Friday, January 25, 2008
Cell Phone Radiation Detectors Proposed to Protect Against Nukes
Posted by Soulskill on Friday January 25, @05:09AM
from the distributed-homeland-security dept.
from the distributed-homeland-security dept.
crosshatch brings us news out of Purdue University, where researchers are developing a radiation detection system that would rely on sensors within cell phones to locate and track potentially hazardous material. From the Purdue news service: "Such a system could blanket the nation with millions of cell phones equipped with radiation sensors able to detect even light residues of radioactive material. Because cell phones already contain global positioning locators, the network of phones would serve as a tracking system, said physics professor Ephraim Fischbach. 'The sensors don't really perform the detection task individually,' Fischbach said. 'The collective action of the sensors, combined with the software analysis, detects the source. Say a car is transporting radioactive material for a bomb, and that car is driving down Meridian Street in Indianapolis or Fifth Avenue in New York. As the car passes people, their cell phones individually would send signals to a command center, allowing authorities to track the source.'"
Engineered Mosquitoes Could Wipe Out Dengue Fever
Posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 24, @09:02PM
from the working-out-the-bugs dept.
from the working-out-the-bugs dept.
Christina Valencia points us to a Wired story about scientists who plan to use genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the population of Dengue-carrying insects. The altered genes cause newly born mosquitoes to die before they are able to breed if they are not supplied with a crucial antibiotic. This is a more aggressive approach than the anti-Malaria work we discussed last year. From Wired: "Mosquitoes pass dengue fever to up to 100 million people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to 5 million die. If the scientists can replicate their results in real field conditions, their technology could kill half of the next generation of dengue mosquitoes, which scientists say would significantly reduce the spread of the disease. If all goes well the company envisions releasing the insects in Malaysia on a large scale in three years."
Scientists Build Possibly The First Man-Made Genome
Posted by Zonk on Thursday January 24, @04:40PM
from the quite-a-crafting-combine dept.
from the quite-a-crafting-combine dept.
hackingbear writes "Wired is reporting that researchers have created the longest synthetic genome to date by threading together four long strands of DNA. 'Leading synthetic biologists said with the new work, published Thursday in the journal Science, the first synthetic life could be just months away — if it hasn't been created already. [...] The ability to synthesize longer DNA strands for less money parallels the history of genetic sequencing, where the price of sequencing a human genome has dropped from hundreds of millions of dollars to about $10,000. Just a few years ago, synthesizing a piece of DNA with 5,000 rungs in its helix, known as base-pairs, was impossible. Venter's new synthetic genome is 582,000 base-pairs.' As a programmer, I'm most excited by the possibility of a new platform and the programming jobs that will be created by it."
Green Tax Guide: Buy a Hybrid Car or AFV and Save Taxes
A tax credit is a direct reduction in your tax bill, which makes them a lot better for your pocketbook than a tax deduction. While a tax deduction is subtracted from your income, and then you must still calculate taxes based on your current tax rate, a tax credit is subtracted directly from the taxes you've already calculated.
You must meet the following requirements to claim the credit:
- You must be the one who first started using the vehicle.
- You must either buy or lease the vehicle for yourself and not for resale.
- You must use the vehicle mostly in the U.S.
- You must place the vehicle in service before December 31, 2010.
To claim your tax credit, file Form 8910 - "Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit" - with your tax return.
In this series, I focus on tax credits available for Fords, GMs, Hondas, Nissans and Toyotas.
DoS Attacks on Estonia Were Launched by Student
Posted by Soulskill on Thursday January 24, @11:04PM
from the modern-techniques-for-making-people-hate-each-other dept.
from the modern-techniques-for-making-people-hate-each-other dept.
As_I_Please alerts us to the fact that a 20-year-old Estonian student has been fined for participating in DoS attacks against various Estonian political and governmental websites last May. The situation was notable because it escalated tensions between Estonia and Russia when the latter was accused of initiating the 'cyber-attack'. Quoting: "The fact that a single student was able to trigger such events is particularly ominous when you consider just how many potential flashpoints exist between various countries all over the world. The DoS attack against Estonia is an excellent example of how a cyberattack carried out by a 20-year-old student in response to real-life events further exacerbated an existing problem between two nations."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
MIT Student Plans to Take on RIAA
Posted by Zonk on Wednesday January 23, @05:04PM
from the go-fightin'-nerds dept.
from the go-fightin'-nerds dept.
