Japanese Earthquake Likely Moved The Earth’s Axis

Originally Published: March 15, 2011

Link: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/123060/20110315/japan-earthquake-earth-s-axis-rotation-nasa-jet-propulsion-laboratory.htm

The Japanese earthquake shook the Earth so violently that it likely moved its axis and shortened the day, according to new research.

While the change from the earthquake isn't noticeable -- no need to reset your watch -- it was the largest calculated by Dr. Richard Gross of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It's not all that surprising considering the earthquake was the fifth largest measured since 1900. He found that the day is shorter by 1.8 millionths of a second, and the Earth's axis shifted by 17 centimeters (6.5 inches).

"It's the only earthquake we have had a chance to measure, with the other earthquakes, the effect has been too small to calculate," Gross said.

To find out how the 9.0 magnitude earthquake affected the Earth's rotation, Gross used a United States Geological Survey estimate for how the fault responsible for the earthquake slipped. From there, he applied a complex model to perform a preliminary theoretical calculation.

He found was that the earthquake in Japan shifted its axis towards 133 degrees east longitude, a line that runs through eastern China and Siberia.

At the base of these complex calculations was the earth's mass. "I started by determining how mass is distributed within the earth. And then I looked at the seismic estimates on how much the fault slipped - that tells me what force was applied to the earth at the position of the earthquake that caused it to deform. That deformation, which happens everywhere, is what I'm computing," Gross said.

Essentially, Gross calculated how the earthquake rearranged the earth's mass. Any change in mass will have an effect on the earth's axial tilt and will affect its rotation. The end result is a change in the day's length.

"It's like a spinning ice skater. If her arms are closer to her body, it changes how her mass is distributed. If her mass is closer to her body, she will spin faster," Gross said.

Gross' calculations do come with a caveat. He calculated the location of the Earth's figure axis, which is the line drawn through the center of the earth based on its distribution of mass. It is always changing because of atmospheric winds and oceanic currents. These effects are bigger than anything that an earthquake can cause. This differs from its north-south axis, which is the one around which the Earth rotates. The difference between the two does create a tiny "wobble" which is why the length of the day isn't absolutely uniform.

"Over the course of a year, the length of the day increases and decreases by about a millisecond, or about 550 times larger than the change caused by the Japanese earthquake. The position of Earth's figure axis also changes all the time, by about 1 meter (3.3 feet) over the course of a year, or about six times more than the change that should have been caused by the Japan quake," Gross said.

What Gross and other research scientists will have to do is measure the effects of the atmosphere and ocean on Earth's rotation during the time of the earthquake and remove them from the equation. Even when these calculations are completed, Gross says it's likely that impact will still be measurable -- an impressive feat for an earthquake.

Apple Engineer Rebuilds Ancient Computer -- With Legos

Originally Published: December 14, 2010

Link: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/91963/20101214/legos-andrew-carol.htm

Legos are not just for kids' toys: an engineer at Apple has proven they can be used for a technological history lesson.

Andrew Carol, an engineer at Apple, recently used his spare time to build the Antikythera Mechanism out of Lego bricks. The Antikythera Mechanism is an Ancient Greek mechanical computer used to calculate astronomical positions. It is his second major lego project after building a Babbage Difference Engine, the 19^th century automatic, mechanical calculator used to tabulate polynomial functions.

"I've spent about 5-6 years on this kind of thing," Carol said. "The original inspiration was in the early 1990s, Scientific America had a Babbage engine that they built for a science museum. I thought it would be amazing if you do that in Legos. About five years ago, I thought I could do it. I made the first engine and then sat on it a while. I then recently went back made it more streamlined and faster."

He said it took him five months to work on the first one, using up his free time to get it done. Carol used a modular technique, creating one difference engine and duplicating it three times. The machine was able to calculate second order differential equations to three digits. He also said it was impossible to draw up instructions for people that wanted to build one on their own -- the process was too complicated.

The second generation took a similar amount of time but using fewer parts Carol found it was easier to construct. It also calculated to third order differences to four-digit accuracy. The third generation, the latest one, he said is five times faster than the second generation.

While Carol was working on the second generation of the difference engine, an editor at Nature magazine emailed him and asked if making a Lego version of the Antikythera Mechanism would be possible. While Carol said he had heard about the ancient device before, he had no idea how complex and sophisticated it was. Still, he went to work and found it easier to construct than the difference engine.

"The main issue with this one was coming up with gear ratios, which is an easier problem to solve than what I had to deal with the difference engine. That was fundamentally analog, figuring out how to increase engine smoothness and efficiency. The Antikythera Mechanism was much more straightforward," Carol said.

