OK, here's the deal: NASA's got this awesome hi-rez camera circling Mars and they want you to tell them where to point it.

Any ideas?

Rejoice!

New Jack Kerouac book to be published

A novel co-written by Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, two giants of the "Beat Generation" of poets, writers and drug-takers, is to be published for the first time more than 60 years after it was written.

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks, written in 1945, was inspired by an actual killing which led to the arrest of both authors.

Mixed Messages: Billboards Fuse Old, New Media

It's not as dramatic as the futuristic world imagined in 1982's Blade Runner that had Harrison Ford seemingly unable to escape high-tech signage promoting anything that could be advertised, but digital billboards nevertheless have descended on Los Angeles and other big cities.

Wednesday, Clear Channel Outdoor is launching its third network of digital billboards in L.A., and for the first time they'll feature breaking headlines bought and paid for by a major newspaper: the Los Angeles Times.

(Thanx: Elan.)

Dark Roasted Blend on "Burning Chrome," William Gibson's seminal short-story collection. Includes rare cover art.

Binary 'deathstar' has Earth in its sights

A spectacular, rotating binary star system is a ticking time bomb, ready to throw out a searing beam of high-energy gamma rays -- and Earth may be right in the line of fire.

[. . .]

"When it finally explodes as a supernova, it could emit an intense beam of gamma rays coming our way", said Peter Tuthill, lead researcher of the team that report their findings in the current Astrophysical Journal.

Thanks to artist Jason Freeny, I'll never again be able to look at a balloon animal without readily envisioning its internal anatomy in surgical detail. Neither will you.

(Hat tip to Ectoplasmosis.)

Pssst! I need 1000 "true fans"!

Spielberg launching social network for UFO and paranormal buffs?

TechCrunch reports a rumor that Steven Spielberg is readying a new social network for people who are interested in unusual and/or paranormal phenomena like UFOs and ghosts. According to the TechCrunch post, "the new social network may also have original video content investigating alleged ghosts and UFO stories." This has the potential to be very interesting as Spielberg has had a lifelong interest in this topic.

In the meantime, I'm still wondering how the Roswell Incident will be incorporated into the new "Indiana Jones" movie without coming off as an "X-Files" cliche.

Fascinating images illustrate the effects of outer space on artificial materials.

(Hat tip: Beyond the Beyond.)

Some cool Mars news:

Mars Orbiters Prepare to Watch Phoenix Landing

Three robotic paparazzi orbiting the planet Mars are adjusting their flight paths to track an incoming NASA probe due to land on the red planet in late May.

The plan marks the first time that three orbiters will follow a landing on Mars and is expected to return an unprecedented level of coverage throughout the entry, descent, and landing of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on May 25.

HiRISE Captures Stunning Images of Mars Avalanches in Action

Magnificent images of avalanches of ice and rock in the northern polar regions of Mars have been captured by NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's (MRO) High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). These images are not of landslides that have happened in the past, they are actual Mars avalanches happening at the moment of observation.

The SETI Institute and UFOs

The SETI Institute, an effort to detect incoming radio signals from deep space, goes to considerable lengths to distance itself from UFO research, an endeavor it equates with the lunatic fringe. Its motives are clear enough: Although the origin of UFOs is the subject of much dispute, the subject has become spectacularly polarized. But the divisive climate that has kept UFO research marginalized is almost wholly political, with potential scientific merit eclipsed by the very "laugher curtain" that discourages many scientists from addressing the UFO evidence in the first place.

This SETI.com (not to be confused with SETI.org) post is based on a screed that previously appeared here at Posthuman Blues.

Is The Stephenville UFO Making The Rounds in St. Louis?

I could not tell a shape but they were just 2 pulsing red lights, just red and moving fast with one following another. I heard no noise at all.

Just as they were disappearing I heard jets flying to the west of me going in the same direction. I see many planes and helicopters were I live, but these were like nothing I have ever seen before.

UFOs finally visit Missouri and they choose St. Louis. I can only hope Kansas City's on their itinerary.

My UFO "field research" continues undaunted!

Climate Skeptics Roast Gore On Global Warming

Skeptics, you say? As in rational thinkers who evaluate evidence? I better read this . . .

Al Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for his environmental advocacy, was the main target on Monday at a conference of dissident scientists skeptical of his views on global warming.

[. . .]

"Whether we like it or not, it was extremely effective propaganda," said Timothy Ball, an environmental consultant and former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg.

"It was appropriate that he got an Oscar from the land of make-believe," he joked.

Never let it be said that Timothy Ball doesn't have a keen sense of humor.

The gathering was sponsored by the Heartland Institute, a non-profit libertarian organization that studies environmental and other issues "from a free-market perspective" and argues that "property rights and markets do a better job than government bureaucracies."

Hey, wait -- for some reason I'm beginning to question the objectivity of these "skeptics." Maybe it's just paranoia, but that bit about the Heartland Institute's political bias would seem to cast its "environmental consultant's" skepticism in doubt. I'd even go so far as to suggest -- cautiously, of course -- that Ball and his friends have an ideological ax to grind that has less to do with science and more to do with . . . oh, hell, you know what I'm getting at.

