Watch the Next Shuttle Launch Live on your Playstation

Got a Playstation 3? If you do, you might want to take the opportunity to watch the upcoming Shuttle launch streamed live. The event is currently slated for  February 24 at 4:50pm EST.

Launch to be streamed live to Playstation 3

Don't forget that this is one of the final Space Shuttle missions that will ever be launched, so please take advantage of this opportunity to witness essential nerd history. This is one of the coolest missions in a long time; the crew consists of 6 humans and 1 humanoid robot!

The Physics of Mass Effect

Recently I have been playing Mass Effect 1 and 2 for the second time. During these play-throughs, I have taken more time to read the codex entries, and I have become fascinated with the Mass Effect Universe. Naturally, one of the parts that really fascinates me the most is the science behind Mass Effect.

Then I stumbled onto this video, in which Theoretical Physicist Michio Kaku examines the various aspects of Mass Effect, and tires to comment on the plausibility of each aspect. 

For example, how far off of ‘invisibility’ are we? Are Biotics physically plausible? Could we travel faster than light using “the Mass Effect”?

While the video is enjoyable and all of what he says is accurate, unfortunately it seems as if Dr Kaku has never played the game, as he doesn’t actually address the “mass effect” in good detail. Instead he talks about dark energy and matter, which is nothing to do with the mass effect. I will now attempt to jump in!

Why It's Never Hammer Time in Space

Have you ever been watching a sci-fi show, and heard the captain of the ship yell “All Stop!” at the helmsman? Have you ever wondered what that actually means?

Orion CEV

I once had a long debate with a fellow astrophysics student over the question of what ‘all stop’ really means for a spaceship.

See, for a real life spacecraft (lets say the Shuttle or Apollo missions) the vessel itself never stops, from the moment it leaves the planet to the moment it lands again. It is constantly moving: either orbiting earth, or the moon, or moving between the two. But it is always moving at speeds of at least 17,000 mph (all the way up to 24,000 for a lunar mission). You can only imagine that for interstellar missions, the same principle must be true, probably to an even greater extent. 

Well I decided to try and imagine the physics and do some simple calculations.

Wheaton’s Law – Why I Don’t Negotiate With Terrorists

I like to think of myself as a level-headed, tolerant person. I get on with 99% of people, and I try to conduct myself in public fairly, and with a sense of humour. As a British person, I strive to be a gentleman in all ways that I can – that’s the true mark of a man. This code of conduct applies equally to real world interaction and internet interaction.

The internet has become a place where controversial statements are considered humorous. There is a general understanding among our generation about things said on the internet; how they should be accepted and interpreted. 

There’s only one hard fast rule, one unwritten internet law that is unofficially enforced by the hive mind. This rule was first formally vocalised and by renowned ‘geek’ overlord Will Wheaton. That rule is known as Wheaton’s Law. Google it.