~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #66
From
human being <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Sat, 6 Dec 2003 12:37:57 -0600
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #66
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (12/06/2003)
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
===================================================
00) --commentary--
The EM Assemblage online exhibit has been redesigned,
hopefully allowing easier navigation and interaction.
http://www.electronetwork.org/assemblage/
The approach to the site's design is that the content
is central, and an attempt is made to make it work yet
it is also under redevelopment, and it takes an 'ahah!'
moment to see that an interface may not read as it is
thought, so then a day arrives when it is seen as in a
different way, and if there is an ability, changes made.
Donors and sponsors also sought for basic softwares for
the site, including Filemaker 7 for contact databases
of individuals (artists, scientists, and technologists),
organizations, businesses, agencies which are doing
public work in electromagnetism. Since capabilities do
not yet exist for implementing these on the web, it is
thought that creating an offline contact database, then
exporting each category would be a way to get the data
online while also keeping it manageable, which currently
is the reason for not doing it manually (too inefficient).
Also, redoing sections of the website, the 'articles'
and 'exhibits' sections have already been done, 'works'
is next, and any hints on how they may be differentiated
(though simply) are much appreciated. Simple design ideas
are appreciated, as they look so much alike, it is not
known how to make one read as a unique space, if it is,
or if it should be the way it is for now, until the next
redesign someday. In any case, will see how it goes...
Brian
===================================================
01) --top stories--
---------------------------------------------------
Report Warns There's 'No Doubt' Industry is Primary Cause // global
warming...
<http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1204-04.htm>
'New evidence found by teams of climate researchers leaves no doubt
that industrial emissions of greenhouse gases are responsible for
increasing global temperatures -- an ominous trend that has speeded
up in the past 50 years and threatens to continue for centuries,
according to a report by two of the nation's leading atmospheric
scientists.' .. 'The two government experts said climate change "may
prove to be humanity's greatest challenge" and warned that "it is very
unlikely to be adequately addressed without greatly improved
international cooperation and action."' ... 'They estimate that by the
end of this century there is a 90 percent chance that the world's
climate will heat up between 3.1 and 8.9 degrees Fahrenheit because of
those human influences.'
The Investigations and Inventions of Volta // excellent bookreview ***
<http://www.americanscientist.org/template/BookReviewTypeDetail/
assetid/28367;jsessionid=aaa_pSFbAX64dq>
'Many people today who use batteries, and the terms volt and voltage,
without a second thought might be surprised to learn that it was
Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), a self-taught citizen of a northern
Italian province of the Austrian empire, who invented the voltaic
battery in 1799. He did so while trying to reproduce the behavior of
the torpedo fish, or electric ray (whose two electric organs above the
pectoral fin on either side of the head give an electric shock), and
thus he named his creation the artificial electrical organ.' .. 'Volta
had an interesting life...' ... '... instruments, rather than theory,
made him famous...'
// note: the only rational response? redesign. (planning,architecture)
// for such a proposal visit electronetwork.org/works/seeing/strategy/
Bottom of the barrel: The world is running out of oil- so why do
politicians refuse to talk about it? // peak oil @ 2010. thanks *
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1097622,00.html>
'Every generation has its taboo, and ours is this: that the resource
upon which our lives have been built is running out. We don't talk
about it because we cannot imagine it. This is a civilisation in
denial.' ... 'The problem is that our lives have become hard-wired to
the oil economy. Our sprawling suburbs are impossible to service
without cars. High oil prices mean high food prices: much of the
world's growing population will go hungry. These problems will be
exacerbated by the direct connection between the price of oil and the
rate of unemployment. The last five recessions in the US were all
preceded by a rise in the oil price.' ... 'New studies suggest that
leaking hydrogen could damage the ozone layer and exacerbate global
warming.' ... 'We seem, in other words, to be in trouble. Either we lay
hands on every available source of fossil fuel, in which case we fry
the planet and civilisation collapses, or we run out, and civilisation
collapses.'
Welcome to the Electronics Club
<http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/>
Death knell for the Kyoto treaty // get ready for what's next...
