LEGO® in the Age of Aquarius Presenting complex technologies to diverse audiences
.astronomy – Leiden – 30 Nov 2009
Rob SeamanNational Optical Astronomy Observatory
IVOA VOEvent Working Group Chair
This talk
• A little philosophy
• LEGO® telescope demo
• A bit of technology
• Advertisements
• The bribe
30 Nov 2009 2DotAstronomy – Leiden
Why is it so hard to explain science and technology?
• Complexity?
• Unfamiliarity?
• Lack of context?
• Neurophysiology?
• “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”?
or perhaps it’s…
A competing non-scientific worldview?
Reasons intrinsic to the things being studied
• Complexity (astronomy is the study of – well – everything)
• Unfamiliarity (rare and distant phenomena)
• Lack of context (contingent & hierarchical structure)
These are issues of systems engineering
Reasons pertaining to the beings doing the studying
• Neurophysiology (linear brains in a non-linear world)
• “Having the knack” (only some are cut out for science)
• Pre-scientific worldview (Can coexist, or must replace?)
These are issues of social engineering
Spheres of influence
• DotAstronomy is about “exploring the connections between astronomy and the Internet”
• IVOA “enable[s] the international utilization of astronomical archives as an integrated and interoperating virtual observatory”
• VOEvent is about “representing […] the discovery of a transient celestial event, with the implication that timely follow-up is being requested”
30 Nov 2009 6DotAstronomy – Leiden
present
past
future
Astronomy
Domains
30 Nov 2009 7DotAstronomy – Leiden
DotAstronomy
VO VOEvent
HTN
O/IR“System”
The Age of Aquarius?
When the Moon is in the seventh houseAnd Jupiter aligns with MarsThen peace will guide the planetsand love will steer the stars
– Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical
30 Nov 2009 8DotAstronomy – Leiden
“Astrological gibberish” – Neil Spencer
Astronomy versus anAstrology worldview
★ AQUARIUS 20 Jan – 19 Feb By tradition, Jupiter (now in your skies) is the planet of luck and liberation, the latter quality meaning that sometimes you're unhitched from people or situations you have outgrown. Even if you're in a comfortable groove, this is the month to stretch your perspective and ambitions, with optimism and idealism central to your mission. Romance? Exciting, but quite a tangle, especially this week. Patience called for.– Neil Spencer
30 Nov 2009 9DotAstronomy – Leiden
But a good omen!
★ SAGITTARIUS 22 Nov – 21 Dec The Sun's arrival in your skies today opens a birthday month when your spirit is re-charged and your affairs re-animated. It's handy timing for your professional outlook, where Saturn's shift signals that a deadlock has, for better or worse, been broken. The new rules call for a co-operative ethic; even if you can't be an all-out team player, you need allies, preferably with clout. Fine week for brainstorming.
30 Nov 2009 10DotAstronomy – Leiden
Worldview colors everything
• We live in an extraordinary age of discovery…that is extraordinarily underappreciated
(7 billion humans, ~ 7 thousand astronomers)
• Astronomy looks outward many other worldviews (Astrology) look inward
• We’re a self-centered speciesRetaining deeply tribal outlooks
30 Nov 2009 11DotAstronomy – Leiden
Tribal Worldviews
Humans are hugely diverse:• Politics• Religions• Ethnicities• Economics• Nationalities• Gender identities• New-age “philosophies”
30 Nov 2009 12DotAstronomy – Leiden
• Popular cultures• Musical genres• Sports & games• Hobbies• Social networks• Computer OSes• Pseudo-sciencesCoexist in each of us
plural
Scientific Worldview• The universe is one unique shared reality, but
• H. sapiens (Cro-Magnon in this neighborhood) have been around for about 400 centuries
• “H. science” for less than 4 centuries
• Astronomy has been around ~400 decades• The internet for less than 4 decades
• Kurzweil says we’re headed for a singularity• One has reason to be skeptical30 Nov 2009 13DotAstronomy – Leiden
singular
Where did the scientific worldview come from?
Descartes’ house(or maybe the site of his house?)
His “method”, published in Leiden30 Nov 2009 14DotAstronomy – Leiden
René Descartes
• Introduced modern concept of skepticism– “I think therefore I am” (a cliché, maybe, but not therefore untrue)
• That is – he created the scientific method– Science has replaced much of philosophy – but science has not dislodged
cogito ergo sum (elaborated into the anthropic principle)
• Empiricism, phenomenology, epistemology, …– Philosophers’ views of science – an inherent splintering of isms & ologies?
