~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #69

[human being <human@electronetwork.org>]

===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #69
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00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (12/19/2003)

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--  No comments. ( Time's a'changin' ) URLs...


===================================================
01) --top stories--
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// note: oil above 30 dollars/barrel has been said to indicate
// problematic territory for sustaining regular market pricing...
// (and-or the sustainability and affordability of oil supplies).

Crude oil prices soar as imports decline // uh-oh. guess what's next?
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4274517.html>

	'January light, sweet crude futures on the New York Mercantile  
Exchange settled 46 cents higher at $33.35 a barrel, after touching  
$33.77 -- a high not seen since March 17, when crude prices reached  
$36.40.'

// note: 'Ion engines use electric fields to accelerate ions to
// very high speeds, producing thrust.' thought it was standard.

Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft Is Proposed for Voyage to Jupiter
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/16/science/space/16JUPI.html>

	'Development of nuclear energy has been stymied for decades on Earth  
because of high costs, the fear of another accident like those  at  
Three Mile Island or Chernobyl, and the problem of how to deal with  
radioactive waste. But NASA and planetary scientists see it as opening  
a new era of research in space by providing a plentiful power source  
for deep space probes, which has been lacking so far.' ... 'As many as   
1 in 10 rocket launches still fail, opening the possibility of a  
nuclear reactor exploding high in the atmosphere and dispersing  
radioactive material. "As you introduce more nuclear power into space  
missions, you're looking for trouble," said Bruce K. Gagnon,  
coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in  
Space.' .. 'A space probe like Jimo would also be "an icebreaker to  
institutionalize nuclear power in space," Mr. Gagnon said. "Later it  
would be used for military purposes" like powering space-based lasers,  
he said.' ... 'With a reactor on board, the spacecraft would also have  
perhaps a thousand times more power available.'

Strange Lights Imaged, Astronauts Not Crazy // higher than the ISS!
<http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solar_aurora_031210.html>

	'The study shows that auroras reach far higher into the atmosphere  
than expected, though scientists are still puzzled over how it is  
possible. The research, which detected solar electrons approaching  
Earth's protective magnetic field, will also help space weather  
forecasters better predict how a tempest from the Sun might effect  
satellites and communication systems.' ... 'Scientists had a hard time  
believing astronauts who said they'd seen aurora that appeared to soar  
higher than the International Space Station, which orbits about 250  
miles (400 kilometers) above the surface of the planet. Experts didn't  
figure there were enough molecules up there to do the trick.'

Sensors Online - Sensors, Communications, and Control // thanks *
<http://www.sensorsmag.com/>

// this is one of those great stories- to find out about the first
// Union submarine, the person who made it, and that Abraham Lincoln
// not only saw it, but that it used electricity in 1863 as hi-tech.
// amazed hearing about Napolean seeing electrical machines (and the
// stories of Ben Franklin and other historical figures in countries
// all around the world, who encountered these development up close.
// one that is fascinating to wonder about is the 'amber room' that
// was restored at enormous cost in Russia, that was looted by the
// Nazi's/Hitler, if memory serves. there was once an Amber Route,
// and it is wondered what role electrostatics played in this event.

Researchers hope to find Navy's first submarine // eccentric Frenchman
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4274522.html>

	'The Alligator was designed to maneuver close to an enemy target and  
deploy a helmeted diver, who would attach a limpet mine to the target.  
The mine would then be detonated electrically.'

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02-- electromagnetic health & safety
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Body handles nanofiber better // carbon nanofibers...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/121703/ 
Body_handles_nanofiber_better_121703.html>

	'Carbon nanofibers are woven from carbon nanotubes, which are  
rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms that are a natural ingredient of soot.  
Nanotubes have useful electrical properties, are very strong, and are  
very small. They can be narrower than one nanometer, which is the width  
of ten hydrogen atoms.' .. 'The results imply that compatibility has to  
do with the size of the fibers that make up the materials. "We believe  
nano phase materials hold much promise in tissue regeneration since  
tissues in our bodies are nanostructured" themselves, said Webster.  
"Cells in our bodies are accustomed to interacting with surfaces with  
many nano features," he said. "Nano materials can duplicate such  
architectures."' .. 'The researchers have also shown that other  
materials that contain surfaces with nano-size features are also more  
compatible with the human body. "A wide range of materials that contain  
nano features, including metals, ceramics, polymers and composites,"  
has shown increased in vitro tissue regeneration, according to Webster.  
"We believe this opens a wide          new door for all nano materials  
in tissue engineering applications," he said.'

