao u Silu koja stoji iza svega i koja je SVE aka Bog. Nauka i Religija će se na kraju stopiti u jednu istinu o postojanju takve sile, naučnici će ispisati formulu koja objašnjava i dokazuje jednog Boga koji jeste multiverzum i u koga su ljudi verovali od samog početka. Možda će se tada roditi nova verzija obožavanja te sile, koja povezuje sve postojeće. Neverovanje u postojanje Sile bilo bi jednako neprihvatanju istine i neverovanju u svoje postojanje. To bi najzad moglo pomiriti sve ljude i vernike na Planeti. Rešili bi večnu zagonetku i mogli bismo da upravljamo mehanikom sile koja povezuje sve ostale, razumeli bi je... A da li bi nam Sila dozvolila da se igramo Boga? Mi to već činimo, uskoro ćemo upravljati svim životom na Zemlji. Možemo da menjamo, da unapredjujemo, da stvaramo potpuno nove oblike života. Mi smo gospodari ovog zrnca prašine u beskonačnosti. Možemo i sve da uništimo ako nam se prohte. Mi utičemo na poredak stvari u multiverzumu ma kako mali bio naš uticaj. Mi smo poludele životinje i već znamo previše ali nismo za to spremni. Da li će nas naša moć uništiti ili odvesti do raja?Subscribe in a reader

America’s Army: training the soldiers of tomorrow today

децембар 14, 2007
"America's Army" is just another successful first-person shooter video game... or is it?This one was developed and distributed by the U.S. government as a recruiting and propaganda tool . How does it work?You're going through a full combat training and if you are good enough you can progress further and participate in special operations:"In this training course, you will first learn how to operate the Javelin missile system using the Basic Skills Trainer (BST). Upon successful completion of the BST, you will be presented with an opportunity to participate in a timed live fire exercise which you must pass in order to be qualified to use the Javelin missile system on your missions..."Army will keep an eye on your progress and you must send them completed maps in order to get another mission. You will have to take notes and pass tests. They'll track you and then call you with a proposal to join the real thing. Maybe you wouldn't even have to go to war in person, maybe you could operate a robo soldier (like in alien, tank and the platoon all in one) on the battlefield from within an underground bunker, thousands of miles away. Sounds like fun. You wouldn't even think of the enemy as real people, they would be just targets! Like in a video game. What's next? Welcome to the future of remotely operated army of robot soldiers, aircrafts, tanks and vehicles that are imune to chemical weapons. They don't bread, they don't think, lose blood, eat or sleep. They are just machines. No human casualties on their side. They just cost money.Learn what it takes to be a REAL HEROp.s. I heard about a video game underash, same thing, just arab version.Subscribe in a reader

ExtraTerrestrialBeings in Medjurovo_Vanzemaljci u Medjurovo

август 24, 2007
Slavica Milojković, meštanka Međurova, sela kod Niša, kune se da je u svom kukuruzištu videla stvorenje sa druge planete

NIŠ - Slavica Milojković iz niškog sela Međurovo tvrdi da je u svom kukuruzištu pre nedelju dana videla vanzemaljca! Ova stamena pedesetpetogodišnja seljanka kaže da u životu nije ugledala ništa slično, te da ne bi svojim očima verovala da neobično biće nije videlo još troje meštana Međurova.- Bilo je rano jutro, tek je prošlo šes' , kada sam se obrela u baštu da zalijem papriku. Prišla sam na njivi i videla nešto, ma bre ko čo'ek, koje je klečalo na kolena i klanjalo se na prema sunce. Ono što me je prepalo i uverilo da se nešto čudno dešava je to što kad se ono njihalo i kljanjalo, njihale se i stabljike od kukuruz okolo njega - kaže Milojkovićeva, priznajući da ni posle nedelju dana ne može da se oporavi od šoka izazvanog prisustvom nezvanog gosta u kukuruzištu.

