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8/6/2019 Guru IssueZero Single Page View

1/28

ISSUE

0

SUMM

ER

2011

Why is it so hard tomake a good decision?

TOTAL

WIPEOUT!#SCIENC

E

#TECHNO

LO

G

Y

#FO

O

D#

M

IND#STUFF

MEDICAL MYTHS

HEALTHY HAGGIS

AMATEUR ASTRONAUTS

PLUS...


2/28

Image: sxc.hu kirsche222

@GuruMagfollowus on twitter

Guru is intended to be used oreducational and entertainmentpurposes only. Please consult aqualifed medical proessional iyou have any personal health

concerns.
https://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttp://www.randompanda.co.cc/http://benvealpr.com/http://realdoctorstu.com/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/http://gurumagazine.org/


3/28

Where you see the at the end o an article,

use it to click back to this contents page.

CONTENTS

Images:Fotolia;Flick

rBruceTuten;MikeWatsonImages;

GettyImages;sxc.hu

miamiamia;MicrostockPhotography

#MIND

#TECHNOLOGY

#FOOD

#SCIENCE

#STUFF

ARRIVALS LOUNGEA word rom the editor, Dr. Stu.

COVER ARTICLE DECISIONS, DECISIONSWhy is it so hard to make a good decision?

ASIDES... THE SCIENCE OF SWIMMINGIts guys vs. girls down at the swimming baths.

THE BURNS NIGHT FACE-OFFThe battle or supremacy haggis or Big Mac?

MEET THE GURUS

THE TOP TEN MEDICAL MYTHS

TV doctors may be sexy, but theyre not always right...

THE RANDOM IMAGE

THE AMATEURS GUIDE TO

MAKING YOUR OWN SATELLITE

Got ten grand to spare? Shoot to the moon!

CONFESSIONS OF A SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTA Guru struggles to keep control...

DEPARTURE LOUNGE

I you see a link or web address anywhere

in Guru, its probably clickable!


4/28

Image: Random Panda


5/28

Image:RandomPanda

ARRIVALS LOUNGE

ages: Alamy; sxc.hu saavem; sxc.hu nickwinch; Amana; Microstock Photography;Alamy.

SALUTATIONS, FAIR READER!

You are lucky enough to have gotyour hands on the frst edition oGuru, a digital magazine whichlooks at the world with a scientifcslant (but without the lab goggles).Deliberately light-hearted and inthe style o a liestyle magazine,its the sort o thing you dont needa PhD to get your head around.

Written by you, and or you Guru

is a new breed o journalism. Thisissue should give you a favour owhat its all about. Maybe youdlike to get involved? I you likewhat you read, why not ollow uson Twitter or the latest updates.Wed love to hear rom you so let us know what you think!
https://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttps://twitter.com/#!/GuruMaghttp://gurumagazine.org/


6/28

Decisions,decisions...

#MIND

MAKING YOUR MIND UP...

Image:Flick

rnoodlepie


7/28


8/28

G U RU I S S U E 0 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 P A G E 8

Four or fve options arefne, but more thanthat and the workingmemory quicklybecomes swamped andmaking a thoroughlylogical decision

becomes impossible.The 11 billion neuroncells crammed into yourcranium just cant seemto be able to juggle allthose dierent actorsaround at the same time

cue procrastination!

I you turned yourshopping dilemmainto numbers, then a

computer could processthe calculations inseconds (e.g. cost vs.quality, unctionalityvs. aesthetics). But wehave another trick upour sleeves that nocomputer has that isan extremely poweruldecision-maker:intuition.

Top Trumps has theAnswers!

Give one person a pileo Top Trumps cards(say or cars) that haveseven or more eatureson them (uel economy,top speed, price,acceleration, etc). Askthem to try to work outwhich is the best. Give

them a ew minutes to

think it over.

Now give a secondperson the same TopTrumps deck and getthem to read themthrough. Then ask themwhich they eel is thebest car.

It is surprising to fndout that the personwho nearly alwaysmakes the best choiceis the person whorelies on their eel.When we are acedwith difcult problemswhich overwhelm ourworking memory, the

mind is still somehowable to account or andweigh up the dierentpros and cons. This isntdone as a consciouscalculation (like 57=35)but is processed on adeeper, more primitivelevel. Given time andproviding youveread all the available

inormation, thedierent actors are edinto the limbic system(the part o the brainthat handles emotions).Under test conditions,our gut eelingsconsistently come upwith the best decisionsor complex real-liesituations.