<http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=469563>
// will spacesuits become necessary for living on spaceship earth?
// must be said that Matt Drudge has been supplying great content
// that would otherwise be missed related to electromagnetic news.
Cracks in Earth's Defenses Let Space Storms In // via drudgereport.com
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/space/20031204/
sc_space/cracksinearthsdefensesletspacestormsin>
'Earth's natural defenses are routinely compromised by huge cracks
that open up for hours, allowing space storms to pour through like a
hurricane through an open window, scientists announced today.' [!]
Shhh! You've Got Mail, Comrade // e-mail in North Korea...
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,61471,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_7>
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
Pills urged for people near nuke plants
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/12/04/nuke_pill/>
'Making potassium iodide pills available to people who live near
nuclear power plants was endorsed Thursday by the National Research
Council.' .. 'The pills can help protect the thyroid gland of people
exposed to radiation, if taken promptly after a radioactive release
occurs.' ... 'The pills work by flooding the thyroid with
nonradioactive iodine, thus preventing it from absorbing radioactive
iodine, which can cause damage.'
// URL thanks to the newsletter from http://www.buergerwelle.de
// not sure what this would be called in the .US, normally it is
// considered an act of 'sabotage' -- today is it 'terrorism'?.
// a few blocks away a huge mast went up, like installing a giant
// electromagnetic obelisk with no apparent purpose (virtualism,
// maybe) and completely out-of-place, disregarding its context.
// wireless is said to be a growth area for real estate dealing...
Protesters topple mobile phone masts as health scare spreads
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/30/
nmast30.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/11/30/ixhome.html>
'Activists have begun tearing down mobile-phone masts around the
country, as public concern over the health impact of the radiation they
emit continues to grow.' .. 'The destruction of the masts - as many as
four in a single week - signals a dramatic stepping up of the campaign
to stop them being placed on top of, or close to, people's houses.'
EMR-EMF@onelist.com is an open unmoderated mailing list
for the discussion of electromagnetic radiation (EMR),
including but not limited to, power line electromagnetic
fields (EMFs) and radiofrequency radiation (RFR) from cell
phones and cellular transmission towers, with particular
emphasis on the health effects of such radiation.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EMR-EMF/>
// and, Donald Rumsfeld just got widely panned by a language-group
// in the press for saying exactly this, in existentialist speak...
New Research Finds Some Animals Know Their Cognitive Limits // being.
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031202071311.htm>
'The researchers have shown that the monkeys and the dolphin used the
"uncertain" response in a pattern that is essentially identical to the
pattern with which uncertain humans use it.' .. 'Indeed, Smith says,
"the patterns of results produced by humans and animals provide some of
the closest human-animal similarities in performance ever reported in
the comparative literature."'
'Microbeam' makes cancer cells commit suicide // via drudgereport.com
<http://www.ananova.com/news/story/
sm_843310.html?menu=news.latestheadlines>
Study: virtual colonoscopy more accurate
<http://salon.com/tech/wire/2003/12/01/virtual_colonoscopy/>
[and] Virtual autopsies might replace the need for scalpels
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/789/4248593.html>
'Thali said technicians use advanced computed tomography - CT scans -
to get an overview of the body, then follow that up with magnetic
resonance imaging for details of organs, muscles and soft tissue.' ..
'Three-dimensional surface scanning provides a picture of the outside
of the body. All the images can then be merged on the computer, giving
investigators a picture of the entire body that can be stored on a
computer, e-mailed to others for a second opinion or even posted on a
Web site, Thali said.'
How CAT Scans Work -
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/cat-scan.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
Hidden Costs of Owning Your PC // +factor in energy/material resources
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22773.html>
'The total tab would be sobering. That mid-range PC, featuring all the
bells and whistles for a mere US$1,200, might have a price tag of
$4-6,000 -- or more. The average annual cost of a PC for an enterprise
could be as low as $2-4,000 or as high as $13,000, IDC analyst Roger
Kay told NewsFactor.'
Muting Meddling Microwaves // wi-fi proof + dual-use.
