~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #65
From
human being <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Mon, 1 Dec 2003 12:24:02 -0600
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #65
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (12/01/2003)
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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// was just thinking about increased UV exposure, if it might
// have some beneficial aspects along with the negative ones,
// though was thinking about the outside, maybe germs or other
// things may be slowed. the idea of using UV lights in HVAC
// systems could, in turn, become part of the building system,
// the 'machine for living in' concept, such that houses and
// other dwellings may need to slowly/quickly transform to deal
// with extreme environmental changes, to adapt, and over time
// these may include independent power, health, and other such
// functions, like networked base stations for human-survival...
Ultraviolet light can cure 'sick buildings'
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994427>
'"Sick building syndrome", recognised as a medical condition in the
1980s, results in symptoms such as a stuffy nose, itchy eyes and throat
and respiratory problems like asthma. The symptoms are especially
common in people who work in air-conditioned offices, where heavy
growth of bacteria and fungi is common within the ventilation systems.'
.. 'Dick Menzies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and
colleagues found that by installing UV germicidal irradiation (UVGI)
lamps in the air-conditioning systems of three office blocks they could
cut all such symptoms by 20 per cent.'
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02-- electromagnetic health & safety
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// these developments in accessibility are very important for
// everyone, as like the space programs, they have uses beyond
// one context. someday, hopefully, a story of how the electric
// wheelchair and breathing devices have changed lives may be
// more widely available. such as van-lifts (motors, switches),
// or magnification software. Minnesota has a particularly rich
// tradition in medical innovations and technologies, and so the
// importance of these developments is recognizible. in other
// days, pre-entertainment, some companies like Apple focused
// on accessibility and it is these types of entrepreneurs and
// their works which can change the lives of millions, like
// Dean Kamen and IT, rather the gyroscopic wheelchair- there
// is something to the altruism involved that has been part of
// the technology industry-- it is not just gadgetry and new
// functionality, for some it is making things possible that
// otherwise may never be- and this is including returning of
// vision to the blind, overcoming phobias with simulations,
// enabling movement and voice to those paralyzed among us...
Talking newspapers get human 'voice' // CSS-Audio standards for WWW?
Partially-sighted and blind people will be able to get time-
sensitive information from newspapers and magazines from a
device which reads to them, instead of relying on recorded tapes.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3233340.stm>
'The RNIB plans to harness Rhetorical's TTS technology to deliver
information to subscribers via a device called the AudioRead.' .. 'It
is like a portable MP3 player that will dial in to retrieve information
which people can listen to whenever and wherever they like.' .. 'Unlike
tape, users will also be able to navigate the newspaper, skipping
between articles and sections at will.'
// study of impacts of 'massive digital epidemics'....
U.S. funds study of tech monocultures: The National Science
Foundation has granted $750,000 to two universities to study
how diversifying information systems and software could help
fend off future cyberattacks, the agency said Tuesday.
<http://news.com.com/2100-7355-5111905.html?tag=nefd_hed>
'"We are looking at computers the way a physician would look at
genetically related patients, each susceptible to the same disorder,"
Mike Reiter, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and
computer science at Carnegie Mellon, said in a statement. "In a more
diverse population, one member may fall victim to a pathogen or
disorder while another might not have the same vulnerability."'
Why mobile phones may hurt backs
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3279809.stm>
No volunteers for orgasm implant -- A scientist claiming to
have invented a device which produces orgasms at the touch of
a button can't find women to help him conduct trials into it.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3241138.stm>
'Dr Meloy - originally a pain specialist - stumbled on the concept
when he inserted a pacemaker-like device under the skin in a bid to
alleviate severe back pain in a patient.' .. 'The pronounced
side-effects of the electrical current it delivered prompted him to
diversify into a different field of research.'
The Key to Genius -- Autistic savants are born with miswired
neurons - and extraordinary gifts. The breakthrough science
behind our new understanding of the brain.
<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.12/genius.html>
'... Now researchers are probing the savant mind from the inside,
using tools like gene mapping and PET scans. As these two paths of
investigation converge, many of our long-held notions about the limits
of human potential are being overturned.' .. 'By studying the minds of
people like Matt, neuroscientists are discovering that savants are more
like the rest of us than the medical world once believed. We're
learning that the extraordinary skills of savants tap into areas of the
mind that function like supercomputers, compiling massive amounts of
data from the senses to create a working model of the world. The
traditional conception of the brain - two hemispheres that are
hardwired from birth - is yielding to an understanding of the ways the
regions of the cortex learn to function together as a network.'
