SoylentNews

An FYI to those of you who will be in the United States in October 2023 and April 2024. Here is an American Institute of Physics press release regarding a story in the journal The Physics Teacher on prepping for the two upcoming North American eclipses:

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2023 – This year and next, Americans will have the extraordinary opportunity to witness two solar eclipses as both will be visible throughout the continental U.S. On Oct. 14, 2023, the moon will obscure all but a small annulus of the sun, producing a “ring of fire” eclipse. On April 8, 2024, the eclipse will be total in a band stretching from Texas to Maine.

Both occurrences promise to be remarkable events and teachable moments. But preparation is essential.

In The Physics Teacher, co-published by AIP Publishing and the American Association of Physics Teachers, astronomer Douglas Duncan of the University of Colorado provides a practical playbook to help teachers, students, and the general public prepare for the eclipse events. He also shares ways to fundraise for schools and organizations and guidance for safe eclipse-viewing. The Fiske Planetarium, which Duncan used to direct, is also producing short videos about the upcoming eclipses.

“According to NASA surveys, over 100 million Americans watched the 2017 eclipse in person or via media,” said Duncan. “That was when a total eclipse crossed the U.S., with totality viewable in Wyoming, where Motel 6 rooms in the state were going for $800 a night if you didn’t book far in advance. A total eclipse is worth traveling to. It is incredible, and people remember it their whole life.”

A self-described eclipse-chaser who has himself witnessed 12 eclipses beginning in 1970, Duncan emphasizes the importance of eye protection. He cites two companies that produce inexpensive glasses for viewing the sun and advises event organizers to order them well in advance: Solar ‎Eclipse Glasses and Rainbow Symphony.

Additionally, after observing spectators at previous eclipses using their phones to snap pictures, Duncan developed Solar Snap, a filter and app to enable safe and effective smart phone photography for such events.

With small groups, Duncan suggests using binoculars to project an image of the sun so that viewers can safely observe the spectacle transposed onto a sheet of paper.

Duncan’s paper is, above all, a rallying cry.

“Organizing, spreading the word, and planning ahead will be key to making the most of these events,” said Duncan. “If you’re a student, talk to your teachers or principal. If you’re organizing a large viewing event, think about the various logistics. Much of the onus is on us – teachers, students, communities.”

Anyone have any good eclipse chasing stories to share? We drove over 600 miles (about 1 Mm for those of you who prefer those other kind of units) to get into the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse and it was well worth it, and we're planning on where we want to be for 2024. Order your eclipse glasses now because I remember they were very hard to get in the run up to the 2017 eclipse and there were some questionable ones being sold on Amazon.

Posted over on Knuth's webpage is an email he recently wrote to Stephen Wolfram in which he describes some prodding of ChatGPT. He posed 20 questions and gives the verbatim answers as well as commentary on the answers.

Preface: Since one of today's popular recreations is to play with
chatGPT, I decided on 07 April 2023 to try my own little experiment,
as part of a correspondence with Stephen Wolfram.

The results were sufficiently interesting that I passed them on
to a few friends the next day, and I've also been mentioning them in
conversation when the topic comes up.

So I was asked to post the story online, and here it is (lightly edited)!
  -- Don Knuth
PS: I did not edit my questions or the computer's answers, only my
own commentary at the end.

It is an interesting read that I highly recommend. And he ends his letter:

Well this has been interesting indeed. Studying the task of
how to fake it certainly leads to insightful subproblems galore.
As well as fun conversations during meals.

On the other hand, Gary Marcus's column in the April CACM
brilliantly describes the terrifying consequences of these
developments.

I find it fascinating that novelists galore have written for decades
about scenarios that might occur after a "singularity" in which
superintelligent machines exist. But as far as I know, not a single
novelist has realized that such a singularity would almost surely
be preceded by a world in which machines are 0.01% intelligent
(say), and in which millions of real people would be able to interact
with them freely at essentially no cost.

The Gary Marcus CACM piece he refers to is Hoping for the Best as AI Evolves.

