~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #96
From
brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Tue, 30 Mar 2004 21:38:49 -0600
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #96
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (3/30/2004)
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-- no comments.
===================================================
01) --top stories--
---------------------------------------------------
// as said in the last newsletter, the idea of a gas tax is equivalent
to 'sin'
// in the .US due to private lobbies which think only in short-term
outlooks.
// what has been said for 30 years has been an 'energy tax' which would
bring
// reasonable consumption into line with rising costs and demands--
such that
// those who use more energy pay more for the energy, and it is not
spread out
// across everyone as a subsidization of unsustainable growth (rather,
decay).
// in the stock market they have such things, called 'circuit breakers'
and
// elsewhere similar terminology describes what an accurate energy
accounting
// could have on balancing overheated demand with ever more limited
supplies.
// it is an unrefutable fact that energy supplies will not meet .US
demands
// for cheaper or more energy, geopolitically nor can it be sustained
by the
// local devastation of wilderness to continue current patterns of
urban sprawl.
// the cultural bubble or mindset, that changes may not be a matter of
'choice'
// but economic and natinal security issues is dismissed over a gas-tax
vote
// which obscures the role energy policy plays in stabilizing world
relations.
// else, if demand is greater than supply, and there is no way to
fulfill that
// demand, another war must be in the offing to get those resources to
market.
// unless people and governments are willing to change, and optomize
resources.
EM-quote: Kerry, Cheney fight on taxes, gas costs
<http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/03/
30/kerry_cheney_fight_on_taxes_gas_costs/>
'At a fund-raiser in San Francisco last night, Kerry noted gas in
California is almost $3 a gallon. "If it keeps going up like that,
folks, Dick Cheney and President Bush are going to have to carpool to
work together," he said.'
[and] New Bush Ad Assails Kerry on Gas Taxes // hmmm.... wacky idea...
<http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/8311269.htm>
// the Cheney Administration must stop distorting these critical
issus...
[Exhibit A] Oil futures -- The world could again feel the pressure
of Opec's hand on the petrol pump, writes William Keegan
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/economicdispatch/story/
0,12498,1182138,00.html>
'So the roundabout of the market has, to some extent, compensated oil
producers for the downward swing in the dollar. But although the dollar
has staged the odd rally recently, few serious analysts seriously
believe it is destined to recover to its previous levels in the
foreseeable future in light of the US trade deficit and the pile-up of
claims on the US Treasury.' .. 'It may well be, therefore, that Opec
will compensate for the erosion in purchasing power by trying to lift
the sustainable price range. There is a precedent for price hikes to
compensate for dollar devaluation, and it is not a comfortable one.' ..
'The first oil crisis, although prompted by the political furore over
the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, and the use of the "oil weapon", was also a
response to the devaluation of the dollar that took place in the course
of the breakdown of the Bretton Woods fixed exchange rate system in
1971-73.' ... 'The interesting question is whether in an ideal world
Opec would like to keep the price above $30 a barrel - which could bode
ill for the Bush administration.'
// (long term radiation may foretell dirty-bomb devastation issues)
// (still wonder how someone can touch materials and sit down and
// not gather radioactive dust when leaving after such interaction).
// beyond the big egg, touring the nuclear desert...
GHOST TOWN - my rides through chernobyl area // thanks *
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter1.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter2.html
'In theory radiation will stay in Chernobil area for the next 48.000
years, but in reality first people must start to populate those area
already in some 300- 900 years. This is when the most dangerous
elements will dissapear.'
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter3.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter4.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter5.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter6.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter7.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter8.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter9.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter10.html
'The place in front of me called red or magic wood. In 1986 this wood
has been red with radiation and then they cut it off and left there and
bury under 1 meter of earth.'
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter11.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter12.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter13.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter14.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter15.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter16.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter17.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter18.html
'it is last day of Pompei sort of place.'
