The Lunar Orbiter missions included five spacecrafts dedicated to map the entire lunar surface, a task necessary to select the landing sites for Apollo. The first three missions focused on twenty potential landing sites, while the two last oneswhich flew high altitude polar orbitstook photographs of 99% of the surface with a resolution that ranged from 60 meters to an stunning 2 meter.

While these probes were not as sophisticated as the HD cameras of the Selene spacecraft developed by the Japanese space agency, the NASA orbiters had a clever imaging system that achieved similar results four decades ago. It included a dual lens cameraone 610 millimeter narrow angle for high resolution and an 80 millimeter wide angle for medium resolution, a film processor, and a scanner. Both lenses were aligned to expose the same part of the 70 millimeter film roll, so the high resolution image area was centered with the medium resolution area.

This was more complicated that it sounds: Since the spaceship was cruising above the lunar surface, they had to compensate for that motion. Using an electro-optical sensor to measure the distance while a small motor shifted the film so the second exposure exactly matched the first one. After that, the film was processed, scanned, and the information send back to Earth, where it was stored in analog tapes.

Now, the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project at NASA's Ames Research Center, is retrieving and analyzing all the data stored in those tapes. To do this, first they restored the original tape recorders and 1,500 of these tapes. Then they digitized the data into modern computer, putting it through special software designed to extract all that information to produce the image you are seeing here. Their goal is to do this with every single image lurking inside those tapes, which then will be mapped to standard coordinates and sent to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Their objective is not only preserving and enhancing these historical documents, but also provide the scientific community with refreshed information prior to next year's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. [NASA]

More Gizmodo Sunday Eye Candy

Youthful incarnations of James T. Kirk and Spock are just two of the revelations in the new trailer for J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Trek movie.

The trailer, attached to this weekend's Quantum of Solace opening, shows plenty of warp-speed action as it introduces the characters in the Trek prequel.

If you didn't see the new Bond flick, you can still see the Trek teaser: A bootleg version of the trailer (embedded) is available on YouTube. Watch it now before it goes away.

The ship and the explosions have obviously been updated from the lovable cheesiness of the original TV series, but other things have been modernized as well: There's even a quick shot of what looks like Uhuru stripping down to her space-bra.

Will fans of the four-decade-old franchise go for the updated Star Trek? What do you think after getting an eyeful of Abrams' version?

See also:

• Worries Surface as Abrams Previews Star Trek in Europe
• Star Trek Writers Brace for Impact
• Preview Photos Reveal Look of New Star Trek
• Star Trek Stills, Trailer Hit the Web
• New Star Trek Teaser Posters Beam in Gravitas

This is your guide to some of the best tech podcasts (video only) about Internet, computer software, viral web videos and productivity. You can download these podcasts in iTunes, Adobe Media Player or any other feed reader that supports media enclosures.

Podcasting Directory: The Best Tech Podcasts

CNET Loaded Natali Del Conte discusses the top technology news of the day in this daily video show.	GeekBrief TV One of the longest running video podcast on the web with host Cali Lewis. It's all about gadgets and tech toys.
Tekzilla Veronica Belmont shares useful tips on tweaking software. Patrick Norton joins on weekends.	Epic Fu This weekly podcast is about art, tech and internet culture. Zadi Diaz has something unique in every episode.
Chris Pirillo For computer novices who need help on software and other tech advice. Chris Pirillo records this live.	PCWorld Video Podcasts Focused on gadget reviews, new product launches, how-to tutorials and technology buying guides.
Mahalo Daily It's more than just tech delivered weekdays.	CommandN TV An interesting tech news show with Amber MacArthur produced from Canada. Weekly.
WebbAlert Morgan Webb covers news from the tech and gaming industry in this daily video podcast.	Ad Age This five minute video podcast from Advertising Age covers events and personalities from the advertising and marketing world.
CNET Insider Secrets Full of how-to tips and tricks from extending your notebook battery life to hacking an Apple TV.	Howcast Tech Weekly tech podcast featuring tips to get most out of you gadgets and Do It Yourself projects.
Walt Mossberg Personal Tech Columnist for Wall Street Journal reviews consumer technology products including software.	David Pogue The New York Times' personal technology columnist takes you on a tour of something new in tech every week in his classic style.
Workfast TV Robert Scoble discusses tools that help you become more productive. This half-hour show is aired weekly.	Scobleizer TV This is more on the PodTech format where Scoble discusses startups, tech news and also interviews CEOs.
Talking Tech - Ed Baig and Jefferson Graham of USA Today cover software, gadgets and interviews.	Ahead of the Curve Weekly tech podcast from ABC News the covers everything from new video games to productivity tips to new software releases.
Show and Tell Brought to you by CNN, this infrequent video podcast is more about new developments in Science.	Cranky Geeks John C. Dvorak and his team discuss the most controversial topics in tech. This 30 minute podcast is released every Wednesday.
BoingBoing TV This podcast from the "directory of wonderful things" is about tech culture, science, art and activism.	Oddly Enough - From Reuters - a weekly wrap up of odd and offbeat stories from around the world.
Around the Net Know what's hot in the world of viral video on the web. May sometimes cover adult videos so be careful.	Attack of the Show Another G4 comedy video show about tech news, video games, viral videos and other odd stuff on the Internet.
Wallstrip Wallstrip podcast is more about stocks but they frequently discuss tech companies as well. It's a part of CBS News.	G4 Tech News This weekly tech news countdown with Alison Haislip covers all the news about tech and gadgets from the previous week.
Beet TV Andy Plesser features exclusive interviews with tech executives and frequently breaks news.	Channel 10 Podcast about Microsoft software plus sneak previews of upcoming technologies like the Surface table.
WebPro News News from the search industry, conferences and interviews with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts.	Mobuzz TV - Some people call this the Rocketboom of Europe. This daily video podcast is both funny and interesting.

