POPULARITY
What's it like to stand at the edge of human knowledge, where we don't know what leap forward in understanding the next technological innovation will herald? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome Dr. Melodie Kao, resident radio astronomer at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ, where Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto back in 1930. (And if you're scratching your heads saying, “What's a radio astronomer doing at an optical observatory?” you're not alone. Short answer: Melodie convinced them they wanted one, and that it should be her!”) As always, though, we start off with the day's joyfully cool cosmic thing, the amazing discovery by the NEID Spectrograph at the WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak Observatory of a planet 9 times the mass of Earth orbiting a sun-like star 49 light years away with an orbital period of just 31 days. Melodie explains the precision of the measurement required to discover a planet at that distance, and shares one of her own recent discoveries using a technique called very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI). In a groundbreaking effort she strung together 39 radio dishes across the northern hemisphere of Earth in a multi-observatory effort to create an Earth-sized telescope (similar to the technique that was used to create the first image of a black hole) and pointed it at a brown dwarf and measured its magnetic fields and radiation belts (like our Van Allen belts). For comparison, the effort was like measuring a pea perched on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco while standing on the Statue of Liberty in NYC. The trio discusses the importance of the discovery of the Van Allen belts, and how that allowed us to plot trajectories that avoided the worst of that radiation for Apollo astronauts on their journeys to the Moon. For our first audience question, Ari from North Greene High School in Tennessee asks, “What is the percentage of possible exoplanets that are similar to the earth's atmosphere, placed in their solar system (within a similar area of their respective Goldilocks zone), gravity, etc.? And how long would it take to hypothetically get to them?” That turns out to be a very complicated question, and Melodie knows someone who has devoted her entire career to answering it. It's one of the questions that drove the creation of the James Webb Space Telescope and is the basis of the Drake Equation. The bottom line, though, is that we don't know yet, and until we find a rocky planet with an Earthlike atmosphere orbiting a sun-like star outside of our solar system, it will remain unanswerable. Next, Charles asks Melodie how she became an astronomer, especially since she'd always planned on being an architect. She even went to MIT to become one, but she missed studying physics, which she realized she truly loved. MIT had just finished constructing their Center for Theoretical Physics, and Melodie shares the story of how she convinced MIT to bend the rules and let switch her major to Physics while continuing to study architecture. When she attended a lecture by a grad student about galaxy clusters, and learned how you could back out the formation history of a cluster of galaxies by looking at the gradients of colors generated by starlight, she realized astronomy was a way to unlock the secrets of the universe. Our next question comes from Alex at North Greene: What are the conditions necessary for life in the universe? It's a question without an easy answer, but the conversation it spawns is worth your time to listen to. It leads Melodie to talk about her love of exploring the natural world and how she co-created a Wilderness Astronomy class. She's also a guide for off-trail, high route backpacking trips where you don't know what's coming next and you need to rely on your instincts, curiosity and bravery as you explore the world, and the universe, around you. If you'd like to know more about what Melodie is up to, she's not on social media but you can check out her website. You've also got an invitation to visit her at the Lowell Observatory for a personal tour! We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon. Credits for Images Used in this Episode: Dome of the 3.5m WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak – Credit Jörg Weingrill/ Creative Commons A cross section of Van Allen radiation belts – Credit By Booyabazooka at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Creative Commons / Public Domain The NASA Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) network – Credit Creative Commons / C. García-Miró, I. Sotuela, C.S. Jacobs, J.E. Clark, C.J. Naudet, L. A. White, R. Madde, M. Mercolino, D. Pazos, G. Bourda, P. Charlot, S. Horiuchi, P. Pope, L.G. Snedeker MIT Center for Theoretical Physics – Credit MIT News Galaxy cluster IDCS J1426. – Credit NASA The Cirque of the Towers, popular with high route backpackers. – Credit Kylir Horton / Creative Commons
Engineers, unite! Harness the power of perovskite. This is Episode 78 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines. Cover art by Cadmium at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2527511 Originally published July 29, 2019.