Attendees watched a movie, "A Climate of Fear," by conservative TV commentator Glenn Beck, who charged that anyone who opposes the view that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are causing the earth to warm up, are branded "heretics or Nazis."

"Nazis," huh? Geez. That's a little harsh. Border-line crackpot, in fact. But I shouldn't be saying that because that would imply that I was a Nazi. (This Glenn Beck character plays a mean game.)

Since its debut in 1995, I've been hesitant to rush to judgment on the "alien autopsy" footage. Sure, condemning it as a scam would have been the easy approach, but without names and dates I felt that writing it off would only complicate attempts to unravel its origin. (In recent years I've explored the possibility, however slight, that the AA might be a record of covert human military experimentation marketed as evidence of extraterrestrial visitation.)

New testimony -- and not a little diligent research by Philip Mantle -- finally demonstrates that the AA is a commercial fraud.

So, am I angry that the mystery has been solved? Not at all. If only more ufological "noise" could be set aside this unequivocally.

Click here for Mantle's expose.

(Thanks: The Anomalist.)

French Expert Publicly Emerges to Confirm Secret United Nations Meeting on UFO's

Lorant revealed that a series of UN meetings were held over a three day period. In the meetings there was discussion of a confidential report, prepared by the U.S. Air Force and a branch of the National Guard, concerning the societal impact of UFO sightings. The initial meeting was held on February 12 and, according to Lorant's report, led to a request by three U.S. Senators for further discussions.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. And it doesn't help matters that the article is by committed "exopolitician" Michael Salla. But the story it tells really isn't that implausible . . .

Congratulations to Paul Kimball -- EBE Award winner!

Japanese scientists eye new planet

"Because of the very cold temperature, its surface would be covered with ice, icy ammonia and methane," Kobe University professor Tadashi Mukai, the lead researcher, told AFP.

The study by Mukai and researcher Patryk Lykawka will be published in the April issue of the US-based Astronomical Journal.

"The possibility is high that a yet unknown, planet-class celestial body, measuring 30 percent to 70 percent of the Earth's mass, exists in the outer edges of the solar system," said a summary of the research released by Kobe University.

Mirrored rock sculpture looks like an alien artifact

Reflecting the trees and dirt of the forest around it, it looks like something from another planet. But what does it mean?

(Via The Keyhoe Report.)

Barack Obama: "I am a devout Christian. I have been a member of the same church for 20 years. I pray to Jesus every night."

This is why I don't vote.

Rudy Rucker as you've never seen him before!

Whitley Strieber on UFO "disclosure":

If you acknowledge the existence of UFOs as an unknown phenomenon, the reality of the close encounter experience is going to very shortly become impossible for you to deny. Otherwise, this latest attempt to attach some credibility to your claims will also fail, and you will have gained, in the end, nothing except an increase in fear and confusion, as the public realizes that you are trying to cover up the reality of the abductions, thus making them seem even more frightening than they already are.

Dramatic proof that you can't keep a good bot down:



(Thanks to the always-enjoyable Communist Robot.)

Thanks to Elan for alerting me to this resplendent repository of indispensable alien kitsch.

A can't-miss sampling of speculative architecture:

Most Elegant Proposed Skyscrapers

Ballardian Home Movies: The Final Cut

The winners are in. Anyone for a film festival?

Followers of NASA's endless waffling on the existence of water on the surface on Mars will either find this depressing or amusing. Or possibly both.





Mars Gullies Produced by Dry Granular Debris and Not by Recent Water Flow

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on board NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) observed what appeared to be fresh gullies formed by a rapid release of water on the Martian surface in 2006. However, new computer models simulating the creation of gullies on the surface of Mars suggest that they are in fact created by the flow of dry debris (i.e. landslides) and not by the flow of water. A blow for the microbial life hunters and a huge blow for mission planners looking for easy sources of water for manned missions . . .

Artwork on the lunar surface?

"Restless Legs," a humorous homage to "Eraserhead":

UFO snapped over Thames

I'm getting a bit exasperated by variations of the following paragraphs:

"What's very strange about this is the fact that we didn't actually see this object in the sky while I was taking the photos.

"I only discovered it once I loaded the photos onto my computer as I didn't even look at the photos until then."

(Via The Anomalist.)

NASA Baffled by Unexplained Force Acting on Space Probes

Mysteriously, five spacecraft that flew past the Earth have each displayed unexpected anomalies in their motions.

These newfound enigmas join the so-called "Pioneer anomaly" as hints that unexplained forces may appear to act on spacecraft.

'Space debris' on beach removed by homeowners on Hutchinson Island

No one knows exactly what the mysterious "space debris" on the beach near Pebble Beach Condos was -- but residents removed the object that washed ashore earlier this month.

Tony Tallon, a retired Toronto police detective who lives nearby, said he and his neighbors banded together Monday and carted the strange debris -- which some suspected came from a space ship -- off the beach.

