~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #85

[human being <human@electronetwork.org>]

===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #85
===================================================

00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (2/14/2004)

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-- none

===================================================
01) --top stories--
---------------------------------------------------

// the local op-ed page (startribune.com) today had a different
// vantage on this, asking whether this is a serious effort to
// address the issues which the .US administration has been
// undermining through policy yet now it is of political advantage.
// the threats are obviously real enough to nations to have made
// pacts in the past trying to deal with them, which the .US has
// been dismantling and now trying to reestablish some of these.
// with the ever-shifting ground that nuclear issues stand upon,
// it is hoped catastrophe could be prevented before the fact,
// if taken in full course, such as the IAEA being involved in
// .UN policies and not just a .US statement on nuclear policy...

Bush warns of arms threat // nuclear diplomacy requires engagement.
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2004/02/14/arms/>

	'President Bush emphasized on Saturday the need to stop the spread of  
weapons of mass destruction, stressing the dangers of chemical,  
biological, radiological and nuclear weapons getting in the hands of  
terrorists.' .. '"The possibility of secret and sudden attack with  
weapons of mass destruction is the greatest threat before humanity  
today," Bush said in his weekly radio address.' ... 'Every means of  
diplomacy is used to deal with regimes that develop deadly weapons,  
Bush said...' ... 'Still, the United States has shown its willingness  
to use force when necessary, he said. "No one can now doubt the  
determination of America to oppose and to end these threats to our  
security."'

Europe's nuclear deal with Iran faces collapse
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1148081,00.html>

	'The Americans, the Europeans, and officials at the Vienna agency are  
convinced that the Iranians have reneged on the deal.' .. '"We're on a  
steep downward trajectory on Iran," warned Jon Wolfsthal, the US  
nuclear analyst and former Clinton administration department of energy  
official.' ... 'But Dr ElBaradei said the Iranians were continuing  
enrichment activity and refusing to suspend the building of gas  
centrifuges, the machines that convert uranium gas into high-enriched  
bomb fuel or low-enriched fuel for nuclear power stations.' .. '"They  
maintain the right to assemble centrifuges," he said.' .. 'Experts and  
diplomats fear that Iran is continuing to acquire and perfect a  
bomb-making capability while technically observing a narrow  
interpretation of suspending uranium enrichment.'

Russia Launches Nuke Exercises - 6:46 am PST, 11 February 2004
<http://7am.com/cgi-bin/wires02.cgi?1000_2004021106.htm>

	'Russia has launched widescale strategic nuclear forces exercises, a  
top general said Tuesday, to test its ability to penetrate missile  
defenses and to upgrade its deterrent capability.' .. 'The exercise  
will help develop weapons systems "capable of providing an asymmetric  
answer to existing and prospective weapons systems, including missile  
defense," Baluyevsky said at a news conference.' ... 'He said the  
exercises were not patterned after Soviet-era drills where Moscow  
simulated all-out nuclear war against the United States.'

Mystery fires hit Sicilian village; scientists look for explanation
<http://www3.cjad.com/content/cjad_news/article.asp?id=w0211111A>

	'The mayor ordered everyone out for safety, and electricity was cut  
off. Maschio said he was looking into whether an electromagnetic  
disturbance could be the cause, either due to a natural phenomenon or  
due to the electrical network.'

[and] Devil in the detail of Sicily's mysterious village fires
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1145394,00.html>

	'"What is happening is what normally happens when the devil enters the  
lives of those who let him in," Father Gabriele Amorth said yesterday  
as scientists and officials confessed themselves unable to explain a  
string of fires and explosions which began in the middle of last month  
in the fishermen's quarter of a Sicilian village.' ... 'Since then, in  
an operation that could have come straight from the television series X  
Files, a multi-disciplinary team of experts armed with measuring  
devices has been examining the area for clues to the spontaneous  
combustion of washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, electricity  
meters and cables.' ... 'What makes the incidents all the more puzzling  
is that the area has been without an electricity supply since January  
4.'

