Where did Thanksgiving get its start?

Over the years the meaning of Thanksgiving has for the most part been long forgotten. It has become known mostly as day we over eat, watch football and hit the store to start our Christmas shopping. Even those of us that are familiar with the story of the pilgrims the landed at Plymouth Rock have very little idea of the actual meaning behind the celebration.

Even though we associate both Easter and Christmas with religion it is Thanksgiving can traces its beginnings back to the Old Testament. After the Exodus from Egypt there was a set of rules dealing with food and among those where a number of feasts. Among those feasts was the feast of the Tabernacles that is to be celebrated in the month of Tishri, which in our calender is right around October, to give thanks for the harvest that has been provided and their 40 years of survival in the wilderness. Whether or not this was the what the Pilgrims had in mind when they invited the local Indians for their Thanksgiving could be of debate. What can not be denied though is there is a strong parallel between the two feasts since they were both around harvest time and giving thanks to their survival and bountiful harvest.

Is there a new cold war on the rise?

In the 1957 the United Socialist Soviet Republic (USSR) launched Sputnik I as the first blow of the “space race”. Most people around at the time were fascinated thinking that the “space race” was all about exploration and who would get to the Moon first. What most of us didn't know is that both sides had plans to take the “Cold War” into space.

Before the USSR broke up they still had a plan called “Istrebitel Sputnikov” or “Satellite Killer” in the works. When the USSR broke up in the early 1990's there wasn't the funding to keep the project going and it was thought the project was scraped and long forgotten. Recent activity observed by satellite tracker has made some people wonder if maybe those plans have been brought back from the dead file.

In May of this year Russia launched four objects. Three of these were military communication satellites and one was just known as “Object 2014 28E”. After the all the objects were deployed in space it was thought that “Object 2014 28E” was just harmless debris until last week when it was tracked maneuvering to a rocket stage that carried it into space. The Financial Times first reported about this object and its suspicious activity on November 17.

“Whatever it is, [Object 2014-28E] looks experimental,” said Patricia Lewis, research director at think-tank Chatham House and an expert in space security. “It could have a number of functions, some civilian and some military. One possibility is for some kind of grabber bar. Another would be kinetic pellets which shoot out at another satellite. Or possibly there could be a satellite-to-satellite cyber attack or jamming.”

In October of this year a United States Air Force unmanned drone landed after its second mysterious mission. Theories have abounded, including killing satellites, on the purpose of those missions. As far as we know our re-usable military drone has been around years longer then the Russians supposed satellite killer. It makes one wonder if “Object 2014 28E” could be in retaliation of our drone and if there could be a new “space war” brewing.

Other articles on this topic:

• http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/18/a-mysterious-russian-space-object-revives-speculation-about-satellite-killer/
• http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Russians-space-satellite-killer-launch/2014/11/18/id/608062/
• http://www.examiner.com/article/mystery-satellite-could-be-russian-space-weapon?CID=examiner_alerts_article
• http://www.space.com/27806-russia-mystery-object-space-weapon.html

45 years ago Apollo 12 landed on the Moon

We all know the names Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as the first as the first and second people to step foot on the Moon when Apollo 11 landed in July of 1969. We know the name James Lovell as the commander of Apollo 13 because of the movie about the ill-fated mission. Unless you are over 50 or a big follower of space exploration you probably could not name the the third and forth people to put their feet on the surface of the Moon.

It was 45 years ago when Pete Conrad made a pinpoint landing on the surface of the Moon. He then climbed down the ladder to became the third person to set foot on the lunar surface. Lunar Module pilot Alan Bean followed Mr. Conrad to become the forth person .

“Whoopee, man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me," Pete Conrad exclaimed as he became the third person to walk on the Moon

During their 32 hours on the moon Mr. Conrad and Mr. Bean carried out three mission objectives. The first was to complete a more extensive survey of the lunar surface. The second was to set up ALSEP (Apollo lunar surface experiments package) that would collect seismic, scientific and engineering data over the next tow years. The third of the objectives was to not only collect rocks and sail samples but part of the surveyor 3 probe that landed on the Moon on April 20, 1967.

Once the mission was complete Mr. Conrad and Mr. Bean lifted of the lunar surface at 9:25 am (EST) on November 20, 1969. They then made a rendezvous with Richard Gordon, who was orbiting the Moon in the command module, where they docked at 12:58 pm (EST) that same day. The three astronauts then started on the long voyage back to Earth where they splashed down on November 24, 1969 at 3:58 pm (EST).

Other articles on this topic:

• http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo12.html#.VGzsBfnF8-V
• http://townhall.com/news/us/2014/11/19/today-in-history-n1920761

Microsoft re-brands the Lumia smartphone

Over the weekend Redmond-based Microsoft teased us with an image of a new Lumia device sporting the date 11.11.2014 and the notable absence of the Nokia name. The teaser did not clarify whether the new device would be a smartphone or a tablet. A leak that the Verge uncovered hinted that it would indeed be a new low-end smartphone. Last night Microsoft conirmed those leaks when they introduced the new Microsoft Lumia 535 smartphone.

“Lumia 535 comes with our ‘5x5x5’ proposition,” said Jo Harlow, corporate vice president for Phones at Microsoft. “Innovation should be available to everyone, and we are doing this through the very best integrated Microsoft services included and out of the box, a 5MP wide-angle front-facing camera, and a spacious 5-inch qHD screen — all at an affordable price.”

On the outside the Microsoft Lumia 535 is a very nice hand hugging 5.5-inches tall, 2.8-inches wide and 0.3-inches thick. The 5-inch screen will have a 960 x 540 resolution (220ppi) and 24-bit true color. The resolution is comparable to some of the other lower-end smartphones like the Motorola droid Razr. On the inside the 535 runs a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor, has 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage with a mcroSD card slot for up to 128 GB of extra storage. Microsoft also offer 15 GB of cloud storage for up to 161 GB of storage for all your apps, pics and videos.