Marine Biologist Says Carbon Dioxide Injection In Deep Sea
Would Alter Ocean Chemistry, Affect Numerous Creatures
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031118072844.htm>
[vs] Canada: Groups agree to conserve sub-Arctic forests//carbonsink
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4241208.html>
'An unlikely coalition of energy, logging and paper companies,
Canadian Indian tribes and environmental groups has agreed to conserve
at least 50 percent of Canada's vast sub-Arctic boreal forests, one of
the largest unspoiled woodlands in the world'
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03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
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... no urls...
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04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
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Blackouts highlight network vulnerabilities: The summer's blackouts
weren't caused by a worm or virus, but the failures highlight
infrastructure weak spots, a report concluded this week.
<http://news.com.com/2100-7355-5111816.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>
'The networks suffering from abnormal connectivity outages belonged to
more than 1,700 organizations, and more than 1,000 groups had outages
of all of their networks that lasted more than four hours. Nearly half
of those organizations involved in global Internet routing lost
connectivity to some or all of their networks in the blackout area.'
How Anti-shoplifting Devices Work -
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/anti-shoplifting-device.htm>
[and] How Do Radio Frequency EAS Systems Work?
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/anti-shoplifting-device3.htm>
[and] How Does An Electromagnetic System Work?
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/anti-shoplifting-device4.htm>
[and] What's the Third Type of EAS System Used Most Often?
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/anti-shoplifting-device5.htm>
What is a TDR? - Time Domain Reflectometry Analysis
<http://www.tscm.com/tdr.html>
Vuln exposes soft underbelly of Mac OS X
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/
34240.html?foo=Vuln%20exposes%20soft%20underbelly%20of%20Mac%20OS%20X%20
11--27>
Neat Thieves Are Zeroing In on Laptops // get a lock...
<http://nytimes.com/2003/11/29/national/29THIE.html>
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
Oil Experts See Long-Term Risks to Iraq Reserves
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=68&ncid=68&e=3&u=/nyt/
20031129/ts_nyt/oilexpertsseelongtermriskstoiraqreserves>
'"We are losing a lot of oil," said Issam al-Chalabi, Iraq's former
oil minister. He said it "is the consensus of all the petroleum
engineers" involved in the Iraqi industry that maximizing oil
production may be detrimental to the reservoirs.' .. 'A 2000 United
Nations report on the Kirkuk field said "the possibility of
irreversible damage to the reservoir of this supergiant field is now
imminent."'
LUMILEDS: View our Technology Tutorial // LED 'chips' exist...
<http://www.lumileds.com/technology/technology_index.html>
Russian oil merger 'suspended'
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1095526,00.html>
'A Yukos-Sibneft deal would be the largest merger in Russian corporate
history, and would create the world's fourth-largest oil producer with
$15bn (£8.7bn) in annual revenues. The merged company would have an
estimated market value of about $35bn, and would rank behind
ExxonMobil, BP and Royal Dutch Shell with an expected daily output of
2.06m barrels.'
Oil workers snatched in Nigeria
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3247934.stm>
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
Humans beat AI in robot wars: Virtual robots created by computers
have taken on human-designed opponents in an online experiment
<http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/emergingtech/
0,39020357,39118182,00.htm>
China releases cyber dissident // the "stainless steel mouse"...
<http://www.reuters.co.uk/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=3911292§ion=news>
'Liu became a high-profile symbol for democracy and free speech in
China after her detention in November 2002, spawning online petitions
with thousands of signatories calling for her freedom.' .. 'She wrote
political satire about the ruling Communist Party and posted messages
in Internet chatrooms calling for the release of online dissidents.
Never formally charged, she was held at Qincheng Prison for political
detainees.'
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
Flare damages Mars Odyssey probe
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3246722.stm>
'The instrument, designed to assess the hazards humans would face if
they ever went to the planet, has not worked since a solar storm on 28
October.' .. 'The same storm caused a blackout in Sweden, damaged two
Japanese satellites and interfered with navigation and radio systems
for aircraft and ships.'
EM-headline: Cell phone use while driving banned in Britain
Intel scientists find wall for Moore's Law // 2021
<http://news.com.com/2100-7337-5112061.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>
'The problem chipmakers face comes down to distinction and control.
Transistors are essentially microscopic on/off switches that consist of
a source (where electrons come from), a drain (where they go) and a
gate that controls the flow of electrons through a channel that
connects the source and the drain.' ... 'When the length of the gate
gets below 5 nanometers, however, tunneling will begin to occur.
Electrons will simply pass through the channel on their own, because
the source and the drain will be extremely close. (A nanometer is a
billionth of a meter.)' ... 'At this point, a transistor becomes
unreliable as a source of basic data, because the probability of
spontaneous transmission is about 50 percent. In other words,
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is in action, because the location
of the electrons can't be accurately predicted.'
Microsoft Software in Every Car? // TBox... is it a datalogger?
<http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/
0,2554,61412,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5>
Helping Carnivores And People Co-exist: Keeping Predators At Bay
With Flashing Lights And Loud Noises Instead Of Bullets
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031125071235.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
Preemies from the Precambrian // SEM -> 3D 'microCT' geometry...
Scientists are using a miniaturized version of the medical
CT scanner to look for clues to evolution in the fossilized
embryos of some of Earth's earliest animals. // via SciTech Daily...
<http://www.astrobio.net/news/
modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=667&mode=thread&order=
0&thold=0>
'[Runnegar] says that for more than a century, paleontologists have
sectioned fossils and drawn a series of pictures of the cross-sections
to construct three-dimensional images. More recently, paleontologists
have used room-sized medical CT (computerized tomography) scan
equipment to X-ray fossils such as dinosaur skulls, making
three-dimensional images from a series of "slices" to get an idea of
the internal structure, or to locate the fossil within rock.' ..
'MicrofocusCT or microCT, uses the same technology as medical CAT scans
but in a version that first was miniaturized to look for microscopic
defects in manufactured products such as aircraft components.'
Plastic memory shows promise -- New discoveries may
lead to cheap, fast memories based on a common plastic.
<http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/systems/0,39001153,39159589,00.htm>
'By utilising a previously unknown property of a cheap, transparent
plastic called PEDOT -- short for polyethylenedioxythiophene -- the
inventors say that data densities as high as a megabit per square
millimetre should be possible...' .. '
PEDOT is an unusual plastic because it conducts electricity, a property
that's led to it being used for antistatic coatings. However, a
sufficiently large pulse of current changes it permanently to an
unconducting state, just like a fuse....'
WSIS: THE WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
FIRST PHASE: GENEVA, 10-12 DECEMBER 2003
<http://www.itu.int/wsis/>
Hobby of Electronic Circuit Engineering
<http://hobby_elec.piclist.com/e_elect.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
Digital Hubris: Apple's Tablet Computer Might Finally Be That
Link Between Your PC and TV // streaming HTDTV. via macsurfer.com
<http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20031127.html>
'Understand that 802.15.3 is a high data rate Personal Area Network
with a range of about 10 meters. This isn't a WiFi competitor. Think
of it as a kind of Super Bluetooth, capable of sending video over short
distances without interference and with true quality of service, which
802.11 can't provide. Conventional wisdom says a deal will shortly be
worked out in the IEEE, Multiband OFDM will become the standard and
we'll see products appear in late 2004 or early 2005.'
Futurism Is Dead -- Need proof? Try 40 years of failed forecasts.
<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.12/view.html?pg=1>
'Futurism is doomed and not just because fools are endemic to the
field. It's doomed because the loosely informed, jack-of-all-trades,
trend-watching pontificator (read: professional futurist) is obsolete.'
.. 'For starters, we now have a plethora of niche consultants and a
booming field called risk analysis, which uses proven actuarial
methods. "Everybody's more specialized, so there isn't a market for
someone who can speak about very large, holistic matters with any
authority," says Mike Marien, a recovering futurist and an outspoken
critic of the field.'
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
EM-related quote from: Chinese scholar pleads
guilty to illegally exporting technology to China
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=1530&u=/afp/20031126/
wl_asia_afp/us_china_justice_031126234649&printer=1>
'According to court documents, Gao sent 80 MG80486 DX2-50
microprocessors to Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics
technology, which makes state of the art radar systems for the Chinese
military.' .. 'The processors can be used in navigation, flight control
and weapons control systems and can help missiles home in on their
targets, the documents said.'