[and] Cyberappliances attack Italian village // EM phenomena...
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/35500.html>

CONTRACT SPORT by JANE MAYER  What did the Vice-President do
for Halliburton? // the mother of all Cheneyistics ***
<http://www.newyorker.com/printable/?fact/040216fa_fact>

	'In the spring of 2000, Cheney’s two worlds—commerce and politics—  
merged. Halliburton allowed its C.E.O. to serve simultaneously as the  
head of George W. Bush’s Vice-Presidential search committee. At the  
time, Bush said that his main criterion for a running mate was  
“somebody who’s not going to hurt you." Cheney demanded reams of  
documents from the candidates he considered. In the end, he picked  
himself—a move that his longtime friend Stuart Spencer recently  
described, with admiration, as "the most Machiavellian {*&!#*} thing  
I’ve ever seen."' ... 'For months there has been a debate in Washington  
about when the Bush Administration decided to go to war against Saddam.  
In Ron Suskind's recent book "The Price of Loyalty," former Treasury  
Secretary Paul O’Neill charges that Cheney agitated for U.S.  
intervention well before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  
Additional evidence that Cheney played an early planning role is  
contained in a previously undisclosed National Security Council  
document, dated February 3, 2001. The top-secret document, written by a  
high-level N.S.C. official, concerned Cheney's newly formed Energy Task  
Force. It directed the N.S.C. staff to coöperate fully with the Energy  
Task Force as it considered the “melding” of two seemingly unrelated  
areas of policy: "the review of operational policies towards rogue  
states," such as Iraq, and "actions regarding the capture of new and  
existing oil and gas fields."' .. 'A source who worked at the N.S.C. at  
the time doubted that there were links between Cheney’s Energy Task  
Force and the overthrow of Saddam. But Mark Medish, who served as  
senior director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs at the  
N.S.C. during the Clinton Administration, told me that he regards the  
document as potentially "huge." He said, "People think Cheney's Energy  
Task Force has been secretive about domestic issues," referring to the  
fact that the Vice-President has been unwilling to reveal information  
about private task-force meetings that took place in 2001, when  
information was being gathered to help develop President Bush’s energy  
policy. "But if this little group was discussing geostrategic plans for  
oil, it puts the issue of war in the context of the captains of the oil  
industry sitting down with Cheney and laying grand, global plans."' ...  
'After months spent trying to obtain more information about the  
classified Halliburton deals, Representative Waxman’s staff discovered  
that the original oil-well-fire contract entrusted Halliburton with a  
full restoration of the Iraqi oil industry. "We thought it was supposed  
to be a short-term, small contract, but now it turns out Halliburton is  
restoring the entire oil infrastructure in Iraq," Waxman said. The  
Defense Department's only public acknowledgments of this wide-ranging  
deal had been two press releases announcing that it had asked  
Halliburton to prepare to help put out oil-well fires.' .. '... Who is  
going to own these upgrades, after the United States government has  
finished paying Halliburton to build them? "Who knows?" Waxman said.  
"Nobody is saying."'

[and] Oliphant cartoon // Duck Hunting with the Cheney-Scalia Gang
<http://images.ucomics.com/comics/po/2004/po040211.gif>

// could not believe this at first read. (rural satellite is option.)
// it seems there is reason for having many ways to acess the internet
// though least among these seems to be power-based, as to lose power
// would be also to lose data, and what would the grid be opened up
// to if people could go back into the power system, through hacking?

F.C.C. Begins Rewriting Rules on Delivery of the Internet
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/13/technology/13net.html>

---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------

Doll tests radiation in space // fascinating research.
Life-sized mannequin will measure an astronaut's cosmic-ray dose.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/040202/040202-18.html>

	'... the European Space Agency and the Russian Academy of Sciences  
have designed Matroshka, an 80-kilogram dummy made of natural bone and  
plastics of various densities that serve as fake organs.' .. 'The doll  
is coated with a carbon-fibre covering that blocks ultraviolet  
radiation and deflects space debris, much as a space suit protects a  
live astronaut. And it has strategically placed radiation sensors to  
measure cosmic-ray doses to the stomach, lungs, kidneys, colon and  
eyes. It's because of all these layers that the mannequin is named  
after the famous hollow Russian dolls that open up to reveal  
ever-smaller versions of themselves inside.'

// 60 volt shock is noticable, metallic taste on tongue, jolt, etc.

Woman Survives 50,000 Volts Of Electricity // in coma for 40 days...
<http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/health/2839981/detail.html>

	'Joella Smith, 20, was driving on a highway in Brawley, Calif., on  
Dec. 7, 2003, when she ran off the road and into a power pole.' ..  
'Smith said she didn't remember walking away from her wrecked car and  
straight into a high-voltage power line.' ... 'Smith survived  
impossible odds and believes other people can too.' .. '"You can get  
better, you can survive, you can get through it, and good people are  
always there to help you," she said.'