So, is there a solutionto your supermarket

woes and troublesomedilemmas? Yes, andit is a simple one: stopthinking so hard! Ratherthan working out thebest choice, it is moreeective to consider all

the actors that matterand then rely upon yourintuition. In situationswhere you dont havetime to write a ull list opros and cons onpaper, it reallydoes work!

MAKING YOUR MIND UP...

Image: Flickr Mukumbura

Inormation Sources & Further Reading:

Explore your memory with BBC Science

Read more about the life of George Miller

Read the originalMagic Number Seven

article

Read more about how memory works

(Discovery Health)

Dr. Stu is the magazines

Science Guru. Originally

trained as a medical doctor,

he now lectures at Wiltshire

College, UK. Stu says,

I love seeing science

in the everyday and

extraordinary. Follow his

scientifc musings on Twitter

@realdoctorstu and onDr. Stus Science Blog.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/memory/http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/IP/GAMiller.htmlhttp://www.musanim.com/miller1956/http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/human-memory.htmhttp://www.twitter.com/realdoctorstuhttp://realdoctorstu.com/http://realdoctorstu.com/http://realdoctorstu.com/http://www.twitter.com/realdoctorstuhttp://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/human-memory.htmhttp://www.musanim.com/miller1956/http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/IP/GAMiller.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/memory/


9/28

THE SCIENCE OF... SWIMMING

GUYS

Yes No

Yes No

I want to goswimming.

Have you gotswimming trunks?

Have you got

a towel?

Go swimming.

Getsome trunks

Geta towel

GIRLS

REMEMBERYOUR PANTS

Rememberboth halves

Yes No

Yes No

I want to goswimming.

Is it that timeof the month?

Have you shaved

your legs?

Have you shavedyour pits?

Will you wear yourswimsuit to the poolunder your clothes?

Will you weara bikini?

Go swimming.Dont

go swimming.

Shaveyour legs

Shaveyour pits

Get a bag

Yes No

Yes No Yes No

Do you have a bagfor your wet swimsuit?

Yes No

Get a towel

Did you remembera towel?

Yes No

Do you still wantto go swimming?

Yes No

Getappropriate

stuff

Originally published on the Random Panda blog.

Flowchart Sarah Joy / Kerry Williams Illustration Random Panda
http://www.randompanda.co.cc/http://www.randompanda.co.cc/


10/28

Image: Flickr Silver TuskImages opposite: Microstock Photography; Flickr delphwynd

#FOOD

The Burns NightFACE-OFF

HAGGIS VERSUS THE BIG MAC! WHICH IS REALLY BETTER?


11/28

G U RU I S S U E 0 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1 P A G E 1 1

Haggis is likeMarmite: peoplelove it or hate it.Banned in the USAand slammed byhealth critics, justhow bad can thisScottish delicacyreally be?Haggis is no longerthe reserve o theardent kilt-wearingScot, because moreand more Burns Nightrevellers are opting orthis authentic are. Nothelped by its anaemicappearance, the haggis

has an image problem.Fans o this boil in abag o sheep innardsclaim that it is authentic,traditional, and noworse than the ast oodsmany o us eat.

On the promise not touse any oal puns, Icast a critical eye onthe evidence or andagainst this Scottishnational dish.

So what goes into aHaggis?The culinary contentso a haggis dont sound

particularly appealing:sheep lungs, heart andliver, mixed with oats,onions and stewedin a bag o animalintestines

I would be the frst toconcede that sheepoal doesnt look veryattractive (see imageson next page), but howmuch worse is it reallyto other animal-basedoods?

It is worth consideringwhere some o our moreacceptable delicaciescome rom: black

pudding is dried bloodand a traditionally-made sausage is coatedin intestines (althoughthe ones rom the shopsare more likely to comein a synthetic casing).

So lets get down tosome numbersNutritionally, how doeshaggis line up against

amiliar, more sociallyacceptable oods?

Well, haggis is certainlynot going to qualiy asone o your fve-a-day(even though it looksa bit like a mouldyaubergine). It wouldalso miss the low atand healthy categoriesby the distance o agood caber toss. Butwhen you comparethe nutritional actso a haggis and itsmore ashionable meatcounterparts, the Haggisis pretty similar to

sausage (and gram-or-gram has less at)!