In this episode, Joey reads the article for Enchanted Rock. Article can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchanted_Rock. Episode Image By Claygate at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1991845
ON THIS EDITION WILL LOOK AT THE NEXT TUNNEL SPANNING THE EAST RIVER, CONNECTING MID-TOWN MANHATTAN TO LONG ISLAND CITY QUEENS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queens%E2%80%93Midtown_Tunnel#History PICTURE BY: By Nutmegger at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2637769 IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMMITTED MONTHLY DONATION FOR FUTURE EPISODES YOU CAN DONATE HERE: https://anchor.fm/thequeensnewyorker/support --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thequeensnewyorker/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thequeensnewyorker/support
ON THIS EPISODE IT'S THE FINAL LOOK AT THE LATER YEARS AND DESCRIPTION OF THE THROG'S NECK BRIDGE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throgs_Neck_Bridge#Later_years PICTURE BY: By Stadium08 at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Elipongo using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5122131 HERE IS THE QUESTION AGAIN FOR THOSE WHO LISTEN TO EPISODE 138 BUT FOR SOME REASON DID NOT POST AN ANSWER: WHO IS THE THROG'S NECK BRIDGE NAMED FOR???? IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A FINANCIAL MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION TO THE SHOW HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN GO TO SUPPORT: https://anchor.fm/thequeensnewyorker/support --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thequeensnewyorker/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thequeensnewyorker/support
Today we talk about a mysterious act of God's love. The slides: https://youtu.be/QueMqRjW5Eo The Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wtyppod Some references: fairmount dam image By Yasmeen Elmelige - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51527273 grand coulee dam image By U.S. Bureau of Reclamation - http://users.owt.com/chubbard/gcdam/html/photos/exteriors.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19544 hoover dam image By Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63356878 mica dam image By DAR56 at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Jonesy22., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11531284 sources: https://web.archive.org/web/20160114061049/http://www.landslideblog.org/2008/12/vaiont-vajont-landslide-of-1963.html http://www.sopravvissutivajont.org/images2/Secondovajont.htm ftp://ftp.consrv.ca.gov/pub/dmg/pubs/cg/1965/18_07.pdf
Engineers, unite! Harness the power of perovskite. This is Episode 78 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines. Cover art by Cadmium at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2527511 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/engineering-education/support
There are two routes to Manang from Pisang. A lower trail that’s a little easier with less climbing and the upper route, slightly more challenging but also helpful for acclimating with bonus mountain views. We chose the route north of the Marsyangdi and headed for Upper Pisang. Annapurna 11 is part of the Annapurna chain but is an independent peak. It was first summited by a team made up of British/Indian/and Nepalese nationals in 1960. It is the second highest peak of the range at 7937 meters. The highest, Annapurna 1, is 8091 meters making it the 10th highest mountain in the world. Fantastic views of Lower Pisang from Upper Pisang, a much more traditional village of the region. Look for lots of opportunity to spread good kharma with the many prayer wheels at the village’s entrance. We saw a few signs of earthquake damage. These traditional village buildings saw the worst devastation in Nepal but this area was not as affected by quake damage as other regions. Our trekking for the day would include one stop for lunch at Ghyaru before settling into to the wonderful little traditional Tibetan style village of Gnawal. More suspension bridge crossings with amazing views of this drier region of the Annapurna Circuit that some feel is the most scenic. Climbing higher now at 3600 meters it’s time to slow the pace down slightly to allow for proper acclimatization. This side of the valley, although a little more challenging to trek will help you get used to the conditions of the higher altitude. Most trekkers will rest two days in Manang before attempting to cross the Thorung La Pass to help with adjusting to the higher elevation. This is the Disyang Valley. Syang is a village in Upper Mustang, Nepal. Disyang means the people who migrated from Upper Mustang to Manang. We arrived at the village of Ghyaru in time for a lunch break. Most all the villages resemble this style seen in the Mustang and Upper Mustang regions. The walled lanes help to shield visitors and residents from the harsh winds. In my opinion this trail is one of the most enjoyable in Nepal, for it’s incredible views of the Annapurna range and the stunning high Tibetan plateau landscape. It’s been an important route for yak and salt traders for centuries. You’re constantly reminded of the deep Tibetan Buddhist roots with stupas and mani walls almost around every corner. We arrived in Gnawal late in the afternoon with a shadow on the village and some cold winds to endure on the approach. With some of the best lodges in the country it was nice to arrive in Gnawal to find some wonderful rooms available for the night. After checking into my room I headed out to the upper part of the village where the sun was still shining to check out the gompa or temple. Sending out good kharma with a spin of the prayer wheels I headed back to the lodge to warm up by the kitchen fire and watch one of the porters entertain us with some improvisational dance. Later in the evening we were lucky enough to see a local performing artist group from Pokhara that specializes in traditional Tibetan and Gurung song and dance at the temple. Back on the trail the next morning for a trek of less than 4 hours to Manang, where we had a planned extra rest day for acclimatization. Should you develop any symptoms of high altitude sickness there’s a medical center that specializes in A.M.S. in the town. By road Manang has become more accessible in recent years allowing for more efficient transport of goods to the village and for the opportunity for some to enjoy this trekking region with a limited amount of time. There’s also a small airport that serves the whole area. There’s cultivation on terraces nearby the village and of course yak herding is popular here. Still with the new access it feels remote, and sublimely Tibetan. About 45 