~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #72
From
human being <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Fri, 2 Jan 2004 13:21:12 -0600
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #72
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (1/02/2004)
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--
Note: private diplomatic initiatives on North Korea's nuclear program...
while the .US has lost the keys to its own nuclear plants and
facilities.
(Some big news regarding energy policy may soon be forthcoming...)
===================================================
01) --top stories--
---------------------------------------------------
U.S. Officials Confirm N Korea Visit by Nuclear Experts // hope...
<http://www.quicken.com/investments/news_center/story/?story=NewsStory/
dowJones/20040102/ON200401021153000194.var&column=P0DFP>
'North Korea has invited a delegation of U.S. nuclear experts from
outside the Bush administration to visit its main nuclear complex next
week, U.S. officials said Friday.' .. 'It will be the first exposure by
outside experts to the site since Pyongyang expelled U.N. monitors at
the end of 2002, the officials said.'
EM-related quote: Hawks tell Bush how to win war on terror // nukewar
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/
main.jhtml;$sessionid$U0WNAGBDSQVJJQFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/
12/31/wcons31.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/31/ixnewstop.html>
'President George W Bush was sent a public manifesto yesterday by
Washington's hawks, demanding regime change in Syria and Iran and a
Cuba-style military blockade of North Korea backed by planning for a
pre-emptive strike on its nuclear sites.' ... 'It may be assumed that
their instincts at least are shared by hawks inside the government,
whose twin power bases are the Pentagon's civilian leadership and the
office of the vice-president, Dick Cheney.'
// note: many current whitehouse staff are watergate era appointees
// including a former president of the .US, vice president, on & on...
[and] UK feared Americans would invade Gulf during 1973 oil crisis
<http://politics.guardian.co.uk/politicspast/story/
0,9061,1114530,00.html>
'Ted Heath's government feared - at the height of the 1973 oil crisis
- that the White House was planning to invade Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
to secure fuel supplies, according to Downing Street files released
today.' .. 'Suspicions about Richard Nixon's administration as it
struggled to shake free from the Watergate scandal, the documents show,
were reinforced when the prime minister was only belatedly informed of
a worldwide nuclear alert declared by the US.'
E-Voting Firm Acknowledges Hacker Break-in
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39285-2003Dec29.html>
'VoteHere Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., confirmed Monday that U.S.
authorities are investigating a break-in of its computers months ago,
when someone roamed its internal computer network. The intruder
accessed internal documents and may have copied sensitive software
blueprints that the company planned eventually to disclose publicly.'
Israel jails settler radio bosses: An Israeli
court has sentenced four managers of a pirate
radio station set up by settlers in the West Bank.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3355651.stm>
Missing Keys At U.S. Nuke Labs // 200 hundred!!! via drudgereport.com
<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/01/national/
printable591068.shtml>
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
CT scans may harm children's brains
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1114765,00.html>
'Studies of those who were exposed to radiation while still in the
womb from the atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima have shown
that high doses can harm the brain. But little is known about the
effects of low doses according to Per Hall, an associate professor at
the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues writing in this
week's British Medical Journal.' ... 'They found that low doses of
ionising radiation, similar to those from a CT scan, "may adversely
affect intellectual development".'
'Smart Bracelet' for Medical Emergencies // via gizmodo.com Turkey
<http://www.zaman.org/default.php?kn=5792>
Brainwave fault explains slip-ups : Scientists have found
an explanation for those mornings where you put coffee
on your cornflakes and the cat in the washing machine.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3330601.stm>
'Monitoring of the volunteer's brainwaves showed they were more likely
to make a mistake following a drop in levels of a type of brainwave
called P300.' ... '"We looked at P300 waves and we found that if they
began to fall, we knew a mistake was likely to happen.'
RIP Nuclear Waste // safety and security issue...
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/
0,1282,61752,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5>
'At present highly radioactive waste is put into interim storage where
it has to sit for 30 to 40 years for its radioactivity and heat
production to decline. It is still hazardous and should be stored
somewhere permanently.' .. 'In many countries, it is unclear who will
pay for the cost divided over hundreds, even hundreds of thousands of
years.' ... 'Critics say big central repositories would again increase
the risk of accidents or theft because the nuclear waste has to be
transported to them from each plant.' .. 'In many cases, it is unclear
for how long nuclear waste is the liability of the firm causing it, and
when the state takes over.' .. 'This makes it tough for utilities to
calculate the cost, especially if the repositories are built in such a
way that they have to be guarded for security reasons.'
// once again, imagine the need for future hearing aid developments
// in a world of mp3 players and cellphones and iPod audio-effects...
// audiologists may be preparing for a boom in future marketplaces...
// plus, what developments (cellphone headsets? speech translation?)
