Smoking Fingers Trick

The smoking fingers trick is a simple yet impressive science "magic" trick that you can perform using nothing more complicated than a box of matches. You rub your fingers together, producing smoke. There's no heat or fire, though. This trick is based purely on chemistry.

Smoking Fingers Video | Smoking Fingers Instructions

View the original article here

What Are the Van Allen Radiation Belts?

You probably have heard of the Van Allen radiation belts, sometimes just called "radiation belts", but might be unclear what they are or what they do. That's okay, because there is a lot that scientists don't understand about them. For example, while the radiation belts are known to shrink and expand in response to the solar wind and solar storms, we can't predict how the belts will react to a given event. Sometimes the belts don't seem to change at all in response to what appears to be the same type of event that caused them to react in the past. Sometimes they swell to include regions containing satellites and the International Space Station... learn more

How To Watch the Radiation Belt Storm Probes Launch | Why You Should Care About the Radiation Belts

 

Vicious cycle boosts use of browser-based ad blockers

Computerworld - Nearly one in four browsers are armed with an ad-blocking tool, reducing revenue at free-content websites, an Irish company said today.

The popularity of ad blocking -- driven by users' frustrations with intrusive, distracting or just-plain-ugly-and-noisy ads -- threatens the free-for-all model of the Internet, said PageFair, a company that's helping content publishers audit the problem and try to stem some of the bloodletting.

"It's a vicious cycle," said Neil O'Connor, CEO of Dublin-based PageFair. "Ads are becoming more aggressive to capture eyeballs, but that forces more people to install ad-blocking software. It's a lose-lose situation."

But without ads and the revenue they generate, most content publishers cannot sustain operations. Sans ad revenue, the only options are to charge for access -- the path taken by publishers like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times -- or fold the tent.

[Note: Computerworld, like the vast majority of content creators, relies on ad revenue.]

PageFair mined its data from the past 11 months and found some surprising nuggets about ad blocking.

"We started this because we were a publisher ourselves, in the game space," said O'Connor. "We wanted to know how many of our users were dropping out by installing ad blockers, and thought it was maybe as high as 10%. But we found that 30% were blocking our ads. That was shocking to us."

On average, 22.7% of the users who browsed to the several hundred sites monitored by PageFair since September 2012 used an ad blocker, but the range was very wide, from just 1.5% to 65%.

The more technically savvy a site's audience, the more likely they will block ads, said O'Connor. Game-related websites, for instance, deal with an average ad-blocking rate of 30%, the highest of any category. More mainstream websites, however, have a lower percentage of ad-blockers: The average for travel sites is around 5%.

"The severity of ad blocking on a given site is positively correlated to the technical ability of its audience," said O'Connor in a report PageFair published Wednesday (download PDF).

That's because browser ad blocking relies on add-ons, which not all users are comfortable installing, or even know exist. AdBlock Plus, which offers add-ons for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and most recently, Internet Explorer, is the best known.

Firefox users block ads more than those running any other browser, said O'Connor, perhaps because the Mozilla browser has long trumpeted its add-on ecosystem. Also, AdBlock Plus has supported Firefox the longest of any browser.

According to PageFair's data, 37% of Firefox users block ads. Google's Chrome took second place with a 30% blocking rate. IE's rate was miniscule, under 1%.

Corroborating PageFair's numbers is difficult. A May 2012 analysis (download PDF) by ClarityRay, which like PageFair works with companies to counter ad blocking, pegged the percentage of browsers running blockers at 9.3%. But the two companies agreed on many points, including Firefox users' greater interest in ad blockers and technical sites' increased likelihood of being blocked.

Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.

Read now.

View the original article here

Why Leaves Change Color in the Fall

The official start of fall is the autumnal equinox. This is when the sun crosses the celestial equator, making day and night essentially the same length. While you might not know the date of the autumnal equinox every year, you know fall is approaching because leaves start to change colors.

When leaves appear green, it is because they contain an abundance of chlorophyll. There is so much chlorophyll in an active leaf that the green masks other pigment colors. Light regulates chlorophyll production, so as autumn days grow shorter, less chlorophyll is produced. The decomposition rate of chlorophyll remains constant, so the green color starts to fade from leaves. At the same time, surging sugar concentrations cause increased production of anthocyanin pigments. Leaves containing primarily anthocyanins will appear red. Carotenoids are another class of pigments found in some leaves. Carotenoid production is not dependent on light, so levels aren't diminished by shortened days. Carotenoids can be orange, yellow, or red, but most of these pigments found in leaves are yellow. Leaves with good amounts of both anthocyanins and carotenoids will appear orange. Leaves with carotenoids but little or no anthocyanin will appear yellow. In the absence of these pigments, other plant chemicals also can affect leaf color. An example includes tannins, which are responsible for the brownish color of some oak leaves.

Temperature affects the rate of chemical reactions, including those in leaves, so it plays a part in leaf color. However, it's mainly light levels that are responsible for fall foliage colors. Sunny autumn days are needed for the brightest color displays, since anthocyanins require light. Overcast days will lead to more yellows and browns.