Study documents heart risks from dirty air // energy policy is liable
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/1556/4272092.html>

	'In the latest study, Pope and his team tracked how PM 2.5, the tiny  
soot particles emitted by cars and trucks, power plants and industrial  
facilities, raised just 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air correlated  
with an elevated risk of death from heart disease.'

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

// crippling PDAs, horrible quality control, no security updates,
// and selling the iPOD as an educational device to schools. ugh.
// it is now a purely entertainment company and its new software
// is less stable, less reliable, less useful than its ealier OS.
// the cult of modern design needs an upgrade-- get a conscience.
// plus, try 30-70mb updates over a 33 dialup when a default modem
// does not work with its own computer- i.e. it is the customers fault.
// hopefully a change of direction towards an information-based
// device and interface are of highest priority or else this is a
// dead-end platform for what sentient beings actually require.
// it's been said to fear Apple Legal; free speech, 1984, bigbro.

Hidden Costs of Mac Ownership // bingo. innovative at monopoly?
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22886.html>

// there was a quote in the StarTribune newspaper the day
// after Saddam was captured. it was of a 22 y.o. citizen of
// Iraq in Baghdad, it said in effect- we still have no oil,
// no electricity, our gas too expensive to buy, etc etc etc...

Satellite Eyes Secret Project // what's in the pipe- oilwealth??
<http://popularmechanics.com/science/technology_watch/2003/12/ 
satellite/>

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

Hybrid crypto secures images
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/121703/ 
Hybrid_crypto_secures_images_Brief_121703.html>

Microsoft's XP Update Makes Security  'Paradigm Shift'
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22869.html>

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

// energy changes are blowing in the wind on the midwestern front...
// (there is little question homebrewed power is needed near-term...)
// quote: 'Alliant wants to be able to adapt to future circumstances.'

Alliant announces comprehensive power generation plan // .US midwest
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/568/4273378.html>

// we are ~13.7 billion years old... happy birthday fellow Earthlings.

'Science' editors name top 10 breakthroughs of 2003 // dark energy...
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4275188.html>

	'The bizarre idea that some unknown force exists in the universe that  
is opposing gravity and flinging galaxies away from each other at an  
accelerating clip was first proposed in 1998. New studies in 2003  
proved that the force does exist and this discovery captured the top  
prize by the editors of Science as the year's most important scientific  
development.' ... 'Proof for the existence of the ``dark force'' came  
from two studies that probed the very early universe - back to less  
than 400,000 years after the Big Bang - and confirmed that the universe  
was expanding.'

Iran signs deal to open nuclear complexes // nuclear diplomacy...
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/12/18/iran/>

	'Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and geared only toward  
producing electricity. The United States has accused Tehran of secretly  
trying to develop nuclear weapons.' ... 'Sadeq Zibakalam, a political  
analyst and professor at Tehran University, called Thursday's signing  
"a strong sign of Iran's transparency." But Zibakalam warned that the  
country might stop cooperating if Europe ignores Iran's requests for  
help in obtaining advanced nuclear technology.'

How Surge Protectors Work -
<http://computer.howstuffworks.com/surge-protector.htm>

Solid fuel cell works in heat
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/121703/ 
Solid_fuel_cell_works_in_heat_Brief_121703.html>

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

// Electromagnetism. The Electron. X-rays. The Quantum.

