Some people, it would seem, are unable to accurately determine cause and effect.mag 19
Some people, it would seem, are unable to accurately determine cause and effect.mag 19
The anticipated launch of the SpaceX rocket, slated for 4:55 a.m eastern time Saturday, was aborted at the last possible second.
The snafu almost immediately prompted questions as to whether the private sector is ready to take on the momentous challenges of a space program, although given the big NASA Space Shuttle disasters, that criticism seems a bit premature. SpaceX was co-founded and backed by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk who also co-founded PayPal and Tesla Motors.
But, proponents said this is a setback, not a disaster. Computer systems detected a combustion issue in one of the rocket’s nine engines and shut down the mission as the countdown hit zero.
“We aborted with purpose,” said SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell according to AP reports. “It would be a failure if we were to have lifted off with an engine trending in this direction … The software did what it was supposed to do.”
Launch aborted: slightly high combustion chamber pressure on engine 5. Will adjust limits for countdown in a few days.—
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 19, 2012
As the U.S. dismantled the space shuttle program, eyes turned to the private sector for funding and know-how to continue space missions. SpaceX’s goal is to ferry cargo and eventually people to the International Space Station. To date such missions have only been accomplished by the U.S., Russia, Europe and Japan.
In the U.S. other companies pursuing some aspect of space travel include Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada. And then there’s Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, which plans to offer suborbital spaceflights as early as next year. The company is already booking reservations either directly or through its Accredited Space Agents at a mere $200,000 a pop.
Image courtesy of NASA TV
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mag 19
Even with manufacturer “skins”, Android tablet home screens haven’t been much more useful than those on Android smartphones, even though the slates have larger displays. One third-party software developer wants to change that and it’s using Kickstarter to fund the effort. A $5 pledge will get you a copy of Chameleon; an intelligent, customizable home screen app for Android tablets.
What makes Chameleon unique — aside from what’s essentially a “pre-sale” to guarantee money for the developer up front — is the superb customization it offers for Android tablet home screens. Think of Android widgets, which are of course, great by themselves; but on steroids. The entire screen can be used to show information from social networks, weather apps, your music player of choice and more. You customize what you want to see.
Even better: Chameleon can change the home screen contents based on where you are or what time of day it is. So you could create a morning profile for home, for example, with your personal preferences. When the tablet senses you’re in the office later in the day then, it could show home screen data that’s relevant to your job. The idea is smartly based on the observation that tablet users typically open up the same groups of apps at certain places and times. I love the concept and backed the project with my own $5 pledge, just in case Chameleon later appears in Google Play at a higher price. Here’s a demo video to illustrate what the app will do.
I was so impressed by the app demo that I tweeted “Google should buy this company, immediately!” Maybe that’s too much enthusiasm though and besides; Google seems to be busy at the moment: This week a report surfaced that Google will alter its Nexus device program with more hardware partners.
This is a major change from the prior three years as Google has chosen one hardware maker per Nexus device to showcase Android. HTC built the Nexus One while Samsung delivered both the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus. With Android 5.0, also known as “Jelly Bean”, Google could offer a range of Nexus devices from HTC, Samsung, LG, Acer, Asus and others. Part of this strategy is to offset any partner concerns with Google’s proposed purchase of Motorola. But I suspect this also about doing exactly what I asked Google to do earlier this month: Take more control over Android. And like the $399 Galaxy Nexus available through Google Play, Google is expected to sell these new devices directly to customers.
Although Samsung is one of those Android partners that could help Google sell its own devices, the company continues to dominate the Android scene with solid smartphones of its own.
The highly anticipated Galaxy S III already has 9 million pre-orders from network operators around the world and Samsung can only produce 5 million per month. With 290 carriers in 140 countries vying for Samsung’s latest, it’s possible that some regions will be waiting for months to get the device. I wouldn’t expect Apple-like lines around stores to get a Galaxy S III, but I do anticipate a long, slow global rollout similar to the prior model.
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mag 19
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