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 14 sep 2004 - St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, LouisianaThe following is an example of possible water heights for a slow moving category 4 hurricane. This image is an approximation of how high the water could rise. - Simulations courtesy of Mark Sudduth.St. Louis Cathedral Quicktime movie of simulated water rise during a slow moving Category 4 Hurricane (1.7 mb)If you need Quicktime you can download it here. (ABOVE SIMULATION IS OF A SLOW MOVING CAT 4 HURRICANE) NO Storm SurgeNew Orleans, Louisiana Category 4 Hurricane Storm Surge SimulationNew Orleans, Louisiana

ELECTION SIMULATION UPDATEDLast simulation with pre-RNC data. Kerry win probability is 63.7%, average electoral votes, 279-259. These numbers are slightly closer than the Composite Analysis of 281-257, indicating that more electoral votes in Kerry's column are toss-ups than in Bush's column (see, e.g. Florida). Federal Review Election Simulation 20,000 trials August 31, 2004 Probable Election Winner: John F. Kerry John F. Kerry George W. Bush Bush Kerry Tie Probability of Winning 35.0% 63.7% 1.3% Average Electoral Votes 259 279 95% Confidence Lo Hi Maximum Electoral Votes 358 373 Kerry Range 227 330 Minimum Electoral Votes 165 180 Bush Range 208...

A team of computer scientists and mathematicians at Palo Alto, CA-based Artificial Development are developing software to simulate the human brain's cortex and peripheral systems. As a first step along the way, the company recently disclosed that it has completed the development a realistic representation of the workflow of a functioning human cortex. Dubbed the CCortex-based Autonomous Cognitive Model ('ACM'), the software may have immediate applications for data mining, network security, search engine technologies and natural language processing. The first ACM computer 'persona,' named 'Kjell' in homage to AI pioneer Alan Turing, was activated last month and is in early...

SEATTLE - Smashed cars, buses and other debris littered an industrial lot Monday to represent the aftermath of a radioactive "dirty bomb" explosion for the most extensive bioterrorism drill in the nation's history. The five-day drill, combining the Seattle disaster with the fake threat of a biological agent in Chicago, is aimed at testing the ability of local, state and federal authorities to handle terrorist attacks. It is the first large-scale counterterrorism exercise since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. The idea, said Mayor Greg Nickels, is for regional and national agencies to see...

Astronomy Picture of the DayDiscover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 March 28 1006 AD: Supernova in the Sky Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel Explanation: A new star, likely the brightest supernova in recorded human history, appeared in planet Earth's sky in the year 1006 AD. The expanding debris cloud from the stellar explosion is still visible to modern astronomers, but what did the supernova look like in 1006? Astronomer Tunç Tezel offers this suggestion, based on a photograph...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Toppling Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) is in the war simulation game "Gulf War (news - web sites) 2" is the easy part. Coping with what comes next is more difficult. Players assume the role of President Bush (news - web sites) in the online game, receiving regular briefings from caricatures of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites). It starts with Baghdad's quick fall but then proceeds to an Iraqi anthrax attack on Israel, a retaliatory nuclear strike, revolt...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 January 19 Fullerenes as Miniature Cosmic Time Capsules Credit & Copyright: Keith Beardmore (LANL) Explanation: Scientists have found, unexpectedly, tiny time capsules from billions of years in the past. The discovery involves small molecules that can apparently become trapped during the formation of large enclosed molecules known as fullerenes, or buckyballs. Luann Becker (UCSB) and collaborators recently found fullerenes in an ancient meteorite that fell to Earth...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 December 15 A Network of Microlensing Caustics Credit & Copyright: Joachim Wambsganss (Ap. Inst. Potsdam) Explanation: A virtual sky map like this would be of interest to astronomers studying gravitational microlensing. In microlensing, the gravity of stars near the line of sight can act to magnify the light of background objects such as distant stars, or quasars. Nowhere is this magnification greater than near a gravitational lensing...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 November 25 The Earth's Magnetic Field Credit & Copyright: Gary A. Glatzmaier (UCSC) Explanation: Why does the Earth have a magnetic field? The electrical conductivity of the molten plasma of the Earth's core should be able to damp the current magnetic field in only thousands of years. Yet our five billion year old Earth clearly causes magnets to point to (defined) north. The mystery is still being...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 September 27 Accretion Disk Simulation Credit: Michael Owen, John Blondin (North Carolina State Univ.) Explanation: Don't be fooled by the familiar symmetry. The graceful spiral structure seen in this computer visualization does not portray winding spiral arms in a distant galaxy of stars. Instead, the graphic shows spiral shock waves in a three dimensional simulation of an accretion disk -- material swirling onto a compact central object...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 September 19 Asteroid 1998 KY26Credit: NASA, JPL, image courtesy of Steve Ostro Explanation: A day is just under 11 minutes long on 1998 KY26, a 30 meter wide, fast-spinning, water-rich asteroid. This computer simulated view of its lumpy surface has a resolution of about 3 meters and is based on radar and optical observations (click on the image for a series of surface views). The observations were...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 August 20 The Universe in Hot Gas Credit & Copyright: James Wadsley (McMaster U.) et al. Explanation: Where is most of the normal matter in the Universe? Recent observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory confirm that it is in hot gas filaments strewn throughout the universe. "Normal matter" refers to known elements and familiar fundamental particles. Previously, the amount of normal matter predicted by the physics of...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 July 30 A Star Cluster in Motion Credit: Adam Block (NOAO) Explanation: Star clusters are a swarm of complex motions. The stars that compose globular clusters and many open clusters all orbit the cluster center, occasionally interacting, gravitationally, with a close-passing star. The orbits of stars around the cluster are typically not as circular as the orbits of planets in our solar system. Cluster stars frequently fall...

If an asteroid like this one, depicted in an artist's drawing, hit Earth's oceans, it could generate huge waves that would move more slowly than previously thought, but in the end, cause more damage. Asteroid Tsunamis Could be Huge, Slow By Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News normalize font   |   increase font June 7 — Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water, a new supercomputer model predicts that meteors and asteroids splashing down in the oceans can create waves twice as big, but slower moving, than previous estimates. In other words, if Earth gets walloped...

Please come and join the National Government Simulation. this is a game where we run for office, vote on issues, debate issues, and take part in political policymaking. Currently the game is filled with liberals and socialists, we'd love to have some more conservative voices. If you're interested please set your browser to: http://pub176.ezboard.com/brepnet

I play an online political game called the National Government Simulation (NGS). On discussion boards, we roleplay the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, the Presidency, and the Cabinet. When members join, they automatically become Congressmen. I serve as the Deputy Majority Leader for Outreach. Our elections are coming up and we face a stiff fight against the "Left Coalition." We need recruits. NGS provides a chance for participants to write and push for legislation, to learn the dynamics of allies and enemies, and to challenge and refine their own ideology or message. If you would like to join, please...