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter19.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter20.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter21.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter22.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter23.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter24.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter25.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter26.html
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/chapter27.html
[and] Ukrainian Nuclear Reactor Is Shut Down
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-ukraine-
nuclear,0,4560479.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
Nuclear inspectors return to Iran // nuclear diplomacy...
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3575165.stm>
// sounds similar to an earlier discarded theory of the aether/aetheric
wind...
Researchers Suggest That 'Dark-Matter Highway' May Be Streaming Through
Earth
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040325071616.htm>
'As Earth orbits around the center of the galaxy, the planet flies
through this cloud of dark matter. As that happens, billions of these
weakly interacting (and therefore difficult to detect) particles could
be passing through each of our bodies every second.'
[ref.] The Michelson-Morley Experiment
<http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/lectures/michelson.html>
'Michelson calculated that an aether windspeed of only one or two
miles a second would have observable effects in this experiment, so if
the aether windspeed was comparable to the earth's speed in orbit
around the sun, it would be easy to see. In fact, nothing was observed.
The light intensity did not vary at all. Some time later, the
experiment was redesigned so that an aether wind caused by the earth's
daily rotation could be detected. Again, nothing was seen. Finally,
Michelson wondered if the aether was somehow getting stuck to the
earth, like the air in a below-decks cabin on a ship, so he redid the
experiment on top of a high mountain in California. Again, no aether
wind was observed. It was difficult to believe that the aether in the
immediate vicinity of the earth was stuck to it and moving with it,
because light rays from stars would deflect as they went from the
moving faraway aether to the local stuck aether.' .. 'The only possible
conclusion from this series of very difficult experiments was that the
whole concept of an all-pervading aether was wrong from the start.
Michelson was very reluctant to think along these lines.'
[and] Michelson-Morley Experiments Revisited and
the Cosmic Background Radiation Preferred Frame
<http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0205065>
[and] Luminiferous aether
<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Luminiferous%20aether>
'Physics theory of the late 19th century postulated that, as must
water waves have a medium to move across, water, and audible sound
waves a medium to move through, air, light waves require a medium, the
"luminiferous aether." The speed of light being so great, designing an
experiment to detect the presence and properties of this aether took
considerable thought.'
[and] Michelson-Morley experiment // ~The most famous failed experiment~
<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Michelson-
Morley%20experiment>
'Ironically, after all this thought and preparation, the experiment
became "the most famous failed experiment of all time". Instead of
providing insight to the properties of the aether, it produced none of
the effects to be expected if the Earth's motion produced an "aether
wind." The apparatus behaved as if there were no wind at all -- as if
the Earth had no motion with reference to a medium.' .. 'This result
was rather astounding and not explainable by the then-current theory of
wave propagation. Several explanations were attempted, among them,
that the experiment had a hidden flaw (apparently Michelson's initial
belief), or that the Earth's gravitational field somehow "dragged" the
aether around with it in such a way as locally to eliminate its effect.'
[and] Lorentz, Relativity and the Propagation of Electromagnetic waves
<http://freespace.virgin.net/ch.thompson1/Essays/aether.htm>
'Current orthodox theory forbids any criticism of Einstein Relativity,
denies the reality of the aether, denies with one hand that radiation
is a purely wave phenomenon, whilst with the other saying that we no
longer need to think of it as made of particles [3], represents the
various different forces by different particles, and excommunicates
anyone who dares suggest that light ever changes speed (despite the
fact that this is precisely what Einstein's General Relativity
predicts!). This is a straightjacket that bears little relationship
with reality and is inhibiting progress.'
