~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #22

[human being <human@electronetwork.org>]

===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #22
===================================================

00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (4/11/2003)

01) Top Stories of Electromagnetism
02) Electromagnetic health & medicine
03) Electromagnetic trash & treasure
04) Electromagnetic security & surveillance
05) Electromagnetic power & energy
06) Electromagnetic current & human affairs
07) Electromagnetic transportation & communication
08) Electromagnetic matter & information
09) Electromagnetic trends & inventions
10) Electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
11) Electromagnetic business & economics
12) Electromagnetic art & artifacts

===================================================
00) --commentary--
---------------------------------------------------

Occupied with current events, there is no particular electromagnetic  
angle
of importance or explanation for what is going on, as it is one in a  
myriad of
events. Though it does underlie a lot of events, how they proceed, by  
what
velocity and form, and is a common empiricism in cultural issues of  
today
as is demonstrated in the depth and breadth of the links below, and  
their
relation with the ongoing war and world events, and what happens in the
background, all day, every day, in advancing and applying this  
knowledge.

===================================================
01) --top stories--
---------------------------------------------------

Librarians Use Shredder to Show Opposition to New F.B.I. Powers
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/national/07LIBR.html>

"First to be sliced by the electronic teeth were several pink sheets  
with handwritten requests to the reference desk... "Next to go were the  
logs of people who had signed up to use the library's Internet computer  
stations. Bill L., Mike B., Rolando, Steve and Patrick were all  
shredded into white paper spaghetti."
--

website: ANEMAW (Animal Electromagnetism and Waves)
<http://members.fortunecity.com/anemaw/missionstatement.htm>

"The Anemaw website examines how specific zoological specimens employ  
the use of a variety of physics concepts, such as electromagnetism,  
infrasonic and ultrasonic waves, and bioluminescence for the betterment  
of their lives and survival."
--

U.S. Foreign Policy Shaped by Energy Supply // intriguing...
<http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2003/2003-04-08-03.asp>

"The U.S. government must ensure that the United States can pursue its  
foreign policy and national security interests unconstrained by energy  
concerns, a senior State Department official says.
	..
'Larson cautioned that due to complex relationships between political,  
economic and security considerations "energy security will not be  
achieved by one dramatic breakthrough but rather by sustained, patient  
and determined efforts."'
--

// this is a dual-use story, which shows how military research and
// development can improve and even revolutionize existing sectors,
// as is predicted by many with old batteries vs. new fuel cells...

Think Small When Powering Today's Electronic Soldier
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030404072012.htm>

"On the battlefield, having a reliable source of power to operate the  
many advanced electronic devices a soldier carries is essential. But  
today's heavy and cumbersome batteries fall short in satisfying the  
military's needs. In search of both a lightweight and reliable  
alternative, the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National  
Laboratory has developed the smallest power system yet, all wrapped up  
in a micro-sized package."


---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & medicine
---------------------------------------------------

Magnetic crystals in brain linked to Alzheimer's // free radicals...
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993611>

"If further work confirms the hypothesis, it could be possible to  
diagnose patients with early Alzheimer's disease by measuring the level  
of iron oxide crystals, called magnetite, in their brains."
	..
"The team measured magnetite in brain tissue taken from patients who  
died from Alzheimer's. They used a technique called SQUID  
(superconducting quantum interference device) magnetometry, which  
measures the samples' responses to different magnetic fields."
--

Infrared headset nixes radiation // Via infrared LEDs...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/040903/ 
Infrared_headset_nixes_radiation_040903.html>

"A headset connects to the phone by an electrical wire. Research has  
shown that the wire can act as a conduit for microwave radiation, which  
has been tagged as a possible health risk. The earpiece of traditional  
cell phones also contains an electromagnetic coil that turns electrical  
signals into audible signals but in doing so gives off electromagnetic  
radiation."
--

Antiradiation Pills Are Urged for Children
<http://nytimes.com/2003/04/08/health/08IODI.html>

"Households, schools and child-care centers near nuclear power plants  
should keep potassium iodide pills on hand to protect children from  
thyroid cancer in the event of a release of radiation, the American  
Academy of Pediatrics has recommended."
--

How e-junk poses global hazard // .nz, general info...
<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ 
storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3400424&thesection=technology&thesubsection=gen 
eral>


---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------

Libraries learn how to protect patrons from Patriot Act : Seminar urges  
deleting Internet histories and shredding sign-up sheets
<http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-3/ 
1049695909282110.xml>
--

Man Gets Company's Logo Tattooed On Head // webhost branding...
<http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/2096838/detail.html>
--

Saddam memorabilia an online auction hit
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/ 
news?tmpl=story2&cid=1516&ncid=1516&e=2&u=/afp/20030410/od_afp/ 
iraq_war_us_offbeat_030410221952>

"More than 2,000 Saddam items were being offered for sale Thursday by  
the Internet auction website, eBay, including coins and banknotes  
bearing the portrait of the man..."


