Our Galaxy May Contain Billions of Planets That Could Support Life

Posted on November 4, 2013 by jacquelynne bernstein

 

Although the thought of life on other worlds has become more popular in the last century, dominating the science fiction genres of film, television, and literature, the notion has been recorded for centuries. Man has always wondered what else is out there in the universe. If there is life here on earth, than that means there may be life elsewhere. Since the advent of modern astronomy technology, such as the Hubble telescope, one of the continuing projects of scientists all over the world is the search for planets that could, like earth,support life. After years of searching, scientists have released a general estimate for earth-like planets in our own galaxy: over two billion.

 

There are many, many factors that must be set in a specific way in order for life to exist on a planet. Most of the planets scientists find could are too hostile to support any kind of life. It takes the right temperature, distance from a sun, axis, and terrain to support life, along with many other more minute factors. While the planets scientists have found that can possible support life are in great number, this does not mean that life really exists on any of them. It will take many years of technology improvement in order for science to be able to fully explore other worlds, even from a distance. The thought of finding other forms of life keeps scientists going, and until they find something, science fiction will continue to expand our imagination regarding what that encounter would be like.

 

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World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table Has Many More Layers Than People Realize

Posted on November 4, 2013 by ahittel

On Monday night, the final 9 participants of the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Main Event will finally play out the final table they reached back in July.  The tournament started with 6352 participants, leading to a 1st place prize of $8.3 million.  The final table (aka “the November Nine”) is broadcast live (with a slight delay) on ESPN2, and tends to attract a lot of attention from the casual viewer.  While these casual viewers get caught up in the excitements of all-ins, the huge prize money, and the idea of the dream, there’s many other interesting factors that run through the tournament that those who aren’t serious poker players aren’t privy to.

One of these things is the fact that many, if not all, of these players have received coaching from top pros over the course of the 4 months since play first wrapped up in July.  This will lead to many of the players playing completely differently than they did up through their initial run to the final table.  And most casual viewers also tend not to realize just how much time it takes to get to the final table, as they are used to see quick highlights of big hands on TV broadcasts.  The truth is these players all made it through 7 grueling days with 12-14 hours of play each to get to this point.  Another factor that is often lost on casual viewers is the amount of thought and analysis that goes into each and every hand of poker.  There’s an incredible amount of calculation of odds and probability, as well as psychology and planning that goes into every decision in a hand of poker.  While poker is often seen as purely a game of luck, that is not the case.  There’s an incredible amount of skill that goes into the game, that can often be masked due to the presence of variance.  Regardless of all these things that can be lost on the average viewer, the WSOP Main Event final table still manages to entertain both the average viewer and the knowledgeable poker player alike.  There’s one idea that appeals to both types of viewers: at the end of it all, one person will be left standing and claiming an incredibly life-changing amount of money for their efforts.

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House of Blues: Rip Off or Steal?

Posted on November 4, 2013 by gabriellemotto

There was so much going on this weekend in Central Florida! On Saturday, Benny Menassi was in the CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida. On Sunday, the House of Blues at Downtown Disney was the place to be. The radio station XL 106.7 sponsored an awesome concert. The artists who performed were MKTO, Cher Lloyd, and Demi Lovato. The music was great and the venue is awesome in spite of some of its drawbacks.

House of Blues is a standing room venue. There aren’t any seats, which can be viewed as either a good thing or something bad. It’s great because it allows for the audience to be closer to the artists. Its can be viewed as a disadvantage because people have to stand for the entire duration of the performance. I personally stood on the stairs off to the side. If you’re ever at House of Blues, standing on the stairs off to the side is definitely one of the best places to watch the show from. It provides a perfect view of the stage over the heads of the people packed in the middle.

Something that I wasn’t a fan of was the fact that it’s first come first serve. The earlier you get there, the closer you can be to the stage. They also did something that wasn’t too fond of. They made two lines; one was for general admission and the other was called “pass the line.” The “pass the line” was so that people could get in ahead of the general admission line. The catch is that one must spend twenty dollars, either at the House of Blues restaurant or gift shop, to gain access to that line. It was a little upsetting to get there and realize that I would have to pay extra if I wanted to get a good spot. In spite of that, I enjoyed the intimacy of the space and the concert was a lot of fun.

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Electric Daisy Carnival to Take Over Orlando

Posted on November 4, 2013 by nlabosco

Almost any college student nowadays is aware of the Electric Daisy Carnival.  If you have never heard of it, it’s assumed you have been under a rock or completely out of the loop.  The Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC, is a 2-3 day long festival of lights, electronic dance music (EDM), and good vibes.  Tons of well-known DJs make their way to perform at the festival and entertain the masses of young adults looking to have a killer time.  The festival includes carnival rides and lasts from 1 p.m. to midnight, where attendees are sure to be entertained.  That’s at least the positive side of the Electric Daisy Carnival.

