The Centrifuge Accommodations Module (CAM) is a cancelled element of the International Space Station that would have provided controlled acceleration rates (artificial gravity) for experiments.

AFAIK some of the more important scientific questions answerable with the ISS require this module. It was canned.

Centrifuge Accommodations Module - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I first read this book as a aimless 16-year old kid...now I'm an astrophysicist./blockquote>
Picked up this book randomly at a book store - glad I did. I managed to plow through it in a few sittings. Sagan provides a prescient explanation of the methods and motivations of the space program. Its interesting to google some of the unanswered questions raised in this book, merely 15 years old, and find that some of those questions have hence been answered.

Amazon.com: Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (9780345376596): Carl Sagan: Books

Well-known coder and activist Aaron Swartz was arrested Tuesday, charged with violating federal hacking laws for downloading millions of academic articles from a subscription database service that MIT had given him access to.

Based on whats been written here I don't think this prosecution is appropriate.

Federal law prohibits unauthorized access. There is a difference between unauthorized access, and unauthorized use of access that you already have. One is a crime and the other is a breach of contract.

This law criminalizes unauthorized access to a computer system because of the potential impact on the privacy and integrity of the data in computer systems as well as the integrity of the computing infrastructure.

Unauthorized use of a computing service that you have legitimate access to does not raise these kinds of implications. Although steps were taken to circumvent technical barriers that were put in place to prevent over use of the system, these barriers are not the same thing as access controls. This person was not prohibited from accessing the system.

Feds Charge Activist as Hacker for Downloading Millions of Academic Articles | Threat Level | Wired.com

Scientists analyzing data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft now have the first-ever, up-close details of a Saturn storm that is eight times the surface area of Earth.

Cassini Captures Images and Sounds of Saturn Storm - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Moving numbers around can do only so much. Over the long haul, you've got to invent or improve real products and services to grow.

Why a Rise in M.B.A.s Coincided with the Fall of American Industry -- Printout -- TIME

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"This Painting is Not Available in Your Country" | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I haven't read this yet - I just ordered it, but the descriptions and reviews make it sound like an interesting read for computer engineers. Most technical aspects of the space program would require a lot of study for me to really understand - I'm not an aerospace or mechanical engineer. But I can design computers - so it might be interesting to learn about computers in spacecraft. Embedded systems design is my favorite kind of computer engineering because its about making the best out of limited resources, a real technical challenge. I imagine the computers in modern space craft like Dawn are far more sophisticated, but this might be a fun introduction to the subject.

The Apollo Guidance Computer: Architecture and Operation is the first comprehensive description of the Apollo computer, beginning with its internal organization to its user interface and flight software. Particular emphasis is placed on the instruction set, Executive capabilities, the Interpreter and the detailed procedures for mission application software. Launch, landing on the Moon and entry back on Earth are explained in rich detail and show how the computer was an integral part of the spacecraft operation. As a comprehensive account, it spans the disciplines of computer science, aerospace engineering and spacecraft operations.

Amazon.com: The Apollo Guidance Computer: Architecture and Operation (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration) (9781441908766): Frank O'Brien: Books

Googling around I found a video of the talk I did a HOPE on warrantless laptop searches. This was years ago but the content is still relevant and listening to it I think I did a pretty job explaining the issues.

‪Warrantless Laptop Searches at US Borders (part 1 of 7)‬‏ - YouTube

If you are in a car with THREE OR MORE motorists, you can ride in the Express Lane for free. If not, you can choose to ride in it for a toll. You can change the "toll mode" on your Peach Pass to avoid getting charged while carpooling, but you have to do it at least 15 minutes in advance - which could be tricky, or rather costly, if you forget.

Lame

What will the toll be?

Here is the most complex part of the whole thing. The toll will change, varying between 10 cents and 90 cents per mile depending on the amount of traffic and other factors, such as the number of vehicles in the Express Lanes and the general lanes, volume capacity in those lanes, the overall speed...

Frequently asked questions about I-85 Express Lanes | 11alive.com

For 25 years, the field of robotics has been bedeviled by a fundamental problem: If a robot is to move through the world, it needs to be able to create a map of its environment and understand its place within it...

On November 4, a solution was discovered—in a videogame. That’s the day Microsoft released the Kinect for Xbox 360, a $150 add-on that allows players to direct the action in a game simply by moving their bodies. Most of the world focused on the controller-free interface, but roboticists saw something else entirely: an affordable, lightweight camera that could capture 3-D images in real time.

Kinect Hackers Are Changing the Future of Robotics | Magazine