~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #74
From
human being <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Fri, 9 Jan 2004 11:23:16 -0600
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #74
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (1/09/2004)
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--
[correction: in the last newsletter it was mistakenly written that UV
rays are somehow related to television CRTs, that was meant to be two
different statements that somehow, made it into one by accident. that
is, the spectrum of light and its many forms have yet to be dealt with
in an architectural context beyond their technical or scientific
functions, versus a role of symbolism for that of the sun, which is of
ancient and still traditional interpretations, post-modernism, even.
this is why a Newtonian worldview seems to drive architecture today
moreso than Einstein's, and the physics and ideas of space/time/place
related to it, and applicable to all things EM, networks, place, etc.
in other words, architecture is obsessed with gravity and light in an
era of nuclear war, cognitive science, supercomputers, fiberoptics.]
Have been intrigued by the question 'when was the first 'charge' in
the universe'? in relation to the astrophysics going on with models
of the universe. As it would seem 'life' cannot exist without charge.
Now wondering if there is any such a thing as 'the nature of charge'.
===================================================
01) --top stories--
---------------------------------------------------
// this, while the .US is to declare tripping 'to the Moon, Mars. (?)
Prehistoric disaster linked to gamma rays // lost atmosphere...
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4306934.html>
'The second-largest extinction in the Earth's history, the killing of
two-thirds of all species, may have been caused by ultraviolet
radiation from the sun after gamma rays destroyed the Earth's ozone
layer.' .. 'Astronomers are proposing that a supernova exploded within
10,000 light years of the Earth, destroying the chemistry of the
atmosphere and allowing the sun's ultraviolet rays to cook fragile,
unprotected life forms.'
IMF Researchers: US Budget Gaps Endanger Global Economy
By Joseph Rebello, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES // energy tax.
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=808&u=/dowjones/20040107/
bs_dowjones/200401071721001228&printer=1>
'The White House has said it expects the budget deficit to expand to a
record $ 475 billion in fiscal 2004, exceeding 4% of the gross domestic
product. U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow on Wednesday described that
level as "entirely manageable," and said the Bush administration
expects the deficit to shrink to 2% of GDP ( news -web sites ) within
five years.' .. 'But the IMF researchers said that won't be enough to
address the government's long-term fiscal problems - including
financing the Social Security ( news -web sites ) and Medicare programs
over the next 75 years. In their report, they said the government faces
a $47 trillion shortfall in its ability to pay for those and all other
long-term obligations. Closing that gap would require "an immediate and
permanent" federal tax increase of 60% or a 50% cut in Social Security
and Medicare benefits.' ... 'Congress and the White House can avert
those dangers by acting immediately to balance the budgets, the
researchers estimated. Allowing the recent tax cuts to expire by 2013
would reduce the budget shortfall by nearly half. The researchers also
said Congress should consider a tax on energy consumption, arguing that
it would "help meet the administration's environmental objectives while
also providing substantial support for fiscal consolidation." Such tax
increases, they calculated, would have a minimal effect on U.S.
economic growth.'
Report: Ex-Enron CFO negotiating plea // .US Energy Task Force pioneer
<http://salon.com/tech/wire/2004/01/07/enron/>
'Andrew Fastow, 42, is charged with 98 counts of fraud, money
laundering, insider trading and other charges for allegedly
masterminding a web of schemes that hid Enron's debt, inflated profits
and allowed him to skim millions of dollars for himself, his family and
selected friends and colleagues. He has pleaded innocent and is free on
$5 million bond. He has asked the court to move his trial, scheduled
for April, out of Houston - preferably out of the state.' ... 'Lea
Fastow, 42, was formerly assistant treasurer at Enron. She is charged
with six criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud,
money laundering and four counts of making false tax returns. She has
previously pleaded innocent on all counts.'
// example of why EM literacy is needed, as saying 'radiation is
// on the loose' is about the scariest thing people can imagine in
// a world where this is a mysterious force encountered in often
// traumatic or fearful contexts (hospitals, nuclear meltdowns,
// even dental x-rays) -- there is nothing known about what a
// dirty bomb is or can do, in the population (in the .US at
// least) so how will the fear and terror ever be contained,
// when something does happen, unless proactively addressed?