// might be dual-use with hearing-aid technologies? maybe they will
// be like eyeglasses/contact lenses and vision, yet for listening...
Tests for 'smallest' hearing aid // design value + cultural awareness
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3355057.stm>
'The manufacturers hope it will help end the stigma associated with
wearing more visible hearing aids.' .. 'This has resulted in many
people refusing to use a hearing aid, even though they would benefit.'
... 'UK audiologist Heather Dowber said the device was a "major
breakthrough" in hearing aid technology.' .. 'She said: "This product
looks set to offer a genuine solution to some of the long established
technical problems associated with hearing aids, including feedback,
occlusion or ear blockage and, of course, comfort."'
How CAT Scans Work -
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/cat-scan.htm>
Foo-foo that grumps and frumps won't like // via macsurfer.com
<http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/home/article/
0,1406,KNS_343_2547650,00.html>
'Wild Divine is a "game" that works on PC or Macintosh and uses
biofeedback hardware and a series of simple interactive relaxation
exercises to get players in tune with their stress levels.' .. 'For
about $130 ($160 after Dec. 31) you get PC and Mac software, a "Light
Stone" control box, three fingertip clasps called "Magic Rings," a
companion guidebook and a CD of ethereal music.' .. 'The three Magic
Rings connect to the tips of the index, middle and ring fingers of your
non-mouse hand and monitor heart rate variability and something called
"skin conductance level." Players usually have to relax or stir
themselves to manipulate on-screen objects.' .. 'Using only your
ability to control your biorhythms, you'll stack rocks, shoot arrows,
float balloons, control water, kindle fires and perform about 40 other
tricks designed to teach you the ways of relaxation, awareness and the
mind-body connection.'
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
// one new laptop: battery, LCD screen, and motherboard all broke...
IBook, IPod Users Plot Lawsuits // full price upgrades to fix flaws...
<http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,61774,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2>
Industry by industry, executives give their outlook for 2004
<http://www.boston.com/business/year_in_review/2003/articles/
industry_by_industry_executives_give_their_outlook_for_2004/>
Incentive to Recycle Tech Gadgets
<http://www.wired.com/news/gizmos/0,1452,61766,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3>
// a handspring PDA just died. batteries just drain. it was the
// 2nd replacement for the first one that did this. obselente IT:
// no liability for faulty wiring, circuits, or quality control...
[and] Gadgets to garbage
Electronics of Christmas Past are coming back to haunt US landfillers
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0102/p13s01-stct.html>
'"Americans already have a large inventory of obsolete consumer
electronics sitting in their homes," says John Powers, a consultant to
the electronics recycling industry, adding, "The pace of technological
change in consumer electronics seems to be growing. So in five years,
that buildup is going to be significant."' .. 'So far, e-waste
represents less than 1 percent of total municipal solid waste, the
Environmental Protection Agency reports. But the fraction belies its
potential pollution impact.' .. 'More than other municipal solid waste,
e-waste is larded with heavy metals that leach into groundwater.
Chromium, zinc, lead, copper, manganese, selenium, and arsenic are
common on electronic circuit boards. The threat from those is growing
as the volume in landfills grows.'
Websites collect Apple gripes
Users threaten suits over claims of defects
<http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/01/01/
websites_collect_apple_gripes/>
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
Police database called intrusive by rights group // via macsurfer.com
System designed to let cops coordinate quick search for terrorists
<http://www.detnews.com/2004/technology/0401/02/a03-24639.htm>
'Russo was in the right place at the right time because of a powerful
tool called MATRIX, for Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange.
The Intranet system combines a variety of public and law enforcement
databases, allowing law enforcement agents to quickly search addresses,
Social Security numbers, credit card records, criminal histories,
drivers license files, property records and other databases to quickly
track down suspects.'
G-man lessons : Howard Schmidt’s three decades of work confirms
that security is still a sum-zero game. // via macsurfer.com
<http://www.redherring.com/article.aspx?f=Articles/
2004%2f01%2fc4d72bb3-765e-4c7f-ba04-3b7a16eaf71e%2fc4d72bb3-765e-4c7f-
ba04-3b7a16eaf71e.xml&hed=G-man%20lessons>
Inside-out images secure screens
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/123103/Inside-
out_images_secure_screens_Brief_123103.html>
Wi-Fi Tag Prototype Ready for Testing // tracking. via gizmodo.com
<http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/news/article.php/3292661>
Phishing Attacks Soar
<http://www.internetwk.com/breakingNews/
showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17100208>
'Phishing, the term used to describe malignant e-mail posing as
legitimate messages from banks, retailers, and credit card companies,
soared in November and December as scammers took advantage of the
holiday rush to try to trick users into divulging personal and
financial information.'
