Category: Technology

Have you registered for the 19th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race?

Helene McLaughlin

Dreaming of being an astronaut is a phase just about everyone goes through at one point in their lives. It’s a much smaller amount of people who decide to peruse that dream when they grow-up. While not everyone might go into space, everyone has the opportunity to race on the moon…. well almost. For the last 19 years, NASA has given high school and college teams from across the globe a chance to compete against each other for the title of “Greatest Moonbuggy of the Year”.

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Plastic Found on Mars… And Five Other Famous Hoaxes

Helene McLaughlin

Have you heard, Mardi Gras has made it to Mars!!! Yesterday there were rumors flying about the internet about a massive discovery of plastic found on Mars. With only a quick glance it seemed to be a legit press release from Jet Propulsion Lab in California. However, for anyone that looked at the article for more then 30 seconds it was obvious that this was a nicely executed hoax. Phil Plait from Bad Astronomer wrote a great post last night listing all of the ways that this hoax outed itself. The prankster obviously wanted to take advantage of the “earthshaking” announcement from last week that something was found on Mars. Its been later determined that even that previous press release was an over exaggeration by a reporter after an interview with a Curiosity team member.

Massive scientific hoaxes aren’t new, they have been around for ages. Sometimes they are a lot harder to spot then this one, and cause a lot more confusion then this little prank. One of the greatest achievements of the scientific method is the ability for correction over time. No matter how elaborate the hoax, science will be able to eventually prove or disprove a skeptic. There are times that hoaxes almost get by without detection, and as a reminder to stay ever vigilant to the proof here are five of the greatest scientific hoaxes of all time.

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Photography Snapshot: Exposure Triangle

Helene McLaughlin

In the last couple months my Photography Snapshot series has focused on the theory of light and how it behaves as it created images in an optical system. I’m planning to shift my focus now from the theoretical side of photography to the practical components of taking magnificent photos. This snapshot will focus on creating the perfectly exposed image and the three most important elements in determining exposure. So pick up your camera, its time to play.

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The Lego Version of Felix’s Massive Jump

Judy Berna

f you’re like many of the GeekMom writers you spent part of your Sunday watching Felix Baumgarten do a freefall from space. Some of us watched it live. Some of us decided to make sure all went well before we tuned in. Some watched live, but peeked through their fingers the whole time. It was a pretty amazing feat that was worth tuning in for.

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iPhone 5 Review – What’s Up and What’s Not

Dakster Sullivan

When the new iPhone 5 was announced, I immediately wanted one. I’m not an Apple computer person, but when it comes to their phones and other devices, I’ve found them to work great for what I need. Part of my job involves purchasing and setting up company phones for employees. I was curious to know how my new iPhone would hold up to my previous model (4s) as well as another popular smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S3.

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