Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Experimental Magnetic Shield Against Cosmic Rays

Posted by timothy on Tuesday November 04, @01:06PM

from the but-not-against-hyperbole dept.

stiller writes"British scientists from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory have developed an experimental set-up in which a $20 magnet is used to deflect solar-wind-like radiation."Reader Dersaidin points out a slightly more enthusiastic article at Universe Today which emphasizes the possibilities of systems based on this phenomenon to protect astronauts during solar storms, writing"It's a good start. Hopefully, later versions will be able to protect spaceships from energy weapons. A beam from the LHC can melt a 500kg block of copper. Shields, check. Energy weapons, check. Now we just need a viable interstellar drive, and an energy source to power it all."

New Type Of Diesel Fuel Found In Patagonia Fungus

ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2008) — A team led by a Montana State University professor has found a fungus that produces a new type of diesel fuel, which they say holds great promise. Calling the fungus' output "myco-diesel," Gary Strobel and his collaborators describe their initial observations in the November issue of Microbiology.

Consuming Even Small Amounts Of Caffeine When Pregnant May Affect Growth Of Unborn Child

ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2008) — Consuming caffeine at any time during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of fetal growth restriction (low birth weight), according to research published on the British Medical Journal website.

Protect Your Vote: Avoid Election Machine Errors

ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2008) — Of all the conceivable problems that could lead to a miscount Election Day, there's one possibility that voters can do something about – avoid making election machine-related errors, says a University of Maryland researcher who led a comprehensive study of voter problems using touch screen and paper-based machines.

Precipitation Levels May Be Associated With Autism

ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2008) — Children living in counties with higher levels of annual precipitation appear more likely to have higher prevalence rates of autism, according to a new report. The results raise the possibility that an environmental trigger for autism may be associated with precipitation and may affect genetically vulnerable children.

Roads Bring Death And Fear To Forest Elephants

ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2008) — Why did the elephant cross the road? It didn't according to a new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Save the Elephants that says endangered forest elephants are avoiding roadways at all costs. The authors of the study believe that these highly intelligent animals now associate roads with danger – in this case poaching, which is rampant in Central Africa's Congo Basin.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Carbon nanotubes could be used in film-like flat speakers

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 4th 2008 at 5:20AM

Seriously, is there anything carbon nanotubes can't do? We've got shock absorbers, flexible displays, atypically small eating utensils and now, film-like speakers. For times when NXT flat drivers simply aren't thin enough, a team of Chinese researchers have reportedly found a way to create sound from a thin sheet of carbon nanotubes. The film, which could be stretched and placed on PMPs, HDTVs or even clothing, can generate sound when "zapped with a varying electric current." Great, the perfect recipe for a new wave of Milli Vanilli copycats. A video of the tech can be seen after the jump.

[Via Physorg]

Anonymous Anger Rampant On the Web

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday November 03, @12:15PM

from the oh-now-this-too dept.

the4thdimension writes"In a story that may bring out the "duh" in you, CNN is a story about how anonymous anger is rampant on the Internet. Citing various reasons, it attempts to explain why sites like MyBiggestComplaint and Just Rage exist and why anger via the web seems to be everywhere. Various reasons include: anonymity, lack of rules, and lack of immediate consequences. Whatever the reason, they describe that online anger has resulted in real-life violence and suggest methods for parents and teens to cope with e-aggression and to learn to be aware of it."I can't figure out what makes me angrier: my habit of anonymously trolling web forums, or my video game playing.

Video Games Linked To Child Aggression

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday November 03, @11:29AM

from the zomg-this-makes-hulk-smash dept.

the4thdimension writes"CNN is running a story this morning that explains new research showing a correlation between video games and aggression in children. The study monitored groups of US and Japanese children, asking them to rate their violent behavior over a period of several months while they played video games in their free time. The study concludes that it has "pretty good evidence" that there is a link between video games and childhood aggression."Stories like this make me want to smash things.

Victor Multi-Kill trap electrocutes mice, hates liberals

by Thomas Ricker, posted Nov 3rd 2008 at 6:30AM

Daaaamn... this Victor Multi-Kill Electronic Mouse Trap is serious business. Normally we prefer more humane, wired domes to cage our furry house guests as they grab for the rich dark-chocolate morsels that tempt the palate of elite city-mice. We then release them into wee puddle-boats with tiny parasols to enjoy a feast of truffles glazed in a bit of saffron sauce. But all the gadgety goodness of this Multi-Kill trap makes us want to electrocute our pests into smoldering puffs of lifeless mouse just as Victor promises. The high-voltage shock is said to kill the mouse in 3 seconds followed by a swivel of the "Shock N' Drop" chamber to dump up to 10 carcasses into the collection drawer. "Population annihilation in just one night -- 100% kill rate guaranteed." Oh boy. Video after the break.