Why is Haggisso uncool?I can understand peoplewho are squeamishabout eating oal; apartrom steak and kidneypie, we just dont eatanimal organs very


12/28


THE BURNS NIGHT FACE-OFF

o the world

Some have beenworried that oal may

contain toxic heavymetals and carcinogens(like dioxins) or mightcause ood poisoning.The FSA perormed acomprehensive surveyo British ood andshowed that such oodstested were quite sae.Poorly washed sheepintestines can increaseyour chance o ood

poisoning, especiallyi not cooked all theway through butconsidering most haggisdoesnt even containintestines anymore,the overwhelmingconclusion is that Haggisis sae to eat.

To eat or not to eat?

Haggis is a high-at,

salty ood, as are manyoods that we eat. Butin treating yoursel toa portion o haggis youarent likely to sendyoursel to an earlygrave. Id defnitely treatmysel to a haggis on

Which would you rathereat: oal or sausage meat?

You saw ithere rst: theMcHaggisSandwich!Ill havemine witha side oneeps,please...

Health Note:Given that Haggis is a good source o vitamins A,B and iron, pregnant women should probably limit their haggis

intake (as excessive vitamin A can lead to problems).

much anymore. Buthistorically, oal wouldhave been in all sortso pies and sausages.Current legislation statesthat oal isnt allowed

to be labelled meat.Many old-ashionedoodies think that thisdistinction is a littleunair as oal hasimportant nutritionalbenefts you wontfnd in a Big Mac or asausage both liver andkidney are great sourcesvitamins A, B and iron!

Saety ConcernsThe most controversialingredient in haggis issheep lungs. When theBSE (Mad Cow Disease)outbreak was in ullow in the 1980s and90s, there was a banon all oods containingcow brain and spine.This rather sensible

precaution was becauseMad Cow Diseaseseems to be spread byinectious proteins calledprions that accumulatein an inected cowsnervous system.

It was in the midsto this public panicand uncertaintythat sheep lung wastemporarily banned

as a precautionarymeasure. There is still alot we dont understandabout BSE and how it istransmitted but sheepproducts have beenshown to be sae (asar as is reasonablypossible) by the UKFood Standards Agency(FSA). To the ury omany a Scot, the banstill exists in some parts

Burns night especiallyconsidering as it hassome nutritional beneftswhen compared to apork sausage or a BigMac.

Taste-wise, I havebecome quite partialto the haggis...Perhaps I can persuadeMcDonalds to considera more nutritiousaddition to the menu...


13/28


THE BURNS NIGHT FACE-OFF

@GURUMAG

MEET THE GURUS!

Image:Flickrfikr

Guru is about people who are passionate about a rangeof different subjects. So, on that note, meet the team:

SCIENCE GURU DESIGN GURU MEDIA GURU

Doctor Stu originallytrained as a medicaldoctor before branchingout into lecturing. Hedrinks too much coffee,eats ice cream and has abizarre love of keeping t.

You can read Doctor Stus blog

atrealdoctorstu.com

Sarah is the graphicdesigner responsiblefor Gurus design &layout. Her dream is tolive in Hong Kong readingcomics and eatingmango pudding.

Read Sarahs design & illustration

blog atwww.randompanda.co.cc

Ben is a PR professional& social media enthusiastbased in Wiltshire, UK.Ben studied Film atuniversity and still spendsfar too much time in frontof a screen.

Read Bens marketing, PR & social

media blog atbenvealpr.com

Inormation Sources & Further Reading:

Is Haggis inedible? The Americangovernment think so!

Find out what makes up part o yourFive-A-Day

Nutritional inormation romnutritiondata.self.com andHaggis nutritional informationis taken as an average oeight commercially availablesamples o haggis

Conused about dierent typeso oal? Read more here

Advice on healthy eating duringpregnancy available rom BBCHealth

Read more about how the USA is lifting its ban on Haggis(Guardian.co.uk)

The Food Standards Agencys 2006 reports on toxic metalsin offal and other toxins in offal

The European Commissions ull 2007 report on BSE riskposed by offal products
http://realdoctorstu.com/http://www.randompanda.co.cc/http://benvealpr.com/http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2011/01/23/haggis-inedible-says-us-government/http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/5aday/Pages/5ADAYhome.aspxhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/http://nutritiondata.self.com/http://www.beachcuisine.com/Articles/MPGF/Terminology.htmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/pregnancy/pregnancy_diet.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/pregnancy/pregnancy_diet.shtmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/24/america-haggis-ban-lifted-burnshttp://www.food.gov.uk/http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis1406.pdfhttp://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis1406.pdfhttp://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis1506.pdfhttp://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/biohaz_op_ej442_qra_sheep_en,3.pdfhttp://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/biohaz_op_ej442_qra_sheep_en,3.pdfhttp://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/biohaz_op_ej442_qra_sheep_en,3.pdfhttp://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/biohaz_op_ej442_qra_sheep_en,3.pdfhttp://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis1506.pdfhttp://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis1406.pdfhttp://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis1406.pdfhttp://www.food.gov.uk/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/24/america-haggis-ban-lifted-burnshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/pregnancy/pregnancy_diet.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/pregnancy/pregnancy_diet.shtmlhttp://www.beachcuisine.com/Articles/MPGF/Terminology.htmhttp://nutritiondata.self.com/http://nutritiondata.self.com/http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/5aday/Pages/5ADAYhome.aspxhttp://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2011/01/23/haggis-inedible-says-us-government/http://benvealpr.com/http://www.randompanda.co.cc/http://realdoctorstu.com/


14/28

Image:sxc.huKurhan

#SCIENCE

TOP TEN MEDICAL MYTHS


15/28


Its surprising to

discover just how

many inaccuracies

todays hospital TV

dramas have in them.

Here are the Top Ten

things youll only ever

see in a TV hospital

The White

Coat MythDoctors have always

liked to wear garments

that set them apart,

but did you know that

in the past doctors

wore black suits? It

was only about 100

years ago that medics

switched to wearing

white coats a type

o power-dressing

symbolising science

and cleanliness.

But unlike what you

see on TV, very ew

doctors wear white

coats anymore!Ironically, most

hospitals have now

stripped doctors o their

distinguished white

garb because they

are ar rom being the

sterile things theyre

supposed to be! Despite

surveys showing that

most o us preer to betreated by a white-

coated Doc, incredibly,

at least a third o those

coats harbour disease-

causing bacteria and

superbugs like MRSA.

So remember, you

should never trust

a doctor in a white

coat

The SuccessulResuscitationMyth

Any sel-respecting

medical drama

must have at least

one emergency

resuscitation per

episode. Anything less

just wouldnt be right.We all know the

ormula: doctor-heroes

sprint to the aid o

a collapsed patient,

stethoscopes swinging.

Mere moments ater

arriving, and a bit o

chest pushing or a

shock with a defb,

the patient spluttersback to lie. These TV

depictions are sadly

ar too optimistic. The

reality is pretty grim:

Cardio-Pulmonary-

Resuscitation (CPR)

rarely works and this

was my experience

when I was a hospital

doctor. Even with the

The Top TenMedical Myths

We all love a good hospital drama.They can tick all the boxes o great TV:

lie and death situations, steamy relationships,ethical dilemmas and blood and gore.

But just how accurate are they?

10

9

age: Flickr FireFawkes


16/28

We need toask you,

Mr and MrsSmith, shouldwe try to save

Jonnys lieeven thoughhes suering

so much?In the many countries(such as the UK), such

a situation should

never happen: the next

o kin has no power

to make decisions.

In US hospitals lie

and death decisions

may be handled by

a surrogate decision-maker, but this is the

exception rather than

the norm. Doctors will

always talk to relatives

and take their opinions

into consideration, but

ultimately the decision

or giving lie-saving

treatment is made by

the medical team.

The ShockableFlat-Line Myth

Picture the scene:

a patient has been

wheeled into the

Emergency Room

rom a car accident.

Their blood pressure

is dropping, theyve

stopped breathing

and the heart monitor

shows a at line.

Everyone seems to be

panicking! Someone

grabs a defbrillator

and shouts Clear!

The patient jerks and

is shocked back to lie!

Phew!

Dramatic yes, but

utterly wrong.

Firstly, defbrillators

send an electric shock

to the heart but the

shock is nowhere near

strong enough to cause

the violent body spasm

you invariably see on

TV!

Secondly, shocking

the heart never works

when a person is at-

lining (a condition

called asystole).

Shocking the heart

only works in certainconditions when the

heart monitor shows an

erratic trace.

Finally, a heart-trace

at line is never

completely at. In

reality it never looks

like you see it on the TV a completely at line

means the machine is

not connected!

The ParanoidSchizophreniaMyth

Mental Illness gets a

bad press, even in

medical dramas. I geton my soapbox when

medical dramas dont

take the opportunity to

dispel common myths

and misconceptions

about mental

health problems.

Schizophrenia is

nearly always

portrayed very badly:characters either have

a split personality

or are blood-thirsty

psychopaths.

In reality, people with

schizophrenia are

rarely violent, and

never have a split

personality.

Paranoidschizophrenia is the

7

6

best equipment and

training only about

5-10% o hospital

resuscitation attempts

succeed.

The Next-o-KinMyth

Incapacitated by some

dreadul condition,

relatives are invited

or a serious discussion

with doctors about

the treatment o their

loved-one:

8

Image: Flickr timmenzies

Doesnt it make

you want to yell

CLEAR!?



17/28


name given or the

commonest type

o schizophrenia

and many

psychiatrists preer

not to use the term

paranoid becauseo all the negative

and inaccurate

connotations it has.

And unlike what you

might have read in

tabloid newspapers,

people suering

rom schizophrenia

usually withdraw into

themselves rather thango out onto the streets

wielding an axe.

Multiple personality

disorder is something

altogether dierent and

is highly controversial:

popularised by movies

like Hitchcocks Psycho

and Fight Club, many

proessionals think

its a condition made

up by lawyers and

impressionable doctors!

The Pulling-Out-the-Blade Myth

Having just survived

a terrorist explosion,

Jack lies wounded on

the oor. Grimacingthrough the pain, he

realises that a sharp

piece o metal has

impaled in his side.

Being a well-trained

action-hero, he knows

that the best thing to

do is pull it out

Our action hero

obviously never went

on a First Aid course.

While pulling out an

impaled object looks

very manly and brave

it is probably the worst

thing to do. Tryingto pull out anything

much bigger than a

large splinter is likely

to make the bleeding

much worse. Dont

try to be Rambo:

leave it in and let the

proessionals take it out!

The Debrillator

Rub MythGo on: give those

defbrillator paddles a

rub while it charges up!

You see it in nearly

every medical drama

but apart rom

looking cool, rubbing

defbrillator paddles

together is completely

pointless, and couldeven wreck the

equipment.

Medics used to

occasionally rub

defbrillator paddles

together to spread

conductive gel across

them. But gel is pretty

messy and has been

completely superseded

by sel-adhesive gel

pads that are stuck on

the chest.

Made-upDiseases

Script writing or

medical dramas must

be great un. To most

o us, medicine is

shrouded in exotic-

sounding diseases

and unintelligible

jargon. Granted, the

internet means that

we are now much

more inormed about

medical matters

than ever beore;

but who really

knows the dierence

between a medullary

glioblastoma and

a cavernous sinus

thrombosis when

3

5

4

Take what you

see on the TV

with a pinch

of salt!Usually

scan results

on TV bear no

resemblance to

the condition

doctors are

talking about!

Image:FlickrDunechaser

Image:FlickrMkieyGOttawa


18/28


ortune! TV hospitals

clearly have no need

or radiologists, lab

technicians, nurses,

pharmacists or

specialist surgeons.

It might sound strange,but in reality doctors

are actually humans

The Behind AnyStorage RoomDoor Theres a

Couple o DoctorsHaving a RomanticMoment Myth

Are you lonely and in

need o a relationship?

Then why not become

a medical intern?!

Greys Anatomy did to

hospital dramas what

Sex and the City did

or sit-coms it brought

sexual tension to the

hospital corridors. By

bringing the medical

drama to new levels

(or lows), the hospital

has been radically

transormed rom a

bad-smelling institution

that no-one wants to go

to to a hip and modern

Club 18-30!

You may be relieved

to learn that mostmedical proessionals

are ar too busy or a

quickie in the sluice

cupboard (although

that does sound quite

romantic). Either that or

I always worked in the

wrong hospitals

at least one doctor

advising the script-

writers, they still tend

to be pretty liberal with

the truth. Lets ace it,

real lie can just be a

bit too mundane or TV!(By the way,

uromysitisis is

completely fctitious

and was eatured in an

episode o Seineld...)

In an attempt to put

the record straight, one

doctor has dedicated a

website to cataloging

every single medicalinaccuracy in the hit

American TV show

House MD!