From an American Chemical Society press release:

Craft brewers are continuously upping the ante and coming up with innovative ways to make or flavor their newest beers. Now, researchers are adding a new twist of their own, speeding up the brewing process with beer-making mini-robots or “BeerBots.” Reporting in ACS Nano, the team shows that these self-propelled, magnetic packages of yeast can make the fermentation phase go faster and cut out the need to filter the beverage.

Beer, one of the world’s most-consumed drinks, can take a while to brew. In the first step, sugars are extracted from grains, such as malted barley, to create a watery solution called wort. Next, yeasts ferment those sugars, converting them into alcohol, carbon dioxide gas and new flavor compounds. This step can take as long as four weeks, and during that time, unwanted microorganisms can get in and spoil the final product with sour flavors. Previous researchers have suggested that encapsulating the yeast in polymer capsules could lessen the chance of spoilage by speeding up the process. So, Martin Pumera and colleagues wanted to develop a self-propelled bot to both make fermentation proceed more quickly and simplify the separation of yeast from the final beer.

The researchers made 2-mm-wide BeerBot capsules by combining active yeast, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and sodium alginate from algae and dripping the mixture into a ferric chloride solution. Then they made one side of the spheres porous by exposing that half to an alkaline solution in an electrochemical cell.

Initial experiments showed that the yeast-containing beads could ferment sugar and produce carbon dioxide bubbles that propelled them upward. When they got to the surface, they released carbon dioxide into the air, and then sank again, resulting in a bobbing motion. When used to ferment malted barley wort, the team found that the self-propelled BeerBots transformed sugars faster than free yeast cells. As the sugar was used up and fermentation ceased, the yeast-containing capsules sank to the bottom of the flask. This made it easy to separate the yeast from the final product with a magnet, rather than with a filtration step that’s currently required to remove free yeast cells. Additionally, the collected BeerBots were active for up to three more wort fermentation cycles. Based on these results, the researchers say that BeerBots could produce tasty brews faster.

Journal Reference:
Nanostructured Hybrid BioBots for Beer Brewing [open], Roberto Maria-Hormigos, Carmen C. Mayorga-Martinez, Tomáš Kinčl, and Martin Pumera, ACS Nano 2023, 17, 8, 7595–7603
Publication Date:April 12, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c12677

Norway's Bergen is gearing up to open the world’s longest purpose-built pedestrian and bicycle tunnel:

Known as the Fyllingsdalstunnelen, the tunnel cuts through the Løvstakken mountain in the southwest Norwegian city, linking the residential areas of Fyllingsdalen and Mindemyren. Cyclists can continue on to the centre of Bergen using existing routes.

[...] Both the Fyllingsdal tunnel and the rest of the cycle route to Bergen city centre are financed through the municipality’s state-supported Miljøløftet (Environmental Promise).

Its goal is to make it easier for more people to choose cycling and walking over driving. Not only could this help reduce traffic in the city, it could also help cut planet-heating emissions and unhealthy pollution.

The route’s total distance - from Fyllingsdalen to Festplassen in the city centre - is 7.8 kilometres, which takes around 25 minutes by bike. Currently, cycling between these areas takes around 40 minutes.

Is it really the longest in the world?

Bergen’s cycle tunnel has been touted as the world’s longest - but it comes with some caveats.

The Snoqualmie Tunnel near Seattle, USA, is 3.6km long. However, it takes over an abandoned railway tunnel, so was not built for purpose.

The Fyllingsdal cycle tunnel is therefore the world’s second longest overall, and the longest that was built for purpose.

Running parallel to the new light rail line that opened in November, the tunnel doubles as an escape route for train passengers.

"Basically, it is an escape tunnel for the tram. But then there were wise minds who said that it is possible to cycle through this tunnel as well," explains project manager Arild Tveit. "By creating a walkway here, it is also possible to exercise... So it is public health in every metre of this tunnel."

I can't say I'm impressed with their logic, but regardless of how you feel about superlatives, it is pretty neat. The article has a nice video that rides through it and you can see all the artwork they've added.

The tunnel will be open from 5.30am to 11.30pm daily. It features well-lit rest stops and security cameras throughout. Emergency phones are available every 250 metres.

