Source: Daily Mail
Hubble astronaut sends first ever Twitter message from space to say he is ‘enjoying the view’
A Nasa astronaut has become the first person to use Twitter in space, during a mission to fix the Hubble telescope.
The free social networking and micro-blogging website allows users to send and read other user’s updates.
It has already proved enormously popular particularly with celebrities who keep their fans up to speed on their latest movements.
Mission specialist Mike Massimino has been updating his 242,000 followers on preparations for the Hubble mission since April 3rd.
Today he tweeted: ‘From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!’
He plans to continue ‘tweeting’ under his Twitter name Astro_Mike while the shuttle is in orbit.
In his final tweet on Earth he wrote: ‘I’m going to put my spacesuit on, next stop: Earth Orbit!!’
Nasa has not placed any limits on what Mr Massimino can tweet about. The messages or ‘tweets’ can only be up to 140 characters in length, but such brevity will suit the veteran spacewalker who will be busy upgrading the orbiting telescope.
He emails his messages to Mission Control in Houston, Texas, who then upload them to his Twitter page.
The mission includes five risky spacewalks and has been labelled Nasa’s ‘most dangerous shuttle mission’ due to the large amount of space junk in orbit close to where they will be operating.
There is even a back-up rescue crew on standby should events take a turn for the worse.
Despite this, Mr Massimino has remained upbeat about his upcoming stint in space.
‘Viewing the Earth from space is the most beautiful sight, words cannot describe the experience, can’t wait to see that sight again!’ he wrote recently.
Hubble astronaut Twitters from space
This won’t be Mike’s first mission into space. He took part in the last Hubble telescope servicing mission in 2002 and completed two space walks totaling nearly 15 hours during the ten-day visit.
Over the last five weeks he has revealed what it is like training for a flight.
‘Completed our final practice for spacewalk 2 in the big pool, huge IMAX camera was in the pool with us filming a 3D movie, really fun day,’ he wrote on April 17th.
Other tasks included attending a space photography class to learn how to take memorable snaps as well as practicing inspections of the space shuttle with the robot arm.
In the final days before launch he and his fellow six astronauts carried out last minute preparations and enjoyed meals with their friends and family in quarantine.
You can follow Mr Massimino’s on Twitter at www.twitter.com/astro_mike
Have you ever passed a stranger on the street and wanted to ask them where they bought their fabulous shoes or coat from?
Well, for those living in the UK cities of London or Manchester, Stitsh has come to your city and solves the problem for you!
Stitsh is a fashion, come retail, come lifestyle website. The concept being to display outfits of genuine people on the street and link them with retailers, so you can buy the same or similar items.
Read more about Stitsh recently featured in the Guardian’s blog spot:
Elevator Pitch: Fashion site Stitsh combines retail with street cool.
How often have you gone ahead and purchased a game for your iPhone, only to discover it wasn’t what you expected? The only way to avoid this in future, is to be better informed about an application, before you part with your cash – right?
App Theatre
Parallel to the increasing number of applications, a community of users and developer groups is steadily growing, with members encouraged to rate and comment on each other’s videos. And with everything available to buy direct via the App Store, you’re guaranteed never to be disappointed again!
A friend of mine recently relayed a conversation she’d overheard at the coffee machine, where two colleagues were discussing the next-big-thing in the world of gadgets. The gadget, she proudly announced, was called Pokemon.
Of course, I put her right and explained that Pokemon is the brand name of a Nintendo video game and was popular in the late 90s, which begs to wonder where she’s been hiding all these years!
Anyhow, I did some poking around and found the website of this next-big-thing which judging by its size and that it comes from Switzerland not Japan, it definitely could benefit from talking up; introducing the Poken.
Poken is an RF device disguised as an attractive geek accessory. Besides the cutesy characters on offer, such as a panda and bee, Poken enables simple data sharing of social network profiles by tapping (officially known as high-fouring) your Poken to someone elses. A kind of social networking calling card for the real world.
Poken
I’ve already signed up to be a VIP Poken as I really like this natty gadget. It means no longer having to write down names and emails plus the Alien would look cool hanging from my keyring!
If you’re an avid user of Twitter then you must be in the know about Twestival – a Twitter community festival being organised by volunteers in major cities throughout the globe.
On 12th February, Tweeple (Twitter People) will take an hiatus from their screens and meet face-to-face in various locations to raise funds for Charity Water.
Although some cities like London have hosted low key social gatherings, this will be the first gathering of Tweeple on this scale. Think Live Aid – then again, maybe not quite yet!
@amstwestival is the official voluntary team organising ‘Amsterdam Twestival’. You can sign-up to attend via the official website or hook up with a local Twestival organiser.
Be part of this first-ever Global Twestival and make history in more ways than one!
Sadly, there will come a time when flying half way around the world, to visit an historical attraction or place of natural beauty will become a thing of the past. Not just because of the environmental issues but the likes of social media communities such as PictId.
A user generated platform, PictId invites members to upload photos and videos of their favorite spots locally and from across the globe. A visual catalogue of Cafes, Restaurants, Universities and Tourist attractions photographed and filmed from every angle.
With access to visually enticing content and personal narratives, you get drawn into the feeling of actually being there. My fear is we’ll become virtual tourists, experiencing the wonders of the World from behind the computer screen. A case of seen it, done it and ordered the t-shirt online!
London Sweatshirt from Amazon.com
2Threads is a social network built around style and fashion with primarily Australian membership as their editorial teams are based in Melbourne and Sydney (and most recently New York).
Unfortunately, the website is let down by its lack of glamorous appeal you expect from a site
dedicated to fashion and shopping. All looks rather busy and pink! But it does offer a place for Europeans to get an insight into what’s hot in the southern hemisphere, besides the weather!
2threads social network