What Have The Victorians Ever Done For Us?
<http://www.firstscience.com/SITE/editor/036_ramblings_12122003.asp>

	'1864 - Electromagnetism - The Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell  
mixed electricity and magnetism, and out came light. He devised a  
system of equations that completely described the two forces; unifying  
them into a single force field: electromagnetism.'

Sketches of a History of Classical Electromagnetism
(Optics, Magnetism, Electricity, Electromagnetism)
<http://history.hyperjeff.net/electromagnetism.html>

[and] Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576)
elaborates the difference between amber and loadstone.
<http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/Mathematicians/Cardan.html>

Unlucky 13 strike out // very sad... via drudgereport.com
<http://www.smh.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/ 
articles/2003/12/18/1071337087068.html>

	'A single lightning strike is believed to have killed 13 prized dairy  
cows at Fernvale, west of Brisbane.'

Insights into technology users // 'young tech elites'
<http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/business/7516940.htm>

---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------

// lots of excellent commentary here, lots EM-related, with
// Morley Safer (CBS) keying in about today's sensory smog...
// and to quote: 'We are forsaking Athens for Pyongyang.'

EM-ideas: E-license plate for automobiles and streets---
Scroll & read entry for "Sam Schwartz, urban designer and
transport, environmental, and community planner," towards end:
<http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0104/bestworst/>

How Virtual Private Networks Work -
<http://computer.howstuffworks.com/vpn.htm>

Ultimate on-the-fly Network
How a flock of reclusive seabirds became pioneers of pervasive
computing. A case study from the sensor net frontier.
<http://wired.com/wired/archive/11.12/network.html>

	'Take a sensor, any sensor. The one embedded in the seat of your car,  
for example, which determines that you're present and that your seat  
belt should therefore be fastened and your air bag on alert. This  
sensor performs the same function in the same way on every outing.  
Powered along with the car's other electrical devices by a battery  
that's regularly charged, it gathers and dispenses information that  
travels no farther than a few feet. That's easy.' .. 'Now, what if the  
sensor wasn't stationary and had to transmit information over great  
distances; if it was required to handle multiple tasks, had no nearby  
power source, and wasn't readily accessible for repairs? All this would  
pose significant technical challenges. Nevertheless, researchers in  
recent years have faced down these constraints to make sensor networks  
a reality.'

Microfluidics make flat screens // organic...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/121703/ 
Microfluidics_make_flat_screens_121703.html>

Some camcorders record directly to DVD // DVD camcording...
<http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techreviews/products/2003-12-17-dvd- 
camcorders_x.htm>

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

Wireless Traffic Alerts Ahead // radio/SPOT alerts?
<http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22891.html>

	'Federal regulators today are expected to set aside a swath of  
spectrum for a new wireless technology that would let motorists use  
small display screens to get traffic updates, buy fast food or find a  
nearby hotel.'

Important! Click Here! Read This! - How Spam Works
<http://computer.howstuffworks.com/spam.htm>

How Internet Cookies Work -
<http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cookie.htm>

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

// good for citizenship would be a plan for replacing TV sets so that
// they can be safely recycled-- as part of HDTVs technology upgrade.
// also, if HDTV were a display chip, the screen may be the computer
// it would seem-- though maybe not without extra processing. if it
// were indeed possible- then a 'screen' could be a HDTV, radio, PIM,
// Database, wi-fi receiver (idealism at work here)-- miniaturization
// then making watches, PDAs, and other platforms part of this, though
// maybe it is apple-oranges, a dual-functionality. possible, still...

New Intel Chip for Digital TV Could Remake the Market
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/17/technology/17chip.html>

	'Intel's ability to integrate display, television receiver and  
computer electronics on a single piece of silicon is likely to open new  
markets for a class of products - including plasma, projection and  
L.C.D. TV's - that now sell for $3,000 to $10,000.' ... 'The technology  
Intel has been exploring is known as liquid crystal on silicon. It is  
one of a number of competing technologies, including a novel approach  
pioneered by Texas Instruments called digital light processors, or  
D.L.P.' ... '... the technology used by Intel employs vast arrays of  
tiny electronic shutters that can alter the amount of reflected light,  
an approach that may allow companies to make big-screen TV sets using  
rear-projection technology that matches or exceeds the quality of  
flat-panel TV's at a much lower cost than plasma and conventional  
L.C.D.'

