Fed2 Star - September 23, 2018 - page 1 (of 2)
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Fiona Craig
Sep 23, 2018, 6:31:53 AM9/23/18
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Fed2 Star
Earthdate September 23, 2018
[This is a subscription mailing list. Details about how to stop
receiving it are at the foot of the email.]
For a fancy formatted version go the Fed2 Star website:
http://www.ibgames.net/fednews/current/index.html
In this week’s Fed2 Star: how to check if your ancient Fed account still
exists so you can come to the End of the Universe party, we’re talking
about putting Fed into open source, things to do in Fed before it dies,
Ig Nobel Prizes for this year handed out, testing a special champagne
bottle that works in zero-g, special trousers add extra muscle for
people with mobility problems, another report shows that you shouldn’t
ever drink anything at all, why we procrastinate, and a picture of the
sun belching out a long filament of flame. Plus Winding Down, the tech
newsletter from Alan.
Official News part one
END OF THE UNIVERSE PARTY: RESCUING OLD ACCOUNTS
by Hazed
As I announced in an earlier edition of the Fed2 Star
(http://www.ibgames.net/fednews/2018/180902/official01.html), the time
has come to close Fed down after 30 thirty years. We’ll be holding an
End of the Universe party over the final weekend, on Saturday 29 and
Sunday 30 September, then the game will close at the reset on the
morning of Monday October 1.
I hope as many old players as possible can come into the game for the
party to reminisce and to say goodbye.
Please take the time before the party to check if you still have an
account and that you are able to log on, and if not email
feed...@ibgames.com to ask for your ID and password.
If you haven’t played Fed since the AOL days – or even earlier – then
your character will no longer be around. The same goes for players who
haven’t logged on for many years; very old characters won’t be around
any longer.
If in doubt, set up a new account and character to get into the game
then use the ‘SPYNET REPORT playername’ command to see if your old
character still exists.
Don’t leave it to the last minute – I don’t want to spend the final
weekend resetting passwords!
OPEN SOURCE FED CODE – MAYBE!
by Hazed
Several players have asked whether we are going to put the code for Fed2
into open source after it has closed down. The only answer I can give
you now is: maybe.
We are discussing whether to do this, and Alan is looking at the
technical feasibility. I’ll have more info on this in next week’s Final
Fed2 Star.
THE FED2 BUCKET LIST
by Hazed
With just one week to go until Fed2 closes down (sob!) it’s your last
chance to explore the parts of Fed DataSpace that you never got round to
visiting. To help you compile your Fed2 Bucket List of things to do
before the end of the universe, here’s some suggestions of my favourite
things:
• Bungee jump from the top of the Galactic Administration HQ on Earth
– just make sure you are insured first.
• Visit the droid theatre on Venus and get a performance from Burbage
– the actdroid will recite a Shakespeare soliloquy whether you want it
to or not!
• Have one last walk around the Martian ruins – you can’t blow them
up any more, but there are two separate puzzles buried in the heart of
the ancient area.
• Take a hopper ride to the wilderness on Earth.
If you have any suggestions of places to go, things to do or people to
see in Fed DataSpace, mail them to feed...@ibgames.com and I’ll put
them in next week’s final Fed2 Star.
REAL LIFE NEWS: 2018 IG NOBEL PRIZES ANNOUNCED
by Hazed
The Ig Nobel Prize winners for 2018 have been announced, celebrating
research on the wackier side of science. Among the winners this year are:
• US researchers who discovered that riding some types of
roller-coaster can remove kidney stones
• A Japanese researcher who developed a technique for giving yourself
a colonoscopy
• And one that is particularly dear to my heart, an examination of
instruction manuals that come with consumer products.
Other prizes went to research involving road rage, cannibalism and human
saliva as a cleaning fluid! Click the source link below for details of
all this year’s prizes.
The Ig Nobel Prizes honour achievements that make people laugh, and then
think and are intended to spur people’s interest in science, medicine
and technology. All the studies which are honoured are genuine studies,
most of which have been published in peer-reviewed journal.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45513012
REAL LIFE NEWS: CHAMPAGNE… IN… SPAAAAACE!
by Hazed
French champagne producer Mumm has commissioned a special bottle that
will allow the fizzy wine to be poured in micro-gravity, meaning future
space tourists will be able to sip champagne in orbit.
The bottle has two chambers, and the wine sits in the top part of the
bottle. A finger-controlled valve uses the champagne’s own carbon
dioxide to release small amounts as foam, which can then be scooped out
of the air using long-stemmed glasses.
This sounds complicated but the alternative is to drink from a sealed
container using a straw, which is decidedly un-classy.
The special bottle has been tested on the Airbus Zero-G plane, which
makes a series of steep climbs before plunging down to created intervals
of weightlessness lasting 20 seconds. Journalists from several countries
were onboard to try the zero-g champers.
