Pumped Up
Pumped Up: Chevron Drills Down 30,000 Feet to Tap Oil-Rich Gulf of Mexico
“Isn’t this transcendent?” Paul Siegele shouts as he presses his nose to the window of a Bell 430 chopper hurtling through a sky thick with rain and pitchfork lightning. We’re flying over the Gulf of Mexico, above some 3,500 oil production platforms, and Siegele is pointing them out with the verve of a birder — here a miniature oil rig known as a monopod; over there a drill ship almost as big as the Titanic; still farther out, platforms looking like huge steel chandeliers that dropped out of the storm-shaken clouds.
Looming like an Erector set version of Hellboy — with cranes for arms, a hydraulic drill for its head, and a 200-foot derrick for a body — the rig appears at once menacing and toylike. But the real spectacle is below the surface: A drill is plunging down through 4,000 feet of ocean and more than 22,000 feet of shale and sediment — a syringe prodding Earth’s innermost veins. That 5-mile shaft will soon give Chevron the deepest active offshore well in the Gulf. Some land drills have gone deeper, but extracting oil from below miles of freezing salt water and unyielding sediment creates a set of technical problems that far exceed those faced on terra firma.
D.C. police using GPS to fight crime
D.C. police using GPS to fight crime
The Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI are using Global Positioning Systems technology to pinpoint the location of a gunshot to help save lives and fight crime. D.C. police said the “Shot Spotter” system wasn’t always as reliable as they’d hoped, but the technology was a valuable tool to reduce gun violence.
A network of sensors uses GPS satellites to triangulate the spot of a shot and then automatically notifies police.
In Charleston, S.C., the system helped solve a case by determining that 12 shots were fired from two gunmen moving in a vehicle traveling 9 mph, according to the company that developed the technology.
The FBI used similar technology to track the highway sniper in Maryland and Virginia several years ago, and in 2005 it started a pilot program to plant the sensors in D.C.’s high-crime areas.
Tuesday Morning’s Lunar Eclipse
Tuesday Morning’s Lunar Eclipse
Tuesday morning, Aug. 28 brings us the second total lunar eclipse of 2007. Those living in the Western Hemisphere and eastern Asia will be able to partake in at least some of this sky show.
The very best viewing region for viewing this eclipse will fall across the Pacific Rim, including the West Coast of the United States and Canada, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, New Zealand and eastern Australia. All these places will be able to see the complete eclipse from start to finish.
Europeans will miss out on the entire show, as the Moon will be below the horizon during their mid and late morning hours.
Student cracks Government’s $84m porn filter
Student cracks Government’s $84m porn filter
A Melbourne schoolboy has cracked the Federal Government’s new $84 million internet porn filter in minutes.
Tom Wood, 16, said it took him just over 30 minutes to bypass the Government’s filter, released on Tuesday.
Tom, a year 10 student at a southeast Melbourne private school, showed the Herald Sun how to deactivate the filter in a handful of clicks.
In response to the Herald Sun’s inquiries, the Government added an Australian designed filter, Integard, to the website on Friday, which Tom cracked within 40 minutes.
‘Blasphemous’ balls anger Afghans
‘Blasphemous’ balls anger Afghans
A demonstration has been held in south- east Afghanistan accusing US troops of insulting Islam after they distributed footballs bearing the name of Allah.
Saudi Arabia has complained to the World Cup’s ruling body in the past about the use of its flag on footballs.
Mullahs in Afghanistan criticised the US forces for their insensitivity, and around 100 people held a demonstration in Khost.
How to Command Respect through Body Language
How to Command Respect through Body Language
Some people are the center of attention wherever they go. They’re not glamorous movie stars, just ordinary people with excellent command over their body language. Here are some pointers to help you emulate these confident people and command respect from those around you.
What to do:
30. Tilting your head to one side during a conversation shows you’re interested and thinking about what’s being said.
31. Take regular, even breaths. Heavy breaths are a sure sign that you’re nervous.What not to do:
34. Don’t swallow too often; it gives away the fact that you’re not comfortable with the situation.