// if Japan's Sony does have the lead in industrial and consumer
// robots (while electronics such as digital cameras are being
// challenged), it would seem that whatever innovations might or
// will be coming with robotics would become visible in their work.
// it sounds like a 'soldier robot' if one puts a power supply and
// a gun, not unlike an unmanned soldier, just not there yet, and
// also not terribly amusing. the other aspect being that dangerous
// work for humans (mining, space travel) might be conducted by
// such robots, possibly, that otherwise challenge human limits...

Sony's humanoid robot learns how to jog
<http://salon.com/tech/wire/2003/12/18/robot/>

// just a guess- maybe there is some property added to molecules,
// possibly through moisture/refractivity of air as satallite/radar?
// also shows the promise of interdisciplinary studies (w/architects).
// as for market it seems a simple puzzle would demo basic abilities-
// unique properties. maps diagrams, relational data. congratulations.

Thin-Air Display Is Promising, but Thin on Details, Too // EM-arch...
<http://nytimes.com/2003/12/18/technology/circuits/18disp.html>	
	
	'The Heliodisplay is an interactive technology   that projects into  
the air above the machine still or moving images that can be  
manipulated with a fingertip. The images are two-dimensional, and they  
are not holograms. The Heliodisplay's inventor, Chad Dyner, says the  
technology could one day replace conventional cathode-ray tubes, liquid  
crystal displays and plasma screens.' ... '"All I can say is that it's  
a very simple system, using conventional air," he said by telephone  
from Cambridge, Mass. "Essentially, the device converts the imaging  
properties of the air so that the air is taken in, converted  
instantaneously, and then re-ejected out. Then we're projecting onto  
that converted air."' ... 'Mr. Dyner, an architect by training who  
spent a year working for Frank O. Gehry & Associates, has no formal  
education in  electrical engineering or computer science. He is a  
first-year master's candidate in the M.I.T. Media Laboratory's Tangible  
Media Group, whose students pursue multimedia projects. Mr. Dyner said  
his work on the display technology and at the university were separate.'

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

// Cheney, dug into his bunker as if a mole burrowing in for
// a nuclear winter, came up to signal a homeland nuke or chem/
// bio- attack, and now al Qaeda is chiming in, right on queue...

Purported al-Qaida tape warns of attacks // 'in the .US'
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/12/19/al_qaida_warning/>

Devices on limo saved Musharraf's life
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/12/17/musharraf/>

	'The sophisticated bomb -- initially estimated to contain 550 pounds  
of explosives -- was believed to include both a remote control and a  
timing device to trigger it, two intelligence officials told AP.' ..  
'Jamming equipment in Musharraf's limousine stopped the timer for about  
a minute and also jammed the remote control, the officials said.' ..  
'"It was enough time for Musharraf to cross the bridge," one of the  
officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.' .. 'The jammers  
emit a magnetic impulse to block frequencies used to trigger bombs --  
including the electronic signals from precision timers. Defense analyst  
Talat Masood said that security agencies worldwide use such equipment,  
and it had been imported to Pakistan.'

// this opportunity isn't necessarily limited to defense contracts.
// and it is an example (of which there are many) of people who are
// developing ideas-into-things themselves, which if there was more
// electromagnetic literacy, the quality and innovation in EM design
// and devices would be possible, skills would increase, and jobs...

Garage-made project pays off big for St. Paul man
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4270185.html>

	'The former insurance salesman was at the wheel of a rented truck,  
personally hauling two flight simulators that he had built in less than  
three months in his St. Paul garage, using just  wood, fiberglass and  
off-the-shelf flight simulation programs.'