The DoctorsDo EverythingMyth

My avourite hospital

drama at the moment

is House MD, but ithappens to be one o

the worst culprits or

peddling the myth that

doctors do everything.

I you based your view

o a doctor on what

you see on TV, you

would think they all

had IQs o the Richter

scale, could alwaysdiagnose and treat

any condition, operate

MRI scanners, analyse

blood samples in the

lab, and even perorm

complex surgery! I

can only conclude

that these academic

super-heroes must save

the hospital a small

looking at a brain

scan? And would you

know i uromysitisis

poisoning was real or

not? Even though all

medical dramas have

2

1

age: Flickr Funky64

http://www.politedissent.com/house_pd.htmlhttp://www.politedissent.com/house_pd.html


19/28mage: Flickr KhayaL

At Guru, we lovephotography and ndingrandom images that makeus smile. Theres no story tothis shot we just liked it!

If you have a greatimage youd like to share,why not email it to us [email protected] we may even feature itin the next issue.
mailto:info%40gurumagazine.org?subject=Look%20at%20my%20Random%20Image%21mailto:info%40gurumagazine.org?subject=Look%20at%20my%20Random%20Image%21


20/28

What could you do with a spare US$10,000? Take a triparound the world, perhaps? You probably hadnt thought

investing in space technology was an option but now it is:with a pretty modest budget, you can build and launch your

very own satellite!

Out o thisworld!

#TECHNOLOGY

THE AMATEURS GUIDE TO MAKING YOUR OWN SATELLITE


21/28


The utureo satellitetechnologymay well bevalue-priced.

We all know thattechnology is smallerand more powerul thanever beore. By utilisingthe sort o gizmos thatnormally live in yourmobile phone, it is

possible or amateursto buy DIY satellite kitsand build their veryown planetary orbiter.

These tiny spacecrat(called nano-satellites)are the size o a bottleo coke and weigh lessthan a bag o potatoes.

And many garage-built satellites also get

to hitch a ride on thenext space agencyrocket launch or next tonothing!

Amateurs andproessionals alike areseeing the potentialand are ocking to geta piece o the action:satellite TV, weathermonitoring and space

telescopes are nowwithin the grasp o meremortals like you and I.

Opposite: NASA PhoneSat

Within this CubeSat rame, a standard Android HTC phone uses its multi-axis sensors and GPS to monitor

and report the satellites progress. Photo courtesy o NASA Ames Research Center 2011 / Flickr jurvetson

Satellite Building The Amateur Way

Its a little known actthat since the 1960s,amateurs have beenlaunching satellites

into space. Eager radioenthusiasts have beenorganising ad-hocspace missions, buying,begging and borrowingmilitary rockets andequipment to launchtheir projects into orbit.Fascinated by thepossibility o sendingcommunicationsthrough the stratosphere

and bouncing themround the globe, theseHAM radio gurushave led the way inlow-budget spaceenterprise. Meanwhile,wealthy TV companiesand governmentshave ocused onconstructing andlaunching increasingly

huge and sophisticatedsatellites. Incredibly,many modern TV andcommunication satellitesare the size o a smallcar. But the NASAspace programme hasdownsized and cash-

strapped governmentsare now looking ora cheaper way to dothings. Many an experthas now come to realisethat the uture o satellitetechnology may well

be smaller, simpler andmore value-priced.

Prompted by thisemerging grass-rootsmovement, clever olkat Caliornia PolytechnicState University andStanord Universitywanted a way tosimpliy the wholeprocess or a wannabe

satellite builder. Theydeveloped a design thatstandardised the wholeprocess. That designwas remarkable in itssimplicity: all amateur-satellites must be a10cm cube in size, andweigh no more than1kg. They called theirdesign the CubeSat and

this new specifcationhas become widelyaccepted. I you want tobuild your own CubeSat,you can literally buyindividual componentsonline and ft themtogether like a toymodel!

A basic CubeSat kit.Source: SequoiaSpace.com
http://sequoiaspace.com/http://sequoiaspace.com/


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do very much withoutsome power. Batteriesare a good idea butthey wont last orever,so putting some solarpanels on it will give itsome longevity (theresno shortage o sunlightin space).

3. A radio transceiver

and antennaeI you want to be able tocommunicate with yourorbiting satellite, fttingone o these is a must.

4. Other stuff:

Cameras, etc.

I you want your satelliteto take pictures, thenyoull need to plug ina camera. I you have

other things in mind,then just make sureyouve stowed it intoyour little cube beorelaunch day.