Slavica kaže da je biće imalo sve karakteristike čoveka, osim što je blistalo neviđenim sjajem.- Bilo se obuklo u nešto što je kao artija za pakovanje pokloni, zlatnožutu boju je imalo. Polak' sam mu prišla i pitala ga šta radi tuna. Nije mi odgovorilo, nit se čuo neki drugi zvuk. Pitala sam ga da l' je gluv kada mi ne odgovara i dal' govori srpski. Kad sam s'vatila da tu ipak nisu čista posla, onako prestravljena, otrčala sam do jednog starca koji je okopavao papriku u obližnju njivu. Pozvala sam ga da pođe sa mene i otera džukelu, ali je on to odbio, reko mi da se u moju baštu izgleda nešto zapalilo jer se vidi neobična svetlos' - priča Milojkovićeva.

Uplašena žena pomoć je zatražila od komšija Tomislava Živkovića i njegove supruge Vukosave, koji su odlučili da odu na njivu i provere šta se tamo dešava.

- Tomislav je poneo vilu, a ja motiku, jer smo se plašili da će nas taj stvor napadne. Međutim, kad smo stigli na pola put, videli smo da se džukela smanjuje, dok nije postala na nečega što bih najbliže opisala kao pticu koja je svetlela s mnogo boje. "To" se onda vinulo na nebo, da bi se pred naše oči ponovo pretvorilo u čoveka koji je "jahao" nešto ko motor i nestao put nebo - priča Slavica Milojković.

Tomislav i Vukosava Živković tvrde da u svom veku nisu videli ništa kao ono što su zatekli u kukuruzištu i uglas govore: "Spomenulo se, ne povratilo se".- Slavica je bila mlogo uzbuđena i pozvala nas je da pođemo s' nju, jer je u njenu njivu videla nešto čudno. Ž'na i js smo krenuli s nju i kad smo došli do njivu dobro smo videli nešto što ni danas ne znamo šta je. Odozgor je bilo zlatnožute boje, dok je preko pojas imalo nešto crno, što je ličilo na kecelju. Ono je klečalo, pa se uspravljalo, i kad je to uradilo treći put, odletelo je na nebo - kaže Tomislav Živković.

Njegova supruga Vukosava priznaje da ju je tuđinac "isterao iz pamet" i da još ne može da se pribere od ovog neobičnog doživljaja.Meštani Međurova različito reaguju na doživljaj svojih komšija, ali se slažu u oceni da je reč o ozbiljnim ljudima koji tako nešto ne bi izmislili. Ipak, niko od njih nema objašnjenje zašto su vanzemaljci odlučili da se Srbima ukažu baš u Međurovu, s obzirom na to da je ovo moravsko selo poznato jedino po proizvodnji paprike, a ne veruju da bi vanzemaljci iz tog razloga pokazali interesovanje za njih.

shorter version in english:

Slavica Milojkovic, a 55 years old woman, peasant from Medjurovo near city of Nis (Serbia), swears that she saw an E.T.B. in her cornfield.

Nis(Serbia)_ Slavica Milojkovic lives in Medjurovo village, she claims she saw a creature from another world in her corns a week ago! She said she couldn't believe her own eyes but 3 more eyewitnesses confirmed her story.

It was early morning, just after six and I was going to water my paprikas. I came near and then I saw something kneeling on its knees worshiping the Sun. I knew something's weird when I saw corn stalks bow with him. It looked almost manlike except that it was glowing. Its clothes were like tin golden foil. I came very near and whispered what he was doing there. it didn't answer. I asked him again was he deaf or didn't understand serbian. It remained silent...then i ran to my neighbour, an old man working in his garden and asked him to help me chase off that thing but he wouldn't come. He said that my cornfield was on fire and that he saw some bright lights there.Then, the old woman ran to her next neighbour Tomislav Zivkovic and his wife Vukosava. They agreed to help.Tomislav and I rushed to the spot carying cold weapons. We wanted to kill the bastard. When it saw us armed to the teeth, it started to shrink. It became like a bird and flew to heavens... than it transformed into man again, sat on his "bike" and dissapeard...

Tomislav and Vukosava saw it too. Tomislav describes it:

It was kinda yellow and it had something black around its weist. it kept kneeling and standing up and when it did it for the third time... it flew away.