// basic EM knowledge needs to advance, via public television
// and other instructive introductions to how things EM work,
// what the actual dynamics of such an event would involve-
// not based on fear, based on preparation, what to do, what
// to plan for, how to act, what not to do. instead: nothing.
// this is bigger than the Department of Energy's worldview
// of what the problem is, and how to deal with it. it is a
// public policy issue in an era of great uncertainty, adding
// to this through non-preparation of the citizenry is inanity.
// note, radition detectors are part of installed sensor networks...
'Dirty Bomb' Was Major New Year's Worry // basic information needed.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A60519-
2004Jan6?language=printer>
'With huge New Year's Eve celebrations and college football bowl games
only days away, the U.S. government last month dispatched scores of
casually dressed nuclear scientists with sophisticated radiation
detection equipment hidden in briefcases and golf bags to scour five
major U.S. cities for radiological, or "dirty," bombs, according to
officials involved in the emergency effort.' ... '"Government officials
are surprised that people [in the United States] aren't more hyped
about all this," said one source familiar with counterterrorism
preparations.' [NOTE: if people knew it was a dirty bomb, and what it
was, people would have information to base judgements on. and, either
react, in fear, or be prepared to deal with it, through knowledge.] ...
'One of the U.S. officials' main fears was of a dirty bomb, in which a
conventional bomb is detonated and spews radioactive material and
radiation across a small area. Security specialists say such a weapon
is unlikely to cause mass casualties but could cause panic and
devastate a local economy.'
// having a basic sense of how transistors and diodes work, it is
// intriguing to consider this yet really have no idea what this
// might mean- sometimes solid-state devices use light instead of
// other means (magnets) to, sway, switch something. not sure if
// this may be related, what it may mean- though it seems there is
// a lot of advances/hybrids going on with transistor developments...
// it would seem that a transistor can have multiple functions, then.
New Light-emitting Transistor Could Revolutionize Electronics Industry
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040106082752.htm>
'A transistor usually has two ports: one for input and one for output.
"Our new device has three ports: an input, an electrical output and an
optical output," said Feng, the Holonyak Professor of Electrical and
Computer Engineering at Illinois. "This means that we can interconnect
optical and electrical signals for display or communication purposes."'
... 'Although the recombination process is the same as that which
occurs in light-emitting diodes, the photons in light-emitting
transistors are generated under much higher speed conditions. So far,
the researchers have demonstrated the modulation of light emission in
phase with a base current in transistors operating at a frequency of 1
megahertz. Much higher speeds are considered certain.' ... '"At such
speeds, optical interconnects could replace electrical wiring between
electronic components on a circuit board," Feng said. This work could
be the beginning of an era in which photons are directed around a chip
in much the same fashion as electrons have been maneuvered on
conventional chips.'
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
Man says he's addicted to cable; wants to sue Charter // drudgereport
<http://www.wisinfo.com/thereporter/news/archive/local_14044768.shtml>
'Dumouchel blames Charter for his TV addiction, his wife's 50-pound
weight gain and his children's being "lazy channel surfers," according
to a Fond du Lac police report.'
Brain May Be Able to Bury Unwanted Memories, Study Shows // circuit...
<http://nytimes.com/2004/01/09/science/09MEMO.html>
'Camera Pill' Promising For Diagnosis Of Small Bowel Disease
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040107073734.htm>
'Capsule endoscopy (CE) displays the small bowel's entire length (as
long as 25 feet) as the intestine's involuntary muscles push this
"camera pill" forward.' ... 'The video capsule - the size of a large
vitamin pill - is swallowed by a patient after an eight-hour fast.
Eliminated about eight hours later, the capsule transmits a continuous
stream of digital images to a small data recorder worn around the
patient's waist. The physician then downloads the data and analyzes the
images at a workstation.'
// maybe we will all be wearing spacesuits, sooner than later...