---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------

Honeypots get stickier for hackers
<http://news.com.com/2100-1009-996574.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>

"Spitzner and two dozen members of the Honeynet Project hope new  
changes to the group 's open-source honeypot technology will help the  
method become much more popular among security companies and others.  
The technology is designed to help users forge their own  
honeypots--faked computers and networks that serve as decoys for  
discovering online miscreants."
--

World's most stupid security measures named and shamed
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/30162.html>

"The Stupid Security Awards were judged by a distinguished  
international panel of security and privacy experts, and intended to  
highlight the absurdities of the security industry." [+link to Award's  
site]
--

NCSC 3 -- TEMPEST Glossary
<http://cryptome.org/ncsc-3.htm>

"TEMPEST (U) -- A short name referring to investigations and studies of  
compromising emanations. It is often used synonymously for the term  
"compromising emanations"; e.g., TEMPEST tests, TEMPEST inspections."
--

Security Threats To Business Are On The Rise
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=74&ncid=74&e=5&u=/ 
cmp/20030407/tc_cmp/iwk20030407s0004>

Russia may consider a U.S. nuke treaty // + GPS-jamming issue...
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/04/08/treaty/index.html>

Tech Tools Lead Homeland Security Plan // online alerts, etc...
<http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110203,00.asp>
--

NY Tour Turns Evil Eye on Surveillance Cameras
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030408/tc_nm/ 
tech_surveilliance_dc_1>

'"You've got no right to do this! I think you're a coward!" he shouts  
at a video camera staring back at him from four stories up.' ...  
"Unusual behavior for a New York tour guide, but Brown is offering a  
view of the city that few visitors or natives see. His "Video  
Surveillance Tour of Manhattan" scans rooftops, storefronts and utility  
poles for some of the thousands of surveillance cameras perched across  
the city."
--

Inside the World of Secure Operating Systems
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21212.html>

"On a normal system, if an attacker gains root or administrator access,  
he or she can run rampant. Not so on a trusted system -- at least so  
long as it is properly configured."
--

Police Stop Collecting Data on Protesters' Politics
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/nyregion/10NYPD.html>

"Several constitutional scholars and civil libertarians said that the  
practice raised grave questions about whether asking people about their  
political affiliations or activity would have a severe chilling effect  
on protest and speech that are protected by the First Amendment.

"Central to the practice was the debriefing form, which detectives used  
to record where the arrested protesters went to school, their  
membership in any organizations and their involvement in past protests."
--

Privacy Alert: Google, Makes it possible for anyone to find your  
address using your telephone number // search "phonenumber" with  
dashes...
<http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2837.htm>


---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------

Oil prices plunge to 4-month low
Traders now expect a quick end to Iraq war
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/896664.asp?0cv=BA00>
--

OPEC calls emergency meeting on falling oil prices // pre-emption...
<http://salon.com/tech/wire/2003/04/07/opec/index.html>
--

It's A Nova … It's A Supernova … It's A HYPERNOVA
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030407075127.htm>

'"During the first minute after the explosion it emitted energy at a  
rate more than a million times the combined output of all the stars in  
the Milky Way. If you concentrated all the energy that the sun will put  
out over its entire 9 billion-year life into a tenth of a second, then  
you would have some idea of the brightness," said Michael Ashley,  
faculty member in the astrophysics and optics department at the  
University of New South Wales and a member of the ROTSE team.'
--

New Fusion Method Offers Hope of New Energy Source // amazing...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/08/science/physical/08FUSI.html?th>

"With a blast of X-rays compressing a capsule of hydrogen to conditions  
approaching those at the center of the Sun, scientists from Sandia  
National Laboratories reported today that they had achieved  
thermonuclear fusion, in essence detonating a tiny hydrogen bomb.