// the quote below is interesting with regard not only to security
// but to information and a plethora of issues related to today's
// technologies and their dual-usage. there have been comments in
// earlier fighting about phones and communications being picked
// up, or gathered, from cellular or microwave setups. so 'radio
// silence' is interesting, as is the issue of cellphones as bugs,
// their use being attributed to power blackouts when overloading
// ground-based systems with a blanket of cell packets, the data
// stored in devices, and the strange issues related to cellphones
// and wireless devices on planes, interfering with equipment. it
// indicates, in effect, silence or stealth today requires absence
// or limiting of electromagnetic signals permeating environments.
EM-quote from: Secrecy, precautions minimized risk // Bush visits .IQ
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-11-27-bush-secrecy_x.htm>
'Reporters and photographers who joined the trip in Texas were asked
to take the batteries out of their cellular phones. Reporters who
joined in Washington after gathering at a hotel near the base were
taken in an unmarked van to the hangar. They were ordered to surrender
cell phones, pagers and other devices.' .. 'Standing at the top of his
jet's steps at Andrews, Bush ordered reporters not to break telephone
silence. He held his thumb and little finger to his face as if talking
on the phone, and mouthed the words, "No calls, got it?"' ... '[the .US
airplane] Air Force One has some of the most sophisticated defense
systems ever devised. The systems include flares that can draw
heat-seeking missiles away from the jet's engines and on-board lasers
that can shoot down incoming missiles.'
Battlefield Cleanup Measure Wins Approval // depleted uranium, too?
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-war-
remnants-treaty,0,7801669.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
U.S. considers turning scooters into war robots
<http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1070032823376_233/
?hub=SciTech>
'So far, university researchers armed with Pentagon funding have
programmed Segway robots that can open doors, avoid obstacles, and
chase soccer balls -- all without human control.' .. 'Researchers say
potential applications for the robots include performing search
missions on the battlefield, transporting injured soldiers to safety,
or following humans around while hauling their gear.'
Japan Spy Satellites Fail to Reach Orbit -- Japanese Rocket Carrying
Two Spy Satellites Meant to Monitor North Korea Fails to Reach Orbit
<http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031129_272.html>
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
EM-headline: Digital Home alliance takes on Microsoft, Intel
Hardware makers want plurality of standards
<http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=12910>
"From Knowledge To Wealth: Transforming Russian Science
And Technology For A Modern Knowledge Economy"
By Alfred Watkins, World Bank Policy Research
Working Paper 2974, February
2003. (PDF, 59 pages.) // via STS list...
<http://econ.worldbank.org/files/24163_wps2974.pdf>
"Strategic Approaches To Science And Technology In Development"
By Robert Watson, Michael Crawford and Sara Farley, World Bank Policy
Research Working Paper 3026, April 2003. (PDF, 62 pages) // via STS...
<http://econ.worldbank.org/files/25709_wps3026.pdf>
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
Wearable Technology Fashion Show FEB 2004 - Call for Gadgets
<http://www.i4u.com/article885.html>
'Showcasing hot new mobile, web and network connections, combined with
wireless wearables, garment gizmos, jazzed up jewellery and
electronically energised fashion accessories. Work productivity on the
move or fashion and fun - all aspects of the next mainstream for mobile
will be paraded in a fashion show and shown on our giant video screens.
Innovative products from more than 30 leading edge companies will be on
show.'
Ubu encadré", 1992 50x41x7,5 cm // thanks *
<http://www.gsl-io.de/bva/neu5.html>
<http://www.gsl-io.de/bva/platon.html>
<http://www.gsl-io.de/bva/neu10.html>
[and] Willkommen in der Gallerie! // wow-- must see...
Hier können Sie sich die Werke der Künstlerin, in Ruhe betrachten.
<http://www.gsl-io.de/bva/>
Gallery: High-tech religion and religious technology.
<http://www.plug-pray.org/wired.htm>
local exhibit: California nights descend
on St. Olaf College's Flaten Art Museum
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/1375/4217104.html>
Illumine // very nice. EL technology...
Exercises in Colloquial Luminescence
<http://fo.am/illumine/>
'This programme of lab-tests, discussions, exhibitions and other
experiments looks at luminescence and irridescence to construct
responsive environments, objects and communication conduits.'
Art, Science and Technology Award
20.000 good reasons to submit your idea // via syndicate...
<http://www.araneum.es/index_en.php>
POST-GRADUATE STUDY IN CHOREOGRAPHY/ NEW MEDIA IN AMSTERDAM
<http://www.du.ahk.nl/2004/>
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