Tech Net News 10-13-2018

hawking murdo macleod, the guardian 3912
Credit: Murdo McLeod, The Guardian

Tech Net on the Hill is coming up in just two weeks. We’ll be at the Flag Pole Hill pavilion from 2 pm to 9 pm on Saturday, October 27th.

Winter Dinner is coming up! Remember that you can buy tickets for our Winter Dinner Raffle at all club functions.

And finally, we have a surprise net coming up on October 29th. Do you have a spooky or surprising idea for a net? Let the club know.

In news from the world of ham radio:

Hams have been active in the response to Hurricane Michael. I don’t know which, if any, HF nets are still active or which frequencies should be avoided. If anyone has news of current HF hurricane response activity, please share it on the net.

Don’t forget that Jamboree on the Air is next weekend. Scouts would love to say “hi” to you! Please listen on your favorite repeater or on HF.

KG5TMV is safe! Better known as Nick Hague, he was one of the two astronauts saved by a launch abort system after a recent Soyuz malfunction. This was only the second time in history that such a system has been used.

Don’t forget that AMSAT is still raising money to upgrade the ISS amateur radio equipment, and we still have a MARS exercise coming up later in the month. All hams will have an opportunity to participate. Be sure to listen at 00:01 UTC on October 24th to find out more about the exercise.

In news from the world of science:

As DNA testing for genealogy becomes more common, it’s becoming increasingly likely that anyone—even those whose DNA has never been tested—could be identified from traces of their DNA.

The last paper with important contributions from Stephen Hawking has been published. It’s clear that black holes remained his scientific focus until the end of his life.

A billion oysters on the half-shell are working to save the world…or at least, to stop erosion in New York Harbor.

It’s still the Year of the Bird, and so you know I’m not done until a bird has been in the news. Archaeologists are excited about the discovery of the oldest known human remains in Poland. Birds are excited that those remains passed through the digestive tract of a birds. Neanderthal children were apparently very tasty for large ice-age birds.