Nanoparticles in the brain // !!! (living in the age of anthrax)
Tiny particles enter the brain after being inhaled.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/040105/040105-9.html>
'The finding sounds a cautionary note for advocates of nanotechnology,
but may also lead to a fuller understanding of the health effects of
the nanosized particles produced by diesel engines.'
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
// mentions 'computer models' that Crichton's essay said was
// a central feature of dubious political-scientific claims,
// yet at the same time, there may be something to the claims,
// beyond science, of loss of species, pollution, greenhouse
// gases, that does need to be addressed, by public policies...
// energy, transport, housing, design, economics, all critical.
Global warming may wipe out one million species // a call for change.
<http://www.ananova.com/news/story/
sm_853102.html?menu=news.latestheadlines>
'The team of 19 international scientists projected the future
distribution of 1,103 plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs,
butterflies and other invertebrates using computer models.' .. 'Global
warming scenarios were based on data from the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change.'
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
Wozniak, Motorola May Work on Tracking System
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20040108/
bs_dowjones/200401080141000047>
'Mr. Wozniak's closely held company -- dubbed Wheels of Zeus Inc., or
WOZ -- is developing a system that uses low-cost radio tags that could
be attached to objects, people or animals. By combining satellite
location-finding technology with radio base stations, the tags could
help consumers or companies protect goods against theft and ensure the
safety of children and pets, Mr. Wozniak said.
Eyes on the Pries : Why surveillance technology
should worry even those with nothing to hide.
<http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0401.pomper.html>
'Think about the huge life events and decisions that hang on the
strength of your credit rating. Now, what if the government were to
give us similar ratings? And what if for some seemingly arbitrary
reason (a skinny-dipping citation, a few unpaid parking tickets, or an
expired dog license) you wind up in a second- or third-tier
classification? In a sense, argues Rosen, "risk profiles extend harms
similar to those imposed by racial profiling across society as a whole,
creating electronic layers... that determine who is singled out for
special suspicion by state officials."'
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
Oil reserves sink; heating costs rise // via drudgereport.com
<http://www.qctimes.com/
internal.php?story_id=1022658&t=Business&c=31,1022658>
'U.S. oil inventories last week slid to their lowest levels since
1975, the government said Wednesday in a report that suggests tight
supplies in the energy sector will last at least through winter.' ..
'In another report, the government raised its estimates for household
heating costs for the winter.'
Cleaning Up: Bush's Pals, an Oligarch,
and a Siberian Pollution Factory
Hydrogen's Dirty Details
<http://villagevoice.com/issues/0401/mbaard.php>
'Gerard is right: The so-called hydrogen economy will be a boon for
the mining industry. The clean-energy future that many
environmentalists have dreamed of has been turned over to the coal
industry and a notoriously dirty Siberian mining company run by Russian
oligarch Vladimir Potanin. A deal personally smoothed over by Bush has
given Norilsk Nickel, one of the world's worst polluters, a toehold on
American soil—and a major stake in the hydrogen economy.' ... 'The
coalition favors the use of wind and solar energy to power the
reactions that extract hydrogen from substances like water. But to
build the hydrogen economy over the next 30 years, Republicans are
instead planning to burn more fossil fuels and dig for coal and gas on
public and private lands. The Green Hydrogen Coalition noted that the
GOP-written Senate energy bill called for subsidizing the nuke and
fossil fuel industries to the tune of $8 billion, twice the amount set
aside for renewable energy sources.'
