~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #31
From
human being <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Sat, 14 Jun 2003 10:57:11 -0500
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #31
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00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (6/14/2003)
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-- none
===================================================
01) --top stories--
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Icy claim that water has memory // thermoluminescence glow...
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993817>
"The paper's author, Swiss chemist Louis Rey, is using
thermoluminescence to study the structure of solids. The technique
involves bathing a chilled sample with radiation. When the sample is
warmed up, the stored energy is released as light in a pattern that
reflects the atomic structure of the sample."
Antennas Get Smart // snippet, rest for paid subscribers...
Adaptive antenna arrays can vastly improve wireless communications by
connecting mobile users with virtual wires
<http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa001&articleID=000853F1-DD7F-
1EDC-8E1C809EC588EF21>
[possibly related] INVENTING THE INTERNET AGAIN by George Gilder
<http://www.privateline.com/Switching/gilder.html>
"To conceive of Baran's model of wireless, begin by thinking of the
human eye and comparing it to a radio. Like a radio, the eye is
essentially a device for converting photons into electrons, pulses of
electromagnetic energy into electrical currents. Geared for visible
light rather than radio frequency signals, the eye is a receiving
antenna." "How is it that your eyes command 350 terahertz of bandwidth
and your FM radio around 20 megahertz, 17 million times less? It is not
chiefly the special powers of the retina and other optical faculties.
Radio antennas can collect an even larger span of frequencies. The
difference is mostly behind the receiver. Backing up the eyes is the
processing power of some 10 billion neurons and trillions of synapses.
Backing up the radio antenna is a lot of fixed- analog hardware. Eyes
are smart and aerobatic while the radio is dumb and blind." "In Baran's
vision, the future of wireless is the replacement of current dumb
radios by smart digital radios that resemble eyes. Coupling radio
technology with computer technology, the antenna can acquire a brain."
// thought a drawback may be increased humidity levels, too...
Ballyhooed hydrogen fuel cells may have environmental drawback
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6073725.htm>
"Scientists say the new technology could lead to greater destruction
of the ozone layer that protects Earth from cancer-causing ultraviolet
rays."
Nasa gives go-ahead for nuclear mission to outer planets
<http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/
story.jsp?story=415300>
"Project Prometheus, named after the Greek god who gave fire to
humanity, will concentrate on nuclear propulsion because it is
considered the only form of power that can meet the mission's
requirements."
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02-- electromagnetic health & medicine
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Digital Cell Phones May Confound Pacemakers // !!!
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21695.html>
"The new generation of digital mobile phones can interfere with many
types of heart pacemakers, claims a new study in the Institute of
Physics journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Pacemakers can confuse
mobile-phone signals with the heart's own electrical signals, causing a
malfunction."
Can an electronic device replace damaged brain circuits?
<http://www.popsci.com/popsci/medicine/article/0,12543,456105,00.html>
"In the experiment, millions of neurons embedded in the tissue will
transmit their electrical impulses to attached electrodes. If all goes
according to plan, the electrodes should intercept the signals and
reroute them to the chip, which fills in for the damaged neural
circuits to process the data and shoot it back to other neurons."
Hand-held scanner designed to detect cancer // drudgereport.com
<http://in.news.yahoo.com/030611/137/251nr.html>
"The scanner contains an antenna that produces a beam of microwaves
that vary in frequency from 400 to 1350 megahertz. According to
Vedruccio and his team, tumours generate strong interference at about
400 megahertz.
A computer details the amount of interference at different
frequencies."
Lasers take 3D brain scans
Infrared light probes tissue a slice at a time.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/030609/030609-2.html>
"The laser sweeps through the sample, taking a digitized image of its
surface. Then a second laser burns away scanned tissue and the process
begins anew. When the whole sample has been scanned, all that remains
is a digital, three-dimensional picture of the chunk of rat brain. "The
sample goes from brains to bits," he says."
Researchers Combine Electronics With Living Cell To Create Potential
Toxicity Sensor // e-resistance of MEMs device measures cell death
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030610074708.htm>
"...researchers have found a way to tap into the telltale electrical
signals that mark cell death, opening the door to the creation of a
"canary on a chip" that can be used to sound the alarm of a biochemical
attack or test drug toxicity on human tissue."
GIS Technology Helps Link Premenopausal Breast Cancer With Place Of
Birth, Residence At Time Of Menarche // location-location-location
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030611080900.htm>
Electromagnetic waves linked to children's brain tumors // clip.
<http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=4&id=262359>
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
For sale: Sputnik 1, original condition // $39k on eBAY...
Car dealer offers Soviet satellite with no miles on the clock.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/030609/030609-4.html>
Looting Leaves Iraq's Oil Industry in Ruins
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/10/international/worldspecial/
10OIL.html?th>
Dark Tip: Build an Xshok Controller // D.I.Y. electroshock (gizmodo)
Is the 'rumble' feature on your Xbox controller too wimpy for you?
