This Week in Geekdom



Happy Sunday everyone. I write to you with paint and glue-covered hands on this last weekend day before PAX. If all goes according to plan, the sword will be 100% complete by the end of the day, ideally leaving me with an hour or so to do hair trials. This week's post will be a little on the short side as a result of this final push towards the finish line. Also, if anyone out there is headed to PAX next week and would like to say hi or hit up the board game hall, give a shout on one of the social media pages!

Science/Technology

2014 is shaping up to be a banner year for astrophysics. Scientists at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab have used existing measurements of the gamma radiation at the center of our galaxy to extract new clues as to the existence and perhaps even the origin of dark matter.

Image by NASA and the Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa
Space madness is one of those time-tested tropes of science fiction but, as we inch closer to a manned expedition to Mars, NASA attempts to gather information as to how an extraterrestrial existence may affect the psyche.  Check out their latest Mars simulation experiment here.

There was quite a bit of misinformation being tossed about this week, largely due to the fact that it was April Fool's Day on Tuesday, but one of the most persistent rumors told of a day that would feature a period of less gravity (during which we could all float around, freefall style). While that certainly isn't true, the Earth does actually contain areas that have 'missing' gravity. The Hudson Bay area of Canada is one such seismic anomaly. 

General Awesomeness

Yesterday marked the -49th anniversary of First Contact!

Treasure hunters rejoice! The New York Public Library has released this collection of 20,000 maps as hi-res viewable files for all to see.

Tardis-style police call boxes are making a comeback in the UK.

Robert Downey Jr. continues to win at life.

And, in honor of tonight's premiere of Season 4 of Game of Thrones, here are all 5,000+ character deaths that the show has featured thus far.


Best wishes for an excellent week ahead!

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