• Noumenon vs. phenomenon (Kant)– Inaccessible “thing-in-itself”, inferred via observable physical
manifestations– Platonic ideals? (long history of “natural” philosophers: Thales,
Democritus, …)30 Nov 2009 15DotAstronomy – Leiden
14 Mar 2005
Transient Universe 2006 16
Ask yourself, what is this thing in itself, by its own specialconstitution? What is it in substance, and in form, and in matter?What is its function in the world? For how long does it subsist?
– Marcus Aurelius
“We also know there are known unknowns” – Donald Rumsfeld
also Hannibal Lectorto Agent Starling in
Silence of the Lambs
14 Mar 2005
Transient Universe 2006 17
First Things First (“time management”)
Covey’s “highly effective” habit #3
Astronomy
Domains
30 Nov 2009 18DotAstronomy – Leiden
DotAstronomy
VO VOEvent
HTN
O/IR“System”
Venn Diagram
30 Nov 2009 19DotAstronomy – Leiden
Venn
Venn shows all subsetswhether possible or not
30 Nov 2009 20DotAstronomy – Leiden
Euler omits empty subsetsshows contained vs. disjoint
shading forempty
sets
Magical, not physical Science, not science fiction
–> Euler Diagram
implies
boolean logic
Evidence from the Historical Record
1. intersection of the Mineral & Animal sets
2. an Animal disjoint from Four Legs set
30 Nov 2009 21DotAstronomy – Leiden
not G
orig
nak
Gor
igna
k
Impose order in the universe
Infinite unsorted options• many (most?) are impossible• (un)conditional logic, not physics
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Actively assert knowledge• animals are biological entities• only some have 4 legs
Pain-free ontologies
Try to show this with a Venn Diagram!
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How can we demonstratethe limits of the impossible?
30 Nov 2009 24DotAstronomy – Leiden
• With software systems we have learned to expect the depiction of impossibilities (e.g., special FX)
• Astronomy is full of apparently impossible things– So we focus on visualizing dramatic phenomena
• But science is precisely concerned with delineating limits – natural laws– Physics is about “articulating your intuition”– Bayesian statistics, physical priors, null hypotheses, …
• Robots are one way to ground system behavior in the physical constraints of the real world
BackboneBackbone
The emerging VOEventNetThe emerging VOEventNet
Roy Williams Alasdair AllenAndrew Drake Matthew GrahamRob Seaman Phil WarnerRobert White Scott Barthelmy
Roy Williams Alasdair AllenAndrew Drake Matthew GrahamRob Seaman Phil WarnerRobert White Scott Barthelmy 26 May 200626 May 2006
DataScope etcDataScope etc VOSpace etc VOSpace etc
UKIRTHawaiiUKIRTHawaii
Palomar-Quest CaltechPalomar-Quest Caltech
Palomar P60CaltechPalomar P60Caltech
PairitelBerkeleyPairitelBerkeley
Liverpool TelescopeLa PalmaLiverpool TelescopeLa Palma
OGLE IIILas CampanasOGLE IIILas Campanas
Faulkes SouthAustraliaFaulkes SouthAustralia
Faulkes NorthHawaiiFaulkes NorthHawaii
SDSS SNe U Wash/StanfordSDSS SNe U Wash/Stanford
RAPTOR x 8LANLRAPTOR x 8LANL
SWIFT, GLAST etcSWIFT, GLAST etc
VOEventVOEvent
OtherOther
Event FlowEvent FlowKey Roles
Author
Subscriber
Key Roles
Author
Subscriber
Publisher
Filter
Repository
Publisher
Filter
Repository
JACHawaiiJACHawaii
ExeterExeter
CaltechCaltech
LANLLANL
Data MiningExeterData MiningExeter
SkyDOT(database)SkyDOT(database)
Microlensing Survey ExeterMicrolensing Survey Exeter
Tools/ServicesCommunityTools/ServicesCommunity
SurveysCTIO/KPNOSurveysCTIO/KPNO
NOAONOAO
VO-GCNVO-GCNGCNNASA GSFC
GCNNASA GSFCCBATCBAT
AAVSOAAVSO
GeminiGemini
Thread Safe AstronomyThread Safe Astronomy
Rob SeamanNOAO Data Products Program
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 27
VOEvent LifecycleVOEvent Lifecycle• Publish / subscribe paradigm
• Alerts generate follow-ups
• These comprise rich threads
• Threads create telescope behavior
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 28
Multi-threadingMulti-threading• Forked execution
• Simultaneous tasks
• Typically lightweight
• Time slicing
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 29
DARPA Grand Challenge
DARPA Grand Challenge
• $2,000,000 challenge • Autonomously cover ~200km course• 5 finished, ~30 kph• Previously, none > 10 km• Stanford winner
– Drive-by-wire– Focus on SW
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 30
Autonomous astronomy?Autonomous astronomy?
