anniversary
Science
The Apollo 8 Original Press Kit
6:00AM Jesus Diaz | Used to a thousand inane press kits announcing useless pieces of junk, I wish it was 1968. Then, I could have received this Apollo 8 Press Kit, detailing the first manned mission to the Moon. More »
Online
NASA-TV Streams HD Film to Celebrate 50 Years in Space
10:45PM Kit Eaton | 50 years ago this month NASA rocketed into existence, and to celebrate this fact NASA-TV is streaming its special retrospective show “50 Years of Exploration: The Golden Anniversary of NASA” in HD format today at 1pm and 8pm EDT (and again tomorrow at 10am and 2pm). Check it out: it’s presented by none other than Neil Armstrong, and it’ll remind you how frickin’ astonishing the achievements of the Agency are, despite its recent rockety woes. [NASA-TV] More »
Online
Random Stuff
20 Years Ago Tonight, ‘Max Headroom’ the Video Pirate Took Over Chicago’s Airwaves
4:55AM Adam Frucci | 20 years ago today, during a broadcast of a Dr. Who episode on WTTW channel 11 in Chicago, a video pirate took over the airwaves dressed as Max Headroom (remember him?). Wearing a mask and standing in front of a moving background, the video pirate rambled for a couple minutes in a tough-to-understand voice and then voluntarily went off the air. Who was this prankster, and what was he trying to accomplish? More »
Games
PS3’s Birthday Party Gets Cake, But No Games
10:26AM Brian Lam | The PS3 turned one year old today. We wiped off our dusty PS3 and threw it a birthday party with this cake that Sony Computer Entertainment of America had delivered to our house, in a stunt in the style of the Wii Ice Cream Truck. The cake was delicious, thank you, Sony. The party was going ok. Wii and Xbox 360 Elite showed up, but Halo Xbox 360 Legendary Edition was out with his groupies, the Halo 3 Fanboys. The sad thing was, no stellar PS3 games showed up to the party. Maybe next year, PS3. We still respect your record-breaking Protein folding capabilities and supercomputer performance. The birthday party is going to be at Chuck E. Cheese near the Bergen Mall in North NJ. You’re invited. (Don’t tell Wii.) More »
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Sputnik Satellite’s 50th Anniversary Today
1:59PM Brian Lam | Today is the 50th anniversary of Russia’s Sputnik satellite. Sputnik translates into “Traveling companion of the earth”, was “23 inches in diameter and 184 pounds, with four feathery antennas swept back like a windblown comb-over from its high-gloss sphere.” Some credit the unexpected launch of Sputnik with kicking off the space race. Steven Winn’s piece on the satellite is sweeping and moving and every gadget head should give it a pass. [SFGate] More »
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Ramen Fan: The 10-Year Anniversary
4:45AM Jason Chen | The ramen fan is probably as old as some of you readers out there, but we’ll call it the 10th anniversary of this thing and give it a go anyway. I enjoy a nice hot cup of cup ramen every morning (not the best ramen, but I’m lazy), so having a fan cool down my noodles is a fantastic idea. Would I pay $5.99 at a cheap Chinatown store for this? Definitely. Would I adapt this to other foods like stews, soup, and even steak? You bet your ass. [Ramen Fan via Digg] More »
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Happy 25th Anniversary, Compact Disc
11:28PM Mark Wilson | Today the compact disc (or ‘CD’ as the hipsters are calling it) turns 25. I know how you feel, CD. After 24, when you can rent a car and trash the shit out of it for only like an extra $50 in insurance, it’s all downhill. But since Philips and Sony developed your form and birthed you in Langenhagen, Germany, over 200 billion CDs have sold. The secret to your success? I think it’s not the “futuristic” silver finish, but a sweet spot of form factor that, while not as small as today’s MP3 players, drove the success of DVDs and possibly next-gen DVDs as well. Happy anniversary/birthday Mrs/Mrss CD. Would anyone like to share their special CD moments with the rest of the class? I remember buying the Jewel ‘Pieces of You’ for make out music. I honestly don’t remember if I ever “used” the CD. [pcnews] More »
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