Recent Mystery Objects in Space

According to Discover, "a few-meter-wide something or other" whizzed past the Earth on May 16.  It was quickly ascertained that the object didn't match any asteroid or other normal space object, but probably a piece of one of our own rockets that has decided to orbit around the sun much like Earth.

Strangely enough, in January of this year a similar incident took place when something passed us by and the jury was out on whether it was a natural piece of space rock or a man-made thing.  They've settled on something man-made, but it doesn't sound very final.

For some reason, it makes me think of this recent article about sunspots disappearing.  For reasons unknown, sunspots are disappearing and this could spell trouble.  NewScientist.com explains why:

The stakes have never been higher. Groups of sunspots forewarn of gigantic solar storms that can unleash a billion times more energy than an atomic bomb. Fears that these giant solar eruptions could create havoc on Earth, and disputes over the sun's role in climate change, are adding urgency to these studies. 

That's potentially frightening.  It's good to know that our scientists have learned so much about our universe, but it's also interesting to note just how many times they see something unusual and scratch their heads.

Of Edgar Allen Poe and the Mysterious Toaster

On January 19th, while it is still dark, a man in a black coat will walk the streets of Baltimore with a silver tipped cane. He will stop at a certain grave, drink a toast of cognac, and leave three roses at the tombstone before disappearing again into the night. Anyone lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this man will probably already know that the grave was none other than that of Edgar Allen Poe.

For a very long time, an old man was seen visiting this grave on Poe's birthday to have a toast and leave three roses. Eventually, the mystery man became legend and small crowds have gathered in recent to watch the tradition happen. It's very charming.

Knowing that he could not keep this up forever, and knowing that he was being watched, the Poe Toaster left a note one year that read, the torch will be passed. This was taken to mean that the old man was retiring and giving the responsibility to someone younger, a theory that was proven to be true when a younger man played the part of the Poe Toaster the next year (and in years since).

This younger visitor lacks a certain"'otherworldly" quality. He, too, has left notes for the Poe fans but they have not been as well received as those of his predecessor. In 2001 he left a note predicting that the Ravens would lose the super bowl to the Giants (he was wrong - and shouldn't he be a Ravens fan?) and in 2004 he left an impolite note about the French.

Another mystery is just how he's getting inside the cemetery. The crowd has to watch from the sidelines while this guy manages to sneak in and out every year. It's a neat mystery and a relevant one, since this Monday will be Poe's 200th birthday.

Here's the only picture anyone has, it's a little dated:



And for those of you who thought "Of Edgar Allen Poe and the Mysterious Toaster" was going to be a blog entry about a kitchen appliance, I have this link for you.

Japanese Scientists Actually Reading Minds with a Computer!

It's not as cool as it sounds (yet), but a group in Japan has been able to translate images from someone's mind onto a computer screen. (Link)

Actually, just words from that person's mind. Well, one word actually. And, only if they think of the right word. (Which, in this case, was neuron.) It's the kind of thing that is hard to verify (how do we know they didn't just make a Powerpoint presentation with the word 'neuron' in it, for example) but it is very interesting. The researchers are trying to eventually allow us to show other people what is on our minds, literally.

Very cool stuff. I recommend this for their long term goal: