On February 5, 2014, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the activation of the Colossus computer, at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park there was a gathering of a group of veterans who worked to decode nazi encrypted messages During World War II. The story of the first electronic computer was also celebrated by re-enacting the decoding process from the interception to the decipherment using a replica of Colossus.
While NASA is still analyzing the proposals for a new use of the Kepler space telescope after the end of its mission, scientists are still examining the data collected in the past years. The observations of the binary system Kepler-413 have allowed them to discover an exoplanet called Kepler-413b that’s really pecutliar, especially because its axis wobbles like a spinning top, causing violent changes in its seasons.
The rumors of the past few days have been confirmed with the official announcement that Satya Nadella is the new Microsoft CEO. His predecessor Steve Ballmer remains on the company’s board of directors. Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, is leaving his role of President of the board of directors to John Thompson to take on the special role of technology adviser.
The novel “The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag” by Robert A. Heinlein was published for the first time in 1942 in the magazine “Unknown Worlds” under the pseudonym John Riverside.
Jonathan Hoag has no memory of what he does during the day. He found under his fingernails remains of a substance that could be dried blood but when he asks a doctor to check it he’s asked to leave and never be seen again. His last hope is to turn to Ted and Cynthia Randall, a couple of private investigators, so they follow him to find out what happens in the hours he can’t remember.