Vukosava is still in shock from the incident that took place a week ago. The others from village say that they don't think their neighbours would imagine such a thing. They don't know why the aliens came to their village of Medjurovo although they make very fine paprika. The best...

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Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities

јун 23, 2007

mogucnosti virtuelnog sveta

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StarWars Architecture…CORUSCANT

јун 1, 2007
planet CORUSCANT:To je gusto naseljena planeta u vidu megalopolisa bez početka i kraja, koji se proteže na više podzemnih i nadzemnih nivoa. Vrhovi nebodera se dotiču gornjih slojeva atmosfere ali to nije ortogonalna arhitektura Mies-a druge polovine dvadesetog veka na koju smo navikli, dizajnerski tim se odlučio za kombinaciju ArtDeco-a i ArtModerne sa starijim stilovima (gotika evropskih katedrala pre svega) tako da objekti dobijaju više piramidalni oblik sa prepoznatljivim gotskim lukovima. Poznato je da je George Lucas veliki ljubitelj Art Nouveau-a i da je u velikoj meri uticao na izgled starwars svetova ali najveće zasluge idu leading designer-u Doug Chiang-u i njegovom timu.Značajniji objekti:Jedi Temple:teksture nagoveštavaju religiozni karakter ovog objekta koji se jasno ocrtava na horizontu kao landmark, svojim šiljatim vrhovima, grandioznošću američkih piramida i jasno naglašenom simetrijom. Vrhovi podsećaju na katedrale ali i minarete, ustvari to je futuristička mešavina raznih stilova građenja objekata religioznog karaktera pozajmljenih sa planete Zemlje.Galactic Senate:Nešto kao Ujedinjene Nacije. To je ustvari jedna ogromna rotunda prečnika preko 2km, u vidu metalne pečurke i pored Jedi Hrama, najznačajniji objekat na planeti Coruscant. Ogromno dvorište koje uvodi posetioca u doživljaj, oivičeno je apstraktnim statuama važnih istorijskih likova. Enterijer je u boji lavandera, jedinoj boji koja se ne vezuje za rat, mržnju ili tugu ni u jednoj od mirijadskih kultura koje su članice Senata. Hiljade diplomata iz svih krajeva Galaksije popunjavaju repulsorlift platforme (ukupno 1024) u vidu malih letećih tanjira za 3 do 4 osobe, na zakrivljenom zidu i enterijer liči na košnicu ili grčko pozorište zatvoreno sa svih strana u vidu levka. Kada Senator želi da govori, platforma se odvaja i lebdi ka centru auditorijuma. Još jednom, sjajno odrađen posao gde arhitektura iako futuristička, nepogrešivo navodi na pravi karakter i funkciju objekta. Subscribe in a reader

Srbija protivu Superman-a

април 27, 2007
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Kriptonit (kryptonite) postoji… u Srbiji