Scientists Create Microwave Oven That’s Wireless-Friendly
<http://abcnews.go.com/sections/SciTech/FutureTech/
efficient_microwaves_futuretech_031118-1.html>
'In some homes where wireless technology — cordless phones, Wi-Fi
wireless computer networks, and cell phones — rule, the common kitchen
appliance can be a noisy nuisance.' .. 'That's because microwave ovens
emit high-energy radio waves that are roughly in the same or nearby
frequencies used by those wireless systems.'
// at the same time, .US opens forests to industry (i.e. carbon sinks)
United Nations climate meeting begins in Milan // em+pollution-related
Clean development and carbon sinks set to dominate COP9 policy agenda.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/031124/031124-14.html>
[and] Bush changes plan on air pollution rules
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/12/05/pollution/>
'Unable to get Congress to endorse its plan to cut air pollution, the
Bush administration is crafting a string of regulations that would
accomplish the same ends.' .. 'Power plants would have to cut emissions
sharply, but also be given flexibility -- and more time -- to do it.'
... 'The Bush administration is strongly against regulating carbon
emissions.'
[and] Demand for 'Kyoto tax' on the US
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3296819.stm>
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
// note: secure nets for intelligent buildings + analog fiber lines.
Chaotic lasers lock messages // chaotic waveforms for encryption...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/120303/
Chaotic_lasers_lock_messages_120303.html>
'Researchers from Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute
International (ATR) in Japan have found a way for two people in
different locations to work out a cryptographic key using the signal
from the rapidly and randomly fluctuating light signal of a chaotic
laser.' ... 'The method could be used to transmit secure keys through
space or over fiber-optic lines that are tens or hundreds of kilometers
long. The method could also be used with chaotic radio signals, which
could lead to cheap, general-purpose encryption systems, said Peter
Davis, a senior researcher at Advanced Telecommunications Research
Institute International.' ... 'The researchers showed they could tune
the system's variables to assure that the eavesdropper had less than a
one in a trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion
trillion -- that's a one followed by 100 zeros -- chance of acquiring a
key composed of 100 segments shared between the sender and receiver.'
Police database an easy target, hacker says // read this...
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4245418.html>
'The system's security was upgraded and it is now running again,
though with only about half the records it originally contained.' ..
'"It was pretty simple," the hacker said of the system, intended for
police use only. "There was no security, no warning, no nothing."'..
'The man said he accessed the system by simply adding the words
"PersonSearch/PersonSearch.asp" to the end of the link's normal Web
address, http://www.mjno.state.mn.us .' .. 'From there he was able to
search any of the system's roughly 8 million records, containing police
information on people who have been suspects, witnesses or victims in
crimes in more than 180 law enforcement jurisdictions in the state.''
// it would be very interesting to know, in some vague depth, what
// the capabilities of these crafts are. there are issues such as
// ground-based radar (cloud penetrating), photography, infrared
// mapping, resolution of video and photography-- maybe lasers too.
// yet what exactly is going on with these crafts that necessitate
// being 'secret' in the technological sense-- it is a mystery if
// there is some unbelievable capabilities, not to go so far as a
// craft for brainwashing, though maybe there are interception and
// other possibilities (broadcasting, eavesdropping on terrestrial
// and other low-orbit signals)... if it is not-a-secret in the
// industries themselves, it would be interesting to know more...
'Eyes in the sky' flying blind? // via cryptome.org i think
Experts troubled by 'too few' spy satellites to track terrorists
<http://msnbc.com/news/1000470.asp?0cv=CA01>
Canada's military becoming obsolete, report warns // theme...
<http://www.spacewar.com/2003/031203183328.3n6ql1ah.html>
'Canada is heading for "a long period ... without effective military
resources, even for domestic and territorial surveillance," said
MacDonald.'
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
Pulsar Find Boosts Hope For Gravity-wave Hunters
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031204075049.htm>
'Gravity waves were predicted by Einstein's general theory of
relativity. Astronomers have indirect evidence of their existence but
have not yet detected them directly.'
