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Sleep is one of the great mysteries of biology. It's obviously dangerous to do it – you're unaware of both predators and potential food going by – and yet it's been observed in everything down to roundworms, and without it, we die. Clearly it does something extremely important.
A discovery by three Caltech grad students adds another layer to this: Cassiopea jellyfish, also known as "upside-down jellyfish," sleep – even though they don't have brains at all, just a diffuse network of neurons. They show the same symptoms that more complex animals do: reversible quiescence (they can be woken up), increased arousal threshold, (they don't jump at things they would normally notice), and homeostatic regulation of sleep (they have trouble if they don't do it regularly).
Apparently, whatever sleep does, it's so basic to survival that even diffuse neural networks need to do it.
A discovery by three Caltech grad students adds another layer to this: Cassiopea jellyfish, also known as "upside-down jellyfish," sleep – even though they don't have brains at all, just a diffuse network of neurons. They show the same symptoms that more complex animals do: reversible quiescence (they can be woken up), increased arousal threshold, (they don't jump at things they would normally notice), and homeostatic regulation of sleep (they have trouble if they don't do it regularly).
Apparently, whatever sleep does, it's so basic to survival that even diffuse neural networks need to do it.
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Battlefront II Locations Revealed
These are supposedly the planets that will have maps upon launch (at least for the Galactic Assault mode):
Naboo
Kamino
Kashyyyk
Endor
Death Star II
Hoth
Mos Eisley
Yavin IV
Jakku
Takodana
Starkiller Base
3 prequel planets. 5 original trilogy planet/locations. 3 sequel trilogy planets. (Mind that you that for the Battlefront launch in 2015 there was only four planets upon launch: Tatooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust)
What do you think about this initial selection?
More planets, locations, maps will be coming with the free "seasons" of content after the initial launch - the first being a TLJ season with Finn, Phasma and the Krait planet.
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Star Wars: Battlefront II will be released November 17 and the beta comes out in two weeks.
#StarWars #BattlefrontII #StarWarsVideogames
These are supposedly the planets that will have maps upon launch (at least for the Galactic Assault mode):
Naboo
Kamino
Kashyyyk
Endor
Death Star II
Hoth
Mos Eisley
Yavin IV
Jakku
Takodana
Starkiller Base
3 prequel planets. 5 original trilogy planet/locations. 3 sequel trilogy planets. (Mind that you that for the Battlefront launch in 2015 there was only four planets upon launch: Tatooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust)
What do you think about this initial selection?
More planets, locations, maps will be coming with the free "seasons" of content after the initial launch - the first being a TLJ season with Finn, Phasma and the Krait planet.
Star Wars: Battlefront II will be released November 17 and the beta comes out in two weeks.
#StarWars #BattlefrontII #StarWarsVideogames
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Google is launching a new way for businesses to give new phones to their employees: zero-touch enrollment. The idea here is that employees can use a device out of the box, because all the management services and setting are already ready to go when the device is shipped. This means the user only has to sign in, walk through the setup process and start working, and admins don’t have to do any additional work to authorize these devices and add them to their mobility services.
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ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 available for pre-order at $299
Back at Computex in May, ASUS announced a successor to the original Chromebook Flip C100 — a convertible Chromebook that achieved success thanks to its small, compact design and aluminum build. Now, the successor — the ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 — is finally available for pre-order.
The new ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 features the same overall design as its predecessor and it is still built completely out of aluminum. However, there were a few notable improvements that were made. While the display (which is still IPS) size and screen resolution remain at 10.1-inch and 1280x800, respectively, the display is actually brighter at 400 nits. Internally, you'll find an upgraded OP1 processor (which is the same MediaTek 3399 SoC used in the Samsung Chromebook Plus), 4GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, dual-band 802.11AC Wi-Fi. Bluetooth 4.0, and a 38Wh battery that can deliver up to 9 hours of battery life. On the outside, you'll find two USB Type-C (3.1) ports that can be used to charge the Chromebook, as well as a USB Type-A (2.0) port and a microSD card slot. The new ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 will also support Android apps via the Google Play Store.