Execs Pay to Play with GOP // via cursor.org ***
Fund-Raiser Includes Helping Leaders Write Energy 'To-Do List'
<http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0107-01.htm>
'A conference schedule made public by an environmental group indicates
that in addition to Western members of the House and Senate, the
conference is to be attended by several high-level Bush administration
officials.' .. 'Participants will pay $3,000 to play in a "Mulligans
and Margueritas" golf tournament and attend a private dinner tonight
with congressional Republicans. The proceeds will go to a Republican
fund-raising committee.' .. 'The conference on energy and air-pollution
issues will follow during the next three days, held by the Western
Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.' .. 'The
conference will focus primarily on congressional issues of concern to
Western industries, but anyone willing to pay around $1,000 for
registration and greens fees can attend the three-day event. It begins
tonight, right after the golf tournament.' .. 'Invited participants
listed on the schedule include Undersecretary of the Interior Steven
Griles, Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator Jeffrey
Holmstead, White House Counsel on Environmental Quality Chairman James
Connaughton and Assistant Secretary of Energy Michael Smith.' .. 'The
organizer of the two events insisted they were separate.' .. 'Both take
place at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and its golf courses, and are
organized by Denver-based lobbyist Jim Sims, who was director of
communications for Vice President Dick Cheney's White House Energy Task
Force three years ago.' ... 'The goal is to make sure the West's
interests are factored in when Washington writes energy and
environmental policies, Sims said.' .. '"We prefer to think we are the
nation's energy breadbasket, and we are," Sims said.'
How Solar Cells Work -
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-cell.htm>
Seeing the Light: // 12Mb .pdf, via PHYS-L
The Physics and Materials Science of the Incandescent Light Bulb
<http://www.sci-ed-ga.org/modules/materialscience/light/>
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
CES show photos by Gizmodo.net // Gadgets around the corner...
<http://gizmodo.net/>
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
- U.S., EU Working on Global Positioning Systems Agreement
- U.S. Global Positioning System and European Galileo System
<http://cryptome.org/gps010804.htm>
Radio Ready to Go Digital // forget MS' SPOT, then???
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/
0,1282,61812,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_10>
'In addition to providing CD-quality sound, high-definition radio
receivers can display whatever text broadcasters choose to offer.'
// watched this and it is good to see change is happening here, to
// foster representation and cultural awareness with public tv...
// this name 'ethnic tv' doesn't seem right, it seems to isolate
// in words the intercultural dimensions involved... not sure if
// this is a shared sense or not. programs relevant to everyone...
Ethnic TV targets immigrant audiences // inter-'cultural' television?
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/459/4301858.html>
'Both "Geetmala" and "Chai City," the show co-hosted by Ahuja, are
aimed at the Twin Cities' growing population of South Asians, a
cultural grouping that includes people with roots in India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. They join a string of other rotating
shows airing Sunday nights -- some series, some stand-alone -- with an
international bent. TPT does not provide production financing to the
indie producers, but it does not charge for air time.'
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
// so much is being put into the question of 'life' and Mars, an
// incredible achievement in itself, yet if it was known that the
// atmosphere of Mars did indeed 'blow away' for some reason, is
// that maybe more important, in terms of its 'death' and related
// issues with our own atmosphere, with no guarantees this will not
// also happen, nor do policies exist to even address this issue...
Study: Universe lifeless after Big Bang // beautiful short story...
<http://salon.com/tech/wire/2004/01/07/big_bang/>
'The first stars after the Big Bang were immense, superhot giants that
lived briefly and then exploded as brilliant supernovae, but they
seeded the universe with basic elements that were the building blocks
for the sun and the Earth, and for life itself, according to a new
study.' ... 'Supernovae continued to explode, seeding the universe with
more and more heavy metals. Eventually, there were enough of these
metals to create long-lived stars and for planets to accrete into their
orbits. On at least one planet, the Earth, all the ingredients came
together in the right place and time for life to evolve.' .. '"The
window for life opened sometime between 500 and 2 billion years after
Big Bang," Loeb said in a statement.'
[and] Prehistoric disaster linked to gamma rays // lost atmosphere...
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4306934.html>
// public goal to make human outpost where life's atmosphere is now
// gone as visionary future of society, through a rear-view mirror...
// (then again, mineral prospecting is at stake. lunar/martian oil?)
[and, related] Bush to Announce Missions to Mars, Moon // ??????????
<http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040109/D7VV5E0O0.html>
'In 1989 on the 20th anniversary of the first manned moon landing, his
father, the first President Bush, called for lunar colonies and a Mars
expedition: "I'm not proposing a 10-year plan like Apollo; I'm
proposing a long-range, continuing commitment. ... For the new century:
Back to the moon; back to the future. And this time, back to stay. And
then a journey into tomorrow, a journey to another planet: a manned
mission to Mars."'