Lights go out at Brazil ministry
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3296263.stm>
If Geology Is Destiny, Then Russia Is in Trouble // oil, democracy
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/04/opinion/04NAIM.html>
'Russia's oil and gas industry will only become more important. No
other sector has the potential to be as internationally competitive, or
as profitable.' .. 'Yet such growth is also dangerous. Russia risks
becoming, and in many respects may already be, a "petrostate."' ...
'Petrostates are oil-rich countries plagued by weak institutions, a
poorly functioning public sector, and a high concentration of power and
wealth. The gulf between a petrostate's rich natural resources and the
chronic poverty of its citizens often leads to political unrest and
frustration...' ... 'But what's good for the energy markets is not
necessarily good for Russia....'
Light Show - How Lasers Work
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/laser.htm>
Secret Energy Haunts Coral Castle
<http://www.wired.com/news/roadtrip/
0,2640,61421,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5>
'"I believe Ed discovered a way to move massive blocks of coral by
taking advantage of the magnetic powers of the Earth," said Ramirez.
"The Earth is surrounded by an invisible web of energy that is
concentrated at certain spots. At these spots energy flows freely and
people are much stronger than they would be elsewhere."' .. 'I'll
reserve judgment on the efficacy of energy forces as an engineering
tool pending more research, but I have to admit that all the little
creaky aches and pains I'd developed from long hours of sitting in the
car didn't bother me at all inside the castle walls and returned as
soon as I left the grounds.' .... 'Leedskalnin left behind little in
the way of documentation when he died in 1951 of stomach cancer. He did
write a series of pamphlets on his experiments in magnetic forces and
electricity, which can be obtained from the castle's gift shop. Much
mysterious activity is suggested in the pamphlets, but little is
detailed.'
Shedding New Light on Fuel Cells // using infrared solar+water
<http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/
0,2554,61245,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_6>
Schröder suffers political fallout from plutonium plant deal
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1101092,00.html>
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
// note: ~fundamental principles _not intrinsic to digital technology~
// also, strange seeing an 'Atari' joystick which has a plug for a TV,
// without the Atari box, to play 10 classic games, and the original
// Mattel Football e-game, looks of an old calculator, back in style.
Playground evolution: A new book examining the culture and
meaning of games design is already being hailed as a classic.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1093532,00.html>
'Psychologists, anthropologists and even literary theorists often
write about computer games, but, says Zimmerman, "there's very little
rigorous writing done on games as a design field". There is a growing
body of professional books on digital game design but, as he points
out, most have a narrow practical focus. "What we're trying to do is
more fundamental. We want to really look at what games are, how they
function and how they can be designed to create meaningful play for
players."' ... 'Rules of Play offers different conceptual frameworks,
or schemas, for looking at games. Grouped around three categories
-rules, play and culture - these cover everything from "games as
systems of conflict" and "games as narrative play" to "games as
cultural environment".'
A call to curb cellphones in class
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1202/p12s01-legn.html>
Curiosity helps spark science project // mentorship & EM learning...
<http://web.seguingazette.com/report.lasso?wcd=5578>
'For Shupe, the question about magnetic toys led to researching
magnets and finding a mentor in Texas Lutheran University physics
teacher Lorne Davis.' ... 'Shupe took a permanent magnet and surrounded
it with an electromagnet. He found he could weaken the magnetic field
or turn it off altogether. Through research, he found out the type of
magnet he produced, called an electropermanent magnet, had been in
production for different industries since the 1960s, but very little is
known about how they work.'
// was looking for imagery of 'downed electric towers' in Iraq,
// often seen in the TV news. kept googling and getting strange
// links, no imagery. though found an icon, seemingly unrelated,
// and it led to this site. why it is important to place in the
// context of electromagnetism, is that 'electric' is branded as
// something that is rather strange, though ideologically it may
// be just a coincidence as to its content. not sure what it is,
// or what to make of it, only that it uses this branding method.
'Electric-America' // googling imagery via 'iraq +electric'...
<http://electric-america.com/>
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
Milky Way Days -- Returning to the new frontier. // moon-shine...