Static electricity can cause fire at gas station
<http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=STATICFIRE-02-13-04&cat=AN>

	"It's not an urban myth. Static electricity causes a dozen flash fires  
at gas pumps each year, and many more go unreported, according to  
information compiled by the Petroleum Equipment Institute. The  
institute recorded six such incidents just last week across the  
country."

// it is wondered if neurology will become standard, in the future,
// for people going to medical practices for diagnoses and treatment.

Dyslexia Therapy Gets Kids' Brains on Track
<http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/dysl/ 
514230.html>

	'The current study was designed to compare how morphologic and  
phonologic processing activates the brain. Phonology refers to  
correlating the sound of a word with its written form. The authors also  
wanted to see if a specific type of instruction was associated with  
changes in brain-activation patterns as seen on functional magnetic  
resonance imaging (fMRI) imaging.' ... 'Imaging techniques are  
heralding in a whole new era of research into learning disabilities.  
"With fMRI, we are allowed to watch the brain work as they are thinking  
about language," Richards says.' .. 'One day, imaging may help with the  
toughest cases. "If we have a group of people with dyslexia and we see  
that one subset of this group is resistant to remediation, we could  
image their brains and see what is it that's different about these  
kids," Sherman says.'

New Device To Be Tested On Patients With Major Depression // braindev
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040212085356.htm>

	'Rosenquist said that neither doctor nor patient will know whether the  
actual TMS is being used. The sham device looks, acts and sounds like  
the real thing.' .. 'TMS produces about the same amount of magnetic  
energy as a standard MRI machine, but instead of helping doctors look  
inside the body, the pulses of magnetic energy are aimed at a portion  
of the brain called the left prefrontal cortex, which is involved with  
mood regulation.' .. 'The magnetic pulses easily pass through the skull  
and into the brain. Inside the brain, Rosenquist said, the magnetic  
pulses produce an electric field, which can cause positive changes in  
mood. Patients remain fully awake during the 45 minute outpatient TMS  
procedure and can immediately go back to their normal daily  
activities.' .. '"The amount of electricity created in the brain is  
kept small enough to minimize the risk of adverse effects," Rosenquist  
said. Those effects sometimes include headache and, in rare cases, a  
seizure.' .. 'A similar Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation device is  
already in use for brain mapping, diagnosis of neurological diseases  
and research into a number of neurological and psychiatric conditions.'

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

// note: Kodak is planning to drop slide-projector production, also.

Will video be killed by the rising star DVD? // via NewsScan...
<http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/11/1076388435112.html>

	'Sales of VCRs and rentals of video cassettes have been declining for  
years and are now in free fall. This year they are millions of dollars  
in sales behind DVDs.' ... 'The Australian situation is mirrored  
globally. This week Philips, the huge Dutch electronics company that  
invented the cassette and technology that led to the CD and DVD,  
announced the closure of its remaining VCR production lines.'

U.S. Push For Diesel Poses Risk To Public Health, Scientists Say
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040212085728.htm>

Fuel spill strikes World Heritage site
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994656>

	'A spill of 13,000 litres of diesel fuel into New Zealand's pristine  
Milford Sound is being investigated by police as a deliberate act of  
sabotage.'

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

Sandia Helps Take First Steps In Control, Tracking Of Potential
'Dirty Bomb' Sources // RDD = radioactive dispersal devices
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040211075845.htm>

Iris scanning to begin at German airport
<http://news.com.com/2100-7348-5158973.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>

Windows Source Leak Traces Back to Mainsoft  
<http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1526831,00.asp>

	'Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is  
left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is  
using when it crashes. Further investigation by BetaNews revealed the  
machine was likely used by Mainsoft's Director of Technology...' ...  
'It is not clear at this point how the three and a half year-old source  
code escaped Mainsoft.'

Flying robot promises bird's-eye view for surveillance // muscle-wire?
<http://www.eet.com/at/news/OEG20040212S0020>

	'The robotic birds herald an era of natural-looking surveillance craft  
that blend in to their surroundings. Specifically, Agrawal is studying  
hovering birds and insects. "If we can provide a stable enough platform  
for a miniature camera, then we could fly flocklike formations of  
robotic birds, each sending its surveillance data back to a central  
point," he said.' .. 'Besides the obvious military applications, the  
robots could be used in search-and-rescue missions, to map hazardous  
areas (such as the interiors of collapsed buildings) and to provide  
agricultural and industrial telemetry.' ... 'After Agrawal's prototypes  
sprouted battery-powered flapping wings, real birds began to take an  
interest in his craftsmanship.'