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "MIT's online newspaper, The Tech, reports that a student named as a John Doe by the RIAA is planning to fight back against their questionable legal tactics. The anonymous student told The Tech that he is 'the victim of a fishing expedition by the RIAA,' and is 'disappointed that MIT isn't going to step up ... Other schools like Boston University and the University of Oregon have resisted RIAA subpoenas of student records more actively than MIT has, he said'. Maybe his attorneys will be able to get some assistance from some of the Harvard Law School students in Professor Nesson's 'Evidence' class, who have been assigned — as part of their coursework — the drafting of a motion to quash an RIAA subpoena."
Wait, so global warming reduces hurricanes?
One of the many reasons you sometimes hear scientists freaking out about global warming is that, in theory, warmer ocean temperatures make for stronger, more destructive hurricanes. Seems like a good reason to freak out to me. But today there's a new federal study that says just the opposite. According to the new research, warming waters lead to increased vertical windshear, which basically means it's now more difficult for hurricanes to sustain themselves, get stronger, or even form in the first place.
So...are we doomed, or not?
It's hard to know who to believe. This new research certainly sounds logical, but critics have rejected the study on the grounds that it's based on bad data -- and in fact, a Nobel Prize-winning panel on climate change rejected the research on those grounds. The problem, apparently, is that this windshear study is based on observations of hurricanes that made landfall in the US, which represent a very small percentage of the storms around the world.
Regardless, I think we can reasonably assume that at least two facts still hold true: hurricanes and global warming, if nothing else, are bad.
Gallery: Global Warming in Pictures
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
"The hybrid solar house"
Biodiversivist (Russ Finley) on grist puts forth the idea of the "hybrid solar home," starting out with the idea that American homes are just too large to be heated effectively with solar, which has caused a push to lower the cost of solar panels.But how about creating a hybrid solar home, a cross of an expensive solar heating and cooling system with an optimally sized home? Finley proposes a well-designed, energy-efficient 10 by 40 foot park model trailer, facing south.
Finley states that smaller houses can be just as desirable as larger ones, IF properly designed. If these hybrid solar homes took off, having a larger house could even become a liability, according to Finley.
Sounds awesome, although 10 by 40 (roughly 400 square feet) sounds a bit on the small side, especially if you have kids. Although I do agree that a well-designed small home can outmatch a poorly-designed large home any day.
X-rays get boost from "dark field" technology
While it may not give you quite the graphic glimpse as some of the recent CT scanners we've seen, a group of researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark think their new and improved x-ray system still won't have any trouble catching on, and the results are certainly hard to argue with. The key to those sharper pics, it seems, is so-called "dark field microscopy," a technique that, as NewScientist points out, is normally used by biologists. As you might expect, however, there's some upsides and downsides to this particular technique. On the plus side, all that's needed is a simple set of four silicon filters in addition to some standard x-ray equipment. Unfortunately, those four filters mean you also have to take four separate images to get one clear image, giving the patient quite the extra dose of radiation. Even so, the researchers say there are some circumstances where that would be justified, including using the technology to give airport screeners a better peek at potential explosives.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Researchers develop eye-implantable camera
Most of the bionic eye systems we've seen involve clunky glasses-cam headgear, but the implantable camera now being developed at UCLA does it straight Terminator-style and keeps your face unemcumbered. The camera, which researcher Michelle Hauer and her team recently filed a patent for, is small enough to be implanted directly on the eye's lens, and feeds image data to a chip at the back of the eye, where it can either be fed into the optic nerve to aid the blind, or just into a portable hard drive to aid the creepy. Hauer says power will come from on an onboard battery, but we're more interested in the mention of "optical control signals" in the patent application -- and by "interested" we mean "terrified of a zombie android army."Read - NewScientist blurb
Read - Patent application
The Impatience of the Google Generation
Posted by Soulskill on Friday January 18, @05:27AM
from the everything-i-need-to-know-i-learned-from-google dept.
from the everything-i-need-to-know-i-learned-from-google dept.
profBill writes "As a fifty-something professor who teaches introductory computer science, I am very aware that the twenty-somethings in my class are much more at ease with computers than any other generation. However, does that mean they are more adept at using those computers? Apparently not, according to the researchers at University College London. Their research indicates that while more adept at conducting searches, younger users also show 'impatience in search and navigation, and zero tolerance for any delay in satisfying their information needs'. Moreover, these traits 'are now becoming the norm for all age-groups, from younger pupils and undergraduates through to professors'. The panel makes two conclusions: That libraries (and I wonder what a library will become in the future, anyway) will have to adapt, and that the information processing skills of todays young people are lacking. Why are those skills lacking and, if they are, what can be done about it?"
New Dell Laptops Give Users a Literal Shock
Posted by Zonk on Thursday January 17, @06:01PM
from the i'll-call-him-sparky dept.
from the i'll-call-him-sparky dept.