<http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/powell200312030858.asp>
University Of Colorado's 'Little Satellite That Did' Set For
Re-entry In Coming Days // SNOE = Student Nitric Oxide Explorer
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031202065350.htm>
'SNOE's design and construction phase involved more than 100 students,
primarily undergraduates, said Davis. SNOE was one of three spacecraft
selected for flight by the Universities Space Research Association in
1994 as part of NASA's Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative...'
... 'The three-foot-diameter, 220-pound spacecraft was launched on a
Pegasus expendable-launch vehicle built by Orbital Sciences Corp. of
Dulles, Va. The Pegasus carried the satellite to an altitude of 40,000
feet by jet aircraft and dropped into a five-second free fall. SNOE
then ignited horizontally and began ascending, placing it in a circular
orbit about 340 miles above Earth within 10 minutes.'
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
// update on Ben Franklin experimentation by the NSSL...
Mesoscale Applications Group: Lightning Impacts,
Avoidance, and Weather-Related Research
<http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/mag/network.shtml>
[and] Balloon-Borne Electric Field Meter Launches
<http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/fofs/>
<http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/fofs/mobilebal/>
Software paraphrases sentences
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/120303/
Software_paraphrases_sentences_120303.html>
'Researchers at Cornell University have tapped a pair of unlike
sources -- on-line journalism and computational biology -- to make it
possible to automatically paraphrase whole sentences. The researchers
used gene comparison techniques to identify word patterns from
different news sources that described the same event.'
Materials Could Make For Super LEDs, Solar Cells, Computer Chips
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031203080313.htm>
How Atom Smashers Work -
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/atom-smasher.htm>
Centenary of particle pioneer: Cecil Powell won Nobel
for discovering the pion and firing up a new field of physics.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/031201/031201-7.html>
'During the Second World War, Powell developed a technique for
recording the tracks of particles on photographic film. This led to his
finding, with colleagues at the University of Bristol, a new particle
called the pi meson, or pion, in 1947.'
Zooming In On A Proton Packed With Surprises
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031205051520.htm>
Seismic Monitors Detect Physical Changes Deep Within Faults
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031204073739.htm>
'...researchers believe they may be able to design active seismic
monitoring systems that continually monitor these subtle changes,
looking for telltale signs of an impending earthquake.'
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
// the PS4 gaming platform is looking like it could become a real
// contender for broadband videoteleconferencing/telephony, if it
// were to incorporate video and gestures, its small form factor,
// networking possibilites, plug-and-play aspects. like a terminal
// that could be adapted/modified and resold. also, see the 'worst'
// internet advertisement on the upper right- brain with padlock...
Future PlayStations to read hand gestures
<http://news.com.com/2100-1043_3-5112295.html?part=dtx&tag=nhl>
'Harrison said that later generations of PlayStation consoles will
include more-complex motion recognition, allowing users to control
games using eye movements, gestures and complex finger movements. He
compared these controls to the motion-sensor interfaces depicted in the
film "Minority Report."'
ATI begins sampling HDTV chip // PC+TV
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/34300.html>
Synthetic Jet And Droplet Atomization Technologies
Help Electronic Devices Keep Cool
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031203081439.htm>
Wireless Becomes Less Power Hungry // Broadcom's 802.11b chip...
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22802.html>
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
The New Face of War
<http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/2/skinner.htm>
'... recent U.S. military action has been remarkable for the use of
technologies—including offensive weapons—that minimize the loss of life
by design. From satellites to laser-guided missiles to unmanned
aircraft to a panoply of portable devices, the gadgets of the new
conventional warfare seem intended to make killing as safe as possible,
both for the American soldiers who fight and the bystanders whose
"collateral" destruction was once an accepted fact of modern warfare.'
.. 'This extraordinary development teaches several important lessons
about the potent and sometimes surprising brew of technology, politics,
and war....'
Bomb explodes outside Georgia state TV // EM-targets
<http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/12/03/georgia/>
// considering that SARs and other issues can cause the global IT+
// economy to hiccup, what would full scale war bring to business-
// as-usual when the production of most computers are from these
// areas, including RAM, chips, equipment, electronics, etc etc etc.
// this is to relate these places to their centrality for today's
// electromagnetic environments, not to discount the human costs...