[and] MICHELSON-MORLEY AETHER WIND EXPERIMENT OF 1887
<http://ca.geocities.com/rayredbourne/docs/b2.htm>
'RAMIFICATION 1: This fatally flawed Michelson-Morley Aether
Experiment is one of only two indicators, in all of physics history,
that the aether does not exist. But I have invalidated the other as
well; the Non-Skewed Light Waves Experiment. ALL other phenomena, even
gravity force (see my complete work), are bona fide, prima facie
evidence that the aether MUST exist, just as Einstein said. With these
two invalidations, there is no standing argument against the existence
of the Aether. Ergo: The Aether exists. But neither has its existence
been proven by a specifically engineered experiment. Such an experiment
is not required in view of the overwhelming evidence that already
exists, for the aether. However, I provide several in the complete
work; that I expect will work. But I still insist that, light waves of
starlight, radio waves, heat and all the rest of electromagnetic waves,
plus gravity, are continuing demonstrations that are, in effect,
experiments that prove the existence of the aether.'
[and] Dark Matter is Ether
<http://astronomyphysics.com/read.php?f=2&i=104&t=104&v=f>
[quote] Is There An Ether? // from: Einstein About the Ether
<http://www.berlinet.de/schmelzer/PG/ether.html>
'In "Ether and Relativity", 1920, Sidelights on Relativity, page 23,
Einstein writes: "Recapitulating, we may say that according to the
general theory of relativity space is endowed with physical qualities;
in this sense, therefore, there exists an ether. According to the
general theory of relativity space without an ether is unthinkable; for
in such a space there not only would be no propogation of light, but
also no possibility of existance for standards of space and time
(measuring-rods and clocks), nor therefore any space-time intervals in
the physical sense..."...'
[and] Michelson-Morley Experiment
<http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/Michelson-
MorleyExperiment.html>
AETHER returns as the Next Theory of Space.
<http://webpages.charter.net/deww/Newdex.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
Microwaves Can Kill Off Some Breast Cancers // hopeful news.
<http://www.reuters.co.uk/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4702542§ion=news>
'Small, clearly demarcated breast tumors can be successfully treated
with microwave radiation to heat and destroy the cancer -- a technique
known as radiofrequency (RF) ablation.' ... 'The clinicians used
real-time ultrasound guidance to place the umbrella-like prongs of the
RF electrode around the tumor, and then maintained a temperature of 95
degrees Centigrade for 5 minutes.'
Buckyballs cause brain damage in fish // nanotoxicity
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994825>
'The soccer-ball-shaped molecules show great promise in
nanotechnology. But the preliminary study raises the possibility that
nanomaterials could cause significant environmental harm, although much
further work is needed to establish the extent of this risk.' ... '"We
believe that nanomaterials are eventually going to be made in
large-scale quantities, so we need to understand their environmental
and toxicological effects," says Kirsten Kulinowski, executive director
of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice
University in Houston, Texas.'
Invisible Light And Special Goggles May Improve Brain Tumor Surgery
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040329075404.htm>
Report Shows 'Unequivocal Evidence' That Media Violence Has
Significant Negative Impact On Children // behavioral conditioning...
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040326073459.htm>
'In the short-term, media violence can increase aggression by priming
aggressive thoughts and decision processes, increasing physiological
arousal, and triggering a tendency to imitate observed behaviors. In
the long-term, repeated exposure can produce lasting increases in
aggressive thought patterns and aggression-supporting beliefs about
social behavior, and can reduce individuals' normal negative emotional
responses to violence.'
Seeing-Eye Computer Guides Blind
<http://www.wired.com/news/gizmos/0,1452,62810,00.html?tw=wn_techhead_2>
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
// "Whatever you do, don't call it a [nuclear] dump," he said.
In One Small Town, Radioactive Waste Is a Welcome Sight
<http://nytimes.com/2004/03/29/national/29NUKE.html>
'"We hear the word `nuclear' and it's a good thing," said Tim Moore,
the mayor of this poor, sparsely populated town 70 miles south of
Columbia. "We're happy to have the stuff. It doesn't scare us one
bit."' .. 'For more than 30 years, Snelling has eagerly housed one of
the oldest and most active graveyards for atomic waste. The 235-acre
site, operated by Chem-Nuclear Systems Inc., is the only place in the
United States licensed to take retired steam generators and pressure
vessels, and the only one where the 39 states east of the Rockies can
send the most radioactive of low-level waste.' ... 'Standing at the
edge of a pit with a Geiger counter in his hand, Eddie Green said he
rarely worried about radiation exposure. "Around here, this is probably
the best job there is," said Mr. Green, 43, whose title is health
physics technician but who is better known as a member of "the rad
police." "You can't beat the benefits."'