Research Casts Doubt On Voice-stress Lie Detection Technology
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040211080041.htm>

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

Making Of Mouse Marks Move Toward 'Mitochondrial Medicine'
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040210075921.htm>

	'Just as last summer's blackout in the Northeast touched nearly every  
aspect of life on a societal scale, so too does trouble with the cell's  
powerhouse, the mitochondrion, touch upon scores of diseases. In many  
diseases that become more common as people age – from infertility and  
diabetes to cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases – faltering  
mitochondria are known to play a role.'

// energy is the #1 symbolic policy issue of this .US administration,
// from day one the energy task force has been pushing a certain way
// of approaching this, now very obvious, national security issue--
// without any of the actual threats involved being addressed by it...
// in the same news day it is announced the grid remains undefendable.

Slimmer $14 Bln Energy Bill Unveiled // absurd given the givens.
<http://www.reuters.com/ 
newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=4357237>

	'Progress came after Frist struck a deal with Minority  Leader Tom  
Daschle to limit the number of amendments Democrats  will offer to the  
bill.' .. 'The new bill, which would double the use of corn-distilled   
ethanol in gasoline, replaces a proposed $31 billion bill laden  with  
energy industry incentives that stalled in the Senate late  last year.'  
... 'Daschle has supported the energy bill despite opposition  from  
other Democrats because of the ethanol provisions, which  would be a  
boost for corn growers in his home state of South  Dakota. Daschle  
faces a tough race against former Republican  Rep. John Thune for his  
Senate seat in the November elections.'

// last 3 paragraphs offer a great description of the .US grid...

[and] More big blackouts likely, experts agree
<http://www.freep.com/money/business/bnews13_20040213.htm>

	'Among the few tangible steps taken to strengthen the grid, according  
to several experts, are the intense scrutiny of the root causes and  
better intra-regional communication between power providers and grid  
operators.' ... 'To spur investment in new transmission, experts argue,  
utilities need to be able to pass along more of the costs to consumers.  
And some say power providers should be allowed performance-based  
rewards for reliability.'

[and] Electricity system believed still shaky after blackout
Improvements lagging, survey finds. People will pay more
for assurances  // 'securing assurances' is diplomatic language.
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/ 
Layout/ 
Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1076627413545&call_pageid=968350072197&col=9 
69048863851>

	'And 55 per cent of those who responded to a poll say they'd be  
willing to pay higher prices for a more secure power supply, according  
to the survey by consulting firm Accenture, formerly Andersen  
Consulting.' ... 'More than one in four of the householders and small  
business operators surveyed — 27 per cent — expect another widespread  
blackout in the next six months, the survey found.' ... 'Accenture,  
which has a number of utilities as clients, paid for the survey.'

Poor to Benefit From Increased Free Electricity // social relief.  
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200402130508.html>

U.S. Army Orders Modules for Fuel Cell Train
<http://www.solaraccess.com/news/story?storyid=6086>

	'The development effort, called the Defense Fuel Cell Locomotive  
Project, aims to demonstrate a 109 metric ton, 1.2-MW fuel cell powered  
locomotive for defense and commercial railway applications.'

GM and Dow Test Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Texas
<http://www.solaraccess.com/news/story?storyid=6085>

Georgian companies increase electricity imports from Russia
<http://www.interfax.com/com?item=Geor&pg=0&id=5697006&req=>

	'Meanwhile, a source at the Tbilisi grid company AO Telasi, which is  
controlled by Unified Energy Systems of Russia, told Interfax that the  
company restarted importing electricity through the Kavkasioni power  
line on Tuesday. These imports were halted at the start of February.  
This has made it possible to restore full power supplies to the  
Georgian capital for the first time in the  past two weeks, the source  
said.'