Kevin Rose spices things up with electricity.
<http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/howto/story/0,24330,3450946,00.html>
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
US cybersecurity agency goes live // bedankt *
<http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=9363320>
"The new authority has divided the tasks of the previously disparate
agencies into three divisions. ...One division will identify risks and
help reduce vulnerabilities posed to the US government's cyber assets,
and it will coordinate with the private sector to protect America's
on-line infrastructure. The NCSD will also oversee a consolidated Cyber
Security Tracking, Analysis & Response Center (CSTARC), which will
detect and respond to "Internet events." The third arm of the unit will
create cybersecurity awareness and education programs, in partnership
with consumers, businesses, governments, academia and international
communities."
'...without cybersecurity, there is no physical security..."
U.S. Says Stun Guns Viable for Airline Security
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36048-2003Jun9.html>
Radio ID tags get Microsoft backing // information management.
<http://news.com.com/2100-1020-1015058.html?part=dtx&tag=nhl>
"The inventory-tracking chips are expected to include a kill switch
before they end up in products."
Peter Cochrane's Uncommon Sense: All-seeing technology
How many times have you been on candid camera today?
<http://www.silicon.com/opinion/500007-500001/1/4508.html>
Anti-virus fight gets tough : As computer viruses change, the business
of protecting people and companies from them is changing too.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2981836.stm>
Student hacks school, erases class files // via RisksDigest
<http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/06/10/school.hacked/>
Smart airline seat detects shifty passengers
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993822>
"And if the seat reveals the passenger may be in a state of high
anxiety, the display can discreetly alert the cabin crew. They can then
assess whether the passenger presents a risk: are they simply
frightened of flying? An air-rager in the making? Or a hijacker about
to make their move?"
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
A philosophical investigation into Enron
As lawyers pick over the carcass of the energy giant which became a
byword for corporate greed and mismanagement, what could Wittgenstein
teach us about its spectacular rise and fall? Quite a lot, actually,
writes Donald MacKenzie in our latest LRB essay
<http://books.guardian.co.uk/lrb/articles/0,6109,963775,00.html>
US faces critical gas shortage // "the other energy crisis"
<http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/
FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1054965861312&p=1012571727088>
[not unrelated...] Energy bill seeks to revive nuclear power
<http://salon.com/tech/wire/2003/06/09/nuclear/index.html>
High Hopes for Electric Net
<http://wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,59205,00.html>
"The first world conference of electric companies, equipment makers
and others gathered for a day this week in efforts to make the Internet
even more ubiquitous by channeling it through power lines into homes."
// in a sense, this could be seen as increasingly important for
// R&D gains, as laser weaponry and new weapons systems are relying
// on laser technology, from satellites to aircraft to ground-based,
// to telecom, and power generation experiments it is imagined. it
// may thus be equivalent to world competition in supercomputing...
National Ignition Facility Project Sets Records For Laser Performance
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030609012234.htm>
Calpine Sees Power Market Upturn in 2005, Beyond
<http://www.slb.com/ba.cfm?baid=4&storyid=602257>
Hydrogen's Future Up in the Air // ozone layer...
<http://wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,59220,00.html>
"Their study says that if hydrogen fuel replaced fossil fuels entirely
it could be expected that 10 percent to 20 percent of the hydrogen
would leak from pipelines, storage facilities, processing plants and
fuel cells in cars and at power plants."
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
PlayStation driver turns killer
<http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/
0,5936,6582417%255E421,00.html>
"A TEENAGER who had only ever driven a car in PlayStation games killed
a woman during his first time behind the wheel."
Digital media wars heat up // via macsurfer.com
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/
Layout/
Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1052251778140&call_pageid=968350072197&col=9
69048863851>
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transportation & communication
---------------------------------------------------
Telephone technology page // via TSCM-L. motherlode of info...
<http://www.epanorama.net/links/telephone.html>
How DSL Works
<http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dsl.htm>
The Man Pushing Faster Internet Access in U.S. // Broadband Policy
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/technology/09PETE.html>
"For telecommunications companies, making the investment in broadband
access is not without risk. The costs for building high-speed networks
are enormous, whether through wires on the ground or through wireless
networks. Moreover, the companies must market the concept to consumers
who are already paying monthly fees for home telephone, cellphone and
cable television service and may not want to pay yet more for
high-speed access. To mitigate the risk, the industry has turned to the
government for help, and Mr. Pitsch has led the charge."
[question is when/if notebooks can be ready for dual-use HDTVs]
Sony plugs TV into Vaio notebooks // TV + DVR + remote control.
<http://news.com.com/2100-1044-1015203.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>
How Microcontrollers Work
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/microcontroller.htm>
// now, if only they can make this into a window, also.... (gizmodo)
Philips' Mirror TV Reflects New Era in Consumer Technologies
<http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?bw.061103/
231625019&ticker=PHG&ticker=PHI.AS>
World's Smallest Robot // via gizmodo.net
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/extreme_machines/2003/6/robot/>
"The microbot has 8 kilobytes of memory, along with a simple
temperature sensor. But future versions could be outfitted with
anything from chemical sniffers to a miniaturized camera or microphone.
Lightweight, mobile and small enough to be virtually invisible,
specialized microbots may eventually perform tasks like searching for
bombs. They could even be pressed into duty as mechanical spies that
wait until their target opens his safe to take out secret papers, then
climb up behind him to quickly snap a photo before scurrying back to
their insect-size hiding place..."
// fascinated as a non-cellphone user that now there are
// wireless cards available, so if one has a cellphone but
// no monthly calling plan, they can activate the phone for
// so many minutes within a finite time. thought the below
// article on 'smartness' may be related to e-cash or credit,
// via phone commands, which would make sense if secure, yet
// there is also the holy grail of 'smartness' which instead
// may focus on environment aware devices, not phones per se,
// and which centralized R&D efforts & standards might help.
Smart cellphone would spend your money // credit-phone...
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993818>
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
How Oscillators Work
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/oscillator.htm>
In Gold Ink on a Chip, the World's Tiniest Book // biblechip.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/technology/09TINY.html?tntemail0>
Flash memory breakthrough // 2-4 gigabit flashchips
<http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/display_news.cfm?NewsID=2936>
Big Bang 'soup recipe' confirmed // EM or charged ylem (?)
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993821>
"A microsecond after the Big Bang, when the exploding fireball of the
newborn Universe was only a few kilometres across, all matter existed
in a special state. "The basic building blocks of matter - quarks and
electrons - floated freely in an incredibly hot, dense soup. As the
Universe grew and cooled, the quarks bound together into the protons
and neutrons that abound today."
Who's In The Loop? USC Tool Maps The Email Labyrinth // eArchivarius
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030611080610.htm>
"Researchers at the University of Southern California have created a
new tool for organizing and visualizing collections of electronic mail.
It is designed to help legal researchers, historians, archivists, and
others faced with challenges in dealing wtih large email archives."
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
Bell tolling for PNG graphics format? -- A patent underlying one of the
Web's most popular graphics formats is set to expire later this month,
raising the question of whether a rival, open format, created as a
royalty-free alternative, will become obsolete.
<http://news.com.com/2100-1032-1014236.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>
Faster Wi-Fi Standard Means Biz // IEEE approves 802.11g
<http://wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,59233,00.html>
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
FBI says cell phones triggered Saudi blast
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/06/11/saudi_blast/>
"The bulletin includes details of how a cell phone can become part of
a deadly bomb. It includes use of a battery, a switch, an initiation
device such as a match or a light bulb, conducting wires and explosives.
When the phone receives an incoming call, "the electrical power from
the telephone's ringer or vibrator activates the bomb's circuitry"
causing an explosion."
Tough Talking for Marines in Iraq // microwave, radio, satellite+
<http://wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,59106,00.html>
"To share text messages and digital files, one unit of the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force would have the Blue Force Tracker communications
system. Another would have the MDACT (Mobile Data Automated
Communications Terminal) program. The two have the same functions,
essentially. But they can't talk to each other. So when the Marines
sent reconnaissance photos to their commanders, they often would use a
courier with a Memorex hard drive to carry the pictures by hand to
headquarters."
Pentagon to Use New Net Protocol // thanks *
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,59244,00.html>
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
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EU ends free Internet tax ride
<http://news.com.com/2100-1019-1014519.html?part=dtx&tag=nhl>
THE WIRED 40 [& unlucky 13] // most all in electromagnetic .biz
Meet the masters of innovation, technology, and strategic vision - 40
companies that are reshaping the global economy.
<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.07/40main.html>
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic art & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
// this is applicable to electronics and new media artworks,
// in that there may be various ways to engage works, related
// to specific science, physics, optics, concepts, aesthetics,
// materials, iconography, history, etc. for instance, went to
// a talk on 'iconography of electricity' recently and had the
// idea of still lifes of computer motherboards, RAM, and video-
// cards, along with floppy disks, zip disks, and CD-Roms. else,
// historical styled paintings of artists/inventors with imagery
// of their electronics works in the painting, as the rich used
// to do. say, an artist with a computer in the background with
// a painted screenshot of their recent work, alongside a few
// of their objects, reflecting the context of the new works.
Attracting, engaging museum-goers
Guided by their science cousins,
art museums offer hands-on excitement
<http://msnbc.com/news/909627.asp>
GRAVITY
<http://art.teleportacia.org/exhibition/GRAVITY/>
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