Spammer's Porsche up for grabs
Internet giant AOL has ratcheted up the war against unsolicited e-mail
with
a publicity-grabbing coup - an online raffle of a spammer's seized
Porsche.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3581435.stm>
HP bolsters Earth Day recycle offer
<http://news.com.com/2100-1042-5181876.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>
Titania Nanotube Hydrogen Sensors Clean Themselves: Self-cleaning
hydrogen
sensors may soon join the ranks of self-cleaning ovens, self-cleaning
windows
and self-cleaning public toilets, according to Penn State researchers.
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040325073047.htm>
Ozone-destroying Gas In Atmostphere Increased Significantly During
Industrial Age, Study Shows // industrial age a.k.a. electrification...
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040324071553.htm>
'The team concluded that during the industrial era, the amount of
global atmospheric methyl bromide in Southern Hemisphere air appears to
have increased by 3.5 parts per trillion, or approximately 50 percent
of the preindustrial level of the gas.'
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
Top IT person at Homeland Security quits: Incredulous credentials
<http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=15038>
'The university isn't licensed and isn't accredited by the US
Department of Education as one congressman put it Hamilton was a
"diploma mill".' ... 'It is nice to know that the department to checks
citizen and tourists so thoroughly at airports, checks out its own
employees with such care. µ'
Online Security: Who's Liable? // secure dial-up, encyption needed...
<http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,62843,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_7>
'Though business groups have lobbied successfully against laws focused
on cybersecurity, companies that don't make efforts to secure their
networks could face civil and criminal penalties under an array of
existing laws and court decisions, according to security and legal
experts.'
Hot on the Trail of IT Forensics
<http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/33247.html>
Is your computer spying on you?
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0329/p14s02-stin.html>
'Along with imposing pop-up ads and collecting data about users,
spyware can change computer settings without users' consent, change
users' Internet home pages, or send them to counterfeit versions of
familiar websites, where they are enticed to give out personal
information.'
BT denies cable fire was in A-bomb exchange // telco exchange...
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/5/36652.html>
With Gas Prices Soaring, Kerry Offers America True Energy Independence;
Outlines Plan to Lower Gas Prices, Fuel the Economy // energy as
security issue.
<http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=138-03302004>
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
Kerry announces plan to control gas costs
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2004/03/30/kerry/>
'"Instead of secret energy meetings and drilling in the Alaskan
wilderness, we're going to have a real energy plan for America," Kerry
said. "Under my plan, America will be energy independent from Mideast
oil in 10 years, the fuels of the future will be less expensive,
cleaner, and our young men and women will never have to fight and die
for foreign oil."' ... 'Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told a Senate
hearing last week that diverting 150,000 barrels of oil a day into the
Strategic Petroleum Reserve "is fairly negligible" in a global oil
market of 86 million barrels a day. Filling the oil reserve with 55
million barrels to reach its maximum 700 million barrels was "a
critical national security objective," he said.'
Government to lower electricity voltage 5% // *** Argentina
<http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/international/
latin_america/8307147.htm>
'Argentina reduced the country's electricity voltage by 5 percent in a
bid to save energy, heightening concern that a shortage in the country
will prompt blackouts and crimp economic growth.' .. 'The government
said it will lower the country's voltage to 208 volts from 220 volts,
leaving users with less power to operate computers, televisions and
other machinery. Last week the government cut electricity exports to
Uruguay and told 31 of the country's biggest power users to reduce
their consumption...'
[and] Brazil sells electricity to crisis-hit Argentina
<http://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2004/03/30/rtr1317106.html>
'"There has been an emergency delivery," Rousseff told reporters.' ..
