I was googling some things for my Mass Effect short stories, and I came across something called the Stanford Torus. Stated simply, it's a specific type of rotating ring space station. Nothing particularly unique about that in space station concepts. Except... this is the interior:

( Click for pics! )

...because the Roe v. Wade anniversary was yesterday. Still relevant though.

This should be required viewing for a lot of people. In response to the Roe v Wade hate and vitriol on my facebook feed yesterday:

Click to view

The title is a bit of a misnomer; this really has very little to do with Mass Effect specifically but is more a commentary on sci-fi in general.

( Getting existential about aliens up in here. )

Here's some pretty icons that are all about space!


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Yes, the title is, of course, hyperbolic.

Arguably the most important accomplishment in human history is underway as we speak. A man-made object is about to leave our solar system for the first time.

The Voyager 1 probe is currently passing through what scientists consider the far vestiges of the solar system.

This probe (and its twin, Voyager 2) were ( Read more... )

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I read about this parrot... He apparently actually understands what he's saying, unlike the vast majority of other parrots who just repeat words. They tried to teach some of his tricks to other parrots, but they didn't catch on. Apparently Alex is a genius parrot.

Anyways, I just thought it was cool!

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I LOVE space! This is amazing!

Universe of Sound

For first time, chimps seen making pencils

Chimpanzees living in the West African savannah have been observed fashioning what gives every indication of being pencil-like tools from short, thin sticks and then using them in a manner suggesting to researchers that the chimps are in the early stages  of acquiring the skill of writing -- the first ( Read more... )