Beijing Warns That Taiwan Referendum Could Lead to War
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/03/international/asia/03CND-CHIN.html>
N. Korea to Respond to Japan Spy Satellite
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-nkorea-
japan-spy-satellite,0,5757244.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
Asian Pirates Sell Microsoft's Next Windows System // Longhorn, $1.58
<http://www.reuters.com/
newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=KKAZ1K0N0ZTU2CRBAELCFEY?type=technologyNews
&storyID=3915420>
// using 56k dial-up that maxes out at 33kbps today, while existing
// broadband networks abound while remaining luxurious necessities,
// massive amounts of things are not happening as a result of these
// slow, plodding, and unreliable services of network devolutions...
Fiber to the People: When customers own the network,
everyone wins. By Lawrence Lessig // public-private AFNs...
<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.12/
view.html?pg=5?tw=wn_tophead_2>
'[Advanced Fiber Networks] are natural monopolies. That doesn't mean
that there can be only one, but rather that if there is one, then it is
far cheaper to simply add customers to the one than to build another.
The electricity grid in a local neighborhood is a good example of a
natural monopoly. Sure, we could run four wires to every home, but do
we really need four electricity companies serving every home?' .. 'Most
economists would leap from the premise of a natural monopoly to the
conclusion that such a monopoly must be regulated. But regulation is
not the end that McAdams seeks. Ownership is.'
// it is thought that infrastructural extensions like cybercafes could
// also teach new skills in other areas, help to create community-
// based content (for maps for both local resources and tourism) and
// also go into other skill sets through person-to-person networking,
// through mentorship, lectures, performances, as a community node...
Brazil bets on Linux cybercafes
Unemployed and living in one of the poorest areas of Sao Paulo Ciy,
which has a high rate of violence and little to do, 19-year-old Jose
Antonio de Oliveira Silva used to spend most of his time at home.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3250876.stm>
// add to this 'mishap' the computer 'problems' with those in the .US
// trying to switch cellphone data. computer, arbiter of all actions.
Computer Mishap Sends a Stock on a Wild Ride
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/06/business/06place.html>
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
Internet mapping project weaves colourful web
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994434>
[and] The Opte Project
<http://www.opte.org/>
<http://www.opte.org/maps/>
'This project was created to make a visual representation of a space
that is very much one-dimensional, a metaphysical universe. The data
represented and collected here serves a multitude of purposes: Modeling
the Internet, analyzing wasted IP space, IP space distribution,
detecting the result of natural disasters, weather, war, and
esthetics/art...'
Schematic Symbols // 65kb .pdf
<http://www.oselectronics.com/downloads/Schematic%20Symbols.pdf>
Museums and the Web 2004
Arlington, VA / Washington, DC
April 1 - April 3, 2004
<http://www.archimuse.com/mw2004/>
// the new electronic mediation and new mediators of China...
Casting a Fresh Eye on China With Computer, Not Ink Brush
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/03/arts/design/03SHAN.html>
'Part of the fascination surrounding Mr. Yang is founded on his place
at the center of a digital whirlwind in China, where a new generation
of artists have spurned the canvases of Mao-like heads that the West
considered so avant-garde in the 1990's. Instead, he and his friends
are creating videos about personal feelings and anomie amid the
warp-speed change in China.' .. 'Mr. Yang's videos dwell on the
dignity of the individual amid the urban chaos of modernizing China.'
... 'Unlike those who left in the 90's after the Tiananmen Square
crackdown, current Chinese painters and installation and video artists
said they could work pretty much unfettered.' ... 'Another inducement
to stay is the availability of the latest computer and video equipment,
especially in prestigious Chinese art schools. China's strength in
commercial electronic technology is an important aspect of the art
world here.'
Terracotta Army saved from crack up: Plastic solution
and particle accelerator revive faded Chinese figures.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/031124/031124-7.html>
'Langhals' team bathes the warriors in a solution containing
hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The organic molecule, which is
commonly used to make plastics, is small enough to penetrate tiny pores
in the glaze.' .. 'Next the soldiers journey to nearby Lintong, where
they are bombarded with electrons in a particle accelerator. This
converts the impregnated liquid into a robust polymer, bonding the
fragile coating together like glue...'