Related: Best of the Web: Our favorite Websites

Tech Podcast Directory Help expand it

I may have missed some really great tech video podcasts in the list so please help expand the directory through your suggestions.

If you are busy, read this trick on how to watch more videos in less time. And if you have an iPod with low storage capacity, read this hack on how to stuff more music and videos.

Related posts:

1. Catch up With Your Favorite Podcasts Even When You're Busy
2. How to Embarrass Tech Support Staff ?
3. Microsoft Web: Tech News Aggregator

The Best Video Podcasts about Tech, Software and Internet Culture - Digital Inspiration

Automotive

• 2009 Nissan GT-R
• BMW MyInfo
• Carnegie Mellon's Boss
• BMW 7 Series Sign Reading Camera
• Audi Harmonic Drive Steering
• Lexus LX570 Wide-View Cameras
• Infiniti EX-35 Self-Healing Paint
• Ford Eco-Boost Engine
• Honda FCX Clarity
• Mercedes SL63 Speedshift
• Ford Capless Fuel Filler

Aviation & Space

• Mars Phoenix Lander
  
• White Knight II
• GeoEye-1 Satellite
• Kizuna Broadband Satellite
• Large Binocular Telescope
• Martin Jetpack
• Icon A5
• Rocket Racing League
• Boeing Advanced Technical Laser
• DraganFlyer
• Pipistrel Taurus Electro

Computing

• Maxis' Spore
• Device VM SplashTop
• Adobe AIR
• Qualcomm Gobi
• Microsoft PhotoSynth
• Microsoft Explorer Mouse
• Phoenix FailSafe
• Intel Core Duo Merom

Engineering

• Large Hadron Collider
• Bahrain World Trade Center
• Hillman Composite Beams
• Glubam's quick assembly bridge
• Kajima's new demolition method

Gadgets

• 3M MPro 110
• Casio EX-F1 Camera
• BUG Labs' Base and Modules
• Eye-Fi Explore SD Card
• Polaroid ZINK
• Sleek Audio SA6 Headphones
• Vision Research's V12 Camera
• Livescribe Pulse
  
• Ugobe Pleo
• Nikon D90
• Samsung AIRAVE
• iTunes App Store
• Amazon Kindle
• Tonium Pacemaker DJ System

Green Technology

• Serious Materials EcoRock
• ElectraTherm Green Machine
• Envirofit Clean Indoor Cookstove
• Enphase Energy Micro-Inverter System
• Mariah Power Windspire
• Agroplast All In One System

Home Entertainment

• Sony OLED TV
• Audiovox FPS10 Subwoofer
• Lucas Arts' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Sonos ZP120 Digital Amp
• Sony BDV-IT1000ES Home Theater System
• Onkyo TX-NR906 A/V Receiver
• Hitachi UltraThin TVs

Home Technology

• Honeywell Specialty Materials Storm-a-Rest
• Craftsman VibraFree Sander
• Home Comfort Zones MyTemp
• Festool Lapex Miter Saw
• Remington PowerMower
• Gorilla Super Glue
• FreshAire Paint
• PF WaterWorks PermaFLOW

Personal Health

• Recellularized Heart
• CellScope
• SensAble
• Toshiba Aquilion One CT
• Fraunhofer Institute's Magnet-Controlled Gut Camera
• BioXcell INVOcell Fertility Assist Device
• Pro-Neck-Tor
• Nintendo Wii Fit
• Electronic Taste Chip
• Hewlett Packard Smart Drug Delivery

