Antarctica
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NASA simulates fly through of ginormous crack in Antarctic glacier, takes you for virtual ride
Swooping through the trenches of the Death Star likely ranks high on every geek's bucket list, but even an earthbound version won't really do the trick. Fortunately, the folks at NASA have rigged up a passable alternative -- flying through a massive 19-mile crack across Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier. The crack was discovered last October and measures 60 yards wide and 50 yards deep, certainly more than enough clearance to accommodate adventurous fliers. Using data gathered by NASA's Operation IceBridge science flight team, the agency generated an animated fly through that, well, mostly flew over the crack -- but we're sure that was a defensive maneuver. After all, you just never know when a TIE fighter flown by someone's father might sneak up from behind. See the icy flyover yourself after the break.
Visualized: world's largest neutrino observatory rivals Guatemala sinkhole
Without question, one of the images from 2010 will be the insane, almost incomprehensible sinkhole that emerged in Guatemala earlier this year, but this particular shot from the South Pole does an outstanding job of vying for equal attention. Coming directly from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this is a look into the planet's largest neutrino observatory, which was just completed after half a decade of work with $279 million. The goal? To detect "subatomic particles traveling near the speed of light," and when you have an ice-bound telescope that encompasses a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice, well... you've high hopes for success. Will this pipe into the underworld finally lead us to understanding Dark Matter? Will century-old mysteries of the universe finally have answers? Even if not, we're envisioning a heck of an entry fee when it's converted into the world's longest firehouse pole and marketed to affluent tourists who make the trip down.
Google's Street View goes worldwide, Antarctica and all
Google's Street View still needs to add a lot more data on the lesser traveled roads of the world, but there's no denying that the virtual vacation assistant has evolved quite nicely since launching in May of 2007. Back then, only five US cities were programmed in; today, there are street-level views of locations on every single continent, including Antarctica (shown above, as if you couldn't tell). The additions of Ireland, Brazil and Penguinland allow Google to make the claim, and we couldn't be happier about it. Though, we still aren't canceling our scheduled reader meetup at McMurdo -- details coming soon!
Windows mobile game scams UK players out of cash
A pirated version of an anti-terrorism game made for Windows mobile phones is at the center of a new scam wringing cash out of unwitting victims in the UK. Hidden code within the game silently dials phone numbers in the Antarctic, which can cost upwards of £4.25 ($6.19 US) per minute. Although online con men and spam artists continue to pester our e-lives with promises of money, fame or other inappropriate guarantees, computer scams have an extremely low success rate. Researchers suggest that for every 350 million messages, spammers receive 28 responses, according to the BBC. Since mobile phones lack the same protection found on computers they have become prime targets for grifters, seeing a threat growth of more than 200% in three years, suggests research by Kasperksy Labs. The penguin-calling version of the game was discovered in April but continues to claim victims as it has been added to multiple websites offering Windows mobile games. [Image: Wallpaper-S]
The DS Life: Adrift in the Antarctic
Sitting on top of a wandering iceberg, the young girl should be more concerned with her predicament. But she's with a friend, and her toes and her ears, the two parts of her she loathes to feel cold, are kept toasty by her Persian red boots and matching hood, so she sees no reason to worry.She digs a PlayStation Portable out her bulky purse, bored with the slowly moving South Pole scenery. As she tilts the colorful, jelly-like creatures on the handheld's screen, she cozies against her companion's warm, fleece back. Under them, the floating platform cracks with quiet pops and groans, like ships at sea. The girl hears a splash to her left, a smiling seal barking for their attention.
Britain's Isis ROV set to trawl the depths of Antarctica
We've seen mechanical devices creep through the inside of intestines, huge mounds of dirt, and even through the San Francisco Bay, but now a British deep-diving remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is getting set to probe the depths of Antarctica. In hopes of uncovering more about the effects of glaciers on the ocean floor, as well as details about the living creatures that inhabit said areas, UK scientists are carting the machine aboard the RSS James Clark Ross as they head for the Marguerite Bay area on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. The robot, dubbed Isis, will spend time on its inaugural January mission combing the seabed and channeling live video and pictures back to its captains via the built-in cameras, lights, sonars for acoustic navigation / imaging, and two remotely-controlled manipulator arms. Once the bot gets dried off (and thawed out) from its arctic expedition, the next tour of duty is already lined up, as Isis will head off to the Portuguese coast to do a bit more sightseeing. Of course, if you're interested in taking the £4.5 million ($8.81 million) creature out for a mission you deem worthwhile, it should be available for deep-pocketed renters soon after.
Woz and Buzz to take Hydrogen Hummer to South Pole
Before we dive into the actual story, lets just take a minute to sit back and appreciate just how fantastically bizarre that title is....Ok then! Mac daddy Steve Wozniak has announced that in December 2007, he and Moon man Buzz Aldrin (second person ever to set foot on the Moon) will participate in an expedition to the South Pole in which the intrepid explorers will be conveyed by Hydrogen fuel cell powered H1 Hummers. The Apple co-founder revealed his plans at Stanford University's AlwaysOn conference. The modern day eco-friendly adventure will be filmed using 3D cameras for use in an upcoming James Cameron film. According to Woz, the team has received significant input from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which runs three of its buses on fuel cells. [via Cult of Mac]