The Microsoft Lumia 535 an affordable €110, $135 or ₤85. Microsoft will first release the smartphone in select markets in Europe and Asia including Russia, Ukraine, China and Indonesia. Next month they will expand their release area to Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and select areas of Africa. Next year there are plans for the smartphone to be released in Latin America and the United Kingdom but sadly there is no set date for a United States release of the 535.

Other articles of this topic:

• http://www.cnet.com/products/microsoft-lumia-535/
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/11/microsoft_snuffs_out_nokia_with_first_lumia/
• http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/10/microsofts-new-lumia-535-costs-140-and-is-its-first-non-nokia-smartphone/
• http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/lumia535/specifications/

Microsoft to announce their first self branded Lumia

Anyone that has gone to conversations on the the Microsoft's website may have noticed a teaser for a new Lumia device. When looking at the teaser you will notice the absence of the Nokia brand name. In the name's place is the date 11.11.2014. The date hints that on Tuesday, Veteran's day, Microsoft will unveil a new Lumia device that will now be under the Microsoft brand.

Even though Microsoft is keeping this new mobile device under wraps the Verge uncovered leaks on a Chinese website hinting that the new Lumia could be a low-end smartphone similar to the Lumia 530. If this is the case it will be the 5^th in a line of affordable Loumias that include the 530;630;730, the “selfie phone” and 830. That would suggest that this new one would be the 930. Given that Microsoft is putting their own name on the phone they might change the number sequence.

You might wonder why Microsoft has eliminated the nokia brand name from the new Lumia device. The first thought might be that Microsoft did this out of vanity buy that would be a wrong guess. The truth is that when Microsoft purchased the mobile division of Nokia they made an agreement, as shown in a leaked report by The Register, that they must discontinue using the Nokia name by the end of 2015. By making the change now that gives Microsoft a little over a year to purge all of the old stock of Nokia brand Lumia before the 2015 deadline.

The purchase of Nokia's mobile division was given the final approval buy the stockholders of the Finland-based company thereby completing the purchase made by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Once the deal was finalized it made the Redmond-based Microsoft the number 2 mobile phone manufacturer behind only the Korean-based Samsung. Whether or not this will give the Redmond-based giant a boost in the mobile marketshare is still yet to be seen.

Other articles on this topic:

• http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/387312/scitech/technology/microsoft-s-1st-nokia-free-lumia-out-nov-11-report
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/07/microsofts_first_lumia/
• http://www.geekwire.com/2014/microsoft-lumia-nokia/
• http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/3/7149143/first-lumia-with-microsoft-branding-leak

Review: Top Secret Twenty-one

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanivich is the 25^th book starring inept bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. As always there is plenty going on to keep the reader's eyes glued to the pages as they find themselves roaming the streets of New Jersey. You will find yourself walking into the bail bonds office with Stephanie as she picks up her latest FTA (failure to appear) paperwork, riding with her and Lula, tagging along on a date with here sometimes boyfriend or many of the other adventures that are the world of Stephanie Plum.

If things weren't bad enough in Stephanie's everyday life of getting stunned, explosions, she finds that vodka can kill and helping out a friend can be dangerous. The friend is old acquaintance Randy Briggs who Stephanie takes in after his apartment is blown up. The vodka comes in as Stephanie helps Ranger track down the man threatening his life and everyone around him. You will find it hard to put the book down as you follow Stephanie as she juggles all this along with finding time for a somewhat normal life.

Along with Stephanie Plum, Ms. Evanovich brings back our usual cast of characters. There is Lula, the former ho' turned file clerk and Stephanie's part-time assistant bounty hunter; Ranger, former special forces, security and surveillance expert; Joe Morelli, Stephanie's on-and-off boyfriend and Trenton cop; granny Mauzer and others.

I would recommend this book for anyone that has enjoyed the rest of the series, people like bounty hunter or police chases or just a good comedy/adventure book. If you fit into any of those categories then you will find this book well worth your time and money.  

U.S Navy to get mine killing drone by 2016

For almost as long as there have been Navies there have been underwater mines. The first mines were probably an iron vessels filled with gunpowder used in 14^th century China. Over the centuries naval mines haven't changed much other they have become bigger, harder to detect and more sophisticated at detonation.

Whether it was those or the more modern underwater mines avoiding them or destroying them safely has always been a big problem. The United States Navy is on a solution this problem. By sometime in 2016 they expect to have the first prototype of their 40-foot surface skimming drone that will seek out and destroy underwater mines safely.

“UISS is a program to satisfy the Navy’s need for rapid, wide-area mine-clearance capability to neutralize magnetic and acoustic mines. We can hunt for mines, sweep mines and neutralize them,” Captain David Honabach explained.

The 40-foot unmanned vessel will be designed to launch from the back of the navy's Littoral combat ship (LCS). Once the drone is launch it trolls a underwater cable that mimics resonance and magnetic pull of a warship. The mines are fooled into thinking the drone is its target and therefore allowing the drone to dentenated the mine while the rest of the navy is watching from a safe distance.

“Mines have different triggers. Some mines will detonate with an acoustic trigger and some with a magnetic trigger – and some with both. We generate a magnetic field that emulates a warship and we acoustically emulate a warship,” Capt. Honabach said. “We use a Mark 104 acoustic generator and a magnetic cable that trails behind the boat with an electric current that passes through it.”

In September of this year contractor Textron Systems was awarded a $118 million dollar contract to develop the drone within two year. They will then supply the United States Navy more of these vessels over the next 3 years.