Inside the World's Most Advanced Planetarium 133
notthatwillsmith writes "Earlier this month, the most technologically-advanced digital planetarium in the world opened in San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences. The new Morrison Planetarium's 75-foot screen replaces the traditional Zeiss projector with an array of 6 high-resolution DLP projectors arrayed around the edge of the theater, which are powered by three very different, but interesting computing clusters. The three clusters allow for projection of traditional planetarium shows, playback of ultra-high resolution movies, and display of anything from current atmospheric conditions on Earth to a (greatly accelerated) trip to the farthest reaches of the universe, all rendered in real-time on an 8800 sq. ft. dome. Maximum PC went on a behind the scenes tour with the engineers who built the systems that do everything from run the planetarium lights to the sound systems to the tech behind the screen to show you how it works and what it's like to drive, well ... the universe."
Home version (Score:4, Insightful)
I've been thinking of buying a projector for my 3 month old son's bedroom when he's just a little older (I've read their distance vision improves at 8 months). That plus decent planetarium software would let me project the stars on the ceiling for him at night. I've got a spare PC that'd do fine but unfortunately it's over AUD1000 for a semi decent projector (and a few hundred dollars a pop for the lamps - that's the real killer). I can't justify that. Plus it would give me a flat not spherical projection.
I can't think of anything mid way in between those garbage home projectors that project lines on your ceiling for the constellations, and a full blown projector setup.
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:1, Insightful)
I was seriously annoyed when I saw that. It is perfectly legitimate to argue that federal money shouldn't(or should) be spent on planetarium hardware; but describing a planetarium projection system as an "overhead projector" is seriously pushing the bounds of honesty. If you think that educational hardware is a bad use of federal money, fine, come out and say so; but don't set up a ridiculous strawman(actual overhead projectors cost less than $500, anybody would be stupid to pay $3,000,000).
Damned right on every count. He's now running scared and grasping at any straw that shows up. With this BS, he is either catastrophically misinformed, or stunningly disingenuous. I suspect the latter.
How can this asshole condemn his opponent's inexperience when Obama has a fully-qualified running mate? Shit, if her executive experience is being governor of a state with a smaller population than Obama's district as a representative, my little sister is better qualified.
Also, how can the dizzy bitch say something like she did the other day when she declared the places they were campaigning to be "pro-USA"? So the rest of the US is populated with anti-US forces??? What consummate hubris. For that statement alone, McCain should have dumped the dumbshit off the ticket and run alone -- VP TBA.
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:4, Insightful)
Since when were the presidential debates about honesty?
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:2, Insightful)
Must you idiots turn every fucking article into an anti-McCain or anti-Obama flamefest? Both popular candidates suck. Get over it. If you really must whine about politics,take it to one of the millions of websites dedicated to that shit. This isn't one of them.
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:4, Insightful)
I heard it mentioned in 2 of the debates. The way McCain described it could be interpreted either as a planetarium or an office-style overhead projector (as I remember it). I'll give him the benefit of a doubt, for its not something familiar to most politicians.
More interesting, however, was how Obama handled it. In my opinion, Obama's approach was brilliant: he *ignored* the point both times. Most listeners are probably thinking, "If a planetarium projector (with possible educational value) is the worse pork McCain can site, then he's wasting time fussing about nitty little things when we are teetering on a potential repeat of the 30's."
Knowing when to shut up is an important campaign skill (and one lost on Biden apparently :-). Obama let McCain happily eat himself rather than get caught up in tit-for-tat over that.
Re:It is not a planetarium (Score:5, Insightful)
You see the fruit not of amusement park designers but of decades of educators trying to make education 'fun' rather than educational.
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:5, Insightful)
"He did mention that it was for a planetarium the time I seen him mention it. If you can't put 2 and 2 together to get what he was talking about it probably didn't matter what he called it."
I disagree. He chose the wording projector specifically because it implies a cheap device and therefore enforces the idea that this is wasteful spending. Plus, by questioning an institution devoted to intellectual pursuits he gets to attack those darn intellectuals modern Republicans seem to hate so much.
"Secondly, for all the bitching and moaning I see going on around here about space exploration being a drain funds for fattening up the poor, I find it odd that most slashdotters don't see they value in buying a couple thousand PCs and copies of Starry Night Backyard for each one of them for 3 million."
You seem to be implying that spending money making sure American's aren't living in absolute poverty (thus reducing the chances that their children become criminals) is more important than a space station that could easily be replaced by cheap unmanned satellites and a major push by NASA to go back to the moon to address our insecurities in regards to China's proposed landing there decades after we have. Is that correct or am I missing something?