'"There is a cooperation agreement between the two countries and when
one operator asks for emergency (deliveries), energy is supplied over
short, limited periods. I am not sure but it seems that energy is
supplied over a 48-hour period," she said.' ... 'The shortage of energy
supplies in Argentina has been caused by growing demand amid the
country's rapid economic recovery after years of economic crises.'
Nation cracks down on electricity theft // .cn
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-03/30/content_1392505.htm>
'According to SERC, nearly 50,000 cases of electricity theft and
sabotage of power grids occurred in the 21 months before September
2003, incurring 200 million yuan (24 million US dollars)worth of direct
losses.'
Opec mulls wisdom of output cut
Oil cartel Opec is set to activate cuts in output of 1 million barrels a
day on 1 April - but pressure is building for the decision to be
reversed.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3576631.stm>
'The over-production may mean that even if the cut officially goes
ahead, real output may not change much.'
Carmakers Pull Plug on Electric Vehicles
<http://nytimes.com/2004/03/28/automobiles/28AUTO.html>
Amazon pipeline plan 'damaging'
Opponents of a gas pipeline project in Peru's Amazon have released
leaked
government documents to show the damage caused to the rainforest and
tribes.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3575599.stm>
EM-quote: Conspicious Construction // SOM Burj Dubai
<http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,599827-6,00.html>
'Keeping the building standing is only the first of a complex series
of problems in a tower so high. The Burj's relatively small footprint
requires a single 11,000-voltage power line routed through a series of
transformers throughout the building; Dubai's burning sunlight
necessitates coating the windows with special glazing; water pressure
must be enhanced with a series of zoned pumping stations; and, to
minimize commuting time, the elevators will zoom at 3,600 feet per
minute. Going up, that is. "Coming down has to be a lot slower," says
Raymond J. Clark, SOM's partner in charge of mechanical and electrical
engineering, "or else you'd blow out people's ears."'
[and] Conspicious Construction // Yucca Mountain
<http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,599827-7,00.html>
'If the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses Yucca Mountain in 2009,
the first stage of a 300-year project will commence in 2010...' ...
'When a tunnel is full, it will be monitored for 300 years, then sealed
forever.'
Shot of alcohol greases micromachines // MEMs motors
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994828>
Chinese dams blamed for Mekong's bizarre flow
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994819>
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
EM-quote: Truth as a Weapon By MAUREEN DOWD
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/opinion/25DOWD.html>
'Dick Cheney, Rummy et al. were on amber alert, "preserved in amber,"
as Mr. Clarke put it, obsessing on old G.O.P. issues that had been hot
when they were last in power, like a menacing Saddam and a Star Wars
missile shield to protect America from the awesome might of the Evil
Empire.'
EM-quote: A Glance at State of Arab Democracy // free media,
democracy...
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-arabs-
democracy-glance,0,533910.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
'QATAR: Promising parliamentary elections after holding first
municipal elections in 1999, with women fully participating. Famous as
home of al-Jazeera satellite TV station, lambasted by Arab and Western
governments for shows critical of governments. Qataris overwhelmingly
voted in April 2003 for a new constitution that guarantees freedom of
expression, religion, assembly and association. It also provides for a
45-member parliament, two-thirds of which will be elected and the rest
appointed by the emir.'
EM-headline: Clarke challenges Rice to reveal secret emails //
em-media...
Europe's Cold Sweat Over Kyoto
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0330/p08s03-comv.html>
Life on Mars - but 'we sent it' // contaminating Mars?
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994812>
'Most Earth bugs that hitch-hiked to Mars would probably perish
quickly, but it is not a certainty.'
