Monthly Archives: November 2013

Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP Release a Full Frontal Lesson in Pop Music Y2K+13

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Public Relations, Social Media Relations, Technology, Women

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Lady Gaga is the artist that some love to hate, still it’s hard not to be in awe of Lady Gaga’s success. If you want a textbook case of how to create anticipation over an artist’s work, then study Lady Gaga’s newest musical release, ARTPOP. Sans costumes and masks, Lady G demonstrates why she is the reigning queen of popular music even without the flash.

ARTPOP by Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga’s newest ‘album’ ARTPOP 

Delivery of Product
It’s important to have a historical perspective of the journey of an artist’s music from the recording studio to the listener’s ear. When ARTPOP was released last week, millions accessed the ‘album’ without buying a vinyl disc, recorded magnetic tape, cd, nor any tangible media. This is old news, but much of the music industry still fails to accept that the world has changed. Today, music goes from recording studio to the listener in the time it Sarah Palin to say something stupid, yet the music industry is still trying to figure out how to keep old revenue streams (e.g.; CD sales) going despite the new reality.

Quality of Work
While there are rare examples of a great album coming together in a matter of months, most quality music takes time, focus, and dedication. Lady Gaga started work on ARTPOP in 2011 and spent much of 2012 and some of 2013 molding it into a final product. It is said that William Shakespeare did not waste a word in crafting a play. Each line is intended to have meaning and purpose. Such are the songs of ARTPOP.

Art work from ARTPOP

Art work from ARTPOP

How many songs in the ARTPOP collection will be in the Top 10 on the charts is unknown; however, it is clear that each song is crafted for its poetry, musicality, and/or statement on life, sex, and fame. The songs are blatant expressions from the Lady Gaga point of view. This is not music for pre-teens. It is heavily laced with sexuality and statements of passion. She also takes a slaps the fashion industry with Donatella and Fashion! 

ARTPOP is the exclamation point in the pop music industry. Lady Gage uses all aspects of technology and media in conceiving, nurturing, and delivering her artistic creations to the listener. She reaches out to her public, but is not a slave to them. She gives the audience what it wants, and then gives them more. I believe she is sincere singing, “I live for the applause.” (Applause) and just as sincere when she sings, “U can’t have my heart and u won’t use my mind’ (Do What U Want featuring R Kelly.)

ARTPOP is pop music Y2K+13 and Lady Gaga is writing the book on how it’s done.

(NOTE:  This review was not solicited nor was any form of compensation offered in exchange for the views expressed.)

Camera Locations Needed For NASA All Sky Fireball Network

15 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by in Education, Photography, Science, Space, Technology

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Did you see a meteor fireball last night? Do you know how far away or near it was to you? Do you know how fast it was going? What direction it came from or if pieces of it might have hit the ground? NASA is trying to answer those questions by maintaining a constant watch on our skies.

Recently NASA started the All Sky Fireball Network, which is a series of cameras that look up for major meteor fireballs in the sky. They use a minimum of two cameras placed 50 to 90 miles apart to allow both cameras to record the fireball. That allows NASA to determine the direction and speed of the meteor.

Current camera locations for NASA's Fireball network

Current camera locations for NASA’s Fireball network

The network is operated by NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) in Huntsville, Alabama, and they are looking for additional locations for the bi-camera system. The sites must meet the following requirements:

Camera
Need an outdoor location that is/has:

  •  Secure
  • A mostly unobstructed view of the sky, horizon to horizon
  • Relatively free of light pollution – no bright lights near the camera. For example:
  • No sports field or stadium lights nearby
  • No towers with blinking lights visible
  • No parking lot lights that would shine into the camera
  • Stable; we cannot mount a camera on a moving roof or other platform that would change the camera’s position from night to night.
  • Distant from kilowatt radio transmitters or other sources of radio noise

Camera-control Computer
Need an indoor location that is/has:

  • Secure
  • Climate controlled (ideally)
  • Power
  • Fast, reliable Internet connection (minimum upload speed of 100 KB/s) with the ability to assign a static IP address
  • The ability to open port 22 for internet communication in/out (only necessary if a firewall is in place)
  • Located within 125 feet of the camera
  • The means to run cables from the camera to the computer
  • A window or some other means (e.g. short cable run to the outdoors) by which the GPS unit can get a lock. The cable on the GPS receiver is 22 feet long, so the window would need to be located within 22 feet of the computer. Similarly, a cable run to the outdoors shouldn’t be more than 22 feet long.

If your organization is interested in making a proposal, contact Danielle Moser at MEO at the Marshall Space Flight Center or contact me for her email.

Wimpy Sunspot Maximum Typical for Early in the Century

09 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by in Science, Space

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Seven identified sunspots are on the Earth-side for 9 NOV 2013

Seven identified sunspots are on the Earth-side for 9 NOV 2013

Sunspots of 9 NOV 2013

Sunspots of 9 NOV 2013

The Sun’s sunspot maximum is turning out to be a dud, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. The sunspot maximum began its eleven year cycle in 2010 after one of the quietest solar minimums in recent history. Now in its fourth year, the sunspot maximum is one of the wimpiest since early last century.

Graph 1.0 Sunspot cycle for last 60 years

Sunspot cycle for last 60 years

The current sunspot activity is half to two-thirds of the previous five cycles (See Graph 1.0;) however, the current cycle is typical of the first solar maximum of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries (See Graph 2.0.)

Graph 2.0 Sunspot activity since 1700

Graph 2.0 Sunspot activity since 1700

The current cycle is also building to a double peak of sunspot activity that has been consistent in the last three sunspot maximums, which is typically followed by a rapid drop off of sunspot numbers. It is likely that activity will fall dramatically during 2014-15 leading us into the next solar minimum that will bottom out late in this decade.