3 posts tagged “space”
Nancy Atkinson at Universe Today writes about a good idea by a man called Jim McLane – send one man or woman to Mars, just to stir things up a little and get some science done. I like the idea. Read the story.
However, there's one disturbing detail in the article, namely McLane's idea for a slightly different mission: a one-man and one-woman crew, "possibly creating an Adam and Eve-type situation". Is it just I who immediately think "what good would that do" and "why not a gay couple"? I think it's rather bizarre and tasteless to suggest that the incestuous Christian creation myth would be a positive template upon which to design a mission – sure, it'd be good for the astronaut to have a sexual partner, but what's the point of it being a man and a woman? One can imagine that they might be able to raise a couple of children, who could then work the family farm... But that'd be the end of the line, since we now know that it's usually a bad idea for siblings to mate, or for children to mate with their parents – something many authors of the bible didn't consider when throwing together that nasty piece of junk litterature.
Those were just a few of my random thoughts when reading the article. I'm all for sending someone to Mars :).
I just listened to this track I made ~7 years ago, and I still find it really good. I've not been overly productive in the years since then, although I'm trying to get some stuff done (visit olaglig.info for a bunch of relatively fresh tracks). If you want to purchase some ambient music, be sure to visit the label Databloem – this track was released on that label's first CD, a compilation called Collection 1: Opening. Since this is the only track by me that has been commercially released, it's also the only one to have been commerically reviewed:
'Encounter' by the Civilized Electrons starts extremely quietly, soft tones being allowed to just hang in the air. In the third minute in comes the most beautiful dreamy melody which goes through a number of mutations in both structure as well as the sound chosen. It just gets better and better. A four note loop works its way into your consciousness, it had probably been there slowly intensifying for some time before I actually noticed it. Gradually it becomes more like a pulse or soft throb. The repeated melody has something of a hypnotic quality but is never boring. An additional lead line is added in the tenth minute eventually replacing its predecessor, another slow delicate melody complimenting it wonderfully lower in the mix. Its all so delicate. A wonderful track to finish a very impressive album. (Synth Music Direct)
The Civilized Electrons (from Sweden): "Encounter (in an Unexplored Nebula)" is a calming dose of ambience that defends its unhurried structure with placid outbursts of gurgling particles. (Sonic Curiosity)
Sweden's The Civilized Electrons offer the undulating fogbanks and starsheen which is an "Encounter (in an Unexplored Nebula)"; gauzey resonance fluctuates as brighter synthtones flex through them (again in a "classic" synthmusic mode with lots of apparent sequencer journeys and faux instrumetal swells). (AmbiEntrance)
Last but not least is "Encounter (In an Unexplored Nebula)," by The Civilized Electrons from Sweden. This is excellent pure space music, and will have you drifting pleasurably off into the ether to finish things off. (Exposé Magazine)
At ~2:45 am (GMT+1) this morning, Christer Fuglesang became the first Swede to leave Earth's atmosphere. I watched the live broadcast from Kennedy Space Center, and I must say that it was pretty cool. Being a non-nationalist individualist, my main feeling was that of happiness for Mr. Fuglesang. He has struggled to reach space for many years, and his name has been used by sports commentators as an expression for people who spend all their time on the bench. Being a science fiction geek, my secondary feeling was simple astonishment over the reality of space travel. For 50 years, we've been doing something that was unthinkable (except for science fiction authors) only 100 years ago. Pretty cool.
One thing that bugs me, though, is all the people who feel that they had to comment everything that happened during the launch. On Swedish television, the programs they had put together to cover the event consisted of a bunch of amateur reporters saying pointless things and asking stupid question to invited experts. Being Swedish experts, these people didn't impress either. They might be good at what they do, but they sure don't sound like it. TV4 did better than SVT2, by simply broadcasting the official NASA coverage (I think). There, a calm American focused on what was happening and threw in some interesting facts along the way ("the shuttle has now used over 100 billion gallons of liquid concrete and is travelling at a speed of over 50 miles per hour", stuff like that).
Another thing that bugged be was a short discussion about life in outer space on the first channel. An expert, who was pretty sure that there is life elsewhere in the universe (which is nothing new – the alternative, that life exists only on Earth, is a far more bizarre idea), seemed to consider only carbon-based life. Life "as we know it" – I hope she's aware that we don't know much, and that it is narrow-minded to assume that the only kind of life possible is that which has evolved on Earth (resulting in the deadly virus Homo sapien). But that's a topic that could (and does) fill volumes, so I'll shut up now.