Incidentally, drinking in space gets you drunk in exactly the same way
as it does on the ground – a study run back in 1985 by the US Federal
Aviation Administration concluded there was no perceivable difference
between the effect of alcohol on performance at ground level and in
space. But it’s probably not a good idea to drink if you’re the one
flying the spaceship…
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45494204
REAL LIFE NEWS: SMART TROUSERS TO HELP WITH MOBILITY PROBLEMS
by Hazed
Artificial muscles built into smart trousers could help people with
mobility problems. Components of the trousers were demonstrated at a UK
science festival recently, and the developer believes they will assist
people with mobility problems with daily tasks, but could also be useful
for rehabilitation.
Jonathan Rossiter, professor of robotics at the University of Bristol,
said, “We have developed lightweight bubble artificial muscles, which
could help people to stand up or to lift objects. He explained that
these wearable technologies have a key advantage in that they provide
assistance while allowing people to continue using their own muscles, so
they don’t get weaker. “We want a balance between assistance and a
rehabilitative device,” he said.
He explained that, “The artificial muscles are not yet
brain-controllable but rather work by measuring the muscle activity of
the limbs.”
The smart trousers, inspired by the robotic trousers in the Wallace and
Gromit animation ‘The Wrong Trousers’, are still in development, but
many of the components are ready for testing on people.
Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/11/the-right-trousers-wallace-and-gromit-mobility-aid-robotic
REAL LIFE NEWS: SEE, I TOLD YOU ALCOHOL WAS BAD FOR YOU!
by Hazed
In yet another contradiction from health spokespeople, now we are being
told that there is no safe level of alcohol and that even the smallest
amount raises your risk of death.
Previous studies have shown that moderate drinking may protect against
heart disease, but a new global study says this is outweighed by the
risk of cancer and other diseases.
So, should we be worried? Should we give up alcohol altogether?
Well not really. The increased risk is very small indeed. The
researchers found that out of 100,000 non-drinkers, 914 would develop an
alcohol-related health problem such as cancer or suffer an injury.
If they drank one alcoholic drink a day, an extra four people would be
affected.
That’s such a small amount that I don’t think it is statistically
significant.
Besides, in response to this study, Prof David Spiegelhalter, Winton
Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of
Cambridge, commented: “Given the pleasure presumably associated with
moderate drinking, claiming there is no ‘safe’ level does not seem an
argument for abstention. There is no safe level of driving, but the
government does not recommend that people avoid driving.
“Come to think of it, there is no safe level of living, but nobody would
recommend abstention.”
Very sensible. I raise a glass to you, sir!
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45283401
Earthdate September 23, 2018
[This is a subscription mailing list. Details about how to stop
receiving it are at the foot of the email.]
For a fancy formatted version go the Fed2 Star website:
http://www.ibgames.net/fednews/current/index.html
In this week’s Fed2 Star: how to check if your ancient Fed account still
exists so you can come to the End of the Universe party, we’re talking
about putting Fed into open source, things to do in Fed before it dies,
Ig Nobel Prizes for this year handed out, testing a special champagne
bottle that works in zero-g, special trousers add extra muscle for
people with mobility problems, another report shows that you shouldn’t
ever drink anything at all, why we procrastinate, and a picture of the
sun belching out a long filament of flame. Plus Winding Down, the tech
newsletter from Alan.
Official News part one
END OF THE UNIVERSE PARTY: RESCUING OLD ACCOUNTS
by Hazed
As I announced in an earlier edition of the Fed2 Star
(http://www.ibgames.net/fednews/2018/180902/official01.html), the time
has come to close Fed down after 30 thirty years. We’ll be holding an
End of the Universe party over the final weekend, on Saturday 29 and
Sunday 30 September, then the game will close at the reset on the
morning of Monday October 1.
I hope as many old players as possible can come into the game for the
party to reminisce and to say goodbye.
Please take the time before the party to check if you still have an
account and that you are able to log on, and if not email
feed...@ibgames.com to ask for your ID and password.
If you haven’t played Fed since the AOL days – or even earlier – then
your character will no longer be around. The same goes for players who
haven’t logged on for many years; very old characters won’t be around
any longer.
If in doubt, set up a new account and character to get into the game
then use the ‘SPYNET REPORT playername’ command to see if your old
character still exists.
Don’t leave it to the last minute – I don’t want to spend the final
weekend resetting passwords!
OPEN SOURCE FED CODE – MAYBE!
by Hazed
Several players have asked whether we are going to put the code for Fed2
into open source after it has closed down. The only answer I can give
you now is: maybe.
We are discussing whether to do this, and Alan is looking at the
technical feasibility. I’ll have more info on this in next week’s Final
Fed2 Star.
THE FED2 BUCKET LIST
by Hazed
With just one week to go until Fed2 closes down (sob!) it’s your last
chance to explore the parts of Fed DataSpace that you never got round to
visiting. To help you compile your Fed2 Bucket List of things to do
before the end of the universe, here’s some suggestions of my favourite
things:
• Bungee jump from the top of the Galactic Administration HQ on Earth
– just make sure you are insured first.