You can pre-order the ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 today on the ASUS Store and Amazon for $299, and according to the ASUS Store the Flip C101 should be delivered by September 25th (Amazon does not have a release date set yet).
#ChromeOS #ASUS
Back at Computex in May, ASUS announced a successor to the original Chromebook Flip C100 — a convertible Chromebook that achieved success thanks to its small, compact design and aluminum build. Now, the successor — the ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 — is finally available for pre-order.
The new ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 features the same overall design as its predecessor and it is still built completely out of aluminum. However, there were a few notable improvements that were made. While the display (which is still IPS) size and screen resolution remain at 10.1-inch and 1280x800, respectively, the display is actually brighter at 400 nits. Internally, you'll find an upgraded OP1 processor (which is the same MediaTek 3399 SoC used in the Samsung Chromebook Plus), 4GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, dual-band 802.11AC Wi-Fi. Bluetooth 4.0, and a 38Wh battery that can deliver up to 9 hours of battery life. On the outside, you'll find two USB Type-C (3.1) ports that can be used to charge the Chromebook, as well as a USB Type-A (2.0) port and a microSD card slot. The new ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 will also support Android apps via the Google Play Store.
You can pre-order the ASUS Chromebook Flip C101 today on the ASUS Store and Amazon for $299, and according to the ASUS Store the Flip C101 should be delivered by September 25th (Amazon does not have a release date set yet).
#ChromeOS #ASUS
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President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he had signed an executive order authorizing additional sanctions against North Korea by targeting individuals, companies and financial institutions that do business with what he called "this criminal rogue regime."
Speaking before a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said his goal is the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea and added that the nation led by Kim Jong Un posed a “grave threat to peace and security in our world.”
Speaking before a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said his goal is the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea and added that the nation led by Kim Jong Un posed a “grave threat to peace and security in our world.”
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With the help of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, a German-led group of astronomers have observed the intriguing characteristics of an unusual type of object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter:
Two asteroids orbiting each other and exhibiting comet-like features, including a bright coma and a long tail.
This is the first known binary asteroid also classified as a comet. The research is presented in a paper published in the journal Nature today.
Two asteroids orbiting each other and exhibiting comet-like features, including a bright coma and a long tail.
This is the first known binary asteroid also classified as a comet. The research is presented in a paper published in the journal Nature today.
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Dang, Champions 3rd Ed made me work for it this week stating out a villain concept. Almost had to call off the game +Mark Delsing!
I got it worked out now, a little coffee and a little Bossa Nova to get out the box!
To wit, it would have been easier to stat this out had we used 5/6th ed.
SPOILERS FOLLOW MARK (but nothing we wouldn't talk over)
So there's a NetFlix movie called Spectral. Our first arc is the discovery of that facility and the problem is the 'specters' there. They are intangible, always and KILL when they touch you. For this session, let's call them version 1.0
They can do harm when they touch you. they glide and are intangible.
They are the manifestation of dead soldiers. They have bodies in stasis and are computer managed. They are hostile.
How would you build it circa Champions 3rd Ed?
I'll share my stats after tonight's game.
I got it worked out now, a little coffee and a little Bossa Nova to get out the box!
To wit, it would have been easier to stat this out had we used 5/6th ed.
SPOILERS FOLLOW MARK (but nothing we wouldn't talk over)
So there's a NetFlix movie called Spectral. Our first arc is the discovery of that facility and the problem is the 'specters' there. They are intangible, always and KILL when they touch you. For this session, let's call them version 1.0
They can do harm when they touch you. they glide and are intangible.
They are the manifestation of dead soldiers. They have bodies in stasis and are computer managed. They are hostile.
How would you build it circa Champions 3rd Ed?
I'll share my stats after tonight's game.