Carol said he gained an appreciation for the Greeks while working on the Antikythera Mechanism, adding it stands alone for its sophistication and quality for the period in which it was created. The device is able to calculate 18 years, or 223 lunar months, of solar eclipses. He even created labels for the Lego Antikythera Mechanism, which indicated when eclipses would happen.

"The Babylonians and Egyptians figured out timing, they figured out an 18 year cycle. The genius of the Greeks is they made a mechanical device. Think about this: there was no other device that was a complicated as this until the 1300s. They made this in 100 B.C., and for 1,400 years there wasn't something as sophisticated as this machine," Carol said.

As for why he likes to use legos to create some of these complex machines, Carol said the toys are readily available and easier to use than metal, which requires bending. There is also a certain degree of nostalgia attached. Plus, it allows him to show his appreciation for the mechanical side of computing.

"I like the mechanical side over electronics. An eighth grader can write a tic-tac-toe code for a computer. It's not really that cool. Mechanically you can do a lot of cool things. I don't think there's an appreciation for what the Ancient Greeks could do mechanically," Carol said.

Tic-tac-toe will actually be the subject of his next lego project. He is looking to create a Lego version of a tic-tac-toe board, where the machine makes an automatic response to a player's move.

iPad 2, iPad Boost Recommerce Industry

Originally Published: March 4, 2010

Link: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/119052/20110304/ipad-ipad-2-apple-gazelle-buy-back-best-buy-ebay.htm

It's not even out yet, and already the iPad 2 is changing at least one industry: recommerce, or as it's more commonly known, buying things back.

Gazelle, a Boston based company, buys back old gadgets from consumers looking to sell an outdated device for money that will go to an upgrade. Kristina Kennedy, Gazelle's director of Brand and Communications, says the company works with large Web and big box retailers such as Wal-Mart, NewEgg.com, Office Depot and Costco, and powers their buy-back programs. It also has a direct-to-consumer business, which she says is its most profitable. Old devices that are bought back can be re-sold at a profit -- sometimes a large one.

They tend to appeal to the early adopters, people who must have the first versions of a product, and then must upgrade. To date, the company has received approximately 350,000 devices, with 252,000 going back to the retailers.

With the emergence of the iPad 2, Kennedy says the best is yet to come. Already less than four days in, she says the amount of people buying back their iPad has gotten off to a roaring start, better than any other product ever.

"Last week I said the iPad might be even bigger than the iPhone in terms of buy-back. This week I get to say I told you so. Last June, when the iPhone 4 came out, we saw 1,200 iPhones bought back the first day. The other day, we had 2,000 iPads bought back the day the iPad 2 was unveiled," Kennedy said.

Already the number of people sending their original iPad to her has doubled to 4,000, Kennedy says. Te popularity of buyback programs for the original iPad can be attributed to the high prices consumers can get for them, which on Gazelle's site range from $300-$500. Also, she says, timing has been important.

"Apple announced that it was going to be available quickly, 10 days from when it was announced," Kennedy said. That's good for recommerce, because we have a 30-day price lock, which means you have 30 days to send it from when you sell it online. That means people won't have to go anytime without a new iPad."

Beyond people buying back the iPad to get an iPad 2, Gazelle says the entire recommerce industry could see a boost. Kennedy says the early returns have shown a 45 percent "halo effect," which is product buybacks that have been helped by the iPad. She said the number of people signing up for buyback programs for their iPhones has doubled in the past two days.

Already, the industry has gained steam with the emergence of programs from Best Buy and eBay. The money consumers see on Best Buy's buyback program is a bit different from Gazelle's, as it's based on when it was bought. Products bought six or fewer months ago get half their original value, six months to a year get 40 percent and so on. Regardless of the method, the money may start pouring in for buy backers thanks to the iPad.

"This will be the biggest recommerce product ever, thus far it's had the highest percentage of a group of people utilizing a trade in for an upgrade, so that will definitely be the case," Kennedy said.

Welcome To My Portfolio

Hello,

A bit about myself before we get going. I'm 24 years old, living in the NYC area (shortly dropping the area as I move from North Jersey to one of the boroughs) and I'm a professional writer. I know a lot of people call themselves a "writer," but my living is literally dependent on my ability to construct the English word into a fluid sentence. If I couldn't do that, I'd be waiting tables.

This isn't really a blog I plan on updating with wacky thoughts, funny quips or observations on my beloved Boston Celtics. I have a blog like that already (www.employee8.blogspot.com).

Rather, I'm going to update this one with my published work. This will include articles I've written for my current full-time job at the International Business Times, past jobs, my freelance gigs (always changing, hopefully expanding) and on a rare occasion, some original stuff. The original stuff will be stuff I'm interested in (professional stuff, books, movies, interesting subjects) that wouldn't fit in my personal blog.

I hope you enjoy and if you have any questions, hit me up at gabriel.perna1@gmail.com

Thanks,
Gabe Perna