• Visit the droid theatre on Venus and get a performance from Burbage
– the actdroid will recite a Shakespeare soliloquy whether you want it
to or not!
• Have one last walk around the Martian ruins – you can’t blow them
up any more, but there are two separate puzzles buried in the heart of
the ancient area.
• Take a hopper ride to the wilderness on Earth.
If you have any suggestions of places to go, things to do or people to
see in Fed DataSpace, mail them to feed...@ibgames.com and I’ll put
them in next week’s final Fed2 Star.
REAL LIFE NEWS: 2018 IG NOBEL PRIZES ANNOUNCED
by Hazed
The Ig Nobel Prize winners for 2018 have been announced, celebrating
research on the wackier side of science. Among the winners this year are:
• US researchers who discovered that riding some types of
roller-coaster can remove kidney stones
• A Japanese researcher who developed a technique for giving yourself
a colonoscopy
• And one that is particularly dear to my heart, an examination of
instruction manuals that come with consumer products.
Other prizes went to research involving road rage, cannibalism and human
saliva as a cleaning fluid! Click the source link below for details of
all this year’s prizes.
The Ig Nobel Prizes honour achievements that make people laugh, and then
think and are intended to spur people’s interest in science, medicine
and technology. All the studies which are honoured are genuine studies,
most of which have been published in peer-reviewed journal.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45513012
REAL LIFE NEWS: CHAMPAGNE… IN… SPAAAAACE!
by Hazed
French champagne producer Mumm has commissioned a special bottle that
will allow the fizzy wine to be poured in micro-gravity, meaning future
space tourists will be able to sip champagne in orbit.
The bottle has two chambers, and the wine sits in the top part of the
bottle. A finger-controlled valve uses the champagne’s own carbon
dioxide to release small amounts as foam, which can then be scooped out
of the air using long-stemmed glasses.
This sounds complicated but the alternative is to drink from a sealed
container using a straw, which is decidedly un-classy.
The special bottle has been tested on the Airbus Zero-G plane, which
makes a series of steep climbs before plunging down to created intervals
of weightlessness lasting 20 seconds. Journalists from several countries
were onboard to try the zero-g champers.
Incidentally, drinking in space gets you drunk in exactly the same way
as it does on the ground – a study run back in 1985 by the US Federal
Aviation Administration concluded there was no perceivable difference
between the effect of alcohol on performance at ground level and in
space. But it’s probably not a good idea to drink if you’re the one
flying the spaceship…
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45494204
REAL LIFE NEWS: SMART TROUSERS TO HELP WITH MOBILITY PROBLEMS
by Hazed
Artificial muscles built into smart trousers could help people with
mobility problems. Components of the trousers were demonstrated at a UK
science festival recently, and the developer believes they will assist
people with mobility problems with daily tasks, but could also be useful
for rehabilitation.
Jonathan Rossiter, professor of robotics at the University of Bristol,
said, “We have developed lightweight bubble artificial muscles, which
could help people to stand up or to lift objects. He explained that
these wearable technologies have a key advantage in that they provide
assistance while allowing people to continue using their own muscles, so
they don’t get weaker. “We want a balance between assistance and a
rehabilitative device,” he said.
He explained that, “The artificial muscles are not yet
brain-controllable but rather work by measuring the muscle activity of
the limbs.”
The smart trousers, inspired by the robotic trousers in the Wallace and
Gromit animation ‘The Wrong Trousers’, are still in development, but
many of the components are ready for testing on people.
Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/11/the-right-trousers-wallace-and-gromit-mobility-aid-robotic
REAL LIFE NEWS: SEE, I TOLD YOU ALCOHOL WAS BAD FOR YOU!
by Hazed
In yet another contradiction from health spokespeople, now we are being
told that there is no safe level of alcohol and that even the smallest
amount raises your risk of death.
Previous studies have shown that moderate drinking may protect against
heart disease, but a new global study says this is outweighed by the
risk of cancer and other diseases.
So, should we be worried? Should we give up alcohol altogether?
Well not really. The increased risk is very small indeed. The
researchers found that out of 100,000 non-drinkers, 914 would develop an
alcohol-related health problem such as cancer or suffer an injury.
If they drank one alcoholic drink a day, an extra four people would be
affected.
That’s such a small amount that I don’t think it is statistically
significant.
Besides, in response to this study, Prof David Spiegelhalter, Winton
Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of
Cambridge, commented: “Given the pleasure presumably associated with
moderate drinking, claiming there is no ‘safe’ level does not seem an
argument for abstention. There is no safe level of driving, but the
government does not recommend that people avoid driving.
“Come to think of it, there is no safe level of living, but nobody would
recommend abstention.”
Very sensible. I raise a glass to you, sir!
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45283401
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