Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Scientists Aren't All Bad

Sometimes they come up with ideas to filter light to determine what elements make up the material that the light is being reflected off of or traveling through -  Red/Orange=Sulfur, Blue=Oxygen, Green=Helium, and so on.

Then they design machines such as Hubble, or even ground based telescope arrays to take magnificent pictures (and process them) of those things in space that provoke thought and inspiration.

The Butterfly Nebula.

Worth the tax money.

Click the picture to go to the APOD site and read a description.  I wonder if Bunni has been there to take a closer look.



28 comments :

  1. While I am loathe to contradict The Kid, lest a pox descend upon my house, I shall nonetheless proceed:

    Taking frilly photos of the cosmos, while purty an' all, should be a private concern. It's more or less art, and accordingly its pursuit should not be funded by taxpayers (like the National Endowment for the Arts, NEA).

    Next thing you know, our tax payer money will be funding jars full of urine containing a miniature model of the Hubble telescope on display, and the 'scientist' calling it 'The Piss Cosmos.' And of course demanding another year of funding at taxpayer expense to create yet another 'scientific' breakthrough.

    And calling it science.

    Star gazing is not meant to be funded by taxpaying schmoes, who don't 'get it' like me.

    'But it provokes thought,' you say.

    So does watching a bear shit in the woods, and I suspect the latter would get a lot more YouTube hits....

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    1. Fredd, let me just put it this way. Given the small amount of money that goes into telescopes and rockets, we get the most bang for the buck from this than from any other Federally funded venture.

      And It's OK if it doesn't do anything for you. :)

      And it looks like a lot of the space related stuff is going to shift to the private sector, so that is cool too. And cheaper.

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  2. I also note that Fredd is no longer 'dark.' Thanks for resurrecting my dead, burnt body, Kid.

    I feel better already.

    And don't go betting the farm on gold moving much. I don't have a feel for it either way, and accordingly I suspect it will move sideways for a year or two.

    Is there an instrument that pays off when gold doesn't move? An option, perhaps a covered call or put of some sort, right? Bracket the price between $1200 low and $1450 high.

    Do those.

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    1. Fredd, You could very well be right about the gold. No farm betting here. Unless something changes.
      Though GDX Does have an upwardly sloping trendline from the recent low of June 26, and two higher lows, August 8 and Sept 13.... And a very outsized move today on the littlest of no news from gentle ben. No farm betting though!

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  3. I picture her zipping around the universe to take it all in.

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  4. Looks like a very pretty iridescent bikini top to me :-)
    But you know how this science stuff goes over MY head!!

    XXX

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    1. A, That may be a bikini top - but remember, there are no bras allowed in space. :)

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    2. PS - I meant Z, not A, and PPS - XXXxxxx

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  5. No Bras allowed in space--too funny!!
    C-CS
    any more 'tips'!?

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  6. Carol-CS, :)

    TSLA is my best idea at present. As long as wall street expects Tesla to go into a rapid growth phase, it will continue to pay up for the stock until Tesla's earnings can be more closely predicted. That's where I'd go. Market crashes and all bets off but of course Mademoiselle.

    Nice action in TSLA today. If you look at a chart, you can draw a line along the bottom of the low points and that is your uptrend. I wouldn't worry about it unless that uptrend line was broken by a sell-off.

    I'll keep my eyes open and let you know any more ideas.

    'Wall Street' was kind of surprised by the huge reaction to Ben not tapering QE3 yesterday. I'd maybe wait for that to settle out a couple days before doing anything in the market. Today, I read it was the high frequency trading that was responsible for the big initial move at least. Program trading.

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  7. Gold is about to take a plunge--relieve to emotional players of their holdings so the big players can buy it all up at a much lower position. There is some noise about silver being on the scarce, cause of electronics (smart phones and tablets and all the gadgets) moving in the market place.
    The stock market is a big side show with a lot of smoke and mirrors.
    The bounce yesterday for the word - from gentle Ben, it was a glitch the went by at the snap of the fingers -you had to have your finger on the button-at the right time. Some one gave a heads up - Can you say insider trading?

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    1. TS/WS, I don't know where gold is going, it could very well be down. It is keying off the dollar somewhat now, but I absolutely agree that Stocks Don't Move, Stocks Are Moved. Big money talks.
      I'd heard that the Goldman Sachs HFT trading computers, and other program trading computers, keyed Instantly off the no taper and caused the drop in the dollar, as well as all the other big moves. Yes Sir. Big money talks and takes care of its own.
      Elliot Wave patterns are supposedly pointing to one more big drop in Gold followed by a Huge Rally that most won't participate in until its near another top. Buy High, Sell Low or vice versa.
      Thanks for dropping by :)

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    2. TS/WS, Have you ever heard of Jeff Cooper and/or Gann Market theory that involves using a square of nine chart? Wheel of time and price. I've been watching Jeff at Minyanville talk about IF/Then moves in the market and it's amazing how accurate this thing can be.