Recreation

• Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 Di2 Electronic Shifting Components
• Poseidon Mk IV Discovery Rebreather
• Speedo LZR Swimsuit
• Schoeller Cold Black
• Atomic Double Deck Skis
• Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Sleep Pad
• O'Neill XDS-Air Insulated Neoprene
• Energy Integration Technology Aevex Gloves
• Moog Guitar

Security

• Thruvision T5000 Camera
• Noblepeak Vision Triwave
• Rotundus GroundBot
• Ingenia Technology Laser Surface Authentication System
• Lumidigm Venus Series Sensors
• Raytheon Controlled Impact Rescue Tool (CIRT)
• Landshark IED Robot
• RedX Spray-On Bomb Detector
• ARA Safety FIT-5
• The Streetlab Mobile

So what do you think? Was PopSci dead on or dead wrong? Lay it out in the comments. We were personally affronted that disemvowling didn't make this particular list. [PopSci]

Ah, lawyers. It's a love-hate relationship.

Just this week alone, I'm working with a literary attorney (publishing), an entertainment attorney (TV), and a corporate financing attorney (angel investments). All three are great.

Yesterday, though, I received the threatening letter below from Protocol Integrated Direct Marketing, whose call centers I recommend in the 4HWW. WTF?

Click to enlarge

But what did I say about Protocol specifically? Here it is, after an group intro where I indicate providers can also be compensated per-minute:

Protocol Marketing: One of classic sales-oriented call centers. I've used them for years.

I used them as a start-up CEO and felt the recommendation was valuable to readers. Blasphemer! Even if a correction were needed somewhere, the legal bitch slap isn't needed.

My response was simple: I called the lawyer and told him I would both have the mention removed and also announce the correction to readers (that's this blog post).

I suspect the CEO, Don Norsworthy, is not aware of this letter, as he would have no doubt approached it differently after recognizing a few things:

1. How you say something IS what you say.

Ever heard it's not just what you say, it's how you say it? I would go further: how you say something is what you say. A simple call or e-mail to Random House with we're getting too many calls for the wrong services; would you mind changing it to the following? would have sufficed. Have a normal human conversation and don't come off sounding like Robocop (video above).

But what if you need to be forceful? If someone's motives are clearly bad? I've dealt with this as well. First of all, if their actions are done with obvious malevolent-intent or law-breaking, you can be more forceful. Second, for those cases that fall in the middle, it's possible to be forceful and clear without being rude. For example:

It's come to our attention that [action your want them to cease in neutral terms]. I'm sure you are unaware, but this causes [negative consequences for you], which results in [other problems]. We thank you in advance for removing/stopping/correcting X as soon as possible [notice how less abrasive this is than 'immediately', but it achieves the same effect] and confirming when this has been done. Legal action is always a last resort, but if we do not receive confirmation within one business week, we'll be compelled to take appropriate next steps. Your fastest correction and confirmation is both important and appreciated.

2. It's counterproductive to threaten someone until you determine their incentives to refuse compliance.

In other words, what do I gain by refusing to remove them? Nothing. In fact, it's in my readers' best interest to make it accurate or remove it. Threatening me with Darth Vader-speak like compel compliance with [our] demand just pisses people off, and I could have still been a strong proponent of theirs. Too bad, so sad.

3. It's better to steer the golden goose rather than kill it.

If I'm sending them enough calls to inundate their phone lines (ironic in itself, since they're offering call center services), it would be in their best interest to just make the description more accurate, no? It's free advertising in a #1 NY Times bestseller to be published in 33 languages. How much advertising cost or cost-per-acquisition (CPA) does that save them if it's accurate? Knowing the revenue model and having worked with call centers, I'd guess hundreds of thousands of dollars at a minimum. To save what? A few thousand dollars in filtering out mom-and-pop callers at $.90 per minute? That's just penny-wise and pound-foolish.

4. Don't mistake symptoms with root problems, or confuse correlation with causation.

There are no income investment requirements that I can find listed anywhere on their call center site. It strikes me that their main problem relates to a system-wide issue with pre-qualification. The blurb in the 4HWW is just a symptom any successful PR or marketing that brings people to them will produce the same filtering bottleneck. Fixing the root cause instead of threatening the person who makes the root cause come to the surface.

If they have a problem with closer, Protocol might also consider removing the following from the second paragraph of their main call center page:

Whether you need a salesperson to close deals or specialized technical support services, Protocol's contact center services can help.

Confused? Me too.