Like most festivals, there are some downfalls.  Most college students, or anyone for that matter, that will be attending EDC will be drinking and/or doing drugs.  There are what seems to be an almost extinct population of young adults who are simply just going for an amazing experience…sober.  I happen to be one of those rare people and truly hope my experience isn’t ruined with having to deal with drunk and/or high people.  There have been situations in the past (not at EDC) where people have passed out and died due to drug overdosage and dehydration.  EDC attendees seriously need to be aware that their safety should be priority and that they need to drink lots of water and stay away from the drugs and alcohol.  Everybody is going for the same reason, and that is to have a good time and to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience; so why ruin the night you’ll want to remember for the rest of your life?  Don’t forget: peace, love, unity, and respect…better known as PLUR.  Spread it…

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Skydivers Escape Horrific Plane Crash

Posted on November 4, 2013 by akilah.fields

Saturday evening, things took an unexpected turn for nine skydivers and two pilots as two planes crashed over Superior, Wisconsin during a planned synchronized skydiving jump. It was the last flight of the day for the divers, and it will sure be one they remember for the rest of their lives. The nearly fatal catastrophe began when the first of two Cessnas quickly approached the second one, coming from behind and above it. The divers of the two planes were planning to perform a jump called a tracking dive, when all of a sudden the two planes made contact and separated into several burning masses.

All nine divers quickly abandoned the wreck, as one plane ignited and exploded into several pieces. As they fell back to Earth at 125 miles per hour, divers were still not out of the woods, as they had to avoid the fireballs of debris falling at the same speed. Miraculously, all divers and the pilot of the first Cessna were able to pull their parachutes and land safely. The pilot who jumped only sustained minor injuries, while the remaining crew escaped unscathed. The pilot of the second Cessna was able to recover from a dive and level the plane out enough to land it in a nearby strip.

Several divers were able to capture this event from the cameras they had attached to their helmets. The footage shows one diver hanging out of the plane while the others are inside preparing for the plunge. The oldest diver in the group recalls the series of events, “The sun was just getting ready to set, it was our last load of the day. It was just a perfect time to be up in the sky. I have over 900 skydives. I’ll remember this one more than most.”

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UCF Celebrates 50th Anniversary During Homecoming Week

Posted on November 4, 2013 by ashley riordan

Every November UCF students participate in a number of activities stringing together Homecoming week. This year proves to be extra special as the University celebrates its 50th anniversary.

On Saturday, November 2nd performers “Benny Benassi” and “Timeflies” kick off homecoming at the CFE Arena on campus at 7:00 pm. Students can pick up free tickets to the concert in the Student Union with a valid UCF ID. Skit Knight will be held the following night (Sunday, November 3rd) at 8:00 pm in the CFE arena. Student organizations will be performing short skits that pertain to UCF school spirit and their respective homecoming themes. This year Movie Knight will feature “Monsters University,” the sequel to Disney’s “Monsters Inc.” The movie will be played Monday night at 9:00 pm in the CFE Arena where attendance is first come first serve. Student made commercials will also be shown. UCF will also welcome comedians Craig Robinson and Mark Norman on Wednesday at 8:00 pm in the CFE Arena for Comedy Knight. Students need to pick up free tickets for admission prior to the event at the Student Union.

Spirit splash, the second to last (and most sacred) homecoming activity will be held on Friday, November 8th at 1:00 pm. Every UCF student knows not t enter the Reflection Pond no matter how high Orlando’s temperature rises. Spirit splash is the one time a year when students are actually encouraged to charge into the pond. UCF cheerleaders, dance team, football team, President Hitt and many more prepare to pump up the student body for the homecoming game the next day. This event was awarded “Best Campus Tradition” by the National Association for Campus Activities in 2011. On Saturday, November 9th the UCF Knights will play against Houston. As of now the UCF Football Team is ranked #19 in the country.

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Twistee Treat Gets a Scare on Halloween

Posted on November 4, 2013 by johnmalala

The local news really interested me this past week, and not necessarily in a good way. The company I work for, Twistee Treat, on East Colonial Drive was robbed on Thursday morning. Granted it was Halloween, so I suppose that brings out the crazies.

Openers show up at the store at 11 am. They are alone for about an hour, putting everything in its place inside the cone, then we open at 11:30. The worker that was scheduled to open that day is a very good friend of mine and a really sweet girl. A man knocked on the door at about 11:15 am, dressed in a full Grim Reaper costume, mask and all. He was waving a bag of candy in the peephole as a way of seeming innocent so the employee would open the door.

Once she opened the back door, he rushed in and held a gun to her head, telling her to get inside the freezer. After a while of checking through the store, he pulled her back out and made her open the safe. He took everything from there, about four thousand dollars and various gift cards that were meant to be awarded to the employees.