New-Found Old Galaxies Upsetting Astronomers'
Long-Held Theories on the Big Bang
<http://nytimes.com/2004/01/08/science/08ASTR.html>
Russian's work may just add up to solution
to 100-year-old math problem // The Poincare Conjecture...
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4306205.html>
'Poincare made strides in understanding three-dimensional spaces - the
kind, for instance, that an airplane flies through, made up of
north-south, east-west and up-down measurements. His question, or
conjecture, was whether two-dimensional calculations could be easily
modified to answer similar questions about 3-D spaces. He was pretty
sure the answer was yes but could not prove it mathematically.'
Subatomic Tracking Finds Clues to the Unseen Universe // muons...
<http://nytimes.com/2004/01/09/science/09MATT.html>
'An experiment that tracks subtle motions of subatomic particles
called muons has found tantalizing evidence for a vast shadow universe
of normally unseen matter existing side by side with ours, scientists
at the Brookhaven National Laboratory said yesterday.' ... 'The
existence of the new matter is predicted by an unconfirmed theory
called supersymmetry. According to the theory, every known particle in
the universe from the electron to the neutrino has a counterpart that
has eluded detection. Some versions of the theory suggest that "dark
matter," a substance that seems to outweigh ordinary matter in the
cosmos, actually consists of tremendous swarms of supersymmetric
particles that waft through space.'
Researchers Develop First Integrated Silicon Circuit
With Nanotube Transistors
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040107072303.htm>
'Depending on the molecular structure specific to each carbon
nanotube, it can either be metallic and capable of conducting
electricity, or act like semiconductors, with conductivity that can be
turned on and off.' ... 'The resulting chip contained thousands of
carbon nanotubes connected to the circuit on a 1-square-centimeter
silicon chip. By turning certain switches on and off, researchers were
able to isolate the path that leads to an individual nanotube. Not only
could researchers pinpoint which nanotube was responding to electrical
current passing through the system, they could tell whether the
conductivity could be turned on or off. If they were able to change the
conductivity of the nanotube, they knew that it was a semiconductor and
not metallic.'
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
// if free, public service, then beyond watches, it would enable
// cellphones, PDAs, laptops, others to get this most basic info
// via radio instead of clogging the phone lines or data lines
// for this same (broadcast/one-way) information/news, which does
// not require a network to send, necessarily, if it is decoded...
// that would mean that this is a public service, which it should be
// in this day and age when information is necessary to act upon
// events such as 9/11, when people knew what was going on on the
// television, while those on site were locked into private radio
// and communication networks, another private network, and were
// cut-off from what everyone else knew was going on. this is not
// the kind of public service that should be privatized, if it is
// to be public information. the economics are of public benefit.
// that is, health, safety, breaking news, weather, traffic, alerts.
// then again, that brings up issues with the FCC and the role of
// the spectrum as electromagnetic real estate, that is, property.
// not all property is privatized, neither should all data services.
// it should be an open-standard, radio based, which all can use.
// its a great, basic, needed, and fundamental idea that could be
// used to unclog and redistribute some conduits, while changing
// the nature of information. it would benefit everyone it seems...
Why Microsoft's SPOT is such a dog // if open, free, it could work.
<http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7296_16-
5115922.html?tag=adts>
'The goal of SPOT gadgets is to present useful information at the
point/time of interest or need. This includes common stuff like the
weather forecast, the value of your portfolio, calendar items, traffic
reports, reminders, news, up-to-the-second sports scores, lottery
picks, Amber alerts, terrorism warnings, and other information that can
be consumed in the bite-sized morsels these devices can display.' ...
'SPOT data is carried on subcarriers of music stations, in case that
wasn't clear.' ... 'With a 12kbps data rate and advanced receiver
design, SPOT ought to be very reliable.... But messages are expected to
be received in five minutes or less from when they're sent.'
