~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #56
From
human being <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Tue, 21 Oct 2003 19:10:04 -0500
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Electromagnetic News & Views -- #56
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00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (10/21/2003)
01) Top Stories of Electromagnetism
02) Electromagnetic health & safety
03) Electromagnetic trash & treasure
04) Electromagnetic security & surveillance
05) Electromagnetic power & energy
06) Electromagnetic current & human affairs
07) Electromagnetic transport & communication
08) Electromagnetic matter & information
09) Electromagnetic trends & inventions
10) Electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
11) Electromagnetic business & economics
12) Electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
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00) --commentary-- URLs...
===================================================
01) --top stories--
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// here's a very interesting development, did not know of the
// phenomenon tapped, but what it does demonstrate is that, on
// one scale (human body and large earth systems) water power
// would be harnessed via turbines spinning after water is
// channeled and dropped a certain height, from a dam, and as
// a result a turbine spins an electromagnetic generator/dynamo
// to create power which is then sent into the grid. on this
// smaller scale, it was thought there may even be 'micro-
// turbines' or something involved, yet the electrical double
// layer and charges are how power is harnessed instead of a
// turbine on the larger scale, as different properties exist
// or as is often mentioned, things work different on this very
// small scale, and hard to imagine things can also happen (with
// particles being in two places at once, etc.). so, this may
// give a glimpse of what may someday arrive as 'the future'...
Water sparks new power source // MEMs, "electrokinetic" battery...
A new way to generate electricity from water which could
be used to power small electronic devices in the future
has been developed by Canadian scientists.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3201030.stm>
'It is said to be the first new method of generating electricity in
over 150 years.' .. 'The work is all to do with charge separation, and
what happens to ions in liquids when they come into contact with a
non-conducting solid.' .. 'The team created a glass block, two
centimetres in diameter and three millimetres thick, containing about
400,000 to 500,000 individual channels.' .. 'Thanks to a phenomenon
called the electric double layer, when water flows through these
10-micron-diameter-wide channels, a positive charge is created at one
end of the block and a negative charge at the other - just like a
conventional battery.' .. 'The prototype generated about 10 volts with
a current of around a milliamp. This allowed the team to successfully
power a lightbulb.'
// this would seem to confirm that lasers-on-satellites would make
// a lot of sense in a ballistic missile and space-war strategy, as
// has been speculated has been happening for some time now... it
// is something to consider, consumer wise, that 'laser levels' for
// building construction is also 'state of the art' in its own way,
// in using a similar visible and solid 'level' line of laser light.
// LED lights, possibly lasers, are also used in radial saws, too.
// in a .mil context, like news of a plane kept aloft by laser power
// and the nose-cone laser for destroying launchpad missile firings,
// it would seem that 'drones' or UAVs and such could become lethal
// per pound of weapons systems, if loitering above a battlefield,
// in some type of regeneration mode, hitting targets with laserfire
// without running out of weapons, it would seem also the nightmare
// of surveillance society gone amok, every city having such UAVs.
// also interesting is the mention of 'transformation' related to
// electromagnetics, versus old weapons systems based on Newtonian
// physics... its not Einstienian warfare, necessarily, Faraday..?
// comparision referred to: Mach 20 versus Mach 860,000 by laser.
Warfare at the speed of light // solid-state lasers. via drudgereport
<http://www.oaklandtribune.com/cda/article/print/
0,1674,82%257E1865%257E1709759,00.html>
'In Bob Yamamoto's lab, light devours.' .. 'He straps on emerald green
goggles. A technician stabs a fire button and calls out the computer
countdown. "Three ... two ... one ..."' .. 'Then ... nothing. Just a
buzz of electronics and an ephemeral glow in this darkened room at
Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. But inside Yamamato's target chamber, a
block of steel spits flame and molten metal.' .. 'In those two seconds,
400 blasts of light poured into slabs of clear, manmade garnet. Swollen
in energy, the crystal's atoms then unleashed torrents of infrared
light to ricochet 1,000 times between two mirrors and multiply, finally
escaping as 400 pulses of pure, square beam.' .. 'Kilowatt for
kilogram, this is the world's most powerful solid-state laser. Its
invisible beam drilled Yamamoto's inch-thick steel plate in two
seconds. Add larger crystals and it will eat steel a mile or more
away.' .. '"What we're building," Yamamoto explains, "is a laser
weapon."....' ... 'No longer are laser guns the stuff of Hollywood and
Strategic Defense Initiative fantasy. Instead of laser-guiding bullets
and "smart" bombs, the Pentagon inside of a decade could be armed with
a beam weapon that is near-instantaneous, gravity-free and truly
surgical, focusing to such hair-splitting accuracy that it could avoid
civilians while predetonating munitions miles away.' .. 'A laser arms
race already is under way, chiefly in California. The prize is billions
of dollars. Three families of high-energy beams -- powered by
combusting chemicals, electron accelerators and crystals, such as
Yamamoto's -- are vying for the Pentagon's eye.' ... 'Will U.S. forces
fire lasers on humans? International treaty forbids the use of lasers
for blinding people. But there is no legal ban on striking humans.'
