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You've got to admit it, Richard Branson is a pretty stand-up guy! If i could have anyones lifestyle, he comes second, only to Hugh Hefner. The self made billionaire lives the life only most people can dream about, and it's a life that is filled with excitement and adventure that only his extraordinary wealth can offer. The founder of Virgin, unlike many billionaires, actually enjoys his money, and instead of just sitting down and watching his bank account grow, and over-indulging in his every whim, Richard strives to challenge himself and invests in making this world not only a better place, but a more enjoyable one.

The latest example of this is his enthusiasm for space travel and the unveiling of the new White Knight Two mothership, the next step towards Virgin Galactic's foray into space tourism. From 2010, it is planned to start sub-orbital space tours for paying customers. For a mere 200 grand, the first series of passengers will get about 6 minutes of weightlessness, 100 km from earth. White Knight 2 will actually be the launching pad for the Spaceship Two VSS Enterprise (Branson is apparently a big Star Trek fan).
If all goes smoothly, over time only the price should plummet (pun intended) which would allow space travel more affordable to many of us who have looked to the heavens and dreamt of being up amongst the stars. Thanks to Richard Branson and his childhood dreams, many of us will be able to experience what was only thought to be the domain of highly trained astronauts and Captain Kirk and his crew. I must admit if i had a spare 200k i would happily go 'Where Not Many Men Have Gone Before'. Of course, i would wait till they've done a few successful trips first. Even though it is an entirely different scenario, visions of the Challenger and Columbia disasters' still lurk in the shadows. I just need to keep thinking that more more people have died in car accidents than space accidents. It may not make a lot of sense considering the amount of people who have been into space, but it'll keep the understandable fear at bay.

Hopefully one day we will all get the chance to travel on these low level (and future planned full orbital) jaunts into space. Who knows, maybe one day we'll have holiday trips to the moon. Imagine the thrill of receiving a black postcard with only the words 'Greetings from the Dark Side of the Moon'. I can't wait to see how it all goes and ultimately to see for myself. I'll probably crap my pants if i ever get the chance...but shit happens.
See you up there!

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Posted By: Jason Egan - Category: Science

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Why do they swab the arm of a prisoner before administering lethal injection?

September 23rd 2006 13:52

eath by lethal injection is often represented as the most humane form of capital punishment. If you have to do it – do it like this, so to speak. Other options (such as hanging, gas chamber, electric chair, firing squad or decapitation) all seem like an awful way to go. While this post does not condone or condemn capital punishment, it does provide a curious insight into why executioners (or ‘technicians’) would care about swabbing an arm before enforcing the deadly dosage.

So what are lethal injections? They are fatal measures of various drugs mixed together and forcibly inserted into a person to cause death. It is currently the most common form of execution in the United States (US): every execution there in 2005 used this technique

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Posted By: m*STAR - Category: Science

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What's the story with Mentos explosions in Diet Coke bottles?

September 9th 2006 03:53

A great method to showcase your claim to juvenile delinquency: Add some ‘Mentos’ (mint candies) to ‘Diet Coke’ (soft drink). Here is a quick illustration by some people more than willing to demonstrate (definitely no shortage there):