април 25, 2007
B92-Izgleda da kriptonit više nije samo deo naučne fantastike i mineral koji je u stanju da oduzme snagu Supermenu.Novi mineral sa identičnom hemijskom strukturom kakvu ima kriptonit u filmu „Povratak Supermena“, pronađen je u rudniku u Srbiji. Iako u filmu kriptonit ima fluorescentnu zelenu boju i oduzima supermoći, pravi kristal je prilično običan, izjavio je doktor Kris Stenli iz Prirodnjačkog muzeja u Londonu. „Plašim se da novootkriveni mineral nije zelene boje i ne svetli, ali primetlili smo da pored ultraljubičastog svetla odaje narandžast odsjaj“, izjavio je Stenli za BBC. Istraživači rudarske kompanije Rio Tinto otkrili su neobičan mineral i, nakon neuspele identifikacije, pozvali su doktora Stenlija kako bi im pomogao da odrede poreklo i sastav nauci potpuno nepoznatog minerala. Nakon što je ekspert iz Londona otkrio hemijsku strukturu minerala, shvatio je da je njegova formula već pominjana u literaturi, i to u delima naučne fantastike. „Kako sam se bližio istraživanju, dosta vremena provodio sam na Internetu tražeći podatke vezane za sastav minerala – i bio sam šokiran kada sam otkrio da se isto naučno ime natrijum-litijum-bor-silikat-hidroksid pominje u tekstu o krađi kriptonita iz muzeja koja se dešava u filmu „Povratak Supermena“. Novi mineral ne sadrži fluor i bele je boje, ali u svim drugim aspektima je identičan sa kriptonitom“, dodao je Kris Stenli. Ime novog minerala će biti Jadarit, po mestu u Srbiji gde je pronađen, kada bude predstavljen 2008. u magazinu European Journal of Mineralogy. Mineral sadrži bor-silikat i litijum, koji su veoma dragoceni, pošto se bor-silikat koristi pri odlaganju radioaktivnog otpada, dok se litijum koristi u izradi baterija i u farmaceutskoj industriji.BBC-A new mineral matching its unique chemistry - as described in the film Superman Returns - has been identified in a mine in Serbia.According to movie and comic-book storylines, kryptonite is supposed to sap Superman's powers whenever he is exposed to its large green crystals.The real mineral is white and harmless, says Dr Chris Stanley, a mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum."I'm afraid it's not green and it doesn't glow either - although it will react to ultraviolet light by fluorescing a pinkish-orange," he told BBC News.Rock heistResearchers from mining group Rio Tinto discovered the unusual mineral and enlisted the help of Dr Stanley when they could not match it with anything known previously to science.Once the London expert had unravelled the mineral's chemical make-up, he was shocked to discover this formula was already referenced in literature - albeit fictional literature."Towards the end of my research I searched the web using the mineral's chemical formula - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide - and was amazed to discover that same scientific name, written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luthor from a museum in the film Superman Returns."The new mineral does not contain fluorine (which it does in the film) and is white rather than green but, in all other respects, the chemistry matches that for the rock containing kryptonite."The mineral is relatively hard but is very small grained. Each individual crystal is less than five microns (millionths of a metre) across.Elementary clashIdentifying its atomic structure required sophisticated analytical facilities at Canada's National Research Council and the assistance and expertise of its researchers, Dr Pamela Whitfield and Dr Yvon Le Page."'Knowing a material's crystal structure means scientists can calculate other physical properties of the material, such as its elasticity or thermochemical properties," explained Dr Le Page."Being able to analyse all the properties of a mineral, both chemical and physical, brings us closer to confirming that it is indeed unique."Finding out that the chemical composition of a material was an exact match to an invented formula for the fictitious kryptonite "was the coincidence of a lifetime," he added.The mineral cannot be called kryptonite under international nomenclature rules because it has nothing to do with krypton - a real element in the Periodic Table that takes the form of a gas.Power possibilitiesInstead, it will be formally named Jadarite when it is described in the European Journal of Mineralogy later this year.Jadar is the name of the place where the Serbian mine is located.Dr Stanley said that if deposits occurred in sufficient quantity it could have some commercial value.It contains boron and lithium - two valuable elements with many applications, he explained."Borosilicate glasses are used to encapsulate processed radioactive waste, and lithium is used in batteries and in the pharmaceutical industries."P.S. Jači smo i od Superman-a!Subscribe in a reader

UFO videotaped over Oregon

април 10, 2007

MAJESTIC 12 DOCUMENTS

април 10, 2007
Majestic 12 tajni dokument o vanzemaljskoj letelici koja se srušila na teritoriju SAD sredinom prošlog veka.

