Official Skatz 10 Million Views Thread

[Georgie Thompson]

Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the French Open on Thursday with an unconvincing victory against Pablo Andujar

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[NASA]

This observation catches the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit gleaming in the sun beside Home Plate inside Gusev Crater. It also catches a dust devil in action. We were surprised to see that the Spirit rover itself is the brightest spot in the image, unlike dozens of previous images of both rovers. Analysis of the illumination and viewing geometry and the tilt of the rover indicate that, by accident, we imaged it near the specular point for the flat solar panels. The specular point is where the illumination angle is the same as the viewing angle, and the vectors are aligned. Ground-based measurements prior to launch showed that the specular reflection could be seen even when there is a thin dust cover over the panels. This result does show that the solar panels are not covered by an optically thick layer of dust (i.e., too thick for any light to pass through it). Spirit last communicated on 22 March 2010. And a Dust Devil to Boot Scientists have been coming to realize that dust devils on Mars are far more common that had been thought. Dust devils look like mini tornadoes and are made up of swirling vortices of air that pick up very fine pieces of dust (the smallest particles of soil, much finer than a grain of sand). They are also an important part of the Martian climate and geology. Each year myriads of dust devils crisscross the surface scouring up loose dust. By removing dust the dust devils also, in effect, clean the surface. Since a dusty surface tends to be brighter and reflect sun light, dust devils collectively darken the surface and cause more sun light to be absorbed and warm the soil surface and the air. Dust devils can also kick lots of dust into the air where the dust can absorb sun light passing through the atmosphere, thus warming the atmosphere more directly. Many images show tell-tale dark streaks that crisscross and wiggle all over the surface. The high wind speeds of dust devils can also shift and move sand that otherwise would remain in one location. By moving surface soil grains around, dust devils can serve to mix different minerals from various locations. Written by: Alfred McEwen and Mike Mellon

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[NASA]

The energy source needed to create and maintain the galactic let in galaxy PKS 0521-36 is generated deep within the core of the galaxy, and is far too small to resolved. The favored mechanism behind these cosmic fireworks is a spinning, massive black hole. The hole is fueled by a continual in-fall of nearby gas and stars. This gravitational accretion process is far more efficient at converting mass to energy than thermonuclear fusion processes which power individual stars. The extraordinary high pressure and temperature generated near the hole would cause some of the in-falling gas to be ejected along the direction of the black hole's spinning axis to create the galactic let.

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[Percy The Perv]

Hangover





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[PokerNewsDaily]

While the U.S. Department of Justice continues its effort to weed out online poker in the States, many countries in the European Union are opening their doors to online gambling operators with new regulation systems in place.

According to a report by eGaming Review, Casino Gran Madrid, which hosted this year’s European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final, has received Spain’s first online gaming license from the autonomous region of Madrid. The land-based casino received the license on May 17 and is now certified to offer poker, blackjack, roulette and slots on its website, which will launch soon and be powered by PlayTech software.

“Casino Gran Madrid has always been committed to innovation and this time we could not do less,” said Jorge Casanova, director of information systems at Casino Gran Madrid. “Casino Gran Madrid will continue to operate under one brand because our aim is to leverage synergies for our customers, and remain true to our core values that have guided our performance — professionalism, rigor, experience, transparency, security — and with a software certified by official laboratories.”

Earlier this month, Spain’s Congress approved amendments made by the Senate to its Gambling Act, paving the way for the country to regulate online gambling within its borders. The new rules will establish a tax regime licensing system for operators wishing to operate in Spain, as well as a number of safeguards to protect minors and problem gamblers.

The online casino will only accept players from Madrid over the age of 18, and anyone barred from playing games at Casino Gran Madrid’s land-based casino will be excluded from the website as well.

A casino spokesperson said that beta testing on the proposed site will take place over the next few weeks. The gaming software will undergo more than 200 million simulated plays during the certification process, which will ensure that the servers can handle the traffic and to check for any technical issues or potential security problems. If the testing goes well, the site could be online for players later this summer.

Playtech signed a licensing agreement to provide its casino and poker platform to Casino Gran Madrid in March 2009. Playtech is best known in online poker circles for powering the iPoker Network, which is currently the third-ranked online poker room in terms of traffic according to PokerScout.com. Sites that reside on the iPoker Network include Titan Poker, William Hill Poker, Bet365 Poker, and Betfred Poker.

Playtech’s chief executive officer, Mor Weizer, said: “We are delighted to have secured this agreement with one of Europe’s largest and most respected land based operators. We expect this to be a significantly value accretive relationship, exemplifying our strategy to increase the number of regulated markets in which we operate.”

Spain’s new online gambling regime would join those already introduced in a series of other EU countries in recent years, including France, Italy and Estonia. Denmark was also prepared to introduce a new licensing system this year, but the legislation has been delayed.



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[PokerNews]

PokerNews highlights Mickey "mement_mori" Petersen in this edition of the Rookie Roundup. Be sure to look out for Petersen at the 2011 World Series of Poker.

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[BluffMagazine]

Poker fans are getting excited for the 2011 World Series of Poker which begins in only a matter of days and now they’ve got something else to get excited about: the return of BLUFF’s Streak 2 Seven contest. The Streak 2 Seven contest gives poker fans the chance to predict who will win emerge victorious from [...]

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[CardPlayer]

Chad Brown returns for the final part of his interview on 'The Scoop' right here on CardPlayer TV. Brown discusses his plans for the imminent WSOP, his brutal heads-up defeat for a bracelet against Erik Seidel and much more.

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[Carl Culture]

The Spanish American War is an interesting war because most of us don't know much about it. It is one of those in between wars. It was between the Civil War and World War I, and it occurred around 1900 in Cuba.

The picture above shows the U.S.S. Maine entering the Harbor of Havana. A short time later, the U.S.S. Maine blew up. It is not exactly clear what caused the explosion, but it was the trigger for the Spanish Americn War.





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[Percy The Perv]

I knew that short shorts were all the rage with the hot chicks this year, denim cut offs have been the crowd favorite so far, but I had no idea that some super hotties have decided to step it up a notch. Here’s supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio showing off her amazing supermodel booty in a nice [...]

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