Operation Sigma Sigma

The Sigma is an experimental glider developed in Britain from 1966 by a team led by Nicholas Goodhart. After disappointing performance during flight testing the Sigma was passed on to a Canadian group which carried out modifications, making the Sigma more competitive.

Design and development

Designed to compete in the 1970 World Championships, the team aimed to develop a wing that would climb well through a high lift coefficient and a large wing area, but equally had the "maximum possible reduction of area for cruise at low lift coefficients". At the same time for the minimum possible drag they aimed for "extensive" laminar flow. To achieve this they employed flaps that would alter both wing area and wing camber. Based on analysis of the nature of thermals encountered in cross-country flying, they reasoned that by having a slow turning circle, their sailplane could stay close to the central (and strongest) part of the thermal and gain maximum benefit.

Its unusual feature is its ability to vary its wing area using Fowler flaps. It had been tried before by the Hannover Akaflieg in 1938 with their AFH-4, the South African Beatty-Johl BJ-2 Assegai and the SZD Zefir gliders.

Sigma (cosmology)

Sigma in cosmology was a property of galaxies used when trying to work out the mystery of galaxies and their supermassive black holes.

History

In the late 1990s the NUKER experts had made observations with a spectroscope of two galaxies, one of an active galaxy with an active galactic nucleus called NGC10-68 and a dormant galaxy next door to us named Andromeda.

The observations are shown. The light from the centre in Andromeda galaxy was distorted proving the existence of super-massive black holes.

Other observations proved most galaxies had a similar centre whether it be active or dormant.

They then realised that the black holes must have something to do with a galaxy's formation, so they turned to something they thought was useless: the speed of the stars around the edge of the galaxy. This was Sigma, the speed of the stars at the edge of the galaxy supposedly unaffected by the mass of the black hole at the centre.

Usage In Cosmology

The NUKER team calculated the sigma of several stars in different galaxies and the mass of the black hole at the (nucleus) centre. They expected no correlation what so ever. But when plotting their results on a Scatter diagram and drawing a line of best fit they ended up with a positive correlation. It appeared that the heavier the black hole at the centre was the faster the stars within the galaxy travelled.

Sigma (duo)

Sigma is an English drum and bass duo consisting of Cameron Edwards and Joe Lenzie. They met at Leeds University at drum and bass nights. Their 2010 collaboration with DJ Fresh, "Lassitude", peaked at number 98 on the UK Singles Chart. Their single "Nobody to Love" topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming their first UK number one. Follow-up single "Changing", featuring Paloma Faith, also got to number one.

Career

Formation

Lenzie and Edwards met in 2006 at Leeds University; Cameron was working in local record store Tribe Records and with Echo Location's Obi running local night Event Horizon, while Lenzie was DJing hip-hop and warming up Event Horizon for such acts as Rahzel and Grandmaster Flash. Once they had finished in Leeds, they relocated to London and became a three-piece with Edwards' school friend Ben Mauerhoff, being signed under DJ Fresh's Breakbeat Kaos. After a while, long distances took their toll – Edwards and Mauerhoff were based in Surrey, whereas Lenzie was based in Harpenden, Hertfordshire and they couldn't get three people into the Harpenden studio – and Mauerhoff left. In December 2008 they formed their own record label, Life Recordings (so called because, according to Lenzie, the industry demanded that it be their life). Its inaugural release was a VIP mix of their early Bingo Beats single "El Presidente".

Afterglow (Wilkinson song)

"Afterglow" is a song by the British record producer Wilkinson. It features uncredited vocals from Becky Hill. It was released on 13 October 2013, through RAM Records, as the fourth single from his debut album Lazers Not Included. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 8 and topped the UK Dance Chart on 20 October 2013. Wilkinson and Hill performed the song as well as a cover of One Republic's "Counting Stars" in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 17 October 2013. On 17 January 2014, the song was certified as silver in the United Kingdom for over 200,000 sales.

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Afterglow" was first released onto YouTube on 10 September 2013 at a total length of two minutes and fifty-two seconds. The video details a couple's five years of dating by tabulating the numbers, hours, days, and statistics of what they have done together since they first met. Australian actor, Leighton Sharpe, plays the role of Paul in the video and Danish model, Ida Marie, plays the role of Dana.

Afterglow (Black Country Communion album)

Afterglow is the third and final studio album by English-American hard rock band Black Country Communion. Recorded in June 2012 with regular producer Kevin Shirley, the album was released by J&R Adventures and Mascot Music in October 2012.

Background

Following the release of their critically successful second album 2 in 2011, Black Country Communion embarked on a promotional tour of the United States and Europe, and later released the video album Live Over Europe documenting a number of shows on the tour. In January 2012 it was reported that the band would begin work on the follow-up to 2 in June, with a release planned for later in the year. The writing process for the album, according to main songwriter Glenn Hughes, took approximately six months, compared to six weeks for Black Country and four months for 2.

Recording and production

The group began recording sessions for Afterglow on June 10, 2012. As with their previous two albums, BCC released a number of behind-the-scenes video clips of the recording process leading up to the album's announcement. Speaking about the recording of the album, Hughes has praised the vocal sound achieved by producer Kevin Shirley, stating that "We butted heads a little on the first and second albums, simply because we're both control freaks, but this was the record on which Kevin and [I] became friends".

Afterglow (INXS song)

"Afterglow" is a song by Australian rock band INXS, released as the second single from the band's eleventh studio album, Switch, on 25 April 2006.

The song was written by Andrew Farriss and Desmond Child, and was a tribute to Michael Hutchence, one of INXS' founders, who was alleged to have committed suicide in 1997. In singing the song, J. D. Fortune, winner of Rock Star: INXS, described his role in Hutchence's legacy—his "afterglow". The song is described as "soft rock", with melody reminiscent of INXS' earlier work with Hutchence.

"Afterglow" peaked at #24 on the ARIA Singles chart, spending 10 weeks in the top 50. The song reached #22 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, and #20 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks. "Afterglow" appeared on the Kuschelrock, Vol. 20 compilation released in September 2006.

Music video

The video for the single features actress Estella Warren and J. D. Fortune in a loft in downtown Los Angeles. J. D. Fortune walks alone on the empty Sixth Street Viaduct and is later joined by the rest of the band of INXS.