Libya Used 'Network' for Nuke Technology : Libya Received Nuke
Technology From a 'Sophisticated Network' of Foreigners, Official Says
<http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031229_1423.html>
'"If a country was to show transparency and active cooperation, that
can open the doors of lots of avenues for a complete change of face.
... It is a lesson for North Korea to observe," ElBaradei said.' ...
'Gadhafi, who revealed his surprise decision Dec. 19, had said he hoped
the move would put pressure on Israel also to disarm. Israel refuses to
confirm or deny it has nuclear weapons and is the only Middle Eastern
nation believed to have the atomic bomb.'
Viruses make criminal move : After a quiet start, 2003 has been
another vintage year for computer viruses. // TOP VIRUSES OF 2003
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3290251.stm>
In this data-mining society, privacy advocates shudder: The Internet
makes public information much easier to access -- and exploit
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/154986_privacychallenge02.html>
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
Halliburton to lose Iraq oil project // interesting...
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2003/12/31/oil/>
'The Defense Energy Support Center, which buys fuel for the military
throughout the world, will supervise the shipments and choose new
contractors to replace Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's former
company.' .. '"We're taking over the mission," the center's
spokeswoman, Lynette Ebberts, said Tuesday.'
[and] Iraq keeps Russia, France in running for oil deals
<http://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2003/12/30/rtr1193929.html>
'The delegation, which met with Russian President Vladimir Putin,
included SCIRI head Abdelaziz al-Hakim, who is keen along with some
Islamist and Kurdish members of the Governing Council to strengthen
relations with countries like France and Russia and become less
dependent on Washington and its allies.' ... 'Leading the opposition to
normalising oil relations with France and Russia is Ahmad Chalabi, the
best-connected Iraqi politician in Washington and the man who lobbied
to pass a U.S. law committing the United States to overthrow Saddam and
help Iraq become a democracy.'
Sleuths Patrol Nations for Nuclear Mischief
<http://nytimes.com/2003/12/30/science/30SLEU.html>
Electroplating boosts solar cells
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/123103/
Electroplating_boosts_solar_cells_Brief_123103.html>
Alaskan oil transfers stopped amid terror concerns // oilflow stops...
<http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/01/01/alaska.oil.shipments/>
'The slope produces about 20 percent of the United States' crude oil,
but accounts for only about 11 percent of the country's oil
consumption.'
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
// note: during one of the most tumultuous times in geopolitics
// this is the kind of television programming .US audiences get...
In a lackluster year, TV was king of pain // via drudgereport.com
<http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/
story.jsp?id=200312292353000264971&dt=20031229235300&w=RTR&coview=>
N. Korea Wants Citizens to Be Tech-Savvy
<http://www.bizreport.com/
article.php?art_id=5831&PHPSESSID=c54bfac4d576a4d37cdeef6197632166>
'North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong Il, whose sayings are followed by
his people with a religious fervor, has defined three types of fools in
the 21st century: people who smoke, people who don't appreciate music
and people who can't use a computer.' ... '"We get some of the
brightest North Koreans in our projects," said Lee Kwang-hak at South
Korea's Samsung Electronics Co., which has been outsourcing to
Pyongyang's Korean Computer Center since 2000.' ... 'Under Kim's rule,
North Korea has opened computer labs, made computer education
compulsory at schools and even claims to have developed a drink for
computer fatigue. In 2001, Kim declared he would "computerize the whole
country."'
www.knighthood for publicity-shy inventor of the world wide web
<http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=477114>
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
How Movie Distribution Works -
<http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/movie-distribution.htm>
Fax - the technology that refuses to die
Why bother with fax machines when almost everything
put on paper has been produced in digital format?
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3320515.stm>
Tiny Nanotube Antennas May Yield Better Signals
In Cell Phones, Televisions
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031231082951.htm>
Blog, Blog, Blog: The Navy Tests Web Logging For Team Communications
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031231083143.htm>
How Compasses Work -
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/compass.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
Light frozen in place
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/123103/
Light_frozen_in_place_123103.html>
'To trap the electromagnetic energy of light, the researchers fired a
red laser pulse into a glass cylinder containing rubidium atoms. The
key to freezing the light pulse after imprinting its information into
the atoms is lighting the rubidium gas with a pair of control laser
beams rather than a single beam, said Bajcsy. In addition to
reconstituting the stored signal pulse, the control beams interfere to
create a standing-wave pattern of dark and bright regions, he said.' ..
'The light pattern makes the atoms act like a set of mirrors, which
traps the electromagnetic energy, said Bajcsy. "As the re-created
signal pulse tries to propagate through the medium, the photons bounce
backwards and forwards in such a way that the pulse overall remains
frozen in space," he said. Switching off one of the control beams
releases the pulse.' .. 'This works due to two properties of the
interaction of light and matter: dispersion and absorption.'