Colourful dynamic lighting will create a wave of light when a cyclist or pedestrian enters the tunnel at either end, alerting cyclists to oncoming traffic. It is also lined with artwork and installations to make the journey more interesting.

It will be kept at a constant temperature of 7 degrees Celsius, making it an attractive training route for runners on colder days.

My top two reasons for reading Mad Magazine were the fold-in and Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, and both were done by Al Jaffee. He died at the ripe old age of 102. RIP.

Ages ago I would idly try to see what the fold-in was while waiting by a magazine rack, trying to do it without creasing (much) the cover so that I didn't have to purchase it. :)

Identifying the compounds that give fermented coffee its unique flavor and aroma could allow more people to enjoy it:

Specialty coffees are gaining traction in coffeehouses around the world — and now a fermented version could bring a fruity taste to your morning cup of joe. This new kind of beverage has a raspberry-like taste and aroma, but what causes these sensations has been a mystery. Today, scientists report six compounds that contribute to the fermented coffee experience. The work could help increase production of the drink and make it more readily available for everyone to enjoy.

“There are now flavors that people are creating that no one would have ever associated with coffee in the past,” says Chahan Yeretzian, Ph.D., the project’s principal investigator. “The flavors in fermented coffee, for example, are often more akin to fruit juices.”

This unusual type of beverage provides a unique flavor experience for consumers, and the growing demand for it means that fermented coffee beans can fetch a high price, potentially benefiting farmers. And the process by which the beans are prepared requires much less water than traditional methods, making it a more environmentally friendly alternative to a standard cup of coffee.

But despite this drink’s growing popularity, the compounds that cause its distinctive flavor were unknown. And with fermented coffee becoming more popular in competitive events, some people have been concerned that the lack of knowledge about fermented coffee may make it difficult to distinguish between the genuine product and regular joe that has been illicitly adulterated. So, Yeretzian and colleagues from the Coffee Excellence Center at Zurich University of Applied Sciences sought to identify the compounds that are responsible for these new and exciting flavors. And because flavor and smell are intimately linked, studying the beverages’ scents could help the team gain a better understanding of how fermented coffee’s complex flavor is created.

To single out the compounds unique to fermented coffee’s aromas, researchers took arabica beans and divided them into three groups. One was prepared using a wash process, which is likely how your average afternoon pick-me-up brew is made. Here, a gelatinous substance known as mucilage is stripped from the coffee bean, which is washed with water before being dried. The researchers prepared the second group using the pulped natural process — another common approach — in which the skin is removed from the bean, but the mucilage is left intact. Finally, the team fermented beans in the third group using carbonic maceration, a process often used in winemaking. This method was first introduced to the specialty coffee world in 2015, when the winning contestant in the World Barista Championship used it to prepare their entry. With this process, whole coffee fruits are fermented in stainless steel tanks and infused with carbon dioxide to lower the pH of the fermentation. Unlike the other brews, the coffee made with fermented beans was described as smelling intense, like raspberries with a hint of rose.

Anyone tried fermented bean coffee? I'm intrigued.

No, it is not just you:

Are you scared of clowns? You are not alone. Coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns, is a widely acknowledged phenomenon.

Studies indicate this fear is present among both adults and children in many different cultures. Yet it is not well understood due to a lack of focused research.

While numerous possible explanations of the phobia had been put forward in academic literature, no studies had specifically investigated its origins.

[...] Interestingly, this percentage reporting an extreme fear of clowns is slightly higher than those reported for many other phobias, such as animals (3.8 percent), blood/injection/injuries (3.0 percent), heights (2.8 percent), still water or weather events (2.3 percent), closed spaces (2.2 percent), and flying (1.3 percent).

We also found that women are more afraid of clowns than men. The reason for this difference is not clear, but it echoes research findings on other phobias such as the fear of snakes and spiders.

We also discovered coulrophobia decreases with age, which again matches up with research into other fears.