Entrepreneur's new software has 'no boundaries or rules' // macsurfer
<http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/computing/20040107-1413-ca-
easiercomputing.html>
'The software, called "No Boundaries Or Rules," or NBOR, includes an
intuitive user interface for writing, drawing, compiling multimedia
presentations and accomplishing other PC tasks. It allows real-time
collaboration and sends large files over the Internet at lightning
speed.' .. 'The cornerstone of NBOR is "Blackspace," software for word
processing, desktop publishing, slide show presentation, graphics,
drawing, animations, audio, photo cropping, instant messaging and
real-time conferencing.' .. 'Opening Blackspace results in a blank
canvas where users arrange text or create sophisticated visual displays
with only a few clicks and drags of a mouse – without ever using the
pull-down menus, icons, margins, tabs and fonts of Microsoft Word and
other current word processing systems.' .. '"I almost don't see how
it's going to be used in business because it's just so perfect for
education," Hamel said.'
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
// the page below mentions sensors used in the Vietnam war, which
// was one of the earliest mentions of their use i've heard of, for
// listening in to troop movements, dropping spikes from airplaines
// and then having this sensor system in place covertly. intrigued,
// as did not know this was possible, to listen to sound signatures
// of vehicles, heat signatures, vibrations of the ground, etc, then
// to send this data off by radio waves into the distance. today, a
// sensor network could be used for WMD operations, likely, though
// also for, if one is to imagine, overt placement of these in the
// ground in an earthquake zone, and dual-using these data networks
// so that research might be conducted to predict natural disasters.
// ends with insight on relationship of 'warfare and commerce'...
Acoubuoy, Spikebuoy, Muscle Shoals and Igloo White // via TSCM-L...
<http://home.att.net/~c.jeppeson/igloo_white.html>
'The Sensors: A number of different types of detection sensors are
fielded today by many nations. Some apply thermal, electromagnetic or
chemical recognition techniques, reporting engine or body
heat, electrical and magnetic field fluctuationsfrom passing vehicles,
machinery noises - even smell...' [and] Igloo White: 'The men and
women who worked in the ISC (Infiltration Surveillance Center) inside
the Task Force Alpha compound were tasked with analyzing raw sensor
intelligence data, determining the nature of activity on the Trail.
They then directed the destruction of combat equipment, supplies, NVA
troops, truck convoys, truck parks and marshalling areas. Igloo White
was possibly one of the most important classified operations of the
Vietnam war.' ... 'Although sensor alarm data was being relayed from
Batcat in real-time, CIM-Gs could not punch in and listen directly to
sensor microphones, but Batcat CIMs could. Batcat flights recorded all
audio on tape at 15/16 ips then shipped some of them to TFA for
analysis by the Intelligence group after landing.' ... 'It is reported
that response times between sensor activity and mission strike could
occur in as little as five minutes, but it would not have been
considered prudent to so precisely 'telegraph' the sensor locations to
enemy intelligence by such cause-and-effect activity. Although it did
happen on occasion, in reality, politics and painstaking - some assert
'overly cautious' - analysis played a larger hand in governing those
technically accurate claims.' ... 'Over time, enemy counter-
intelligence activities against the Igloo White Trail-watch and
interdiction program involved disabling - but more frequently -
'spoofing' sensors into producing false alarms in continued efforts to
misguide Intelligence analysts and obscure NVA convoy activities. The
role of allied counter-counter-intelligence against such activities
thus led to endless permutations of corroboration or rebuttal of
information by alternate supporting intelligence-gathering methods that
is the real nature of military intelligence.' [and] 'One member of Task
Force Alpha was reported to have said ' ...We wired the Ho Chi Minh
Trail like a drugstore pinball machine, and we plugged in to it every
night. ''
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
Asians to Develop Linux - Based Platform // via macsurfer.com
<http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Asia-Linux.html>
'Chinese, Japanese and South Korean officials have expressed hopes for
creating a product to compete with Microsoft's Windows operating
system, reducing reliance on it and creating more opportunities for
Asian companies.' ... 'Some Asian governments worry about security
holes in Windows and dislike having to rely so heavily on a single
foreign company for the development of their technology industries.'