An anonymous reader writes "According to CNET.co.uk, certain new Dell laptops with a brushed-aluminum finish are giving users more than they bargained for. 'We know this because several CNET staff were hit with an electrical charge while using Dell's new XPS M1530 — and we're not the only ones. Dell's forums are littered with user complaints about the shocking experiences they've had with some systems. The problem only seems to occur in Dell laptops that have a brushed-aluminum finish. These include the XPS M1330 and XPS M1530. It's caused by the two-pronged connection between the mains lead and the power adapter, which isn't earthed properly because of its lack of a third pin. The laptop therefore exhibits an electrical potential (voltage) between its exposed metal parts (the brushed aluminum wrist pad) and earth ground. Since there is no earth, the human body basically acts as a wire that can conduct electric current, hence the tingling, jolting sensation.'"
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Oh, the humanity! Hydrogen fuel cell phone on the way
There are still hurdles to overcome - charging up a fuel cell isn't a matter of just plugging the thing into a wall socket. Hydrogen has to be created, typically from water, meaning new devices for the home or an infrastructure of cell phone "filling stations" where users can recharge. There's also the perception issue - although Angstrom says that their storage system is absolutely safe, the Hindenberg is still most famous thing that's ever happened to hydrogen.
The company is optimistic that the public will embrace the new technology, however, and expects to launch a product by 2010.
via [Green Tech Gazette]
Sustainable House: First Platinum LEED Remodel
Sure we've seen these ratings awarded to homes and office buildings already but not to a remodel -- until now. Sustainable House is a revamped 1948 rambler now completely outfitted in green technology and eco-saving devices. Such renovations include: energy-efficient appliances, CFLs, natural Quartz countertops, Aquia dual-flush toilets, fly ash cement where used, four 130 feet closed-loop wells for geothermal energy, greywater system, super insulation, passive solar, photovoltaic panels, solar hot water system, Solatubes, and triple-glazed argon windows, just to name a few. With the economy struggling a bit this may be the beginning of some beautiful changes in homes across the country. Save a few bucks on utilities and save the environment -- sounds like a plan to me!
Gallery: Sustainable House
Update on teen's all-electric 1988 Mazda pickup truck
High school student Andrew Angellotti contacted AutoblogGreen last fall to tell us about his 1988 Mazda B2200 pickup truck that he converted into an electric vehicle, taking nine months to learn how to do it and getting seriously DIY on the project. Our friend at Michigan Public Radio, Dustin Dwyer, was able to spend some with with Angellotti and an update on the teen and his truck was broadcast this week.Angellotti put 20 "basically golf cart" batteries into his truck; most (16) take up lots of space in the bed. The batteries give him a 40-mile range from a 10-hour charge. Considering that the truck's heat originally came from the engine, the EV doesn't have a warm cab any more, which must make for some tough driving these days. Still, Angellotti is pretty darn happy with his homemade truck. As he told Dustin, "There were quite a few points during the project, during you know, kind of a hard part, I'd start thinking, you know, for six thousand dollars I could have a really cool car. But, you know, I woke up the next morning and I'm like, 'But nobody else is going to have an electric car. So I decided to keep going with it." We're glad he did.
Listen to the report here or read the transcript here.
Honey stops coughing better than OTC drugs
Not too long ago the FDA ruled that cough and cold medicines should not be given to small children. Shortly thereafter, bottles started disappearing from shelves, leaving parents to their own devices while their child suffers from common winter ailments. It turns out that instead of turning to the medicine cabinet with every common cold, parents should have been raiding the pantry for honey.A recent study gave 105 coughing children between the ages of 2-18 cough syrup, a placebo and buckwheat honey to control their symptoms. 47% of the children who ingested honey reported less coughing overnight than both the cough medicine and the placebo. This is attributed to honey's throat coating and antioxidant properties.
Mom was right all along. Next time you have a cold, go natural with a cup of tea and a spoonful of honey.
[It should be noted that children under one year old should not be given honey to sooth nighttime coughing so you will all have to suffer through the long nights -- it's not like you were getting any sleep anyway.]
[via: WebMD]
AT&T's Plan to Play Internet Cop
Posted by Zonk on Thursday January 17, @10:01AM
from the sorry-i-was-surfing-too-fast-occifer dept.
from the sorry-i-was-surfing-too-fast-occifer dept.
