Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1151: NASA, park the shuttle on blocks

Amid the news of China picking a fight with the U.S. over Google, and Jammie Thomas-Rasset getting her fine reduced, we've got a goldmine idea for NASA. Gene wrote in to explain that instead of selling off the shuttles, NASA can just leave them parked at the space station. And we took it further with some suggestions of how and where to park them and what to do with them afterward.

Watch this: Ep. 1151: NASA, park the shuttle on blocks

36:04

Podcast

China denies involvement in Google cyber attacks
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10440208-83.html

Chinese human rights sites hit by DDoS attack
http://www.pcworld.com/article/187597/

Judge slashes “monstrous” P2P award by 97 percent to $54,000
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/judge-slashes-monstrous-jammie-thomas-p2p-award-by-35x.ars

Flurry notices Cupertino-based users testing apps on Apple Tablet
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/01/25/analytics_firm_spots_50_suspected_apple_tablets_running_iphone_os_3_2.html

Overheard: Steve Jobs says Apple Tablet "will be the most important thing I've ever done"
http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/24/steve-jobs-tablet-most-important/

Publishers talk about Apple’s tablet
http://www.9to5mac.com/book-publishers-talk-tablet-34566345

iPhone coming to Verizon
http://hothardware.com/News/Will-ATT-Lose-Their-iPhone-Exclusivity-On-Wednesday/

Google's Brin And Page to sell off shares; Give up majority voting power over five years
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-googles-brin-and-page-to-sell-off-shares-give-up-voting-control/

Mass Effect 2: The Cerberus Network will run used gamers $15
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/01/mass-effect-2-the-cerberus-network-will-run-used-gamers-15.ars

New music file aims to sink piracy using blogs and Twitter
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/25/music_dna_launch/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8478310.stm

DoubleTwist partners with T-Mobile, now bundled on some Android phones
http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/24/doubletwist-android-itunes-tmobile/

The myth of the Sony ‘kill switch’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7054587/The-myth-of-the-Sony-kill-switch.html

OMG: Brains can't handle all our Facebook friends
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article6999879.ece

Google’s Nexus One doesn’t like your potty mouth
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2358365,00.asp

E-MAIL

RE: Buzz Out Loud #1148 - NASA to dispose of space shuttles

My suggestion to NASA is to dock the remaining space shuttles at the international space station, then let the crews return to Earth via a conventional reentry vehicle (launched from a separate rocket.) So, by creating a parking lot in space, we don't have to worry about tile failures, etc. and the remaining shuttles would complement the future Orion program.

Are there any NASA employees in Buzz town? I hope they're listening.

Also, if NASA is looking for passengers, sign me up. Sorry Cooley.

Lovetheshow! – Gene

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Hi Buzz Crew -

I just read in USA Today that the international space station now has Internet Access. Astronaut TJ Creamer is now twittering to us from way up there. Please see the following link:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2010-01-22-internet-astronauts-space_N.htm

Love the show.

Ryan R

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Hello Buzz Crew,

I am only half kidding when I say that this may be the screen to go in the Apple Tablet. Now, the article is really long to read on the show, so let me sum it up real quick. Mary Lou Jepsen has found a way to integrate a “mirror” into an led screen so that the back light can be turned off and it can be operated in a black and white mode that looks almost like a conventional e-ink screen, consuming 1/5th the power as when the back light is on. But flip the backlight back on, and you have a normal lcd screen! She says she is shipping into tablets(Apple?), net-books, and e-readers, and that the manufacturing costs won’t get higher because you can use pre-existing lcd factories. She also shows off a working screen right in the article!

Just a Thought,
Miles from Texas

P.S.
The article mentions a Qualcomm competitor(Mirasol) that creates pixels by moving tiny metal pieces in a display to change how light is reflected off them, Apple has used Qualcomm