Francuska objavila svoje NLO arhive

март 28, 2007
Francuska Nacionalna svemirska agencija učinila je dostupnim javnosti svoje dokumente vezane za svaki slučaj prijavljenog kontakta sa neidentifikovanim letećim objektima u proteklih pedeset godina.Francuska je prva zemlja koja je omogućila svojim građanima da pogledaju svu dokumentaciju vezanu za navodna viđenja vanzemaljaca. Baza podataka će redovno biti ažurirana novim slučajevima kako se oni budu pojavljivali. Zemlje poput Velike Britanije takođe sakupljaju podatke vezane za viđenja neidentifikovanih objekata, ove podatke moguće je dobiti samo kada je u pitanju određeni slučaj pozivanjem na zakon o slobodi informacija. Zahvaljujući istraživačima svemirske agencije koji su deo kancelarije za proučavanje neidentifikovanih aerosvemirskog fenomena, Francuzi će moći da pregledaju preko 10.000 dokumenata, uključujući i fotografije, policijske izveštaje, kao i video snimke sa lica mesta. Tim nudi objašnjenja za pojedine događaje – kao u slučaju kada je preko 1.000 ljudi 17. oktobra 1990. prijavilo da je videlo treperuća svetla na nebu. Naučnici su ustanovili da su u pitanju bili fragmenti rakete koji su se našli u Zemljinoj atmosferi. Međutim, grupa je uspela da naučno objasni svega 9 posto od ukupnog broja prijavljenih slučajeva. Od 1.600 prijavljenih slučajeva od 1954. godine, više od četvrtine nalazi se u Kategoriji D, u kojoj se nalaze dokumenti koji uprkos svim podacima i izveštajima sa lica mesta , ne mogu biti razjašnjeni. http://www.cnes-geipan.fr/.

weird science

децембар 26, 2006
Using wave generators, scientists were able to write on water. The Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin—AMOEBA—a circular tank created by researchers can form the roman alphabets and some characters used in Japanese. The device could soon find its way to your nearest amusement park.

RISE OF THE ROBOTS: Saya, the cyber receptionist

новембар 24, 2006
When she failed to welcome a workman who had just walked by, a professor Hiroshi Kobayashi, her inventor, stormed up to Saya and said:"You're so stupid!" , towering over her desk."Eh?" she responded, her face wrinkling into a scowl. "I tell you, I am not stupid!""I almost feel like she's a real person," said Kobayashi, an associate professor at the Tokyo University of Science . "She has a temper ... and she sometimes makes mistakes, especially when she has low energy," the professor said.Saya's wrath is the latest sign of the rise of the robot. Analysts say Japan is leading the world in a new generation of consumer robots. The latest models, such as Saya, were demonstrated at the World Expo opening just outside Nagoya on March 25.Though perhaps years away in the United States, this long-awaited, as-seen-on-TV world -- think "The Jetsons" or "Blade Runner" -- is already unfolding in Japan, with robots now used as receptionists, night watchmen, hospital workers, guides, pets and more. The onslaught of new robots led the government last month to establish a committee to draw up safety guidelines for the keeping of robots in homes and offices. Officials compiled a report in January predicting that every household in Japan will own at least one robot by 2015, perhaps sooner.

Ubiko, the robot that will put you out of work

новембар 24, 2006
TOKYO - Company rents out robot as temp worker. It can greet people, show DVDs and hand out balloons. "Ubiko," a robot-on-wheels with a catlike face, is joining the crew of temporary workers supplied by a Japanese job-referral company to stores, events and even weddings.Next month, the 44-inch tall robot will be selling mobile phones at a store, said Akiko Sakurai, a spokeswoman at the company, Ubiquitous Exchange.Ubiko can be hired as a temporary worker for two hours for 105,000 yen, or $890."We see this as serious business. There are jobs that robots are better at," Sakurai said Wednesday. "People do develop an attachment with the robot, and it's lovable."The $255,000 robot, which comes a camera and infared sensors, greets customers with a nasal electronic voice, shows DVDs with a projector in its head and hands out balloons and other goods with wireless remote-controllable arms, she said.Ubiko is short for "ubiquitous computing" and "ubiquitous company" but also sounds like a Japanese female name, which often end with "ko."Tmsuk, the Japanese manufacturer that makes the robot, sold three last month to a hospital, where they are working as full-time, rather than temporary, receptionists and guides, said company spokeswoman Rie Sudo.One of the hospital's robots serves as a receptionist and has been programmed to greet visitors. It also has a touch-panel on its body, and visitors can use it to get directions for where they want to go."Just give it electricity, and a robot can work for long hours, even doing repetitive work, and you don't have to worry about labor laws," Sudo said.Japan's declining birth rate means that in coming years it could face a labor shortage, and some experts believe that robots could be part of the solution to that problem.Robots are very popular in Japan partly because of the popularity of "manga" comics and animation that portray robots as friends and aides to humans.