Superconducting discovery may have a huge impact
<http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/ 
1076585400210600.xml>

	'Although the wire operates at a temperature only about 30 degrees  
warmer (on the Fahrenheit scale) than the conventional niobium  
superconductors used in today's MRI machines (which use liquid helium),  
it requires far smaller refrigeration systems and less insulation.' ..  
'That means that MRI machines potentially could be smaller as well as  
cheaper. It would be practical to make a machine that could image a  
single limb - for example, a fractured arm - instead of a whole body.'  
.. 'Particle accelerators could also benefit from the new  
superconductor. The new material means you can make stronger magnets.  
That would allow you to make more compact accelerators or increase the  
power of existing accelerators.' .. 'The wire might also be useful in  
superconducting transmission systems, helping to move power across the  
grid at a lower cost than possible with today's helium-cooled  
superconductors.'

Boozy reactor hikes hydrogen hopes
Getting hydrogen from alcohol could make for greener energy.
<http://www.nature.com/nsu/040209/040209-13.html>

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

People lie more on the phone than by email
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994663>

	'Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to  
conveying the truth. The first study to compare honesty across a range  
of communications media has found that people are twice as likely to  
tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails.' .. 'The fact  
that emails are automatically recorded - and can come back to haunt you  
- appears to be the key to the finding.'

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

// this is almost like downloading of new ringtones for cellphones...

Altering Your Engine With New Chips // autohacks... road hazards?
<http://nytimes.com/2004/02/13/automobiles/13CHIP.html>

	'Mr. Farrell is just one of an increasing number of car owners using  
computer chips or software downloads to get better performance from   
their cars. E-mechanics are reprogramming  systems to overwrite factory  
settings and take advantage of  higher-octane gasoline. That allows  
advanced timing, increased power, sometimes even better  mileage.' ...  
'Partly to combat hackers, many carmakers are using encrypted chips in  
new models or, like Toyota, have done away with removable memory chips  
altogether. That has the e-mechanics shifting strategies, either by  
downloading new software directly into the computer's hard drive  or  
attaching separate electronic devices that piggyback on the  
factory-installed control module and override it...'

Robot balloons could explore Mars // via macsurfer.com
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3475817.stm>

	'"The ability of long-duration guided planetary balloons to alter  
their flight path in the atmosphere, to deploy surface probes, and to  
carry out detailed reconnaissance make them a very powerful tool for  
future Mars exploration," said Dr Alexey Pankine, project scientist at  
the Global Aerospace Corporation.'

U.S.-Gov't TV Station Draws Arab Fire
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-mideast- 
whose-news,0,6262118.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>

	'Even before its first broadcast, a satellite television station  
financed by the U.S. government and directed at Arab viewers is drawing  
fire in the Middle East as an American attempt to destroy Islamic  
values and brainwash the young.' ... 'Abu-Bakr condemned al-Hurra as  
"part of the American media and cultural invasion of our region." Arab  
journalists also have widely criticized al-Hurra in editorials and  
columns as unwanted or even dangerous propaganda.' .. 'Norman Pattiz, a  
member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs al-Hurra as  
well as the Voice of America radio network, dismissed the criticism,  
saying the station is about news, not propaganda.' ... 'Rami G. Khouri,  
executive editor of Lebanon's The Daily Star, expects Al-Hurra to  
"exacerbate the gap between Americans and Arabs, rather than close  
it."' ... 'Al-Hurra is America's answer to the popular all-news Arab  
satellite networks it accuses of fanning anti-American sentiments, such  
as Al Jazeera.'

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

Researcher uses math formulas for marriage // url
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2004/02/13/marraige/>

// lightspeed data + fiber-optics + quantum crypto = infrastructure?

What a Little Red Light Can Do
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/ 
0,1282,62257,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_9>

	'The Intel researchers built a device called a modulator, which  
switches light into patterns that translate into the ones and zeros of  
the digital world.' .. 'A light beam was split into two as it passed  
through the silicon, which has tiny transistor-like devices that alter  
light. When the beams are recombined and exit the silicon, the light  
goes on and off at a frequency of 1 GHz, or a billion times a second.'  
.. 'Infrared light is used because it can pass through silicon.'

Researchers Pinpoint Brain Areas That Process Reality, Illusion
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040210074550.htm>

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

Robot invasion puts people out of work, thankfully
<http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2004-02-12-rise- 
robots-rise_x.htm>

	'IRobot boasts making 80% of the robots ever built in the United  
States.' ... '"There will be multibillion-dollar companies in the  
robotics space. I believe we can become one of them. I also believe we  
are going to be the leading one," Grunier said.'

