BBC: Russian and US satellites collide US and Russian communications satellites have collided in space in what is thought to be the biggest incident of its kind to date. The US commercial Iridium spacecraft hit a defunct Russian satellite at an altitude of about 800km (500 miles) over Siberia on Tuesday, Nasa said.

More here and here. Speculating about its impact on the smart meter industry here.

While many celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, it’s easy to forget that another historical figure shares the same anniversary. It’s also the birthday of Charles Darwin. (Pictured here in one of his lesser known research projects, “The Development of Insect Colonies in Really Bushy, Unkempt Beards.”) The celebration at the Darwin home might be a bit more muted today were...

  Just for those of you in an area without clouds, a new comet is expected to grace the skies over the coming weeks. While it won’t be visible to the naked eye in suburban or urban areas, it will be seen in less crowded areas. It also can be seen in with binoculars or a small telescope.  So check it out.

I think that moving off of a petroleum based economy is the biggest challenge in the next 50 years and will determine whether we stagnate or are prosperous. Unfortunately, I think the issue has become politicized to such an extent that many people believe we have the technology now and it’s just a matter of willpower (and money). This is actually not the case. The New Scientist points out that renewable...

As I mentioned in my “The F-22 Raptor, It’s Almost Time To Punt,” the date for the Obama administration to decide on whether to buy—and if so, how many—additional F-22 aircraft, is rapidly approaching. I find it interesting that one of the arguments often heard in the debate, rightly or wrongly, and either for or against the production of additional F-22’s, is the F-35 Lightning...

Jonah Lehrer interviews himself: Ever since the time of the ancient Greeks, we’ve assumed that humans are rational creatures. When we make a decision, we are supposed to consciously analyze the alternatives and carefully weigh the pros and cons. This simple idea underlies the philosophies of Plato and Descartes; it forms the foundation of modern economics; it drove decades of research in cognitive science....

How many times do sentient killer robots have to turn against and enslave the human race in science fiction books and films before we realize that building killer sentient robots is generally not a good idea? The guy quoted in this article thinks half the U.S. military will be “half machine, half human” by 2015. Haven’t the people working on this technology watched The Matrix? Terminator? I,...

Yet another group of scientists don’t think so. Still worried that the Large Hadron Collider will create a black hole that will destroy the Earth when it’s finally switched on this summer? Um, well, you may have a point. Three physicists have reexamined the math surrounding the creation of microscopic black holes in the Switzerland-based LHC, the world’s largest particle collider, and determined...

Since I got some well thought responses to my last post regarding efforts to reach better fuel mileage goals I thought I would respond back in a post that would be easier for everyone to read. As I said in my original comments, I am strongly in favor of reaching the goal of better fuel efficiency both for environmental and national security reasons. But I am also conscious of the need to be realistic about things...

The Obama adminstration this week announced that it would be setting new guidelines for fuel efficient to apply to the 2011 model year cars and trucks. Let me make it clear from the beginning that I am a strong supporter of efforts to improve fuel mileage for both environmental reasons and national security reasons. However I think perhaps the adminstration is going a bit fast in setting targets for the 2011...

Declaring that “Rigid ideology has overruled sound science,” President Barack Obama signed an executive order basically scuttling roadblocks the Bush administration has placed in the way of California and other states in setting their own emission and fuel efficiency standards. But, most important, he gave yet another sign that his election has brought a major change in perspective to the Oval Office. Obama...

Former President George Bush left President Barack Obama a lot of things which have been dutifully chronicled by the old mainstream and new media. But one item has been overlooked: he inherited Bush’s “Google bomb” linking the Texan in searches with the word “failure.” The L.A. Time’s Top of the Ticket blog reports: On his way out, President Bush unintentionally dropped a...

Virginia Heffernan’s Confessions of a TED Addict: A TED talk begins as an auditorium speech given at the multidisciplinary, invitation-only annual TED conference. (This year’s 25th-anniversary conference takes place next week in Long Beach, Calif.) TED then creates videos of the speeches and puts them online so they can find a broader audience — and usurp my life. There are around 370 speeches and...

There is an old saying, “Follow the Money.” The current stimulus package is going to provide tax credits to everyone, even those who pay no taxes. What happens when you give people money? They buy stuff, which is good for the economy, right? Well we have a huge trade deficit and most of the consumer goods that will be purchased with this money are made in China and other countries. So, following the money,...

David Pogue (above) likes it. His print column on Windows 7. Endgadget has benchmarks galore, “it looks like XP is still the outright speed champ on current hardware.” Here’s 7 v Vista and 7 v XP. CNet’s Don Reisinger has been using Windows 7 beta for a while, “he’s surprised to say that he’s excited for the final release.” ArsTechnica has an in-depth tour, “the...

See what happens when you have a little influence? President Barack Obama’s long, feared nightmare is now over: he will get to be the will be the first president to use a BlackBerry while in the White House — and by all accounts he is Berry Berry happy. ABC reports: Since winning the election, Obama has argued that he should be allowed to bring his BlackBerry to the Oval Office, despite national...

The Obama staff took position in their new digs on Pennsylvania Avenue and when they took a look around them thought they heard the pitter patter of feet. The pitter patter of Fred Flintstone, riding in a car so ancient that it was powered by his feet. The Washington Post reports: If the Obama campaign represented a sleek, new iPhone kind of future, the first day of the Obama administration looked more like...

Well, it seems so in Europe. It is working hard to lure passengers to travel by fast trains. An indication to the impact of this thrust is that Air France-KLM is considering replacing some of its short-haul European flights with a high-speed rail service. ” ‘Rail is becoming more of an option as people realise there is an alternative to flying,’ said Amanda Monroe, a spokeswoman for Rail Europe,”...

It is a split-second decision by the pilot that makes a difference between life and death. Of course, the final outcome is generally attributed to lady luck. But the saga of the the man flying the aircraft, his gut instinct and experience, in saving the passengers inevitably turns into another legend in the fascinating history of man and the flying machines. The Times of London has more on the rescue of passengers...

Mike Keefe, The Denver Post

As news reports continue to suggest that everyone survived the jet crash in New York City, we cannot help but to reflect on the miracle of that fact. By all accounts the pilot and crew deserve major credit for this by making an amazing 180 degree turn around Manhattan to land safely on the Hudson River. The passengers also deserve a lot of credit for reacting quickly and calmly to the accident and thus making...

The Ms. Special Winter 2009 Inaugural Issue is now out with a cover image of President-elect Barack Obama wearing a t-shirt that says, “This is what a feminist looks like.” From a media advisory prepared by Ms.: When the publisher of Ms., Eleanor Smeal, and the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation board, Peg Yorkin, met Barack Obama, he immediately offered “I am a feminist.” Obama ran...

Right now you almost need earplugs to drown out the increasingly loud death rattles of some newspapers throughout the country that have been hit by a one-two-three-punch of a poor economy, plummeting readership and growing Internet news usage — all within the context of bad decisions over the years compounded by an inability to appeal to new generations of readers. The latest death rattle is a loud one...

As we head into 2009 (the International Astronomical Year) I am going to try and keep my fellow skywatchers updated on some of the more interesting astronomical events of the year. While weather many not always cooperate there are some fun things in the skies for the coming year. Our first event actually takes us through the end of 2008 as we get to experience a rare conjunction of the Moon, two planets (Jupiter...