"...designing a machine that could detonate controlled thermonuclear  
explosions in quick succession — and survive them — is an engineering  
challenge that scientists have only begun to think about."
--

How The Sun Works
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/sun.htm>
--

Surprise To Physicists -- Protons Aren't Always Shaped Like A Basketball
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030408085744.htm>

"What Miller discovered from those results is that a proton at rest can  
be shaped like a ball -- the expected shape and the only one described  
in physics textbooks. Or it can be shaped like a peanut, like a rugby  
ball or even something similar to a bagel."
--

Sharing, Alaska-Style // op-ed on creating an Iraqi oil fund...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/09/opinion/09CLEM.html?th>


---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------

Computer scientist Anita Borg dies
<http://news.com.com/2100-1032-996015.html>
--

 From burkas to IT for Afghan women
<http://news.com.com/2100-1022-996022.html?part=dtx&tag=nhl>

"On Tuesday, Akbari became one of the first 17 Afghans trained in their  
own country to earn industry-standard certificates in computer  
networking skills, and one of the first members of what her government  
hopes will be a growing talent pool of badly needed information  
technology specialists."
--

// fascinating story of Iraq's country-code top-level domain...

Iraq, its domain and the 'terrorist-funding' owner
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/30170.html>

"Why didn't Saddam insist upon the .iq domain? Probably for two  
reasons: one, he could fairly assume the US government would block any  
redelegation, as it can easily do. And two, to possess an entire domain  
would cause pressure for the creation of Iraqi ISPs. Even creating one  
ISPs would mean trusting technical engineers not to build in a bypass  
to the system that would flout Saddam's efforts at total control. In  
this context, it's not hard to see why Mr Elashi continues to retain  
control of the .iq domain."


---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transportation & communication
---------------------------------------------------

// this quote comes from an unfortunate source, a story of
// a dead embedded TV journalist, David Bloom of NBC, whose
// work was mentioned here previously with regard to real-
// time war reporting. here's more info on how it was done...

QUOTE from article: NBC’s David Bloom, 39, dies in Iraq
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/896267.asp?0cv=CB21&cp1=1>

"Bloom and his cameraman mounted a gyrostabilized camera - the kind  
that’s mounted on helicopters - to produce jiggle-free video even when  
the M-88 was bumping along at 50 mph or more. Then the  
sharper-than-videophone signal was sent via microwave to a converted  
Ford F-450 crew-cab truck, two to 10 miles farther back in the column.  
An antenna on the truck transmitted the signal in real-time from its  
own gyrostabilized platform to an overhead satellite, which relayed it  
to NBC."
--

IN-CAR GADGET MIGHT DO IN STREET METERS
<http://www.nypost.com/business/72725.htm>

"The key is a small box that works similarly to the EZ Pass system.  
When a car enters certain parking zone, a light on the box will flash  
the parking rates for that area. One click, and the meter stars  
running. And the bill comes later in the mail. The best part? Drivers  
pay only for the exact number of minutes they park."
--

How Car Alarms Work
<http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-alarm.htm>

How Radar Detectors Work
<http://auto.howstuffworks.com/radar-detector.htm>
--

Diller calls for regulation to restrain media conglomerates
<http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/5580465.htm>

'"The big four networks have in fact reconstituted themselves into the  
oligopoly that the FCC originally set out to curb in the 1960s," Diller  
said during his keynote speech at the association's annual convention.'
--

How Satellites Work
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/satellite.htm>
--

Internet via the Power Grid: New Interest in Obvious Idea //powernets...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/technology/10POWE.html?th>

"Currently there are several competing approaches. Some companies are  
developing the technology to transmit data over traditional fiber  
cables until it reaches telephone poles that serve small clusters of  
homes, where it would then be transferred to the power lines. Others  
are taking a more radical approach, trying to transmit Internet data  
directly from electrical power substations that serve several hundred  
homes and businesses in a neighborhood."


---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------

Mystery of the Min Min lights explained // .au mirage...
<http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s818193.htm>

Computers that watch while you work - Canadian researchers have  
designed a computer that pays attention to the person using it.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2925403.stm>

Dark matter doesn't move in mysterious ways
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/030407/030407-1.html>

Google: Is all the news fit to post?
<http://news.com.com/2100-1025-996100.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>

Glowing beads make tiny bar codes // microbarcodes...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/040903/ 
Glowing_beads_make_tiny_bar_codes_040903.html>
--

// process sounds similar to screen printing. the idea of paper-
// printing presses transforming to electronic-component-presses
// for EM screens and transistors may be one possible future...

