Mars Color Controversy

by David English on May 18th, 2008

Have you heard? NASA is hiding the true colors of Mars from the public. It’s all over the Internet. Pass it on.

Search for the “color of Mars” on Google, and you’ll find a host of conspiracy theories about NASA covering up the true colors of the red planet.

Some suggest NASA is deliberately trying to make the planet seem less hospitable for human life. Others argue NASA is secretly removing any evidence of vegetation. They point to the wide differences in hues found in various images of Mars.

Here are links to two sites that raise this issue: www.libertythink.com/totalinformation/BlueMars.htm and www.enterprisemission.com/colors.htm.

Could NASA really be engaged in a massive cover up? Not likely. Then what’s going on? Why is there such a disparity in the Mars images?

The best explanation can be found here: www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/hoagland/mars_colors.html. The photographic filters onboard the spacecraft weren’t designed to mimic the human eye. The filters were designed for scientific measurement. In addition, the color balance on Mars can shift for a variety of reasons, as it can here on Earth.

In short, there are technical explanations for the color differences that are far more believable than conspiracy theories where hundreds, if not thousands, of people are sworn to secrecy.

Rugged Earware

by David English on May 17th, 2008

With so many different Bluetooth headsets available, how would you design one to stand out from the others? Here’s an idea. How about building it to withstand the rigors of an active outdoor lifestyle?

That’s the reasoning behind the Plantronics Explorer 370 Ruggedized. If you’re fashion conscious, the bulky appearance could be a non-starter, but if you’re fashion agnostic, you’ll likely appreciate that it doesn’t call attention to itself.

The 370 is manufactured to the MIL-STD 810 military-grade standards issued by the United States Army’s Developmental Test Command. Besides being water, dust, and shock resistant, it filters out wind noise, so you should be heard clearly even from a mountaintop or speeding bike (signal coverage permitting). I found the call quality be very good (I didn’t try it from a mountaintop or speeding bike, however).

Though it’s quite a bit larger than the smallest headsets, it does weigh less than an ounce. It felt reasonably comfortable for hours at a time. If you’re especially sensitive to the weight of a headset, it may take some getting used to. I didn’t try dropping it onto concrete or rocks, but it was clear from examining the unit that it should be able to take more than its fair share of abuse.

The Plantronics Explorer 370 Ruggedized has a list price of $79.95.