// the 'digital home' is not a technological question alone, it
// involves more complex architectural and cultural questioning.
// also quite funny, selling 'computers architecture' as architecture.
// apparently the silicion snake oil gambit is in the water out there.
// this is a good example of the limits of 'science' or 'technology'
// models for things that go beyond their own descriptions of events.
// e.g. human habitation consists of 'housing consumer electronics'.
Intel Launches Fund for 'Digital Home' // no EM-architecture here.
<http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/040107/tech_intel_fund_1.html>
iPod Mini: A Price Analysis // example of 'digital lifestyling'...
<http://www.powerpage.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/powerpage.woa/wa/
story?newsID=11679>
'The iPod mini is only $50 less than a 15GB iPod at US$300.
the iPod mini costs US$62.25 per GB, whereas the 15GB iPod costs
US$19.93 per GB. That is a 312 percent premium for the iPod mini.'
LME copper and nickel take metals higher at close
<http://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2004/01/08/rtr1203342.html>
Treasury breaks word on e-mail anonymity
The U.S. Treasury Department plans to publish nearly 10,000
e-mail addresses on the Web, violating its privacy promise
to Americans who used e-mail to comment on a government
<http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5137488.html>
Enron and the System // It was 3 yrs. Enron cracked in 9/2001-10/2001.
<http://nytimes.com/2004/01/09/opinion/09KRUG.html>
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
// excellent. interesting comment on OLEDs as luminous wallpaper...
Let There Be L.E.D.'s // better lighting could change everything...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/08/technology/circuits/08lite.html>
'The research into solid-state lighting is motivated by light bulb
makers who want to create new and profitable products. But saving
energy is a consideration, too. About 20 percent of all electricity in
the United States is used for lighting. A shift from bulbs to L.E.D.'s
and other more efficient kinds of lighting could cut that percentage in
half, easing the strain on power systems and reducing the chances of a
blackout like the one that affected the northeastern United States and
Canada last August.' ... 'The incandescent bulb, which works by heating
a thin metal filament so that it emits light, is also inefficient.
About 90 to 95 percent of the electricity that goes into most
incandescent bulbs is converted to heat rather than light.' ... 'The
major barrier to creating inexpensive L.E.D. lights for homes is not
the semiconductors themselves. The real obstacle is the cost of
overcoming several basic limitations of the chips.'
Man's apartment encased in aluminum foil // em-related installation...
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2004/01/08/foil/>
'"There's a party atmosphere down by the room," Jones said. "Of
course, everyone has their favorite part. I think the kitchen is just
amazing."' .. 'Kirk's awestruck neighbors and friends kept him up until
late Monday night. He hasn't started unpacking his belongings and isn't
sure when he will.' .. '"As I was trying to sleep last night, I
realized that, actually, it's creepy," Kirk said.'
Techno hits basic beat
Musical analysis unveils a hierarchy of sophistication.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/040105/040105-4.html>
'Heather Jennings of the Federal University of Alagoas in Brazil and
her colleagues conclude that Gamelan - an Indonesian style of music
featuring gongs, drums, wind and string instruments - is as
sophisticated as Western classical music in terms of its variations in
volume. And both of these styles tower in complexity over modern techno
tracks and Forró, a form of traditional dance music from Brazil.' ...
'Acoustic scientists studying complex sounds typically measure their
'power spectra': a measure of the patterns with which volume changes
over time.' ... 'But power spectra are rather crude measures, Jennings
and colleagues say, and can hide some of the complexities of different
musical forms.' ... 'To get around this, the researchers fed
four-minute stretches of music into a more sophisticated technique,
called detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). This has been used in the
past to study complicated signals in economic, genetic and heartbeat
data.' ... 'The method produces a number, denoted alpha that quantifies
the complexity of patterns in a signal - in this case, the volume of
music. A low alpha (less than 1) indicates relatively non-complex
music, whereas more complex musical signals have a value of alpha
closer to 1.' ... 'Gamelan has average values of alpha closest to 1, as
does what the researchers characterize as 'new age music'.'
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