• The challenge isn’t to build one autonomous car - or robotic telescope
• The challenge is to build a complete ecosystem
• System of systems
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 31
Issues for an autonomous astronomy ecosystem
Issues for an autonomous astronomy ecosystem
• Standards
• Observing modes and paradigms
• Telepresence (remote observing, tng)
• Data representation / compression
• Proprietary data rights
• Market pressures
• Data transport
• etc.
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 32
Hardware versus Software
Hardware versus Software
Hardware• State of the art
– but frozen
• Expensive– but can budget
• What is impossible?• Laws of Nature
Software• Options
– not canned features
• Cheap– deceptively so
• What is possible?• Nurture
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 33
Pro
bes
Pro
bes
• “Probes” appear in many science fiction stories– often central to Star Trek plots
• Absurdly general purpose– minimal configuration– zero experimental design– all wavelengths / particles?– continuous cadence (picoseconds?)
• Infinite bandwidth, zero latency– no data reduction needed
• Can detect or infer unknown phenomena or noumena(note: not the “melodic death metal band” from Finland)
e.g., “see” dark matter & energy ?
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 34
NXT SpecsNXT Specs• 32-bit ARM
• LabVIEW
• 3 servo motors
• 4 sensor ports
• Extensible• 64 KB + 256 KB
• Bluetooth• USB
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 35
IssuesIssues• Heterogeneous technology
• Gearing versus form factor– physiology, not just anatomy
• Power / cable wrap
• Interesting sensors– can be expensive
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 36
PossibilitiesPossibilities• Engineering prototype (“toy”)
• Outreach
• Curriculum
• Interacting telescopes
• Emergent behavior
• Multiple programs
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 37
ImpossibilitiesImpossibilities• Functioning optics
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 38
Extending the demonstrationExtending the demonstration
• Current prototype plays “Simon says”
• Tie this into one or more expressive astronomical applications
• Behavior is as important as the graphics
• Must be robust
• Prizes!
Hot-wiring the Transient Universe
Posters courtesy Pete Marenfeld of NOAO
Visions of VOEvent
“Novel view of the Solar eclipse of 11 July 1991…”
“… a VOEvent where the location of the observer mattered”
Some upcoming meetings• Eventful Universe, Tucson, 17 – 20 March 2010
• IVOA InterOp, Victoria, 17 – 21 May 2010
• SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation, San Diego, 27 June – 2 July 2010 (Observatory Operations III)
• ADASS XX BoF, Boston, 7 – 11 Nov 2010
• AAS Meeting Workshop?, Seattle, 9 – 13 Jan 2011
• Hotwired III, Tucson?, Spring 2011?
• New Horizons in Time Domain Astronomy, Oxford, 26 – 30 Sep 2011
30 Nov 2009 41DotAstronomy – Leiden
Abstract
• Astronomy is the most dramatic of the sciences. It is also the most foreign to everyday life. The complex technologies involved in modern astronomical research often act to enlarge the gulf. This is particularly true of the astronomical time domain, in which the observational assets of numerous networked telescopes must be combined in ever changing synoptic and transient response observing modes via a rich suite of computer software and protocols. Even among professional astronomers few have the opportunity to visit remote mountaintop observatories; by their very nature, interconnected networks of such telescopes are impossible to view from a single location. Thus professionals as well as the public often must view various sorts of depictions of distributed facilities in order to comprehend the most basic facts of their operations. Conveying the complex dynamics of networked telescopes requires more than a static picture. LEGO NXT robotics provides a rich environment for modeling the behavior of complex network-based technologies engaged in otherwise opaque empirical investigations. We demonstrate the application of NXT to modeling celestial transient response observing using the VOEvent protocol of the IVOA in combination with web services. We discuss how best to use such models to reach a target audience. (These devices can be seen at http://www.noao.edu/noao/noaonews/mar08/pdf/93dpp.pdf)
30 Nov 2009 42DotAstronomy – Leiden
Tucson - June 4–7, 2007HOT-WIRING the TRANSIENT UNIVERSE 43
Kepler LEGO DemoKepler LEGO Demo
http://kepler.nasa.gov/ed/lego.html
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