[...] This new set of questions related to eight plausible explanations for the origins of this fear, as follows:

1. An eerie or unsettling feeling due to clowns' makeup making them look not-quite-human. A similar response is sometimes seen with dolls or mannequins.
2. Clowns' exaggerated facial features convey a direct sense of threat.
3. Clown makeup hides emotional signals and creates uncertainty.
4. The colour of clown makeup reminds us of death, infection or blood injury, and evokes disgust or avoidance.
5. Clowns' unpredictable behaviour makes us uncomfortable.
6. Fear of clowns has been learned from family members.
7. Negative portrayals of clowns in popular culture.
8. A frightening experience with a clown.

Intriguingly, we found the final explanation, of having had a scary personal experience with a clown, had the lowest level of agreement. This indicates that life experience alone is not a sufficient explanation for why people are afraid of them.

[...] In fact the strongest factor we identified was hidden emotional signals, suggesting that for many people, a fear of clowns stems from not being able to see their facial expressions due to their make-up.

We cannot see their "true" faces and therefore cannot understand their emotional intent.

[...] This research has provided some new insights into why people are afraid of clowns – yet more questions remain.

For instance, if makeup which masks emotions causes fear, do people who have their faces painted as animals also create the same kind of effect? Or is there something more particular about the makeup of clowns that drives this fear? This is now the focus of our continued research.

Journal Reference:
Philip John Tyson, Shakiela K. Davies, Sophie Scorey and William James Greville, Fear of clowns: An investigation into the aetiology of coulrophobia [open], Front. Psychol., 02 February 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1109466

Here is a submission that didn't get picked up that looked interesting. Seen on Mastodon is a bot account that mirrors slashdot Twitter tweets:

hellcat writes:

Joined mastadon about a month ago, and enjoying it. @stegasaurus@home.social

This bot came across my federated feed: @slashdot@geeknews.chat

The heading on the account reads:

..... I'm a bot that mirrors a Twitter's account. Any issues please contact @jeroen

Simple and easy.
Maybe soylent can think about using the fediverse in a similar, or even better way?

Stunning new time lapse video shows 12 years of exoplanets orbiting their star:

In 2008, HR8799 was the first extrasolar planetary system ever directly imaged. Now, the famed system stars in its very own video.

Using observations collected over the past 12 years, Northwestern University astrophysicist Jason Wang [northwestern.edu] has assembled a stunning time lapse video of the family of four planets — each more massive than Jupiter — orbiting their star. The video gives viewers an unprecedented glimpse into planetary motion.

"It's usually difficult to see planets in orbit," Wang said. "For example, it isn't apparent that Jupiter or Mars orbit our sun because we live in the same system and don't have a top-down view. Astronomical events either happen too quickly or too slowly to capture in a movie. But this video shows planets moving on a human time scale. I hope it enables people to enjoy something wondrous."

[...] In November 2008, HR8799 made history as the first system to have its planets directly imaged. Wang, who was instantly fascinated by the system, has been watching it ever since. He and his colleagues applied for time on the W. M. Keck Observatory, located on the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, to observe the system each year.

After seven years of observations, Wang put together imaging data to create his first time lapse video of the system. Now, armed with 12 years of imaging data, Wang released the updated video, which shows the entire time period in a condensed 4.5-second time lapse.

[...] "In astrophysics, most of the time we are doing data analysis or testing hypotheses," he said. "But this is the fun part of science. It inspires awe."

The short YouTube video

Someone submitted this via upstart:

Iconic rock guitarist, Jeff Beck, has died:

Jeff Beck, the British rock-blues guitar innovator, has died after a brief struggle with bacterial meningitis. He was 78 years old.

Beck was an 8-time Grammy nominee and a two-time inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His work with the Yardbirds, and his own Jeff Beck Group, was profoundly influential to generations of musicians that came after him.

His family released a statement on Wednesday:

"On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck's passing," Beck's family said in a statement. "After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family asks for privacy while they process this tremendous loss."

On social media, Beck's fellow Yardbird and longtime friend, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, wrote:

The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans. Jeff Beck Rest in Peace.

As a teenager I picked up Blow By Blow and it blew me away. I quickly got Wired and Beck, Bogert & Appice. They were staples on my turntable until I stopped using my turntable. If you're not familiar with his playing, the linked article has a YouTube link to the track Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. It seems everything he did was wonderful, and he never really sought out the limelight.