THE AMATEURS GUIDE TO MAKING YOUR OWN SATELLITE

Building your own CubeSatI you have dreams o launching your own Sputnik,there are certain things that you will need to buildyour own CubeSat. Heres the shopping list o

essential parts:1. A frame, a computer

motherboard, and some

basic electronic kit

First on your shoppinglist is to get yourselgoing with a basicCubeSat kit. Boughtonline, it comes like aMeccano kit; all thebasic stu is included

and needs to beassembled to ft snuglyinside the 10x10cmmetal rame (provided).Just remember thatyou also need to wireall the electronics ontothe motherboard. Oh,and youre going toneed to be able to dosome basic computerprogramming to get thething working...

2. A battery and some

solar panels

Your CubeSat wont

Getting AirborneIts unlikely that many ous would be able to slapa CubeSat together on arainy Sunday aternoon.Its going to take someserious time and someskill: youre goingto need knowledgeo programming,electronics, radiocommunications andphysics. That said, iyou are a determinedhobbyist and you think

kit cars and model trains

are too basic, theresplenty o inormation outthere to get you startedon your very own

CubeSat project.Presently, CubeSatbuilding is still prettyexpensive; mostCubeSat projectsend up costing morethan US$10,000(about 6,000) andsotware glitches ormechanical problemsmean they have a

pretty high ailure

rate. The practicalitieso getting your CubeSatinto an actual rocketwill also need careul

negotiation. Commercialor government spaceagencies are oten happyto charge a nominal eeto have a tiny CubeSatonboard. Ive also heardthat i you ask NASAnicely, they may evendo it or ree.

The easiest and cheapestway to get involved in a

CubeSat project is to join


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a local group. Checkout to see i there areany opportunities at aUniversity in your areaor fnd a local AMSATgroup (Amateur RadioSatellite Corporation)

and join up (see belowor links).

The CubeSat communityis open-source solike the ree onlineencyclopaediaWikipedia allknowledge andtechnology is reelyshared. Its this growingbody o knowledge

and experience thatmakes the CubeSatso exciting. As moreprojects are launched,and as technology costsall, there are goingto be more and moreopportunities or us all tohave a little dabble inspace exploration

Links:

The Ofcial CubeSat Site with upcoming launch dates

List of CubeSats (presently incomplete) at Wikipedia

Find a whole host o other space related projects and competitions

you can get involved in at spacehack.org

Find out more about getting involved in Amateur Radio Satellitesat the ofcial AMSAT website

Read more about the extraordinary history o amateur radio satellites

at www.SpaceToday.com

A list of online shops or CubeSat components.

Selected Amateur Radio Satellite groups:

AMSAT-UK:www.uk.amsat.org

The Southgate Amateur Radio Club:www.southgatearc.org

AMSAT South Arica:www.amsatsa.org.za

AMSAT Australia:www.amsat-vk.org

Backgroun

dimage:sxc.hugilderm

Cubedup

by
http://cubesat.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CubeSatshttp://spacehack.org/http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.phphttp://www.spacetoday.com/http://cubesat.ifastnet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=65http://www.uk.amsat.org/http://www.southgatearc.org/http://www.amsatsa.org.za/http://www.amsat-vk.org/http://www.amsat-vk.org/http://www.amsatsa.org.za/http://www.southgatearc.org/http://www.uk.amsat.org/http://cubesat.ifastnet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=65http://www.spacetoday.com/http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.phphttp://spacehack.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CubeSatshttp://cubesat.org/


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Conessionso a social media addict

Illustration: Random Panda

#STUFF

WHATS YOUR PROBLEM?!


25/28


Hi, my name is Ben,

and I am addicted to

social networking.Okay, so Ive never

actually stood up in

a room and said that

but I oten eel that

I should. You might

say that my problem

started in 2004, when

I became ascinated

by social media.

First it was myspace,then Facebook, then

Linkedin (strictly or

business, o course).

Then came Twitter.

Now or me in 2011,

a regular day sees

me tweet at least

fve times, have a

couple o discussions

on Linkedin, andliaise with riends and

amily via Facebook.

Typically at least two

hours o my day is

spent doing online

social networking

that works out at a

staggering 832 hours or

35 days a year!

I know Im not the onlyone with this problem.

I communicate or

a living, so I have

an excuse or being

an early Twitter and

Facebook adopter.