She tried to push the panic button, but he pushed her away and forced her back inside the fridge. He left about 15 minutes later and she waited an extra 10 minutes before going back out because she was so scared.

Right after, she ran to Taco Bell and the manager called the police. It was a very frightening experience for all of Twistee Treat’s employees, I can’t even imagine being there, enduring it firsthand.

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Unmanned Drones Assist Farmers as well as Soldiers

Posted on November 4, 2013 by mattimmerman

In the past few years of warfare, the unmanned drone has risen to the forefront of military technology.  It has also, though not surprisingly, risen to the forefront of military controversy in that time.  However, the unmanned drone has recently added a far less controversial and more delicious item to its repertoire.  Relatively small, computer-driven drones armed only with cameras are being utilized by farmers in California to survey vineyards and improve their wine.  In order for a farmer to get a good idea of when and how to harvest his or her grapes, the farmer must have a good idea of what his or her fields look like.  Walking through the fields and examining the plants close-up is a good place to start, but to truly see the state of a field, it needs to be examined as a whole.  And the only way to do this is with a bird’s eye view.

In the past, farmers would hire manned planes or helicopters by appointment to photograph their crops.  This is an expensive and inconvenient practice after several growing seasons, so some farmers are now purchasing drones to help them get a better handle on the grapes.  A company called 3D Robotics offers specialized field-mapping drones specifically designed to aid farmers.  The drone has a route programmed into it which it then follows as it takes pictures at just the right spots to end up with a complete map of the field.  A farmer at DRNK Wines used the drones to discover a fertile crescent in his field that he previously did not know about.  I think that these drones are a good thing in that they allow farmers to keep their operation independent.  However, they could very well end up putting a few pilots out of a job.

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College Football: The Road to the National Championship

Posted on November 4, 2013 by jmedelman16

There are currently 6 undefeated teams in Division 1 College Football. Two of those teams have extremely weak schedules so they aren’t being considered in the National Championship picture. The other 4 teams are the top 4 and include 1. Alabama, 2. Florida State, 3. Oregon, and 4. Ohio State. Each team has a chance to go to the National Championship at this point, but Alabama is the only one that can seal their fate by just winning the rest of their games. The other 3 teams have to rely on how the others will play. The Bowl Championship Series standings is a computer program that determines the ranking of the teams based on game statistics and match-ups.

Alabama is considered to have the hardest schedule out of all the teams because they play in the South Eastern Conference. The SEC has been seen as the strongest conference in the past few years and are known for teams with powerful defenses. If Alabama wins out they are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Championship for the third straight year. Number 2, Florida State just came off a huge win against 7th ranked Miami which put them above Oregon for the week. Oregon and Florida State are neck and neck at this point in the standings. Oregon plays a tough game at 5th ranked Stanford this Thursday night, this could catapult them back over FSU depending on how it plays out. The BCS standings has the two teams ranked very closely so it could come down to the performance of each game for Oregon and FSU. There is also Ohio State, they are ranked 4th in the standings and would need both FSU and Oregon to lose a game to jump over both teams. Ohio State is significantly lower in points in comparison to the top three.

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Scientists Finally Figure Out The Cause Of King Tut’s Death

Posted on November 4, 2013 by brookeadams91

King Tutankhamen, also known as King Tut and the boy pharaoh, is one of the world’s most famous pharaohs and not to mention on of the world’s most popular mummies. For thousands of years, scientists have been trying to solve the mystery of King Tut’s sudden death. The boy pharaoh died in 1323 BC between the ages of 18 and 19. With a combination of forensic science and luck, British experts finally revealed what happened to King Tut.

According to The Independent, British experts believe injuries on Tut’s body are akin to those sustained in a chariot accident and that his mummification was mishandled. Dr. Chris Naunton, director of the Egypt Exploration Society, suggested that King Tutankhamen was actually an amateur chariot racer who died in an accident.

Naunton and researchers performed a “virtual autopsy” of Tut’s body. They discovered that one side of his body was patterned with injuries including broken bones. Using car crash simulations as a guide, Naunton concluded that Tut was on his knees when a chariot ran into him, breaking his ribs and hip, as well as destroying his heart beyond repair. This explains why Tut’s body was discovered without a heart.

Prior to this discovery, scientists were intrigued with the 1922 records of Howard Carter, who said that Tut’s body appeared to have been burnt. Dr. Robert Connolly, an anthropologist at Liverpool University, worked with forensic archaeologist, Dr. Matthew Ponting, to see what caused the burns. The chemical tests conducted revealed that Tut’s body had been burned while he was sealed inside his coffin.

Researchers also revealed that the embalming oils used to embalm King Tut combined with oxygen and the linen, causing a reaction that cooked and burned his body. According to Dr. Naunton, “the charring and possibility that a botched mummification led the body spontaneously combusting shortly after the burial was entirely unexpected, something of a revelation.

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