Human Studies Show Feasibility Of Brain-machine Interfaces // i think,
therefore
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040324071203.htm>
'In their first human studies of the feasibility of using brain
signals to operate external devices, researchers at Duke University
Medical Center report that arrays of electrodes can provide useable
signals for controlling such devices. The research team is now working
to develop prototype devices that may enable paralyzed people to
operate "neuroprosthetic" and other external devices using only their
brain signals.' ... 'According to Nicolelis, another major difference
between the initial human studies and the monkey studies is that
recording in the human patients were made from electrodes inserted
deeper into the brain, in subcortical structures, rather than the
cortical surface.' .. '"This shows that one can extract information not
only from cortical areas, but from subcortical ones, too," said
Nicolelis. "This suggests that in the future, there will be more
options for sampling neuronal information to control a prosthetic
device," he said.' ... 'A key question in future clinical studies will
be whether humans can incorporate [prosthetic] devices into their
"schema," or neural representation of the external world, said
Turner...'
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
A 21st-century protest: Text messages and email proved to be useful
tools
when a disillusioned Spanish electorate wanted to vent its anger on
the eve of the general election. Andrew Losowsky reports
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1176738,00.html>
EM-quote: Russia's Future, Putin's Legacy
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/opinion/25GURI.html>
'About one in four Russians now has a mobile phone, up from about 0.5
percent of the population four years ago, and the number of Internet
users has tripled.'
Phone TV not yet picture-perfect: MobiTV offers nice range
of cable channels, but images have slide-show appearance
<http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mobitv30_20040330.htm>
Mobile Phones to Operate TV Recorder, Says Opera
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35825-
2004Mar30.html?nav=headlines>
'Mobile phones can soon be used to control a video recorder for people
away from home when their favorite programs are on, Norwegian mobile
phone Internet browser maker Opera Software said on Tuesday.'
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
Return of the homebrew coder
Software: Most modern software is written by huge teams of programmers.
But
there is still room for homebrew coders, at least in some unusual niches
<http://www.economist.com/printedition/
displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=2476892>
Spam being rapidly outpaced by 'spim' // noise-noise ratio...
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994822>
'Spimmers bury the code in a link or file and send it to an IM user.
If the user activates the code, the spimmer can then message people on
the user's buddy list by borrowing their identity.'
NASA Uses A 'SLEUTH' To Predict Urban Land Use // EM
architecture/planning
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040326073640.htm>
'"The [IKONOS and Landsat satellite] model is a tool that can be used
for land use planning and resource management," Jantz said. "It offers
the ability to explore and visualize alternative futures."'
New Polyelectrolyte Inks Create Fine-scale Structures Through Direct
Writing
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040325073638.htm>
'The precisely patterned parts could be used as bio-scaffolds,
micro-fluidic networks, sensor arrays or templates for photonic
materials.'
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
The Isaac Newton of logic-- It was 150 years ago that George Boole
published his classic The Laws of Thought, in which he outlined
concepts that form the underpinnings of the modern high-speed computer.
<http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/
20040327/BOOLE27/>
'In computers based on binary operations, Boolean logic is used to
describe electromagnetically charged memory locations or circuit states
that are either charged (1, or true) or not charged (0, or false). The
computer can use an "and" gate or an "or" gate operation to obtain a
result that can be used for further processing.'
Robotic lumberjack dives to harvest flooded forests
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994811>
'... Sawfish can cut 36 trees in three or four hours, operating as far
as 300 metres down.'
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
Iran Hiding Its Nuclear Activities, Report Says
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&u=/latimests/20040327/
ts_latimes/iranhidingitsnuclearactivitiesreportsays&printer=1>
GM plant tracks land mines // related to EM
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,1179738,00.html>
EM-quote: Report slams Israel spy failures // similar to .US WMD
accounts...
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3576905.stm>
'Military intelligence and the Mossad spy agency wrongly played up the
risk from Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, said the report by a
Knesset committee.' ... 'The committee said there had been a serious
failure and reform was needed.' ... 'The original purpose of the
inquiry was to find out whether Israel's intelligence agencies had
exaggerated the extent of Iraqi weapons capabilities before last year's
US-led invasion.' ... 'It said they did not succeed in providing
"inarguable indications" that Iraq had non-conventional weapons, nor
did they manage to allay concerns by proving evidence to the contrary.'