Painted LEDs make screen
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/040903/ 
Painted_LEDs_make_screen_040903.html>

"The process could also be used to pattern polymers to make electronic   
         devices like transistors, sensors, and even wires, said Yang."
--

A Self-Powered DNA Computer Redefines Small
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/technology/circuits/10next.html>

"Now a research group at Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot,  
Israel, has added another twist. Its latest creation makes data  
function as the computer's power source."

---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------

Adobe updates Acrobat for the XML era
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/30121.html>

New Technologies Spur Design in PCs // LCDs, Wi-Fi, tablets...
  <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40847-2003Apr6.html>


---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------

QUOTE on the role of EM intelligence, EM warfare, and EM weaponry:

"It took 45 minutes in all to hit the building once the intelligence  
was received. It took a B-1B crew 12 minutes to reprogram the four  
satellite-guided bombs, fly to the target and release the weapons."
	..
"The dictator was being tracked by the CIA, a CIA-recruited spy and a  
Delta commando. One of them communicated on a secure line to the CIA's  
headquarters in Langley, which alerted the U.S. Central Command forward  
headquarters in Doha, Qatar."

from: Saddam seen at site
<http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030409-75571376.htm>
--

Blair launches new Iraqi TV
<http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,933887,00.html>

"Towards Freedom will broadcast for one hour a day from the US flying  
TV station Commando Solo - a specially equipped Hercules aircraft  
fitted with a television studio."


---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------

Semi Equipment Sales Down Sharply
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21227.html>
	&
Microchip Blames Earnings on SARS
<http://wired.com/news/business/0,1367,58397,00.html>
--

Is There Life After Silicon Valley's Fast Lane?
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/09/technology/09MOOR.html>

"Now some experts warn that Moore's Law may soon reach its theoretical  
limits, with dire consequences for the technology industry's economic  
engine. Yet an influential cadre of heretics is arguing that seeing an  
end to the slavish demands of Moore's Law could be the best thing to  
happen to the culture of Silicon Valley and maybe even to the future of  
technological innovation that is affected by that culture."
	..
"Dr. Moore's is not a law in the physical sense, but rather a  
prediction derived from the economics of the semiconductor industry..."
--

[a very good reason to question monthly subscription services, as
a basic dialup and webhost can run 50-100 USD/month, others add on
cable tv, satellite tv, cellphone bills, paid content, etc...]

It Adds Up (and Up, and Up) // technology access costs $$$...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/technology/circuits/10cost.html?th>
--

Net fraud complaints tripled in 2002: Auction fraud tops FBI list
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/897890.asp?0si=-&cp1=1>
--

// apparently this is part of the deal for being on 'the list' of
// U.S. Allies, as Japan stated they would help _after the war...

Sony leads charge to cash in on Iraq
<http://media.guardian.co.uk/marketingandpr/story/0,7494,933239,00.html>

"Japanese electronics giant Sony has taken an extraordinary step to  
cash in on the war in Iraq by patenting the term "Shock and Awe" for a  
computer game."


---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic art & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------

[interesting essay. several points are addressed, though
the mixing of content-management-systems (CMS) with web-
logs (and origins in BBS') is confusing. another aspect,
with mailing lists, that language defeats itself, is also
not addressed, a reflection of intellectual property, and
issues of psychological identity. the other aspect being
that blogs blend mailing lists (as feeds, and RSS tags for
meta-news) in addition to communities (BBS-like), and may
have aspects of CMS (GOPHER/FTP/contact databases, chat)
portal software, canned for distibution but customizable.
mailing lists while linear offer public debate, and the
bloggers seem to be multitracking, defining social culture
which can blend public/private worlds. one is left to then
wonder if there will be 'blogger burnout' in that people
cannot keep up with the content distribution schemes, and
that the slower speed (production) of mailing lists may
still retain value, though possiblyo recontextualized...]

Community Network Architecture —
 From Electronic Mailinglists to Weblogs, by Geert Lovink
<http://www.virose.pt/vector/b_04/lovink.html>

"Because weblogs are all about linking to other sites, they reflect the  
longterm trend from content to context. Weblogs are collective context  
generators... "It is time for the new media arts scene to move to the  
web and build up a weblog where multiple threads, debates and news  
threads could take place, in a way that was not possible within the  
linear electronic mailing list structure."
--

Snapshots of a world in flux // article about exhibit in San Diego.
A fascinating show draws attention to the man who took the first modern  
photos and defined the art.
<http://www.calendarlive.com/galleriesandmuseums/cl-et- 
knight5apr05,0,1562802.story?coll=cl%2Dcalendar>


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