"I think the planetarium, just like the public library, is becoming more and more outmoded by the home PC."
Have you ever seen a young child at a planetarium? Especially an academically inclined one? I can think of few better ways of addressing the United State's lack luster performance in turning out scientists and engineers than to expose children to stuff like this. We are a long ways off in home PC technology in instilling the awe of the universe that a planetarium can provide.
Re:It is not a planetarium (Score:3, Insightful)
It is not a planetarium. It is an IMAX movie. You sit, watch a film, and leave. There is no talk about constellations, or where in the sky you should look to see features. The movie has a lot of narration about saving the environment, man-made waste products, deforestation, and other topics completely unrelated to the solar system. In fact a large chunk of it is devoted to discussing extra-terrestrial life and the size of solar system as far as man has explored it.
I've been to the show, and I don't think this is a fair criticism. As well as being visually spectacular, I thought it gave a reasonable overview of the universe from the earth outwards.
I was put off by the title of the show (Fragile Planet), but actually it had far less boring environmental preaching than I imagined. Most of it was about exoplanets and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. My one complaint would be that it got a bit speculative, even if it's based on the best science that we have at this time.
It sounds to me like you have a rather narrow view of what is acceptable subject matter for a planetarium. Admittedly if I were writing it for Slashdotters, I would have gone into a bit more depth. But for a general audience, I thought it was actually pretty good and not too "dumbed down". I was pleasantly surprised.
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:3, Insightful)
They will make fun of the other guy. Making fun of presidents is a party neutral national past time.
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:3, Insightful)
Why don't you use yours? But seriously, I am so tired of all the political BS too. The Parent AND GP are right. I'd say mod down any post that flames either candidate. Throw Bush in there too. We all know his record, what kind of man he is, what kind of man his VP is. We have all already made up our minds. No need to keep harping on it. It serves no purpose.
Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! (Score:3, Insightful)
You know what, it's a shame that you didn't get modded troll for this crap. And that's exactly what it is, crap.
Wow, that's a strong start. I know myself and everyone else is taking you more seriously now, rather than less. Why don't we start calling each other names as well?
Of course maybe you are being ironic in calling me a troll in such a fashion and this all just went right over my head.
First you start off basically stating that you know his motivation behind something when clearly you don't.
Isn't that what you are doing in proclaiming his honest intentions?
Secondly, most people would use the word projector for the unit because that's what it is.
That's the accepted term for it and there are thousands of references made to that exact term in relation to a planetarium by doing a simple Google search. This isn't a made up term.
I wish I had an example on hand for this but I don't (and this is not important enough for me to spend a bunch of time digging for an example) but have you ever seen those surveys in which a group is asked a question given minimal info and most people in it give a negative response? Then a similar group is asked the same question but with greater depth and they generally answer in a positive manner. The term "welfare" is a good example of this where many people have a negative impression in regards to it but then turn around and express their support of a wide variety of welfare programs.
The point I am making with my ramblings is that I think most people have an impression of a projector as a cheap device, even when mentioned in conjunction with a planetarium and by mentioning a large price tag without saying a bit about why it has such a large price tag, it seems to me he's begging for a knee-jerk negative reaction from the crowd.
If anything your line about Republicans hating intellectuals is a vastly more bogus statement than McCain calling it a projector.
The latest fad for Republicans right now seems to be to label Democrats as elitist and out of touch with regular Americans and that the real, honest American is McCain's Joe Six-Pack. Do you really think the archetype, Joe Six-Pack, is intellectually inclined in any way? Furthermore, there is a constant push by many conservatives in this country to get creationism taught in science classes and to have the class curriculum cast strong doubt on evolutionary theory. Really I could go on and on with little examples like this that all seem to ad up.
If you really held any value in what you said you'd be honest and admit that it's YOU who are wrong.
Huh? Are you saying I'm wrong because I disagree with you? I'm not following.
On this point I guess I ran away with a misunderstanding on my part (so my bad on this) although I would disagree with the "vast majority" comment. I am actually currently working at a grocery store finishing off what's left of my degree and I see the same thing you describe with people abusing their food cards buying shrimp platters and deli sandwiches. I have not seen anything to suggest, however, that these people represent the "vast majority" of welfare recipients.
I didn't go to the planetarium as a child. I had a night sky to look at. My interest in astronomy wasn't fostered by people throwing money at me telling me to find a place in life. I did that on my own. If a kid can't look up at the night sky and see the wonder in it all the planetarium isn't going to make a damn bit of difference and you know