Programmer Makes 'WMD' Treasure Hunt Game
<http://apnews.excite.com/article/20031217/D7VG0QGO0.html>

	'[Messer] created an international treasure hunt called "Find Those  
Weapons: The Hunt for the Real WMD" by using actual public documents  
related to the American invasion as clues.' .. 'Messer's treasure?' ...  
'The treasure at the end of Messer's hunt is a 14k gold trophy ...  
appraised at $6,632... The single winner also gets 10 percent of the  
profits and a barrel of oil.' ... '... If no one finds the trophy by  
Election Day 2004, Messer will send the gold and the barrel of oil to  
President Bush.'

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

// what about broadband, network security, monoplized markets?

Bush Signs Anti-Spam Legislation // 'can spam' legislation.
<http://apnews.myway.com/article/20031216/D7VFIR0G0.html>

MP3 Gets Canadian Sin Tax
<http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2003/ 
mft03121717.htm?source=eptyholnk303100&logvisit=y&npu=y&bounce=y&bounce2 
=y>

---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------

// electromagnetic designs could include the first transistor,
// the tesla tower, first incandescent lightbulb, sutro tower
// in san francisco (equivalent and counterpoint to Eiffel's),
// the television, wireless experimennts, -- usually in the .US
// the aspect of 'cult of personality' and 'founders' (people)
// are on the coins. lately the 'states' have been redesigning
// their own state coins for the quarter (25 cent piece) and,
// like license plates, has historical or other symbolism. yet
// for federal coinage, something that is the next scale could
// and hopefully should include contributions to development of
// the science, technology, andf culture of electrification and
// electromagnetism, if being accurate to the scale, from the
// micro (nanoscopic) to the macro (intersteller) which these
// events have brought with them (say, NEMs/MEMs & Voyager 1/2).
// if there was one image that encapsulate a lot within it, it
// would be a detail of an image such as "The Song of the Talking
// Wire" (1904) www.electronetwork.org/assemblage/zone2/hff.htm
// in which a Native American stands with rifle next to a line
// of telegraph/telephone/(today, e-distribution poles) which
// are receding into the background. the iconography & meaning
// is similar to 'Home of the Brave', an amazing painting of
// the depth what the .US encompasses, along with paradoxes and
// complexities, inherent though also part of the possibilty...
// also, there are many such receding electric poles/road images,
// such as Landscapes by J.B. Jackson, which are the genesis of
// the .US influence on the electrical order, yet could also
// find placement anywhere in the developing/developed world...
// the reason why the juxtaposition of Native Americans with
// this infrastructure provides a context for the issues as
// they relate around the world, yet are also specifically .US
// related. this is meant to recognize the past, the cost of
// what exists today as infrastructure, the destruction and
// a change (it is hoped can be made) in the ideology of simple
// progress, running over or ruining what is unique and valued,
// humans, nature, culture, yet also the role of technology,
// science, and how important it is to remember the social cost
// of these machines, and what is lost, and can be regained, if
// only there is some recognition of the dignity of last stands,
// and how they carry a hope and dreaming for a better future,
// and that there is a great debt due to acknowledge this truth.

Notification of Call for Artists To Apply for
the United States Mint's Artistic Infusion Program
<http://cryptome.org/mint121603.txt>

	'SUMMARY: The United States Mint is inviting artists to participate in  
its new Artistic Infusion Program to help design United States coins  
and medals. The Artistic Infusion Program has been created to enrich  
and invigorate the design of United States coins and medals by  
developing a pool of up to 20 professional artists (Master Designers)  
and up to 20 college and graduate-level art students (Associate  
Designers) in sculpture, engraving, drawing, graphic design, painting,  
printmaking and other visual arts, who will be invited to create and  
submit new designs for selected coin and medal programs throughout the  
year.'

Web exhibition of net-based artwork and digital art.
<http://no-org.net/no/copy/right/submission.php>

The Hello World Project // SMS
<http://www.helloworldproject.com/>

Figure 5 illustrates the 1553B Bus Architecture in a typical aircraft.
<https://ewhdbks.mugu.navy.mil/1553-bus.htm>

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