Leaf Color Chemistry | Paper Chromatography with Autumn Leaves

View the original article here

Why You Shouldn't Mix Bleach with Alcohol or Acetone

Mixing chemicals can be a bad idea, particularly if one of the chemicals is bleach. You may be aware household bleach gives off dangerous fumes when mixed with bases, such as ammonia, and acids, such as vinegar, but did you know it's also risky to mix it with alcohol? Bleach reacts with alcohol to form chloroform, a chemical that could knock you out and cause organ damage. Another chemical that reacts with bleach to form chloroform is acetone. While you wouldn't put bleach in a mixed drink, you might use it to clean up a spill or use it in a cleaning project with alcohol-containing glass cleaner. Acetone is found in pure form and in some nail polish removers. The bottom line: avoid mixing bleach with anything except water.

Image: Chemical structure of chloroform, CHCl3.

View the original article here

9 Proven Ways to Generate Sales Leads

CIO - When it comes to the best way (or ways) to generate sales leads, or find new customers, "there is a lot of buzz surrounding social media," says Mick Hollison, the CMO at InsideSales.com, a provider of cloud-based sales automation and predictive analytics for inside sales professionals. Social media "is exciting and highly utilized.

However, our research found that social media platforms -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest -- aren't very effective at generating quality sales leads," he says. "Meanwhile, some of the more effective methods, like executive events, webinars, search marketing and telemarketing, are underutilized."

While trade shows and webinars work well for certain organizations, many businesses swear by LinkedIn and Facebook (despite InsideSales.com's findings). Clearly, when it comes to lead generation, one method does not fit all.

So how do you determine which methods or media are the best for finding new customers? By testing several different lead generation strategies -- and measuring the results.

To make this task a bit easier, we asked dozens of sales and marketing experts to find out which lead generation methods yielded the best results for themselves or their clients. Following are their top nine suggestions on where and how to find new customers.

1. Customer referrals. Dogs may be man's best friend. And diamonds may be a girl's best friend. But customer referrals are an organization's best friend.

"There is nothing better than getting a sales lead from a happy customer," says JR Rodrigues, CEO, NetCablesPlus, which sells a wide variety of networking cables and accessories. An existing "customer knows what you are offering and probably has a good idea of what the referred prospect needs," he says.

"This means that the lead is probably well-qualified. Beyond this, you will have tremendous credibility with the prospect since you come well-recommended from someone that they know and trust," Rodrigues says

2. SEO, SEM and PPC. "The best way (in terms of lowest cost per acquisition) for an IT company or a service-based B2B company to generate leads is through pay per click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO)," says Gabriel Shaoolian, the CEO and founder of digital agency Blue Fountain Media.

"PPC and SEO are the most effective way to generate leads because when companies need IT services, they go to Google and search for IT companies. (Something like 90 percent of consumers -- business or otherwise -- go to Google search first.)," Shaoolian says.

To increase the effectiveness of your search engine marketing (SEM) and PPC campaigns, use "long-tail keyword phrases, which are highly targeted search terms typically consisting of three words or more," advises Brett Prince, president, Marketaire, a provider of social media and Internet marketing news.

"Long-tail keyword phrases drive targeted traffic due to their specificity, and they're less competitive than related, shorter search terms, which tend to be higher in volume and more competitive," Prince says.

In terms of SEO, "consider something educational, something your audience could benefit from," says Prince. "Once you've identified your target keywords, create content around it. You may be amazed at how fast you will rank and start generating traffic and leads for this term."

3. Cross-promotions and co-marketing. Consider forming "alliances with complementary, noncompetitive vendors to exchange leads, promote each others' products and services, or any number of other mutually beneficial activities," suggests Rodrigues.

"The leads generated from such activities can be quite good -- sometimes almost the same quality as customer referrals," he says. "The downside is that managing such alliances can be time-consuming and the lead flow can be unpredictable."

4. Providing useful content. "According to Google, tech buyers consume an average of 14 pieces of online content before making a buying decision (as opposed to just eight to 10 for the typical buyer)," says Kathleen Booth, owner and CEO, Quintain Marketing, which provides small to midsized businesses with end-to-end marketing solutions. "Companies that produce educational or informative content can establish thought leadership and generate leads earlier in the buying process, setting the stage to ultimately win the business," she notes. "It may sound counterintuitive," she continues, "but the key is to avoid selling. By offering prospects helpful information in the form of blogs, whitepapers, ebooks, webinars, case studies or demos, you can win their trust and their business."

5. Speaking at trade shows, conferences and industry events. "The best lead generator is to give an event presentation and follow it with customized letters, calls or emails to individuals that you met [there]," argues Susan Carol, CEO, Susan Carol Associates Public Relations.

Speaking at an event immediately gives you name -- and face -- recognition, literally separating (and hopefully elevating) you from the hundreds of other vendors or service providers trying to get noticed. And by following up with people you meet at shows in a timely fashion, you stay top of mind.