// a school in every computer, future of computer-based learning?
// new core-curricula could end up changing text book industry...
// if designed around human-computer interaction 'reasoning' would
// be more near-term and practicable in fostering human inquiry...

Vulcan project aims to build 'Digital Aristotle' // via NewsScan
<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/ 
2001856160_halo12.html>

	'No one knows if it is technologically possible, or economically  
practical, and even the optimists say it will take decades to perfect.  
But Allen's private investment company, Vulcan, is announcing today  
that it is willing to bankroll three competing research teams from  
around the world for what it calls "Project Halo," a quest over the  
next 30 months to create a computerized tutor that's smart enough to  
pass college-level Advanced Placement (AP) tests in chemistry, biology  
and physics.'

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

United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
Electricity Network Rehabilitation Programme (ENRP) in Northern Iraq
<http://www.enrp.undp.org/>

// any environmental reviews conducted with climate-device before use?

'Sonic gun' tested as hailstorm suppressor // 'ionized shock waves'
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994659>

	'A device intended to suppress hailstorms by blasting out sound waves  
is being tested in the US by the car manufacturer Nissan. The company  
hopes to protect the large fleet of new vehicles made at its plant in  
Canton, Mississippi, from the damage that can be caused by falling  
hailstones.' ... 'The system is said to have a range of 15,000 metres  
and to generate 120 decibels of noise at ground level when in use. It  
is also said to switch on automatically when weather conditions  
conducive to hailstorms are detected.'

// paint-on Electromagnetic Shielding, and spray-on antennas...
// shielding can limit 'emissions' that can be read at a distance
// and some kinds of hard shielding is apparently used in the .mil
// sector for post-nuclear operations, such as if an EMP (pulse)
// bomb went off in the atmosphere, a car ignition (nor much else
// that is electronic) would work. so it is guessed that when the
// .mil specifies/specs equipment it includes similar upgrades. it
// may be that in the future more and more consumer devices will be
// built with shielding of essential computer equipment, to deter
// EM stormsurges from ruining critical civilian infratructures...
// then again, so too with security and encryption and e-commerce
// and business and private exchanges over wide-open internetworks.

Unishield | Unitech // EM shielding. Urls via cryptome.org
Revolutionary Coating Systems for Electromagnetic Manipulation
<http://www.unishield.com/app.htm>

	'Electronics: ...As electronic devices become smaller and more  
powerful, it is increasingly more difficult to shield the resulting  
electro-static and electro-magnetic discharges that concern users. When  
incorporated into the housings and cabinets, Unishield effectively  
shields in excess of 90% of the electronic discharges without the use  
of heavy, bulky metallic shielding.' .. 'Security: ...Banks, financial  
centers, computer rooms, radar facilities and other sensitive areas  
with national security concerns that demand secure communication and  
data transmission can use a Unishield based system to effectively and  
unobtrusively create S.C.I.F. and other tempest-based facilities to  
protect against atmospheric data theft, eavesdropping, or electronic  
espionage.'

[and] Paint-on antenna concept from Unitech // POAA...
<http://www.sae.org/aeromag/techupdate/11-2001/page4.htm>

	'According to Walthall, the military has also shown some interest in  
the technology. Unishield can create an electrical field that can be  
specifically tuned to absorb or reflect radar frequencies.  It can be  
formulated to create a magnetic field or to establish a 3-D surface  
that can scatter radar signals, thereby reducing aircraft and ship  
signatures...'

CONTRACT SPORT by JANE MAYER
What did the Vice-President do for Halliburton? // another quote...
<http://www.newyorker.com/printable/?fact/040216fa_fact>

	'It is unclear what special expertise S.A.I.C. brings to several of  
its contracts. One company executive, who asked not to be named, said  
that its chief credential for setting up what was supposed to be an  
independent media for Iraq, modelled on the BBC, was military work in  
"informational warfare"—signal jamming, "perception management," and  
the like.'