Verizon killing pay-as-you-go data plans, making other changes

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 3rd 2008 at 8:21AM

Rumors on this one have been flying in the VZW world, but now it looks like we've got some confirmation on the matter -- and chances are, some folks won't like it one bit. According to a leaked document from within the company, every new PDA / smartphone launched on or after November 14th will "require a data feature / plan of $29.99 or more." Additionally, Pay As You Go, 1X Block and the 10MB data plan / feature will be unavailable for those very phones on the same day. Ready for more? In 2009 (vague, right?), "select" Mobile Web 2.0 devices will also require a data feature / plan. We are told that those who have one of these soon-to-vanish plans can keep it so long as they stick with their current phone, but as soon as the upgrade bug bites, be ready to pony up for data, too.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

READ

Videoconferencing More Confusing For Decision-makers Than Face-to-face Meetings

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2008) — Although videoconferencing has become a billion-dollar substitute for flying business people to meetings, it leaves distant participants less likely to make sound judgments about speakers being viewed over a screen, according to a study published in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS®).

Brain Stimulation Improves Dexterity

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2008) — Applying electrical stimulation to the scalp and the underlying motor regions of the brain could make you more skilled at delicate tasks. New research shows that a non-invasive brain-stimulation technique, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is able to improve the use of a person's non-dominant hand.

'Superenzymes' Could Streamline Biofuels Refining

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2008) — Stain removers that make even the most stubborn spots on your clothes vanish in the wash may be powered by molecules known as enzymes. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at Albany, Calif., are in search of similarly strong, fast-acting enzymes. But the ones they want would be put to work not in your laundry room, but instead at biofuels refineries, where the enzymes' job would be to break down the cell walls of bioenergy crops such as switchgrass.

Study Rules Out Inbreeding As Cause Of Amphibian Deformities

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2008) — Although research has linked inbreeding with elevated rates of deformity in a wide variety of animals, a new study finds it plays no part in the high incidence of malformation among salamanders.

In UK, 12M Taxpayers Lost With USB Stick

Posted by kdawson on Monday November 03, @07:08AM

from the and-your-little-data-too dept.

An anonymous reader tips a piece from the UK's Daily Mail that recounts another sad tale of the careless loss of massive amounts of private user data."Ministers have been forced to order an emergency shutdown of a key Government computer system to protect millions of people's private details. The action was taken after a memory stick was found in a pub car park containing confidential passcodes to the online Government Gateway system, which covers everything from tax returns to parking tickets. An urgent investigation is now under way into how the stick, belonging to the company which runs the flagship system, came to be lost."

Amazon takes a stand to eliminate wasteful, hard-to-open gadget packaging

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 3rd 2008 at 8:47AM

Come on folks, say it in unison with us: "Finally!" At long last, a company with a little clout has stood up and questioned the necessity of those ridiculous hard plastic containers that hold minuscule flash cards and the like (along with plastic twist-ties), and better still, it's already doing something about it. Beginning today, consumers who are tired of borrowing the fire department's Jaws of Life to rescue their new USB drive can opt for products in Amazon's "Frustration-Free Packaging," which utilizes streamlined packaging that often includes recyclable cardboard. 19 products from the likes of Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and Transcend are currently available in the new containers, and the firm's CEO has a vision of offering its "entire catalog of products in Frustration-Free Packaging" within a few years. Hey, everyone else in the gadget world -- care to hop on a meaningful bandwagon for once?

Read - Frustration-Free Packaging initiative
Read - Frustration-Free Packaging storefront

D.I.Y. Home Security

Posted by kdawson on Sunday November 02, @11:10PM

from the try-this-at-home dept.

theodp writes"The NYTimes reports that pre-wired home security installations by alarm companies are on the way out. Thanks to wireless window and door sensors and motion detectors, installing and maintaining one's own security system is becoming a do-it-yourself project, with kits available from companies like InGrid and LaserShield. Time to start cranking out some new iPhone and Android apps, kids?"

1/3 of Amphibians Dying Out

Posted by kdawson on Monday November 03, @01:29AM

from the world-without-frogs dept.

Death Metal sends in a Scientific American article reporting that 2,000 of 6,000 amphibian species are endangered worldwide. A combination of environmental assaults, including global warming, seems to be responsible."... national parks and other areas protected from pollution and development are providing no refuge. The frogs and salamanders of Yellowstone National Park have been declining since the 1980s, according to a Stanford University study, as global warming dries out seasonal ponds, leaving dried salamander corpses in their wake. Since the 1970s, nearly 75 percent of the frogs and other amphibians of La Selva Biological Station in Braulio Carrillo National Park in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica have died, perhaps due to global warming. But the really bad news is that amphibians may be just the first sign of other species in trouble. Biologists at the University of California, San Diego, have shown that amphibians are the first to respond to environmental changes, thanks to their sensitivity to both air and water. What goes for amphibians may soon be true of other classes of animal, including mammals."

Can Your Doctor Correctly Read A Critical Heart Test? Improving Accuracy Of Electrocardiogram Interpretation

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2008) — You have a burning chest pain and a doctor looks at a squiggly-lined graph to determine the cause. That graph, an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), can help the doctor decide whether you're having a heart attack or an acid attack from last night's spaghetti. Correct interpretation may prompt life-saving, emergency measures; incorrect interpretation may delay care with life-threatening consequences. Currently, there is no uniform way to teach doctors in training how to interpret an ECG or assess their competence in the interpretation.