California Streetlight Photos
<http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/streetlights/lightpics.htm>
Vectorial Elevation. Place Bellecour in Lyon, France,
for the Fête des Lumières. To participate, log on to:
<http://www.alzado.net>
> Robot Show 2003 // the future. via gizmodo.com
<http://www.in-duce.net/ad/robot-show-2003>
<http://www.in-duce.net/ad/robot-show-2003?&page=2>
<http://www.in-duce.net/ad/robot-show-2003?&page=3>
<http://www.in-duce.net/ad/robot-show-2003?&page=4>
<http://www.in-duce.net/ad/robot-show-2003?&page=5>
<http://www.in-duce.net/ad/robot-show-2003?&page=6>
<http://www.in-duce.net/ad/robot-show-2003?&page=7>
// below is an article on lighting, lamps and shades in particular.
// it is interesting to note that 'the paradigm' of lighting systems
// may be undergoing fundamental changes equivalent to incandscent
// systems being overtaken, someday, by Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
// systems. the more investigation into this area, more fascinations
// abound about its potentials. fiber-optics and LEDs together could
// provide that 'central lighting system' once mentioned in the news-
// letter. though, another aspect of the EM spectrum of visible light
// is being approached through the mixture of LED colors/frequencies
// of light, to create custom lighting palettes for certain effects.
// have been fascinated by the mundane pop-culture use of lighting,
// such as strobes, black lights, neon, disco-balls and flashing/
// laser/ and other 'dance' setups that can be twinned to the sound
// systems or even musicians use of lighting and other visual effects.
// yet with LEDs, flashlights and streetlighting and maybe carlights
// are where they are most visible, as of now. though if peripheral
// vision is correct, it is thought that there was recently seen an
// LED setup that can plug into standard sockets, for lighting, yet
// the power consumption between filaments giving off heat/light, to
// LEDs seems a different power consumption model, so maybe there are
// built-in power management systems if such a thing actually exists,
// that is, a better lightbulb that is LED. if one looks at the form-
// factor of things LED, they are not the same as those incandescent
// or halogen, in terms of power use or size or durability, none of
// it is the same. so one thing that may benefit everyone, which is
// comparable to the age of arc-street lamps and gas-lighting in homes
// being upgraded to safer, better lighting (and power distribution,
// via T.A. Edison & Co., Pearl Street Station, NYC) is that there
// is a high likelyhood that 'full spectrum' light will be coming
// to homes, and lighting systems and lamps, with the rise of LED
// systems, assuming they replace the current systems. Thus the OTT
// Lite, which is used by people for 'natural light' via electrical
// lighting, for those who try to make it through sunless winters
// without forgetting what projected light looks like, is that the
// large and rather bulkish and hugely expensive solutions could be
// universal upgrades to the way lighting is perceived, and with it,
// things such as 'dust' and 'colors' and 'atmosphere' and 'space'
// would all change as a result of seeing things in a better light.
// such 'designs' remain to be invented, though, and there is also
// a possibilty that 'lighting systems' could be redefined, accent
// lighting inside houses, for ambience, instead of cans and track
// systems, and lighting-systems-as-information could be possible...
Character Actors and Straight Men // tablelamps or task lights? funny.
<http://nytimes.com/2003/12/04/garden/04TRAD.html>
'It sounds strange to say, but table lamps have an interest beyond
lighting. Designers I spoke with agreed, though if you knew how
difficult the subject of table lamps and lampshades was (few rules;
séancelike intuition), you'd live in the dark.' ... 'The decorating
bibles and television makeover hosts will tell you that tall lamps are
27 inches or over, to be used on low tables like end tables, next to
sofas or chairs. Medium-size lamps, 20 to 27 inches, are occasional
pieces for sideboards and bureaus. Small lamps live in the bedroom, as
reading lamps next to beds.' ... 'The toughest decision involving a
table lamp is the shade, experts said. This is where you and your lamp
are going to shine as arbiters of taste, good or bad.' .. 'There are no
formulas about height and width, shape and the rest.'
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