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Best Players in the NBA - #T-1
Kevin Durant
Regular Season Stats:
PPG: 25.1
RPG: 8.3
APG: 4.8
SPG: 1.1
BPG: 1.6
FG: 54%
TS: 65%
Playoff Stats:
PPG: 28.5
RPG: 7.9
APG: 4.3
SPG: 0.8
BPG: 1.3
FG: 56%
TS: 68%
2017 Accolades:
All-NBA 2nd Team
NBA All-Star
Kevin Durant
Regular Season Stats:
PPG: 25.1
RPG: 8.3
APG: 4.8
SPG: 1.1
BPG: 1.6
FG: 54%
TS: 65%
Playoff Stats:
PPG: 28.5
RPG: 7.9
APG: 4.3
SPG: 0.8
BPG: 1.3
FG: 56%
TS: 68%
2017 Accolades:
All-NBA 2nd Team
NBA All-Star
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The big LEGO UCS Snowspeeder, an interesting subject to shoot. The size of this monster is very different to what I'm used to with LEGO and snow, I wasn't sure if the powder I use to mimick snow would even work. I mean, I was a little worried that if the grain was too small in scale, the snow would look like dust.
In the end, it worked quite well. I used the big scale of the speeder to find angles I couldn't easily find with the smaller speeders. Going very low with a big camera isn't always that easy, the ground gets in the way.
Shot for a review I wrote for Blocks magazine.
#lego #starwars #snowspeeder #theempirestrikesback #snow #blizzard #toy #toyphotography #avanaut #originality
In the end, it worked quite well. I used the big scale of the speeder to find angles I couldn't easily find with the smaller speeders. Going very low with a big camera isn't always that easy, the ground gets in the way.
Shot for a review I wrote for Blocks magazine.
#lego #starwars #snowspeeder #theempirestrikesback #snow #blizzard #toy #toyphotography #avanaut #originality
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Stranded
Silhouette Island, Seychelles
At dusk and dawn, the landscape have many shapes, silhouettes and shadows that can make your imagination run wild. Here the daybreak seems to reveal a stranded whale half buried in the sand.
It is the same with some animals too – I remember one of my dogs barking incessantly to a mailbox on a pole as he could not make heads or tale of that strange shape in the low light. He might have thought it a very strange human being without arms.
In this case you can just walk up and touch to realise it is just a beautifully carved granite rock. Its smoothness is the result of aeons of sandblasting of the waves swirling the sand around on its surface.
Image Copyright © 2016 +Morten Ross
Image Capture Date: 23 November 2016 05:57
Altitude: 0 meters
#seychelles #mahe #silhouetteisland #sea
#LandscapePhotography +Landscape Photography curated by +Margaret Tompkins +Eric Drumm +Chandler L. Walker +Krzysztof Felczak +AJ Lim +Jeff Beddow +H Peter Ji +Jani Westman +Dorma Wiggin +Ranco Sevla Sevla
#hqsplandscape +HQSP Landscape
#BTPLandscapePro +BTP Landscape Pro , owned and curated by +Nancy Dempsey
Silhouette Island, Seychelles
At dusk and dawn, the landscape have many shapes, silhouettes and shadows that can make your imagination run wild. Here the daybreak seems to reveal a stranded whale half buried in the sand.
It is the same with some animals too – I remember one of my dogs barking incessantly to a mailbox on a pole as he could not make heads or tale of that strange shape in the low light. He might have thought it a very strange human being without arms.
In this case you can just walk up and touch to realise it is just a beautifully carved granite rock. Its smoothness is the result of aeons of sandblasting of the waves swirling the sand around on its surface.
Image Copyright © 2016 +Morten Ross
Image Capture Date: 23 November 2016 05:57
Altitude: 0 meters
#seychelles #mahe #silhouetteisland #sea
#LandscapePhotography +Landscape Photography curated by +Margaret Tompkins +Eric Drumm +Chandler L. Walker +Krzysztof Felczak +AJ Lim +Jeff Beddow +H Peter Ji +Jani Westman +Dorma Wiggin +Ranco Sevla Sevla
#hqsplandscape +HQSP Landscape
#BTPLandscapePro +BTP Landscape Pro , owned and curated by +Nancy Dempsey
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Astronomers caught the black hole in the center of galaxy PGC 43234 devouring a nearby star before releasing a jet stream. Stars, gas and dust can orbit black holes for long periods of time, until a major disruption pushes the material in. A merger of two galaxies is one such disruption. As the galaxies combine and their central black holes approach each other, gas and dust in the vicinity are pushed onto their respective black holes. An enormous amount of high-energy radiation is released as material spirals rapidly toward the hungry black hole, which becomes what astronomers call an active galactic nucleus (AGN).