Ponca City, We Love You writes "Tim Wu has an interesting (and funny) article on Slate that says that AT&T's recent proposal to examine all the traffic it carries for potential violations of US intellectual property laws is not just bad but corporate seppuku bad. At present AT&T is shielded by a federal law they wrote themselves that provides they have no liability for 'Transitory Digital Network Communications' — content AT&T carries over the Internet. To maintain that immunity, AT&T must transmit data 'without selection of the material by the service provider' and 'without modification of its content' but if AT&T gets into the business of choosing what content travels over its network, it runs the serious risk of losing its all-important immunity. 'As the world's largest gatekeeper,' Wu writes, 'AT&T would immediately become the world's largest target for copyright infringement lawsuits.' ATT's new strategy 'exposes it to so much potential liability that adopting it would arguably violate AT&T's fiduciary duty to its shareholders,' concludes Wu."
Some DNS Requests Ruled Illegal in North Dakota
Posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 17, @07:53AM
from the that's-a-paddling dept.
from the that's-a-paddling dept.
jgreco writes "A judge in North Dakota has just ruled that requesting a zone transfer from a public DNS server is criminal activity within the meaning of the North Dakota Computer Crimes Law. A zone transfer is a simple request that a DNS server hand over information in bulk, and a DNS server may be configured to allow or deny such requests. That the owner of a DNS server would configure the server to allow such requests, and then claim such requests were unauthorized, is simply stunning."
Wearable farming robot suit takes the load off
Hard to believe we're seeing yet another wearable robot suit emerge from Japan, eh? All sarcasm aside, there actually is a newcomer to the curiously growing market courtesy of Shigeki Toyama and colleagues from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. The aptly dubbed farming robot suit is a strap-on contraption that makes lifting objects much easier than nature intended, reportedly reducing the wear and tear (read: force) placed on one's joints, knees and back by around 50-percent. Additionally, the suit will be programmable depending on the type of work being done, but we've no idea if any third-party attachments (you know, rubber band launchers, integrated HMDs, etc.) are in the works. On the real, you'll be looking at around ¥500,000 ($4,559) to ¥1,000,000 ($9,117) to ease your load, but that could dip as low as ¥200,000 ($1,823) per suit if mass production becomes viable.[Via The Register]
Mini-boom: US baby-making soars
In what is probably the best news for the baby-poop scoop bag industry in years, the US birthrate hit a 45 year high in 2006 -- I guess it took statisticians a year to put all the numbers together? In 2006, a total of 4.3 million babies were born in the US, a number that reflects a rising population, shifts in culture, and a sign that Americans are not slowing down their baby-making -- despite recommendations by environmental think tanks.On the whole, Americans seem to have a more baby-friendly attitude than other industrialized nations, with a higher fertility rate that Australia, Canada, Japan or any nation in Europe. The bulk of the change seems to be coming from a cultural shift. The increase in the Latino presence in the US has been a major contributor; the fertility rate among Latinos is 3 children per woman. Experts also attribute the "boomlet" to a drop in the use of contraceptives, reproductive education, and access to abortion.
Is the trend good or bad? According to economists, it's great -- the ideal birthrate is 2.1, the rate necessary to stabilize the current population. Of course, that's not necessarily adjusted for immigration. Environmentally, Americans have the largest carbon footprint, so a rise in population signifies a greater challenge to lowering our environmental impact as a nation.
Star Trek-like 'Phraselator' Helps Police
Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday January 16, @10:09PM
from the set-phraselateor-to-drunk dept.
from the set-phraselateor-to-drunk dept.
coondoggie writes "Yet another Star Trek-like device is making its way into the real world. VoxTec's Phraselator name sounds a bit like something the Three Stooges might have used long ago but no, this PDA-like device was developed through Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for use in Afghanistan and Iraq by American soldiers for communicating with locals who spoke Farsi, Dari, Pashto and other languages. It is now being used as one tool to help keep the peace between English and non-English speakers by police departments in California, Florida, Nevada. In a nutshell the $2,500 ruggedized Phraselator runs an Intel PXA255 400mHz processor that supports a built-In noise canceling microphone, a VOCON 3200 Speech Recognizer, 1GB removable SD card, 256MB of DRAM Memory and 64MB Flash Memory. It can store up to 10,000 phrases."
And you thought that laptop fire sucked...
[Image courtesy of Matt G.]
Prosthetic-limbed runner disqualified from Olympics
[Via Medgadget]
Nanotubes Form The Darkest Material Yet Created
Posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 17, @03:08AM
from the none-more-black dept.
from the none-more-black dept.
toxcspdrmn writes "Bad news for Spinal Tap fans. The BBC reports that researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, have produced the darkest known material by manufacturing "forests" of carbon nanotubes. This forms a surface that absorbs or scatters 99.9% of all incidental light."
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