A Virtual Tour of Electric Space // thanks *
<http://www.spacescience.org/ExploringSpace/VirtualExhibit/1.html>
'The Electric Space virtual tour tells the story of Space Physics.
This young science stands at the intersection of two worlds of inquiry:
Earth Science and Astronomy. The study of the Sun, plasma -- the fourth
state of matter, and space weather are the major scientific themes of
Space Physics. Besides the Sun having a profound effect on Earth's
environment, understanding our closest star can also help us to
decipher the secrets of plasma astrophysics , the realm of distant
stars.' (Sections include: Space is not Empty; Plasma, The Fourth State
of Matter; The Dynamic Sun; Planet Earth, a Great Magnet; The Cosmic
Connection.)
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
Microchip 'could do away with pills' // implant, getting chipped...
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3205800.stm>
Video Games Will Calm Your Fears // new programs needed...
<http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,60881,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_6>
EM-quote: Aides predict scare will push Blair to speed up reforms
<http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=455583>
'Downing Street said Mr Blair was "heavily sedated" for 20 minutes on
Sunday afternoon at Hammersmith Hospital while he was given electric
shock therapy to stabilise his heartbeat. But No 10 stressed that he
was not given a general anaesthetic and did not undergo an operation.'
New Typeface to Help Dyslexics // readregular.com
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/
0,1282,60834,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_7>
'Unlike traditional typefaces, which reuse the same forms for multiple
letters -- such as b and d, or p and q -- the Read Regular typeface
makes each letter significantly unique so that dyslexics can more
easily distinguish one character from another..." ... 'Currently, many
dyslexia-friendly websites use the sans-serif Arial typeface. But like
other potentially problematic typefaces, Arial uses similar forms for
the letters b and d, p and q, and u and n.'
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
// congratulations for a better solution than plastic,
// for disposable DVD and other optical disk markets.
// farmers crops, one ear of corn = 10 compact disks...
// 50-100 years is still a long time, maybe they could
// then be burned as fuel in after-use applications...
// or a 5 year biodegradable disk could be created. or,
// if following 90s thinking, you could eat it. hah.
Sanyo creates biodegradable optical disc ... from corn
<http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2003Oct/gee20031017022240.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
Microsoft launches 'leak-proof' e-mail // self-destructs...
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3205080.stm>
China's smart-card move might be Minnesota's gain
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4160739.html>
'The Chinese card will contain a person's electronic fingerprints, and
might contain a driver's license, passport, insurance coverage, welfare
benefits and criminal record.' .. '"China has a somewhat totalitarian
system, and may be one of the only countries that can make this
national ID card happen," said Gary Holland, Fargo's CEO.'
Romania, Nexus of Cybercrime
<http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/
0,1377,60888,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_6>
'Law enforcement documents obtained by The Associated Press portray a
loosely organized but increasingly aggressive network of young
Romanians conspiring with accomplices in Europe and the United States
to steal millions of dollars each year from consumers and companies.'
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
Iran will suspend uranium enrichment
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/10/21/iran_uranium/>
'The secretary of Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council,
Hasan Rowhani, said Iran would sign an additional protocol to the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty that would allow inspectors to enter
any site they deem fit without notice.' .. '"The protocol should not
threaten our national security, national interests and national pride,"
he told reporters.' .. 'He added that for an "interim period," Iran
will suspend nuclear enrichment "to express its goodwill and create a
new atmosphere of trust and confidence between Iran and the
international community."'
Iraq Calls Brief Pipeline Activity a Test // relate to diplomacy...
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-
oil,0,7050773.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
[and] Iraq aims to restore oil output by March // +4 new fields. 2004.
<http://salon.com/tech/wire/2003/10/20/iraq_oil/>
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
// timing is the damnation/salvation of predictions. great quote.
// moving markets in a network economy = shifting stuff around...?
The Revolution Is Coming, Eventually // George Gilder revival...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/19/business/yourmoney/19gill.html>
'Yet when he opens his mouth to rail against "idiot" American
economists, corporate lobbyists and the perniciousness of taxes ("the
power to tax is the power to destroy") and government regulation, the
mild manner evaporates and Mr. Gilder might be mistaken for a
glassy-eyed nut case on the University of California at Berkeley's
Sproul Plaza shouting random invectives at passers-by.' .. 'Mr. Gilder,
however, is no wacko, and his invectives are anything but random.
Through the years, he has been building his own version of a
socioeconomic unified field theory, integrating politics, , economics
and technology, with a dose of religion thrown in.' .... 'Then reality
intervened.' .... '"George believes that scientists and entrepreneurs
are almost doing the religious work of revealing the universe to us,"
Mr. Karlgaard said. "This whole view of taxation and government policy
is, 'What can we do to liberate the technologists?' All of his beliefs
spring from that."' ... 'And a budget deficit? Nonsense! "All those
numbers are just goofy," he said.' .... 'He still travels to Washington
occasionally to discuss telecommunications regulation with Bush
administraton officials.'