New Iran nuclear designs 'found':  United Nations inspectors have
found a new uranium centrifuge design type in Iran, officials say.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3482073.stm>

[and] Undeclared Centrifuge Design Found in Iran
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-un-nuclear- 
agency-iran,0,145280.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>

	'Chief U.N. nuclear inspector Mohamed ElBaradei, in comments published  
Thursday, said he shared Bush's concerns over the nuclear black market  
and urged the United States and other nuclear powers to do more to stop  
the spread of nuclear arms.' .. 'Also Thursday, China declared its  
support for Bush's call for steps to halt illicit arms trafficking,  
saying it had a "common interest" with Washington in fighting the  
spread of weapons of mass destruction. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman  
Zhang Qiyue said Beijing would take "effective measures" to enforce  
recently issued rules against exports of weapons technology by Chinese  
companies.' ... '... the diplomats, who spoke on condition of  
anonymity, said Iran did not volunteer the designs. Instead, they said,  
IAEA inspectors had to dig for them.'

[and] U.N. Agency Eager to End Spread of Nukes // IAEA
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-nuclear- 
agency-bush,0,4201734.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>

	'"I have the same concern and sense of urgency expressed by President  
Bush to shore up the nonproliferation regime and global security  
system," ElBaradei said in a brief statement released by his  
headquarters in Vienna.' ... 'In the piece, ElBaradei suggested that  
the United States is itself part of the problem of nuclear  
proliferation and urged Washington and the five declared nuclear powers  
to fulfill their obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty  
to abandon their nuclear weapons programs.'

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

Feds preparing Enron charges // Jeffrey Skilling...
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2004/02/13/enron/>

Massive turnout tipped for Middle East  Electricity Expo--
Turning all the lights back on in Iraq and helping the GCC countries
offset power shortages will be under the spotlight at Middle East
Electricity, the region's leading energy expo' and forum.
<http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/34680.html>

	'Over 700 companies from 43 countries, featuring more than 400 product  
areas will occupy space at the Middle East Electricity Exhibition to be  
held February 15-18 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.' ...  
'Woodbridge revealed this year's Middle East Electricity boasts a long  
awaited return from Finland, after an absence of eight years. China is  
making its debut with a national pavilion and its presence will be  
substantial.' .. 'There will be 15 national pavilions at the show  
including Germany, U.K. Italy, Turkey and Spain all of which will have  
an increased presence on previous appearances.'

[and]  Energy Conference Brings Together Rivals to Promote
Electricity Competition:  "Supply-Side" Guru Arthur Laffer
to Discuss Energy, Globalization During War // Illinois specific.
<http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/ 
index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040213005407&newsLang=en>

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

Virtual reality brings past to life: The models can be explored
in real-time  Virtual museums could offer a way of travelling
back in time to experience the past, say researchers.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3472589.stm>

	'The researchers used architectural plans, together with high  
resolution photography and video to create the virtual models of the  
mosques.' .. 'As well as the buildings, they also created virtual  
humans, including an imam, to simulate what Friday prayers would have  
been like in the Ottoman era.' .. 'The models can be explored in  
real-time using a mouse, either zooming in on a detail in the mosaics  
on the wall or pulling back to get an overview of the interior of the  
mosque.'

BOOK: The Virtual Score: Representation, Retrieval, Restoration
by Walter B. Hewlett (Editor), Eleanor Selfridge-Field (Editor)
<http://www.amazon.com/>

	'The Virtual Score  examines a broad range of approaches to working  
with musical scores in ways suited to electronic distribution. The  
first section, on musical representation and interchange, discusses  
early music and its multiple editorial stances, scores in Braille  
musical notation (with and without NIFF), the GUIDO format for  
"adequate" (as opposed to comprehensive) music representation,  
Extensible Markup Language (XML) and music, and the latest methods for  
distributing scores online. The second section discusses retrieval  
and/or analysis of data from encoded melodies. The final section  
discusses the use of image-processing software to restore lost features  
of primary sources of music prints and manuscripts, to archive the  
original and/or restored images, and, in some cases, to facilitate  
electronic access to the images.'

Electrical Power Historical Museum // historical e-objects wanted.
<http://www.tepco.co.jp/rd/shiryokan-e/about-e.html>

	'Tokyo Electric Power Company has opened Electric Power Historical  
Museum to make public the historical items we have collected concerning  
electric engineering, electric service facilities, and electric power  
supply services. The Museum has been designed to enable visitors to  
trace the 100-year history of the Japanese electric power industry,  
which has always focused on securing a stable supply of electric power  
for Japan as well as caring for the environment. The Museum holds a  
large collection of actual historical objects to help visitors  
appreciate the importance of manufacturing, as well as the roles of the  
electrical machinery and appliance industries in producing essential  
components such as generators and transformers.'

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