Tech

Astronomer leaves message for life on Mars shortly before his death

Published

1 month ago

March 25, 2024

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Astronomer leaves message for life on Mars shortly before his death

Shortly before his death, famed astronomer Carl Sagan recorded a message for the first humans on Mars.

Sagan, who died from pneumonia in December 1996, was the co-founder of The Planetary Society and strongly believed the Red Planet should be explored for signs of life.

Ahead of his death, Sagan made a recording for the first people on Mars.

The recording was sent to Mars and arrived on May 25 2008 via NASA’s Phoenix lander. The mini DVD is still on Mars in hope that it will stay there for thousands of years.

In the clip, he introduces himself and his work based in Ithaca at the time.

“Maybe you can hear, in the background, a 200-foot [60-metre] waterfall, right nearby, which is probably – I would guess – a rarity on Mars, even in times of high technology,” Sagan says.

“Science and science fiction have done a kind of dance over the last century, particularly with respect to Mars,” he continues.

“The scientists make a finding, it inspires science fiction writers to write about it, and a host of young people read the science fiction and are excited and inspired to become scientists to find out more about Mars, which they do, which then feeds again into another generation of science fiction and science.”

Sagan then says that he is unaware of “why you’re on Mars,” before citing various theories.

“Maybe you’re there because we’ve recognised we have to carefully move small asteroids around to avert the possibility of one impacting the Earth with catastrophic consequences, and, while we’re up in near-Earth space, it’s only a hop, skip, and a jump to Mars,” he suggests.

He then details another reason that it could be because “we recognise that if there are human communities on many worlds, the chances of us being rendered extinct by some catastrophe on one world is much less.”

“Or maybe we’re on Mars because of the magnificent science that can be done there, the gates of the wonder world are opening in our time,” he theorises, adding: “Or maybe we’re on Mars because we have to be, because there’s a deep nomadic impulse built into us by the evolutionary process.

“We come after all, from hunter-gatherers, and for 99.9 percent of our tenure on Earth, we’ve been wanderers. And the next place to wander to is Mars.

But whatever the reason you’re on Mars is, I’m glad you’re there. And I wish I was with you.”

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Tech

WhatsApp to launch file sharing feature without internet

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

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WhatsApp to launch file sharing feature without internet

The messaging app WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is working on a cool new feature to make it easier to share files even when you’re not connected to the internet.

Recent leaks say that pretty soon, you’ll be able to share photos, videos, music, and documents offline.

This new feature is all about letting you share different kinds of files without needing Wi-Fi or data. And don’t worry about security – the files you share will be encrypted, which means they’ll be safe from anyone trying to mess with them.

Screenshots that got leaked from the latest test version of WhatsApp for Android show us what kind of permissions this feature will need. One important thing is that it’ll be able to find other phones nearby that also have this offline file-sharing thing.

For this to work on Android phones, WhatsApp needs a permission that lets it look for other devices using Bluetooth. But if you’re not comfortable with that, you can always turn it off.

Before this, WhatsApp added a feature that lets you pin notes to keep them handy. So, looks like WhatsApp is always coming up with cool stuff to make chatting even better!

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Tech

Flame-throwing robotic dog unleashed for sale in US

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

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Flame-throwing robotic dog unleashed for sale in US

A flame-throwing robotic dog is now available for sale in the US, thanks to an Ohio-based company.

Throwflame first released the contraption last year but recently announced it was back in stock, asking for $9,420 a piece.

The company released a promotional video showing the ARC Flamethrower and saying it can “send streams of fire up to 30 feet with the push of a button.”

The flamethrower is attached to a Go2 Robot Dog manufactured by the China-based Unitree.

Throwflame said on its website the flamethrowers are legal to own and are “federally unregulated,” but are “not even considered a firearm (ironic) by the federal authorities.”

The company released its first flamethrowers in 2015, called the X15, which could send “a stream of flaming fuel or napalm up to 50 feet.”

That prompted a huge media response, questioning its legality. But Throwflame said the device remains “completely unrestricted in 48 states.”

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Tech

US military stage world’s first ever AI controlled warplane

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

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US military stage world's first ever AI controlled warplane

The United States has finally started to seek answers to one of the most asked questions on the planet – who wins between man and machine?

Incredible details have emerged of the world’s first ever AI controlled warplane taking on a human piloted jet in a historic dogfight that saw both aircraft blasting through the sky at speeds of 1,200mph.

The insane test saw an AI powered modified F-16 – dubbed the X-62A – take on the same jet but with a human in the cockpit.

Both powerful jets went “nose-to-nose” as they battled 2,000ft up in the air, say officials.

The tests were conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) alongside the US Air Force to learn about just how advanced artificial intelligence really is.

Results of the intense air battles have been kept tightly under wraps but they were done to show how safe and effective autonomous fighter jets could be.

Officials were also intrigued to see how close AI powered military jets are to operating safely in a complex war environment.

In the end, 21 test flights were done for the project taking place between December 2022 and September 2023.

Lt. Col. Maryann Karlen, deputy commandant of the test pilot school, explained how it all worked in a fascinating video on the historic dogfight.

They said: “In September we actually took the X-62 and flew it against a live manned F-16.

“We built up in safety using the manoeuvres – first defensive, then offensive, then high aspect nose-to-nose engagements where we got as close as 2,000 feet at 1,200 miles per hour.”

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