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    3. Haven't heard of this wheel/square 9
      lately the news has given a "Tell"
      if you know who the big players are ( and you do) watch current events from around the globe and there will be a "Tell" about most gadgets (oil and gas and electronics..etc..) -then look at the manufacturing companies who are connected,
      and the Merchant Bankers.
      The Merchant Bankers will loan money for the Shipments of goods for import and export.
      If the Merchant Bankers won't loan the money then the stuff will sit on the docks (and or warehouses).
      I have a book on the fignaggiling of reports that companies use to show a movement of goods whether shipped or maybe shipped but not invoiced--and still counted as a profit.
      That's why there is a "Correction" (a big drop or a sudden surge in the Market) everyonce in a while.
      That's why I say it is smoke and mirrors.

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    4. I meant the Merchant Bankers will loan money in troubled areas.
      Kenya is in the news now---look for import/export connected to that surrounded area,
      there is a "Tell" there but I haven't been in the know for that area. Is water filter purification and other dissintary products,
      and or medical supplies been effected for import--maybe put on hold or shipped to another port nearby.
      Anyway look for such news of troubled hot spots--that's where you will find the Merchant Bankers and Connected Companies MAKING BIG BUCKS!!!

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    5. I keep forgetting to explain how to put this together.
      If a company ships goods and doesn't invoice and or hasn't collected-they will still show a big movement in their report to the FEC , and their stock price will shoot up for that quarter and maybe the next--then the next report for another quarter will show that the money did not come in and there will be a loss report and the stock price will take a dive; that's where the CEO's get a bonus for those quarters and the people who dabble in the stock market will not know when to get out and suffer the plunge---can you say insider trading!

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    6. TS?WS, You know more accounting details than I do most likely, all I know if the bankers make money coming and going. As an aside, I remember some wall street guys talking about how some company will pay a billion for some company only to find out it was really worth 100 million, HP did it. MSFT, and others. Then a couple years later they take a "non-cash goodwill write-off'. Gotta be some Big Guffaws over expensive booze going on with those deals too.

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    7. once again you don't take me seriously.
      NCIS tonight new show for the season opened with big corporations with Gov contracts in bed with bad guys, creating global hotspots so they can make billions.
      I've told you before that the story line is allways told to us in a tv show or movie so they can rub our noses init-and they present it in a way as to say to any who would out them, ha you watch to much tv.
      As with the Unions and Bubba and Marc Rich and Bill Richardson, the OPEC to raise campaign funds for Bubba's reelection---------it's their motis operan-di why can't more see it?

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    8. And this just in----------------
      -------- COLUMBUS, Ohio - Columbus Police headquarters has been placed on lockdown after a reported explosion was heard in the building Tuesday night.

      According to Columbus police, at about 7:27 p.m., a reported explosion was heard in the building on Marconi Blvd.

      Additional crews were called to the scene, including Ohio State police and canine units.

      There was no word on injuries at this time.

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    9. TS/WS. On no my friend. I take you Very Seriously. The game is rigged. There is a Club and we're not in it. I get all that. I think you have more details than I do, but one reason for that is I can't do anything about it, and so I've decided to put more pleasant things in my brain than the details of the evil doers. That's all. Personal preference.

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    10. TS/WS. Muslims?

      Frankly I hope so. A tactic used by Chessmasters it to 'force your opponent to make their move before they're ready'.

      I trust you'll know what I mean if I say this would be a good time for an all out shindig with the muslims. Especially in conservative areas.

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  8. Who is Bunni?
    I can only think of Dr. Eward Bunnigus.

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    1. Ed, This is Bunni

      Here was her website.

      She was a fan of the space stuff and we mused we'd be exploring the universe in the after-life.

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  9. I find this fascinating. I have to be honest and admit that I did not know about the no bra rule in space. Do you think there is a NØbama rule, as well?

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    1. Mustang, Bras simply aren't needed in low gravity. Actually, I recently read a study that concluded bras were actually bad for women. We can hope.

      Anyway, I've just finished a detailed inspection of This Galaxy and results are Negative on existence of obama.

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    2. Hmmm. So are you saying that in a no-gravity environment, the absence of bras won't produce a "floundering" problem?

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    3. Mustang, that's the objective. wink

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