But whole groups o

my riends only ever

communicate with

one another via social

media. We are the

social media addicts

who, whilst in the

pub, at a concert or ata party are thinking

about how to describe

said event in 140 witty

characters. I think the

time has come to make

a change

Is there any wayback rom here?

There are manyreasons why social

media has become

so popular. For me,

it provides a way to

stay in touch with a

variety o people with

a minimum amount

o eort. In just a ew

clicks I can post photos

o my lie or make a

quick comment to a

riend. Its much easier

than picking up the

phone and actually

talking! But where

social media really

comes into its own is

that it allows me to

keep in contact with

people that are spread

out all over the world.

Sherry Turkle, Proessor

o Social Sciences at

MIT, recently published

a book Alone

Together: Why We

Expect More From

Technology and Less

From Each Other.

Proessor Turkle looks at

the impact technology

has had on our daily

lives and how we need

to use it to actuallyempower relationships,

rather than harm

them. Sherry notes that

technology makes it

easy to communicate

but also to disengage

at will. She cites real

examples o mourners

sending text messages

during a uneral - suchwas the grasp that

technology had on

them.

This is where the

challenge comes in

to use social media to

enhance relationships

and not detract rom

them. I know that Im

guilty o tweeting,posting, or trawling

through status updates

when I should be

engaging with a riend

or amily member ace-

to-ace. Although Im

there in person, Im on

my Smartphone in my

own little social media

land.With Twitter, things are

taken one step urther.

The sheer speed at

which ones Twitter

timeline updates itsel

makes me eel like

theres a danger that

stepping away rom

the monitor will mean

I miss an all-important

piece o inormation

Admitting you have a problemis the hardest part. Or so they say.


26/28

that could transorm

my lie! I know I need

to cut down, but going

cold turkey simply

isnt an option. Working

in PR means that social

media has become a

key part o what I do.

According to Mark

Shaw, the UKs Twitter

expert, I should try to

have clear aims at the

outset whenever I use

social media. In his

recent book, Twitter

Your Business he

explains that Twitter

can be benefcial to

business only when

used in a clear anddisciplined way. I like

what he says and so I

have set a challenge

or mysel less is

more.

This is my challenge:

I will pledge to limit

my time spent online

and to be in control

o it, rather letting it

control me. Taking

the lead rom Mark, I

will clearly determine

why I am using social

media and not get

distracted by all the

noise. Im going to

endeavor to use this

technology to engage

and build relationships

with the right people

and have the right

conversations. I willlook or ways to

add value to online

conversations.

So i youre like me and

have been suering

rom similar symptoms

why not join me in

my challenge? Lets try

to use social media to

enhance relationships

with amily, riends

and colleagues. Thats

what its supposed

to be there or,

ater all.

Ben Vealis the magazines

Media Guru. Hes a

communications proessional

based in Wiltshire, UK.

You can ollow him on

Twitter@BenVealPR(o

course) and read more o

his thoughts on his blog,

benvealpr.com

I know I need to cut down,but going cold turkey

simply isnt an option...

CONFESSIONS OF A SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICT

Find out More:

Find out moreabout Sherry Turkle

Check out MarkShaws bookTwitter Your Business

Some tips onManaging Your

Social NetworkingAddiction(Liehack.org)

Image: Flickr malik ml williams

Image:Flickrntr23
https://twitter.com/#!/BenVealPRhttp://benvealpr.com/http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www/publications.htmlhttp://www.markshaw.biz/twitter-your-business-book/http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/managing-your-social-network-addiction.htmlhttp://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/managing-your-social-network-addiction.htmlhttp://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/managing-your-social-network-addiction.htmlhttp://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/managing-your-social-network-addiction.htmlhttp://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/managing-your-social-network-addiction.htmlhttp://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/managing-your-social-network-addiction.htmlhttp://www.markshaw.biz/twitter-your-business-book/http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www/publications.htmlhttp://benvealpr.com/https://twitter.com/#!/BenVealPR


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Do you like what Guru stands or?I so, all we ask is that you tell yourriends. I you give us a Like onFacebook, then you can send usyour eedback and ideas directly.

We believe that when people witha passion or communicating thetricky stu o lie come together great things can happen. I youlike writing, photography, art ordesign and want to contribute then wed love to hear rom you.Maybe you could join us andbecome a Guru?

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The Guru team


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