~e; more EM news stories

[human being <human@electronetwork.org>]

(0) benchmarking energy performance in built environments

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Washington, DC - July 1 - The United States Environmental
Protection Agency (US EPA) recently unveiled a major new
resource for energy efficiency in developing countries, the
eeBuildings website.  The site allows building owners and
managers in developing countries to tap into resources from
EPA's long-running domestic energy-efficiency programs,
such as Energy StarĘ.

eeBuildings (energy-efficient buildings) puts Energy Star
lessons, experiences and materials into an international
context.  The site introduces building owners and managers
to international use of the Energy Star Benchmarking Tool,
giving them the ability to measure the total energy
consumption of a building in terms of how it compares to
similar buildings.  Benchmarking is an excellent complement
to existing green buildings projects.  Benchmarking can also
be the foundation of an internal energy management program.

In addition to the site, eeBuildings has in-country activities
that include training, conferences and addressing specific
market barriers.  Recent in-country activities have included a
workshop on lighting retrofits in Manila, the Philippines and
pilot use of the  Benchmarking Tool in Shanghai, China.

All tools and materials on the site are free and available to the
public.  Visit the site at http://www.epa.gov/eeBuildings or
e-mail eebuildings@epa.gov for more information.


(1) this is your brain on cellphones

Lost in Thought
Cell phones distract drivers, but not for the reasons you think
http://www.healthscoutnews.com/view.cfm?id=507661

"During the ride, one researcher oversaw the equipment from the back
seat while the second sat in the passenger seat and gave the driver
various instructions. Besides memorizing lists and operating a cell
phone, tasks included adding and subtracting numbers.

In their analysis, which has been presented at various engineering
conferences, the researchers found that when the motorists puzzled
over their tasks, their eye movements decreased, shrinking their
field of view -- or peripheral vision."


"... when drivers use cell phones, their "tunnel vision" continues
well after the phone call ends. Sodhi speculates that's because
they're probably still thinking about the conversation."
...
""I believe higher levels of safety can be achieved by establishing
cell-free zones," he says."


(2) recycling to become part of the personal computer life cycle


NEC, IBM Japan to Resell Own-Brand Used PCs
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=581&ncid=581&e=7&u=/nm/20020702/tc_nm/tech_japan_nec_dc_1

"But the two firms hope to tap demand by lowering PC disposal and
recycling costs, which are normally shouldered by the customers, the
Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) said in its Wednesday online edition."




(3) mapping the brain... and electromagnetic results.


Stroke treatments might be backfiring
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992423

"[the] team tested the theory by using magnetic fields to suppress
those areas instead. Using a technique called transcranial magnetic
stimulation, the researchers apply a magnetic field that induces
currents at selected points in the brain. Depending on the frequency
of the field, the current can either silence or amplify neural
activity.

Pascual-Leone's team gave the treatment to five patients whose left
hemispheres had been damaged by stroke. They applied a field with a
slow frequency of 1 hertz, which animal studies show has a dampening
effect, to the corresponding right hemisphere area for 10 minutes.
The aim was to dampen rather than stimulate neural activity. As a
result, the patients' ability to put names to pictures shot up by 35
per cent."



(4) this simple computer is very intriguing.. wish it had a solar panel
  though as batteries are eaten by such devices, and are high-cost items
  over the period of a year. or, even if not used, they can lose their
  value/charge if in the computer device itself, over time... [once had
  a 'PocketPC' by Zeos, a local pc-clone maker, that ran DOS and seems
  to be a predecessor to the PocketPC by MS and others, and sub-sub-note-
  book. had an LCD screen, 640x480, two PCMCIA type 1 or 2 slots, and a
  miniature external modem. 4 shade b&w screen. typing quality keyboard.
  such systems, especially with better LCD technology, would be versatile,
  portable, recyclable, compact, comparatively inexpensive, & usable.]

India rolls out cheap, handheld computer this month
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/3605609.htm



(5) uh, Texas was in a massive heat wave and just got 2 feet of rain
  in some areas. so i wonder how much lighting is a lot of lightning?
  Big Lightning. apparently...

Big city, bright lightning
Hot, dirty conurbations are thunderstorm magnets.
4 July 2002
http://www.nature.com/nsu/020701/020701-8.html


"Large cities are lightning factories. A new study of Houston, Texas,
the fourth largest city in the United States, finds that it attracts
40% more bolts-from-the-blue than the surrounding countryside...City
heat and air pollution generate more cloud-to-ground activity [than
tall buildings].
...
"Furthermore, cloud-to-ground lightning is always accompanied by
heavy rainfall. Cities could therefore be disrupting local rainfall
that is important for reservoirs and agriculture. "It's just more
evidence that we're disturbing the natural environment," says
Steiger."


(6) also, have been seeing postings regarding 'virtual tours' and
  also 'virtual conferences' where travel is now not required to
  participate in group events online. someday maybe this will also
  include more videoteleconferencing to link online and offline events,
  along with chat, etc. as happens elsewhere; conferences on a budget.

  the electromagnetic internetwork-list
  electromagnetism / infrastructure / civilization
  archives.openflows.org/electronetwork-l
		http://www.electronetwork.org/