5. If you threaten someone in a digital world, it might become what your prospective customers see first.

Principle one: Better not to threaten people whenever possible. Principle two: Google someone before you threaten them. If their PageRank and SEO beats yours, recognize that the public will see what they say first and foremost. Principle three: if someone is sending you business, and you threaten them because of a positive description (even containing inaccuracies), you are disincentivizing all partners, journalists, and customers from evangelizing for you if it becomes public. Given the new dynamics of personal branding in a digital age, being nice should be company policy, if not for cheap Google insurance.

Oh, and being rude sucks.

Be firm when necessary, but be nice whenever possible. Long-term, it doesn't pay to do otherwise.

In conclusion: Protocol, I'm sorry for endorsing you and reflecting my experience in a positive description. I was wrong and you are right. Readers, please pull out your Sharpie and strike Protocol from pg. 201.

Ah, lawyers. Use them wisely or the problem you create could be bigger than the one you solve.

Anyone have suggestions for good call centers that won't threaten me for recommending them?


To lighten the mood, a photo from the American Apparel factory, which I visited last Saturday. More pics here.

I think I was born to be a get-off-my-lawn grumpy old bastard. Its mostly because my tolerance for stupidity is pretty low and my cynicism is usually pretty high. This coupled with a strong desire for everything to be exactly to my liking can make me cranky, perfection seeking and downright unpleasant. But usually I'm a really nice guy. Except when irritated.

So lately here are my on notice items that are irritating the fuck out of me:

Mashable/TechCrunch/Most Tech blogs except Read Write Web - top 100 lists with zero content, re-blogging press-releases without any original substance, one-up-ism's, self-serving twitters, petty fights and more. Tech journalism needs to grow up, get substantial and actually look at the place of technology in the world rather than rehashing startup pitches with little analysis. Read Write Web is the best at actually analyzing stories. Mashable the worst. TechCrunch inconsistent but getting somewhat better in a random-walk kind of way.

By extension, cult-of-personality blog empires that lambast cult-of-personality tech-companies - This one is obvious. Has anyone figured out what some of these personalities actually DO? They show up at parties and in photo-ops, but what do they do? And don't throw stones.

Ars-Technica and Blogs that have no full-text feeds - It is 2008. To not have full-text feeds is an a front to your readership's intelligence and stupid ploy at page views. You know what I do when I see no full text feeds? Unsubscribe from the site. I don't visit it, look at an ad and then click on it. I don't read it: period. RSS is meant to improve your content's reach into the lives of people, not to act as a teaser for content on a site that is ugly and slow with a gray background.

Valley Clique Culture and those that cover it - Cyprus. Enough already. Who cares? Those that went and those that are jealous that they weren't invited. That's who.

Newspapers - You've been given 15 years now to figure out how to change your business model around. In that time, a small San Francisco company killed your classified ad market, you guys lost the best people in your offices to startups and other journalist empires with more capital, and still surround yourself in oligarchic Taj Mahal's with mahogany offices with the insistence that the public needs you. Right. The New York Times is going the right direction. The next move: get rid of the print product. Shutter the presses and move on.

Simplification of situations - This is a broad one. Journalism is always stuck in a binary opposition stance to make points easier to digest. However, you'd think that journalism that is based upon, and exists within a truly complex system like the Internet would try to get out of this. No, it doesn't. There is only surface examination of anything with online discourse, and even extending into engineering, product design, business and more. The world is complex and connectionist. Every action has tangible and intangible effects on every other actor in the system it inhabits. By segmenting off a very narrow segment of any given problem, one is not actually solving anything, but rather just adding another layer on top of the original complication.

Too often I see product pitches, criticism of the music industry, politics, news, etc fall into this trap. Nothing is simplistic. The answer is never simple. The answer is never a unilateral declaration of intent.

It is ALWAYS complex, and this is something I don't often see online.

Press Release Bloggers - Bloggers who get a press release, expand one sentence from it into one paragraph on their blog, and then post it. With very little to no understanding of what they are posting about on a technical level, and zero analysis. I saw this with the WiMax announcements last week. People basically reblogging a press release with maybe a Wikipedia level understanding of the history and context of the announcement and little else. I didn't post on WiMax. Why? Because I don't care (yet) and don't know enough about it to post it. I did get the same press releases in my inbox the rest of the blogosphere did. It's called restraint and self-respect. Learn it.

Digital Camera Chronology Bloggers - Kind of falls into the above. This is a category of bloggers who solicits for free products, gets them and then takes photos and posts them as a blog entry. Therein lies the end of the analysis. Engadget and Gizmodo do photo-posts, but then usually follow it up with cogent analysis. The wannabe gadget/tech blogs just post photos.

Here are my tips for publishing inside information.