Future Blogger's posted an interview with me. I happen to like this one, especially as it encompasses my fascination with a lot of the subjects found here at Posthuman Blues.





Fearless Futurist Mac Tonnies Goes Off On Mars

"A futurist is someone who can take a look at a strip-mall and experience instinctual fear."

Exemplifying that role is Mac Tonnies, a futurist and sci-fi author who enjoys exploring everything from post-humanity to the paranormal. Armed with zingers like the quote at top and a keen sense of wit, Mac enjoys walking the line between reality and science fiction, much like contemporary Vernor Vinge (who also happens to be featured on the site today).

To go straight to the interview itself, click here.

New SETI blog post:

Searching for Nonfractal Signatures

Geological processes are inherently fractal. Unlike artificial sites such as cities and farms, defined by uniformity and harsh angles, natural landscapes repeat themselves on multiple levels. A mountain, for instance, is "repeated" in any of the countless rocks that litter its slopes. (Weirdly enough, we seem to inhabit a massive fractal: orbiting planets recall the structure of atoms; galaxies themselves bear a passing structural similarity to their constituent star systems.)

Researcher claims vast network of prehistoric civilization discovered near Lake Titicaca

Using earth orbiting satellites, acclaimed researcher David Flynn has studied the high plateau of Bolivia and found previously undiscovered unnatural patterns stretching outward from Lake Titicaca for hundreds of square miles. The geoglyphic works range from arrow straight parallel lines, enormous over lapping perfect circles and rectangles to 'labyrinth like' systems of walls and mounds extending over every feature of the terrain.

(Via The Anomalist.)

The "unnatural patterns" look like they could indeed be ruins. But are they?

Will robots replace suicide bombers?

A leading expert has issued a grim warning about how a new generation of robot weapons being developed by world powers, including India and China, imperils humankind.

"Once the new weapons are out there, they will be fairly easy to copy. How long is it going to be before the terrorists get in on the act," maybe use them in suicide missions, he warned.

Robotic hunting trophies

Hunting Trophies is a collection of 11 hunting trophies hung on the wall. They feature the most frequent species used in taxidermy for the realization of wall trophies, mainly deer and cat family. Instead of being real taxidermied animals they are chests of modified I-Cybie robots.

The Twenty Science Fiction Novels that Will Change Your Life

Spring equinox will be here in just a few weeks, and there's no better way to get ready for the seasonal change than to dig into some great science fiction books. io9 wants to help you get in the mood for transformation by offering this list of twenty science fiction novels that could change the way you see the world, and maybe even change your life.

Wait a second . . . not one Philip K. Dick title?

Eviscerated Furby dolls laying down some sick beats -- almost as entertaining as the flaming Tickle Me Elmo I posted a while back.



(Thanks: Ectoplasmosis.)

Terence McKenna: "When you shed the cultural operating system, then essentially you stand naked before the inspection of your own psyche."



I'm trying, Terence. I'm trying.

No, this isn't Photoshopped.

Yes, we're that profoundly messed up.

This isn't a matter of taking the moral high-ground. It's easy to scoff. Anyone can offer lofty, disparaging retorts about the grinning soldier in the photo. I'm not so much concerned about what she did as I am frightened by the possibility -- however slim -- that I could be that way too. After all, what really separates us, if anything?

Some people like to think that our "humanity" is in some way incorruptible and that we're largely immune to such things as giving toothy thumbs-up signs while posing next to blackening corpses.

I gave that nonsense up a long time ago.

The road to the future

Visionaries of the past, such as Harley Earl, godfather of the concept car, figured that such an automated traffic-control system would require sensors or wires embedded in the road, which also places the financial burden on an infrastructure makeover. But what if cars could do most of the work in self-navigation? We're on the verge of being able to use GPS technology on a mass scale to triangulate from inexpensive Wi-Fi hot spots where cars are located down to the inch.

That would allow vehicles to parade down the highway and in congested areas in a conga line of bumper-to-bumper traffic moving in unison. There's a safety aspect, too. If one car hits the brakes when it senses black ice or other road hazard, the other cars around it can be warned.

(Via The Speculist.)

'Silicon womb' to begin fertility trials

In standard IVF, eggs harvested from a woman are fertilised in the lab and allowed to develop in an incubator for 2 to 5 days. The healthiest embryos are chosen to be transferred into the uterus.

The new device allows embryos created in the lab to be incubated inside a perforated silicon container inserted into a woman's own womb. After a few days, the capsule is recovered and some embryos are selected for implantation in the womb (see image, top right)

Embryos incubated in the lab must have their growth medium changed every few hours to provide new nutrients and get rid of waste. The new device provides a more natural environment.

It's not an "exowomb," but it's in the neighborhood.

Terence McKenna: "You want to reclaim your mind and get it out of the hands of the cultural engineers who want to turn you into a half-baked moron consuming all this trash that's being manufactured out of the bones of a dying world."

I just happened across the "news updates" portion of the excellent (unofficial) Whitley Strieber website, Beyond Communion. It's a fascinating and thorough resource; if you're curious about what Whitley's up to, this is the place.