by jove

Launched in August 2011 and crossing a distance of over eight hundred million kilometres, aided by several gravity-assists—sling-shot manoeuvres, the space probe Juno is expected today to enter a polar orbit of the gas giant—more like a star than a planet to our understanding, Jupiter for an eighteen-month mission to survey and study this out-sized world and constellation of attendant phenomenon born out of the extreme conditions fostered by the planet’s mass.
Flying just above the cloud-tops, approaching as close as it can be piloted to the perilous electric storms and crippling radiation that also makes direct communication difficult, researchers hope that Juno will be able to sound the depths of the thick atmosphere and determine the nature of what’s inside. The name of the mission is of course a mythological allusion to Jupiter’s (Zeus’) use of clouds to try to cloak his mischief and infidelities from his wife, Juno (Hera), but the King of the Gods was duping no one—expect maybe those mere mortals he exercised his droit du seigneur on, as Juno had the ability to peer through that misty veil. I wonder what surprises that this exposé will reveal and unveil over the next coming months—not to continue with that domestic drama metaphor too much longer.

fifteen thousand when we get to alderaan: purchasing-power or human capital

I had been ruminating this growing discussion over the question why the Star Trek and the Star Wars universes deliver us to such a starkly different future and past (presumably—but reference points are hard to cement for long ago and far away) for the past couple of days, and the comparison and contrast that space-faring civilisations and how that’s reflected in society. Whilst I believe that the trajectory lies mainly in the story-telling, exploration for its own sake and exploration for self-fulfilment and both franchises can be a reflection of the epic and there’s some cross-over and significant departures from the set course, it’s interesting to ponder the different outcomes and considering how technology either liberates economically or further enslaves.  Do you think either world-view presented will shape how we conduct our own exploration and colonisation? 

maker’s mark

Via Co.Design, we discover what happens when decision-trees and algorithms get to try their hand at logo design and corporate branding.
The robot, called MarkMaker, from Emblemmatic, first generates at random selection around a company’s name and then can deliver more refined and informed choices as it learns from your preference and is nudged in the right direction. PfRC sort of made it seize up but playing with it with simpler one word unicorns did deliver some interesting icons and wordmarks.  Give it a try for yourself and help this apprentice graphic-designer learn the trade.

one day, maybe next week

Days and dates from the year 1983 correspond perfectly to 2016, as Dangerous Minds excitedly points out through the lens of this magical and demonstrably timeless vintage (and official) calendar of Debbie Harry. This is the stuff of oracles, indeed, and maybe time is just an illusion and wonder what other correspondence that that year might hold for the present—but I agree without reservation that secret missive sent across the decades is to just dance!