Reflection

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[joxster-blog]

Art by @Nakaetsu786

Soooo gorgeous!

[hardcoremisery]

the slaughter of the lamb 🔪

[blazepress]

Hole punch flip book.

[nasa]

5 NASA Software Codes You Can Download – For Free!

One of the biggest steps of any mission starts right here on Earth at a computer desk – NASA runs on software, period. Rovers can’t move, spacecraft can’t fly, even rockets can’t blast off without the software codes that run them all.

We’ve compiled hundreds of these powerful codes into one location at software.nasa.gov. And guess what? You can start downloading them right now for free! Here are just a few you can use:  

1. TetrUSS (Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System)

TetrUSS has been used extensively for space launch vehicle analysis and design, like on the Space Launch System, which is planned to take humans to Mars.

You really could say it’s helping us to “blast off.” Outside of NASA, this software has been used to analyze Mars planetary entry vehicles, ballistics and even high-altitude sky diver aerodynamics. Basically if anything has moved through any planetary atmosphere, this software has played a role.

2. KNIFE (part of the FUN3D software and released as a package)

The name may be a bit intimidating, but with good reason – KNIFE packs a powerful punch. 

It was created to help us learn more about the sonic booms that resonate when planes break the sound barrier, but it has also helped develop green energy sources such as wind turbines and techniques to minimize drag for long-haul trucking. Maybe we should re-name this versatile and handy code, “Swiss Army KNIFE?”

3. Cart3D (Automated Triangle Geometry Processing for Surface Modeling and Cartesian Grid Generation)

If software codes went to high school, Cart3D would be Prom Queen. This software is so popular, it is being used in almost every mission area here at NASA. 

Engineers and scientists are currently using it to model everything from advanced drones to quieter supersonic aircraft.

4. FACET (Future Air Traffic Management Concepts Evaluation Tool)

Frequent flyers: this may be your favorite code without even knowing it. FACET was developed to evaluate futuristic concepts in air traffic management, and it has served as a testbed for assessing today’s regular operations. 

To sum it up, this software code helps airports keep planes organized in the air and on the ground.

5. GIPSY-OASIS

GIPSY-OASIS is part of the GPS system to end all GPS systems. It’s so accurate, John Deere used it to help create self-driving tractors.

 How? John Deere already had a navigation system in the works, but it could only be used in certain parts of the world. 

Our ground stations are all across the globe, and our software ensures accuracy down to a few inches. And so, a new breed of tractor was born!  Did we mention this software is free?

These are just a few examples of the software NASA has available for free public and consumer use. To browse the catalog online, check out software.nasa.gov.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

[noosphe-re]

Laboratory of Neuro Imaging at UCLA and Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at MGH

[noosphe-re]

Indeed, the line between perceiving and hallucinating is not as crisp as we like to think. In a sense, when we look at the world, we are hallucinating all the time. One could almost regard perception as the act of choosing the one hallucination that best fits the incoming data, which is often fragmentary and fleeting.

V.S. Ramachandran (via inthenoosphere)

[certaincollegestudent-blog]

天下乌鸦一般黑

tiān xià wū yā yī bān hēi | the crows under the sky are half black

Bad people are all the same. You find bad people everywhere.

[diaryofanangryasianguy]

Lmao if this thread ain’t the peak of Asian American culture idk what is.

[oceansprincess]

[overthink]

Iva Spasojević

[drainedswimmingpool]

[lacuna-matata]

[iron-goat-deactivated20170816]

[certaincollegestudent-blog]

CRL #7

In CRL #7, we were asked to identify and consider the voice we create when we are writing, specifically “What kind of voices do you hear in your writing?”, “What sides of you come through in your writing?”, and “Do you trust the voice or person you hear in your writing?” To answer those questions I replied: 

It’s a voice I often rely on to create more interesting writing pieces. Instead of just arguing for something that everyone agrees with, that voice actually takes a side and choses an argument with no clear right answers. Although this essay was less argumentative and more analytical, I was still able to investigate into Stevenson’s more philosophically-based arguments. I was very biased toward Stevenson’s message, and while that definitely was true, I do not think that necessarily makes me less credible/trustworthy. It’s only untrustworthy if I do not provide accurate reasoning behind my bias, but I think I do.

Firstly, I enjoyed being asked to identify my “voice” and its characteristics. Asking to identify our voice is essentially asking us to analyze the direction our writing process took us and by extension, our own opinions and personalities. This CRL prompt made the connection between our writing style and our identity. In this way, we learn that our writing will always be a manifestation of our own “self”. Interestingly, by being more aware of the way we write, we also learn more about ourselves (po 1.4). 

This is not the first or last time this class has asked me to think about my own writing process so carefully. 

But I would also like to address my response to the prompt. In it, I mentioned how my voice “actually takes a side and chooses an argument with no clear right answers (po 1.3, Complexity).” By this, I was trying to convey that I come up with paper topics that are more philosophical. For example, in my Analysis Essay, I wanted to talk about how Stevenson uses rhetorical practices to make his audience both (1) doubt the current justice system and (2) form their own belief in what the justice system should be. To me, this was a more interesting perspective of Stevenson’s rhetorical goal as opposed to the more straightforward “Stevenson’s greater project is to convince readers to fight against the injustices of the criminal justice system but more specifically, abolish the death penalty” (this was my original proposal I submitted to Eli Review). 

[fatfatties]

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

[fenkko]

how do you comfort a ghost

[certaincollegestudent-blog]

Undertale, the game

[certaincollegestudent-blog]

The paradox of education is precisely this - that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.

James Baldwin