minutes before we reached Manang we walked through the little village of Braga with one of the nicest Buddhist monasteries in the region. The monks had left for Nepal for higher learning leaving the monastery vacant through the winter. Finally we arrived at our stop and rest before pursuing the hardest part of the trek, reaching the summit of the Thorung La Pass. Manang's main source of revenue is the trekking business but some still support themselves with crops and yak herding. After lunch and a break in our lodge I started exploring the village to discover we had a surprise for our itinerary. With one of the biggest trekking disasters in the history of the trail in the previous year we weren’t about to take any chances. We prepared ourselves for at least one extra day on top of the two we had already planned to spend in Manang. I spent the morning on day two wandering through the village watching everyday life in the snow. While some trekkers were disappointed abandoning the rest of their trip due to time constraints everyone else in the village just seemed to be going about life like it was just another day. Except the day’s chores included clearing roofs, catching animals, and building snowmen. In the afternoon to get some walking in and help acclimate we hiked back to the village of Braga to climb up to the monastery. Unfortunately unable to find the caretaker who had the key to the Buddhist monastery that’s vacant in the winter we had about the same access as these guys we crossed paths with. The next day, was brilliant. Bright sunny, a bluebird day. Time for the classic acclimatization hike in Manang overlooking Gangapurna Lake. After spending two nights in Manang with a planned third night we decided we would head straight for Thorung Phedi the next day, leaving out another acclimatization stop in Yak Kharka. This would mean a summit of the Thorung La Pass, the toughest day of the trek after a 8-9 hour day on the trail. Everything felt right, like this was the way the trek was meant to unfold. Even a herd of goats couldn’t stop us on our push to summit the pass the next day, but they did delay us by a few minutes. The snow backed up the village of Manang so there were alot of trekkers eager to move on with the change in weather. Pushing on right to Phedi would put us ahead of most who would make a stop for the night before the summit base camp. Along the way, some of the clearest best views of the Annapurna range. This was the longest day of the trek so a few stops en route for tea and rest were in order. Another stop at Khenjang Khola for some tea and more spectacular views of the Annapurna range. What originally was our stop for the night,Yak Kharka, has become our lunch break with our adjusted itinerary. We had to take a short lunch and move on so we can reach Phedi before dark. For now it feels like we’re leaving the Annapurnas behind as we make the last few kilometers to Phedi. I was very conscious of ensuring I was properly acclimating to this sever jump in elevation. Technically the rule of thumb is not to ascend and sleep at more than 500 meters from the previous day once you are above 3000 meters. The jump in altitude we were attempting in one day was over 1000 meters from Manang to Phedi. One precaution I took was to hire an extra porter to take the rest of the gear I was packing all the way to the top of the Thorung La, keeping my load light with minimal stress on my system. One last bridge over the Jargeng Khola river and we were on the same side of the valley as Phedi. We stopped one last time for a tea break before reaching our destination for the night. I spoke with Naris, one of the porters on our team about Yarsagumba, the lucrative crop that locals harvest in these hills every year. Next time on Far East Adventure Travel-Trekking the Great Annapurna Circuit continues with The toughest day of the trek. Summiting the Thorung La Pass. Yarsagumba Photo Credit-By The original uploader was Rafti Institute at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Lvova using CommonsHelper., CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5088245
Photo: Cweyer at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons The crew for this week's episode: Captain Jeff, Dr. Steph, and Captain Nick Airline Pilot Guy App - Android Airline Pilot Guy App - iPhone/iPad 32R Aviation Apparel Promo code APG gets you 10 percent off! This week's Plane Tails by Captain Nick is entitled "St. Martin in the Woods" NEWS Pilot safely ejected before Thunderbirds jet crashed near Colorado Springs after Air Force Academy graduation 1 killed in Blue Angels jet crash Smyrna, TN Egyptair flight 804: future black boxes should eject in crash, says Airbus Military MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operating at Joint-Use Airports British drone-freezing ray gets US airports trial - BBC News Delta, Virgin Atlantic strengthen network between U.S.-U.K. Airline industry profits 'to jump 12% in 2016' - BBC News FEEDBACK Christopher - Boeing/AirBus/Rolls Royce/etc... Haig - A little feedback Kevski - Norwegian Pilot Mentour Pilot Stuart - FIA travel Info Offer Devin - Mystery at FL280 James - 1800 Feet Down Under CFI Delta P - Advice for Initial Training? Will - What Happens to your Body During a Flight? Kurush - What Do You Think of My Company’s Policy? Steve - MCP Altitude w/ Multi Crossing Restrictions Miami Hick gets sunburn Rudy - C Series, APG App Pasadena Brian - Ambien and booze don't mix Ray - Fin & Rudder Dance Mahdi - Heart Surgery Paul - Theory on MS804 Crash Larry - Bicentential Contribution VIDEO Audible.com Trial Membership Offer - Get your free audio book today! Give me your review in iTunes! I'm "airlinepilotguy" on Facebook, and "airlinepilotguy" on Twitter. feedback@airlinepilotguy.com (304) 99-PILOT (304) 997-4568 airlinepilotguy.com ATC audio from http://LiveATC.net Intro/Outro music by Tim Brown, BrownHouseMedia, iStockphoto.com Copyright © AirlinePilotGuy 2016, All Rights Reserved
Have you ever played a video game in which you saw the world from the perspective of your character, and you wielded some type of gun or weapon to fend off enemies as you explored the world of the game? If you have played such a video game, congrats - you’ve enjoyed a technology that was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the June 2015 All Y’all live storytelling event “Brush With Fame,” storyteller Stephen Vekovius shared the story of Softdisk and Id Software, two game-changing companies that were born in downtown Shreveport. Episode photo "Softdisk-mailer" by Dtobias at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Liftarn using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Softdisk-mailer.png#/media/File:Softdisk-mailer.png