// try: xFreq 11 111, yFreq 12 221, hueFreq 01 030, Samples 0191
// or: xFreq 01 002, yFreq 09 350, hueFreq 01 881, Samples 0002
Lissajous Lab // thanks *
<http://www.mathematik.ch/anwendungenmath/lissajou/lab/>
[and] ECLIPSING BINARIES // binary star java sim...
<http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/astro101/java/eclipse/
eclipse.htm>
[and] Binary Star Simulation
<http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/astro101/java/binary/
binary.htm>
X-ray Binary Stars
<http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/binary_stars.html>
First Double Star Satellite Successfully Launched
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031230015555.htm>
Prion proteins may store memories // switch...
Study hints at vital job for two-faced proteins.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/031229/031229-2.html>
'Now a team led by Eric Kandel at Columbia University in New York has
found that a prion-like protein called CPEB may help nerve cells store
memories. A transient electrical signal in the brain might flip CPEB
into its prion form, the researchers suggest, helping to create a
permanent memory trace.'
Tool eases Grid monitoring // grid computing...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/123103/
Tool_eases_Grid_monitoring_123103.html>
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
Bill Nye's 'Cool' Interplanetary Sundial Heads For Mars
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031231083412.htm>
'The sundials, positioned on each rover's rear solar panel, are there
not only to tell the hours but also to help the science team adjust the
rovers' panoramic cameras. Scientists will use the colored blocks in
the corners of the sundial to calibrate the color in images of the
landscape so that Mars can be seen in its true colors. And pictures of
the shadows that are cast by a sundial's center post -- in sundial
terminology, the gnomon -- will allow scientists to properly adjust the
brightness of each Pancam image.'
Heavyweights Are Choosing Sides in Battle Over Next DVD Format // HDTV
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/29/technology/29disk.html>
'The discs, which have been under development for several years, will
hold four to five times more digital video and audio data than those
now on the market. They are needed because broadcasters and movie
studios are planning to take advantage of the spread of high-definition
television screens to produce more digital programming with multitrack
sound and much better resolution.' .. 'The new discs and their players
will not be widely available until at least 2005, but already the
world's largest electronics, computer and entertainment companies are
embroiled in a multibillion-dollar fight over whose technology will
become an industry standard.' ... 'The ideal, everyone involved
insists, is for one format to emerge as the winner so costs can be kept
to a minimum.'
Shape key to strong sensors
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/123103/
Shape_key_to_strong_sensors_Brief_123103.html>
// if no broadband or encrypted networks is e-commerce boom likely?
BitTorrent, 'Gi-Fi,' and Other Trends in 2004
<http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3294271>
10 tech trends for 2004 // Surveillance...
<http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/7612468.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
EM-related quote: Effort to Promote U.S. Falls Short, Critics Say
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/29/international/29DIPL.html>
'Public diplomacy is "a complete and utter disaster in Iraq," said
Mark Helmke, a senior staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, who holds that the occupation authority has done little to
counter criticism that it is an imperial, occupying force. "We have
four different agencies running media operations there. There's no
coordination, no strategy."'
E-mail hoax terror warning also a virus
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,227999,00.html>
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
Tech's Top Trends for 2004
Yes, it will be a better year, especially for consumers, overseas
telecoms, and China -- which will become ever-more important
<http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2003/
tc20031230_9935.htm>
'ENERGY: Daniel Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research
Associates-- ... '"The key factors for oil prices in 2004 are Iraq,
Russia, world GDP and China," he said.'
Blueprint issued to develop industries // .CN development list...
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-12/31/content_1254852.htm>
'According to the list, the State is seeking the expansion of
advanced energy systems, genetic engineering, information technology
and modern transportation.' .. 'In the information technology sector,
the State will encourage the development of Internet equipment,
satellite telecommunications and computer components.'
OpenOffice Finds Sweet Spot with Governments // open-source software
<http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3294431>
'Following a trend by foreign administrations, the Israeli government
this week suspended its acquisitions of new computer software from
Microsoft.' .. 'Price issues and the U.S. company's refusal to sell
individual programs from its standard software package are cited as the
main reason behind the switch, according Associated Press reports.
Instead, Israeli news outlet Arutz Sheva said Wednesday that the
Israeli Ministry of Finance will begin distributing Openoffice.org to
its users beginning this week. The Israeli government plans to begin
distributing Openoffice.org software on CD-ROM to public access points
across the country in 2004. The Hebrew version of Openoffice.org was
translated by Sun Microsystems and IBM with the support and assistance
of the Israeli Finance Ministry.' ... 'Governments around the world
appear to be taking an interest in Openoffice.org and open source
software in general.' ... 'The trend is even extending into more U.S.
agencies, which have been some of Microsoft's best customers.'
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
GAMEBOYZZ ORCHESTRA PROJECT
<http://gameboyzz.terra.pl>
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