Supermassive black holes don't give off any light themselves, but they are often encircled by disks of hot, glowing material. The gravity of a black hole pulls swirling gas into it, heating this material and causing it to shine with different types of light. Another source of radiation near a black hole is the corona.
#science #astronomy
Supermassive black holes don't give off any light themselves, but they are often encircled by disks of hot, glowing material. The gravity of a black hole pulls swirling gas into it, heating this material and causing it to shine with different types of light. Another source of radiation near a black hole is the corona.
#science #astronomy
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Enceladus: An Active Ice World in the Saturn System
Enceladus, one of the mid-sized icy moons of Saturn, has an importance to planetary science far greater than its modest 504-km diameter would suggest. Intensive exploration of Enceladus by the Cassini Saturn orbiter has revealed that it is the only known icy world in the solar system with ongoing deep-seated geological activity. Active tectonic fractures at Enceladus's south pole, dubbed “tiger stripes,” warmed by internal tidally generated heat, spew supersonic jets of water vapor, other gases, and ice particles into circum-Saturnian space. A subsurface saltwater sea probably exists under the south pole, between the ice shell and the silicate core. Because of evidence that liquid water is probably present at the jet sources, Enceladus is also of great astrobiological interest as a potential habitat for life.
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-earth-050212-124025#f6
Enceladus, one of the mid-sized icy moons of Saturn, has an importance to planetary science far greater than its modest 504-km diameter would suggest. Intensive exploration of Enceladus by the Cassini Saturn orbiter has revealed that it is the only known icy world in the solar system with ongoing deep-seated geological activity. Active tectonic fractures at Enceladus's south pole, dubbed “tiger stripes,” warmed by internal tidally generated heat, spew supersonic jets of water vapor, other gases, and ice particles into circum-Saturnian space. A subsurface saltwater sea probably exists under the south pole, between the ice shell and the silicate core. Because of evidence that liquid water is probably present at the jet sources, Enceladus is also of great astrobiological interest as a potential habitat for life.
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-earth-050212-124025#f6
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A September Morning Sky
Image Credit & Copyright: Tamas Ladanyi (TWAN)
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170921.html
The Moon, three planets, and a bright star gathered near the ecliptic plane in the September 18 morning sky over Veszprem Castle, Hungary. In this twilight skyscape, Mercury and Mars still shine close to the eastern horizon, soon to disappear in the glare of the Sun. Regulus, alpha star of the constellation Leo, is the bright point next to a waning crescent Moon, with brilliant Venus near the top of the frame. The beautiful morning conjunction of Moon, planets, and bright star could generally be followed by early morning risers all around planet Earth. But remarkably, the Moon also occulted, or passed directly in front of, Regulus and each of the three planets within 24 hours, all on September 18 UT. Visible from different locations, timing and watching the lunar occultations was much more difficult though, and mostly required viewing in daytime skies.
Image Credit & Copyright: Tamas Ladanyi (TWAN)
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170921.html
The Moon, three planets, and a bright star gathered near the ecliptic plane in the September 18 morning sky over Veszprem Castle, Hungary. In this twilight skyscape, Mercury and Mars still shine close to the eastern horizon, soon to disappear in the glare of the Sun. Regulus, alpha star of the constellation Leo, is the bright point next to a waning crescent Moon, with brilliant Venus near the top of the frame. The beautiful morning conjunction of Moon, planets, and bright star could generally be followed by early morning risers all around planet Earth. But remarkably, the Moon also occulted, or passed directly in front of, Regulus and each of the three planets within 24 hours, all on September 18 UT. Visible from different locations, timing and watching the lunar occultations was much more difficult though, and mostly required viewing in daytime skies.
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