6. Using LinkedIn. "Our customer research showed that traffic from LinkedIn generated the highest visitor to lead conversion rate (2.74 percent), almost three times higher than Twitter (.69 percent) and Facebook (.77 percent)," says Mike Volpe, CMO of HubSpot, a provider of inbound marketing software. So what makes LinkedIn a good source of leads for IT companies and professional services organizations?

"First and foremost, LinkedIn has a high percentage of professionals, so the likelihood, especially for B2B marketers, that you're dealing with people in your target audience is higher than some other channels," he says. "Moreover, LinkedIn Groups are organized around the concerns and challenges faced by many buyers and/or their geographic location and profession, so LinkedIn makes it easy to view and contextualize what your potential buyers are talking about and tailor content on your LinkedIn Company pages accordingly."

Just be careful not to lead with a hard sell. "Instead, focus on creating relevant content that is highly shareable and relevant to potential buyers," says Volpe. "Infographics, quick tips and examples of success from executives in their industry are all great examples of how to interact on LinkedIn Groups to drive leads and inspire engagement."

7. Using Twitter. Use Twitter "to promote sales, products or services... and utilize hashtags so that potential clients can find your sale or topic," suggests Kimberly Judd-Pennie, the founder and CEO of CyberMark International, an integrated marketing firm.

You can also use Twitter to find potential customers by tracking "buying signals," notes You Mon Tsang, vice president of Products and acting CMO at Vocus, which provides cloud-based marketing and public relations software and services. For example, if you sell skis, search for individuals looking for ski recommendations by typing in relevant search terms (e.g., "skis recommendation") or looking for the hashtag "#skis" or "#skiing." Or create your own hashtag.

8. Providing contact information on every website page. "With search engines being such an important driver of inbound website traffic, you can't always predict where people are going to enter your website," notes Jonathan Bentz, marketing manager, Netrepid, a provider of professional services. "Having your contact info on every page of your website increases the likelihood that people will contact you."

9. Live chat. "We added a live chat box to our website and generated a request for quote the very first night!" says Bentz. "I can't stress how important that was for a proof of concept, especially since most IT pros are looking for fast answers without possibly getting stuck on the phone with a pushy sales person."

Jennifer Lonoff Schiff is a contributor to CIO.com and runs a marketing communications firm focused on helping organizations better interact with their customers, employees, and partners.

Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, on Facebook, and onGoogle +.

Read more about online marketing in CIO's Online Marketing Drilldown.

This story is reprinted from CIO.com, an online resource for information executives. Story Copyright CXO Media Inc., 2012. All rights reserved.

View the original article here

NASA revives mothballed spacecraft to be asteroid hunter

Computerworld - NASA is bringing a retired spacecraft back to life to search for potentially dangerous near-Earth objects.
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) worked from January 2010 to February 2011, hunting for and characterizing tens of thousands of asteroids throughout the solar system. Now the spacecraft, which has been in hibernation mode with most of its electronics turned off, will begin work again -- this time searching for asteroids flying precariously close to Earth, as well as for asteroids that might be suitable for study.
"The WISE mission achieved its mission's goals...," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science, in a statement. "NASA is now extending that record of success, which will enhance our ability to find potentially hazardous asteroids, and support the new asteroid initiative. Reactivating WISE is an excellent example of how we are leveraging existing capabilities across the agency to achieve our goal."
Asteroids have been a key point of interest for NASA. While scientists are always on the lookout for near-Earth objects that could impact the planet, NASA announced in April that President Obama's 2014 budget request included funding for a plan to capture and redirect an asteroid into orbit around Earth so astronauts could study it.
Ultimately, the project, which is getting resistance from House Republicans, is aimed at learning more about the makeup of asteroids in an attempt to protect the Earth from devastating collisions.
NASA said Wednesday that the WISE spacecraft will be revived next month and refocused on discovering and characterizing space rocks that can be found orbiting within 28 million miles of Earth.
NASA said scientists anticipate WISE will use its 16-inch telescope and infrared cameras to discover about 150 previously unknown near-Earth objects and characterize the size, ability to reflect light and thermal properties of about 2,000 others.
While WISE was working on its initial mission between 2010 and 2011, the spacecraft made about 7,500 images daily. It made the most accurate survey to date of near-Earth objects and discovered 21 comets, more than 34,000 asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and 135 near-Earth objects, NASA reported.

"The data collected two years ago have proven to be a gold mine...," said Lindley Johnson, NASA's WISE program executive. "It is important that we accumulate as much of this type of data as possible while the WISE spacecraft remains a viable asset."
This article, NASA revives mothballed spacecraft to be asteroid hunter, was originally published at Computerworld.com.
An artist's depiction of WISE, a NASA spacecraft, which is being brought out of retirement to hunt for asteroids. (Image: NASA)
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin, on Google+ or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed . Her email address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.
See more by Sharon Gaudin on Computerworld.com.
Read more about Government/Industries in Computerworld's Government/Industries Topic Center.
Small and midsize businesses are moving to the cloud to host their communications capabilities. Learn how enterprise-quality phone benefits, online management, conferencing, auto attendant, and ease of use are built into a system that is half the cost of a PBX.
Read now.

View the original article here