Posted on Wednesday, 3rd February 2010 by Interloper

NASA’s hopes to return astronauts the moon by the year 2020 (a plan originally set in motion by ex-President George W. Bush) have been dashed with the release of Obama’s latest budget on Monday.

The budget also ends development of the Ares 1 rocket, which was set to replace the ageing space shuttles currently in deployment. NASA’s current space shuttle fleet will fly their final missions into space this year, after which one is set to be headed to the Smithsonian and two others sold.

Prompted by the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, governments all over the world have been forced to adjust their priorities, leaving little room for the sweeping, idealistic visions of the space programs of old.

As badly as many fans of NASA are likely to take the news, the agency will undoubtedly continue to be an important contributor to the future of space research, with the new budget freeing up funds that can now be used for long-term research, including the objective of one day sending a manned mission to Mars.

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Posted on Tuesday, 2nd February 2010 by Interloper

The Canada Goose is a wild goose that’s native to the Arctic and temperate regions of North America. A member of the Branta species of geese, they possess mostly black plumage in contrast to geese belonging to the Anser genus, who are mostly grey.

Despite their name, Canada Geese are not only found in Canada, but have also managed to reach Europe without human intervention. The species can be found as far away as Siberia, China and Japan.

The largest ever wild goose on record was a Canadian Goose, weighing in at over 10 kg (around 25 pounds). The species is noted for being particularly aggressive in the defense of its goslings, hissing and charging at predators that get too close.

Canada Geese are generally herbivorous, prefering a diet of plants and grains. They will sometimes eat insects and fish, as well as foraging in rubbish bins in densely populated areas.

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Posted on Friday, 29th January 2010 by Interloper

Thanks, MadHouseRuckusBringer!

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Posted on Wednesday, 27th January 2010 by Interloper

A recent survey that asked respondents to reveal how the discovery of extraterrestrial life might affect their religious beliefs, has indicated that Buddhism would be among the most accomodating faiths, while Roman Catholics seem far more likely to have their belief systems challenged by such a “close encounter”.

None of the 70 Buddhists who participated in the study indicated that evidence in support of alien life would have a negative bearing on their spiritual beliefs; in contrast, almost a quarter of Roman Catholics polled indicated that the existence of alien life could have an “adverse” affect on their religion.

You can read the study in its entirety here, and let us know how you think alien life could affect your own spiritual beliefs (or lack of them!) in our handy Aliens and Religion forum thread.

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Posted on Wednesday, 20th January 2010 by Interloper

NASA has revealed that a celestial object that went careening past our planet earlier last week was “probably” an asteroid, doing little to allay the fears of those determined to believe that it was actually an intergalactic junker, or maybe even a space whale.

Dubbed “2010 AL30″ in what is an obvious attempt to render it extremely uninteresting, the alleged asteroid came within 135,000 kilometres (less than 85,000 miles) of the Earth.

Some experts suggested that object could have been a man-made rocket from an early space mission, but NASA have since stated that it appears to have been an asteroid 10-15 metres (up to 50 feet) wide based on observations of the object’s orbit.

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Posted on Monday, 18th January 2010 by Interloper

I was originally planning to write something meaningful about the recent air-brushing debacle, but it’s doubtful that I would’ve gotten through more than a few words before I exploded with exasperation at the unfettered insecurity of women all over Australia.

Personally, I’m happy to oogle both of them (maybe even together, in a hot-tub, or something), but when the media wants to start a war that’s exactly what it gets.

Just in case you don’t know how this works: click the image above to place your vote.

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Posted on Friday, 15th January 2010 by Interloper

Since it was released on January 5th, I haven’t been able to stop listening to Ke$ha’s debut album, Animal. In fact, I like it so much that less than halfway through the first month of the year, I’m prepared to claim that it could be the best debut of 2010.

You only need to glance at a recent music chart to know that pop is evolving. Whether current trends are simply a revisiting of the drug-fuelled, strobe-lit and decidedly smoky 1980’s, or a genuine attempt at futurism is difficult to say. Nevertheless, emerging artists such as Lady Gaga have worked hard to earn themselves labels like “avant-garde”.

It’s not all fake blood and hermaphrodites, though, as it also seems that a new level of self-awareness has pervaded the popular music scene. Although “ironic self-reflection” is hardly new (Barbie Girl did it last century), many of today’s pop stars seem stronger, smarter and more versatile than the doe-eyed sacrificial lambs that we once paraded before the paparazzi.

Recent commercial successes based on postmodern ideas can’t aren’t just seen within the music industry, but are also evidenced by the popularity of television programs like “Glee”, which quickly built a cult following out of its self-referential style.

In music, Jay-Z’s track, Empire State of Mind, is little more than a guided tour through many current pop culture staples, as he references everything from Afrika Bambaataa, to McDonald’s and even prescription sleeping pills. Elsewhere on the charts, Billy-Ray’s daughter squeals that “the Jay-Z song is on”, linking everything together with a level of enthusiasm that only a Miley can muster.

More than mere cross-promotional exercises, these examples provide a genuine reflection of popular culture today; a culture that is becoming increasingly aware of itself.

Read more…

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Posted on Thursday, 14th January 2010 by Interloper

Utterly terrifying.

Thanks Rolling_Go.

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Posted on Wednesday, 13th January 2010 by Interloper

Apparently some company have revealed the latest in a line of sugar-powered mobile phones. When Wheezle linked to this in chat, I initially thought that it was about a phone that was powered by cocaine, which would definitely have been more exciting (as well as creating jobs for thousands of South Americans).

Turns out they meant Coke of the cola variety, as simply filling the phone with carbonated soft-drink will provide it with power that could last four times as long as that provided by a traditional lithium battery.

Plus, I guess you could always stick in a straw and sip it while you chatted to your buds. Or something.

Thanks, Wheezle.

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Posted on Wednesday, 13th January 2010 by Interloper

Wolf Blitzer currently hosts CNN’s The Situation Room and has served as a journalist with the international news network since 1990. Bill O’Reilly is an outspoken conservative pundit, who hosts The O’Reilly Factor on rival news network, Fox News.

With around 70 years of journalism experience between them, both are considered heavyweights of the cable news circuit, but who will reign supreme?

Just click on the image below to place your vote. If you’re not already a member of our forums, you’ll need to sign-up, but don’t worry it’s free and easy (kind of like your mum).

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