1. Trust your source: I'm not talking about trust as in oh this guy works on iPods so he would know about the new iPod or This person has given me accurate information in the past. I mean trust, as in someone you would trust in your personal life. Someone you would trust to get you home safely if you were drunk off your ass. Someone you would trust to take care of your home while you're away. Someone you would trust to babysit your kids or your pets.

   Why? Because as a journalist/blogger, you are putting your reputation and credibility on the line on behalf of what that person is telling you, and that person has virtually nothing to lose if that information is false except for your friendship. (In fact, a good sourcethat is, one that you actually know works at Apple and has access to information you wanthas a lot more to lose if that information is accurate.) That person's reputation isn't on the line when you publish something they told you that is wrong. No one knows who they are, and on one cares. That person, your source, has to personally care about you enough to give you as correct information as possible, and personally care that you don't fall because they care about you as a person.

   Yes, this means you won't be able to publish every tip and every rumor you get. Random people from the Interneteven if they've given you correct info beforehave no reason to care about you. In fact, they may have a reason to try and take you down. It's not worth the risk for those people, even if you do believe them. I've had sources talk to me before who I believed 100%, but I did not trust on the level that I trust the sources I do publish, and therefore I did not publish the information from them.

   I only put my reputation on the line for people who I know would be willing to do the same if the situations were reversed.

2. If you're willing to take credit for being right, be willing to take the fall for being wrong. Dealing with unverifiable rumors is not a one-way street. Say you are willing to move forward with the information you have and publish it. It's breaking news. You're the first and only place to publish this information. You're getting millions of pageviews for it, and you're flying high. If your information ends up being right, you personally (and your site) get shitloads of street cred, and you personally get congratulated by a lot of people. I know how it is. I have done it a few times.

   But if you're willing to accept the congratulations for being right on behalf of the information your source gave you, you also have to be willing to accept being wrong when it happens. And it will happen.

   Sometimes sources are wrong, even the ones you know and trust and would risk your life for. Sometimes they get the wrong information, or they interpret it in the wrong way, or sometimes they are totally 100% right when the information came to them, but then the information changed. The latter happens a lot, especially at Apple. Shit changes all the time. It's very unfortunate if you happened to have published information that was 100% right at the time, and then it gets changed.

   When this happens, you have to be willing to take the fall. People will criticize yourepeatedly, and loudly. You will have taken a major hit to your professional reputation and the reputation of the site you represent. It will be embarrassing. You will be mad and defensive. It was the source! It wasn't my fault! It was what the source told me!

   Shit happens. Things will end up being wrong sometimes even when they are completely vetted in every possible way by you. Accept it, and be willing to tell your readers that. We published information that ended up not being correct. There's no need to offer excuses or runarounds as to why you are not the scum of the earth that some are painting you to be. You will get over being wrong, and so will they if you act like a professional about it.

   Let me repeat. If you're willing to take credit for being right, be willing to take the fall for being wrong. If you're not willing to do the latter, don't deal in the world of rumors.

3. If you know you're going to be flamingly wrong after you've already published something, point it out before someone else does. This seems like backwards advice: why would you want to tell the world how wrong you were instead of, say, hoping it fades away and no one will notice? The problem is, that's not going to happen. Someone is going to shove it in your face how wrong you were, and that person (or people) may be very high profile and draw a lot more attention to your wrongness than the level of attention you would have gotten for being right.

   If you get information later that goes against something you already published, update your post or write a new one, or both! Tell your readers This is what we wrote based on information we got, and it ended up being incorrect. This is what we know now. Be the first person to tell your readers the truth, because then at least you're the first person to control their perception of the situation. If you let someone else be the first person to control the world's perception of YOUR situation, to use the infamous words of Steve Jobs, you're in for a bag of hurt.

   This is just like politics. You have to spin it in the best light possible for your situation, which in this case happens to be honesty. Trying to hide isn't going to work, so don't even entertain the idea. Get the truth out there, even if it means admitting you were wrong before anyone even knew you were going to be wrong.

   Some people will criticize you for your judgementthat's unavoidable. But your readers will respect you for being straight with them, and people will forget all about it after not much time at all.

What are the lessons here? Reduce as much possibility of wrongness by trusting your source with your life. That's what your professional reputation is, by the way, it's your life. Trust those people with your life.

If you're wrong, own up to it. If you can't own up to it, don't play the game.

If you know you're going to be wrong in advance, cannibalize yourself before someone else doessomebody who undoubtedly hates you and will spin it in the worst possible way. People respect honesty and it will help your reputation in the longer run.

That's all, folks!

Before Tuesday, there was no way a MacBoo