In light of my recent post about the SciFi channel (a channel supposedly devoted to science fiction programming) deciding on showing "an alternative brand of wrestling suited to fit the SCI FI Channel’s commitment to fuel the imagination", a friend of mine reminded me that you can send feedback to SciFi and tell them what you think about their programming. The page is http://www.scifi.com/feedback/ and the email address you want is feedback@scifi.com. Send them an email telling them that wrestling isn’t related to science fiction (unless its Godzilla doing the Tokyo stomp with a fellow monster) and you don’t want to see in their line up. Tell them you want science fiction programming, not stuff about ghost hunting or C rated movies about killer moths or black holes. Be polite and make sure you mention ECW so they don’t get confused, after all this might be read by a programming executive.
Monster CCD Sensor Has 111 Million Pixels
Wow. This is going to make one heck of a camera for a telescope. I can see a market for these with medium and large format camera users. A sensor this size would make a nice replacement for a film back on a 4×5 view camera.
Dalsa Semiconductor has fabricated an image sensor with more than 111 million pixels. The company claims the 4 x 4-inch charge-coupled device, configured as 10,560 x 10,560 pixels, is the world’s highest-resolution image sensor and the first to break the 100 million-pixel barrier.
EETimes.com – Record CCD image sensor has 111 million pixels
North Pole Web Cam
From the months of April to October you can sneak a peek at what the weather is like at the north pole. It may not be the most varied of landscapes but if your living in a place where the temperature gets to be well over 100 everyday it can be a nice break.
The End of SciFi is Near
I was watching TV and just saw that something called "ECW" is coming to the SciFi channel soon. Now, not knowing what ‘ECW" was, I looked it up and much to my dismay I discovered that it’s "an alternative brand of wrestling suited to fit the SCI FI Channel’s commitment to fuel the imagination". Huh, howzat? The page goes on:
Research tells us that there’s a healthy appetite for wrestling among SCI FI viewers," said Bonnie Hammer, President, USA and SCI FI Channel. "With ECW, we’re able to deliver to those fans unique action with a twist that’s perfect for SCI FI.
What research is this? What does wrestling have to do with science fiction? Is this some sort of bid for yet more programming that is aimed at the lowest common denominator? That’s right you stupid suits, aim for the ground because it’s hard to miss. I can’t think of ANY people that enjoy science fiction that also get hot for wrestling. The only staged fighting that most science fiction fans like is between robots. This new ‘alternative programming’ is sure to provide maximum suckage and proof that SciFi will soon go the way of TechTV.
Russia to Mars in 2009
The Russian space agency is planning, for sure, to send a mission to Mars. Stage one will be a sample and return mission to the moon Phobos. Now this plan isn’t a new one, the Russians have been sending probes to Mars and it’s moons for some time now. Back in 1988 the Phobos probes were launched but failed to complete their missions to study the moon Phobos. There have also been a number of landers but most have either failed in route or lasted only moments on the surface. Some orbiters have, however, brought back volumes of photos of the surface. This new mission will try to bring back samples of Phobos in order to find out more of how the solar system was created answer other scientific questions about Mars. The program hopes to have stage one launched by 2009 and a lander on Mars by 2011.
Organ Donor Club Grows…
In 2002 Dave Undis started a non-profit group called LifeSharers. The idea behind it was that if you join the club you agree to donate your organs or tissues to members after your death If upon your death no club members need your organs, or there isn’t a match, they are offered to non-club members. Sounds like a darn fine idea to me. Every year thousands of viable organs are disposed of in graves and hundreds of people that need new hearts, livers, lungs die because there aren’t any matches to them or they are too far down on the list. The club is free, so it’s not exclusive. Rich and poor get the same chance, if your a member. Mr. Undis realized that there wasn’t enough incentive to get people to donate their organs. Many people feel that a program like this is unfair to people but to them I say join the club. If more people agreed to give the gift of like after their deaths then a program like this wouldn’t be needed.
It might sound ghoulish to want to join a club like this but I look at it as being like free insurance. No, not insurance, because that’s a sure thing. Something gets broken, you file a claim, you get money. This is more like an inside tip on a race. It isn’t 100% certain that your going to win (a suitable donor still might not be there for you when you need it) but it lowers the odds that your not even going to place. I’ve never thought too much about transplants because like everyone else I figured I’d never need one. Heck, I haven’t even known anyone that’s needed an organ transplant. I’m sad to say that this has changed. My mother in law has been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver due to the side effects of a medication that she was taking. She is waiting on a suitable liver to become available for some time now. I only hope that one becomes available soon.
For more information becoming an organ or tissue donor:
For more information on LifeSharers, visit www.lifesharers.org or call 888-ORGAN88.
To register as an organ donor, call 800-94DONOR and make your wishes known (from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services):
1. Indicate your intent to be an organ and tissue donor on your driver’s license.
2. Carry an organ donor card. (http://www.organdonor.gov/signup1.html)
3. Most important, discuss your decision with family members and loved ones.
[via Physorg]