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
// RISK might be if such a car depending as it does on an
// electronic accelerator, navigation systems, etc, should
// find interference from EMFs, or even lose control due to
// stray or even direct attack signals. hopefully such cars
// will be shielded from cosmic flares and wireless crackers.
// also sounds like that inventor's 'infrasonic bubble' that
// made news earlier this year is incorporated into the car...
Mercedes-Benz F 500 concept for the Tokyo Motor Show // via I4U.com
<http://www.cardesignnews.com/autoshows/2003/tokyo/preview/mercedes-
f500/index.html>
Broadband from the electric company? No thanks // via design-l
<http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7297_16-
5089730.html?tag=adts>
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
Electronic Memory Research That Dwarfs the Silicon Chip
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/20/technology/20atom.html>
'In the new field, known as molecular electronics, the researchers
have succeeded in creating tiny switches from molecules and atoms. They
are now searching for ways to assemble the vast arrays of the switches
to serve both as memory and computing devices.'
Lasers reveal invisible Stonehenge carvings // laser's multiple uses
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994288>
'The new-found carvings are just a couple of millimetres deep and
represent bronze axe heads.' ... 'Carving of axe heads, as well as
daggers and cups, have been found at burial sites all over the UK...'
... 'The team spent just 30 minutes scanning the stones, but gathered
nine million data points. These were converted into three-dimensional
images using triangulation, based on the fixed positions of the laser
and a camera.'
Columbia Journalism Review's Who Owns What? // major media co's
<http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/>
<http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/timewarner.asp>
Designing Virtual Worlds by Richard Bartle // review
<http://www.idevgames.com/content/article.php?id=148>
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
Combined GSM/CDMA handset by Xmas
Samsung expected to be first to market with 'world phone'
<http://www.vnunet.com/News/1144517>
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10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
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// connecting some of the many dimensions between oil, politics,
// and war said to be all but ruled out during Gulf War II by
// the oil powers that be, this being prior to newest directions.
// see also 'The Dangers of Overconfidence' free on Stratfor.com
// for more analysis of the context (of thinking) in oil-wartime.
The Poisoned Well. By FOUAD AJAMI // anniversary. NYT op-ed...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/17/opinion/17AJAM.html>
"It was not so much the guns of Oct. 6, 1973, and the assault of the
Egyptian and Syrian armies against Israel, that changed contemporary
history and remade our world. It was the use 11 days later of the "oil
weapon," and the price increases that followed, which tipped the scales
of history....' ... 'On Oct. 17, 1973, the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries raised the price of oil to more than $5 a barrel
from $3 a barrel; a day later it cut production by 5 percent a month;
three days later, it imposed an embargo on petroleum exports to the
United States....' ... 'A world that had been whole, where people had
little but shared more, was bulldozed. The social balance was
ruptured....' ... 'The shah of Iran, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, had been
one of the chief architects of OPEC's policy; he had wanted to turn his
country into an Asian Germany, to extirpate the role of the religious
class and to herd his people into the modern age. He was the first
victim of oil's curse. A bare five years after he engineered the big
price hike, he gathered a handful of soil, left his country, and
started roaming the world in search of a place of exile.'
Jason Rollette's Railgun Blog // thanks *
<http://www.rollette.com/railgun/>
'It all began with a lot of extra parts, some will, and a lot to
drink. The idea of our own railgun was born. Oh wait maybe this
should start out, "In the beginning" or what you do with 100 large
capacitors? the spec's on the cap are 3300uF @ 430 Vdc.'
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
IT 'needs women' // .UK, though also in the .US, west. universal?
The vast majority of scientifically trained women are opting out of
science and technology-related careers, according to new research
<http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/employment/0,39020648,39117206,00.htm>
'"Science and technology companies need to take a long hard look at
why women are not entering careers in this sector," said Qinetiq
chairman Dame Pauline Neville-Jones in a statement.'
100 Leading Media Companies // ranked by 2001 net revenue
<http://www.adage.com/page.cms?pageId=940>
Not So Quiet on Tech Job Front // CA.US+ new day rising?
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/
0,1367,60854,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4>
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12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
the Tulse Luper Suitcases: a personal history of Uranium
by Peter Greenaway // via syndicate list...
<http://www.tulselupernetwork.com/basis.html>
// if remembering correctly, 2 cultures by C.P. Snow was
// differentiating between literature and mathematics which
// today are equated as being 'the arts' and 'sciences'. in
// this sense it seems many examples come below come from...
Art and Science Meet With Novel Results // interesting...
<http://nytimes.com/2003/10/18/books/18NOVE.html>
The Electric Chair, The Unabombers...
<http://www.electriks.co.uk/>
The Little Computer Museum // ...the Sinclair. thanks *
<http://strider.mjjprod.free.fr/e_musee.php#ste>
Currently featured on The Bomb Project:
<http://www.thebombproject.org>
100 SUNS, by Michael Light
Book & Exhibition, Hosfelt Gallery,
San Francisco, 18 October - 26 November 2003
<http://www.michaellight.net/100suns/>
// check out the e-poles in photos of .JP architecture
Katsuhiro Saiki
<http://www.periscopes.org/P3/art3.html>
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