.. 'The committee, headed by the Likud party's Yuval Steinitz, said
there had been a "serious intelligence failure that must lead to
house-cleaning and reorganisation".'
Russia Boasts Weapon to Battle Star Wars // repercussions of broken
abm-treaty.
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-russia-
wonder-weapons,0,1583714.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
'If deployed, the new weapon would take the value of any U.S. missile
shield to "zero," the news agencies quoted the official as saying.' ..
'The official said the new weapon would be inexpensive, providing an
"asymmetric answer" to U.S. missile defenses, which are proving
extremely costly to develope.'
EM-quote: Russia expels Lithuania diplomats
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3583017.stm>
'Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov had warned such plans would
lead Moscow to reassess its military planning, including a possible
build-up of the country's nuclear defences.'
EM-quote: Iraq War Launched to Protect Israel - Bush Adviser // PFIAB
member...
<http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_6009.shtml>
'In his university speech, Zelikow, who strongly backed attacking the
Iraqi dictator, also explained the threat to Israel by arguing that
Baghdad was preparing in 1990-91 to spend huge amounts of "scarce hard
currency" to harness "communications against electromagnetic pulse", a
side-effect of a nuclear explosion that could sever radio, electronic
and electrical communications.'
.. 'That was "a perfectly absurd expenditure unless you were going to
ride out a nuclear exchange -- they (Iraqi officials) were not
preparing to ride out a nuclear exchange with us. Those were
preparations to ride out a nuclear exchange with the Israelis",
according to Zelikow.' ... '... [professor of political science at
George Washington University and an expert on the Middle East, Nathan]
Brown says Zelikow's words carried weight.'
// it would be important to know who this weapon is to protect against,
as
// it may be a low priority given where things are today,
geopolitically.
// who has strategic weapons and who is planning to use them? there is
only
// one country in the world that is said to pose a threat, which would
be an
// asymmetric expenditure for the benefit of the costs, it would seem,
whereas
// treaties & other mechanisms may provide needed defenses, if shored
back up.
// note: this is unlikely to protect any from 'terrorist' threats or
attacks,
// if it is not state-based or state-sanctioned nor military-based
activities.
// it would be a quick-way to emtpy, by boondoggle, a 21st century
treasury if
// restarting a pointless 'race' that is impossible to compete in or
complete.
Shooting Stars: U.S. Military Takes First Step Towards Weapons in Space
<http://abcnews.go.com/sections/SciTech/US/space_weapons_040330-1.html>
'The first real step in that direction appears to be coming in the
form of a little-noticed weapons program at the U.S. Missile Defense
Agency. The agency has now earmarked $68 million in 2005 for something
called the Near Field Infrared Experiment.' .. 'The NFIRE satellite is
primarily designed to gather data on exhaust plumes from rockets
launched from earth, and defense officials claim it is therefore
designed as a defensive, rather than offensive weapons.' .. 'But the
satellite will also contain a smaller "kill vehicle," a projectile that
takes advantage of the kinetic energy of objects traveling through
low-Earth orbit (which move at several times the speed of a bullet) to
disable or destroy an oncoming missile or another orbiting satellite.'
.. 'As one senior government official and defense expert described the
program, which has seen cost-related delays and increased congressional
scrutiny: "We're crossing the Rubicon into space weaponization."'
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
This Googlebomb cost $44.75 (or three weblogs)
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/36667.html>
'For small web businesses who depend on visibility in Google or
Yahoo!, it's no laughing matter.'
How Gas Prices Work
<http://people.howstuffworks.com/gas-price.htm>
Oil prices fall as OPEC offers possibility of postponing output cut
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1503&u=/afp/20040329/ts_afp/
oil_price_040329151159&printer=1>
[and] Oil Up After Saudi Backs April OPEC Cut
<http://www.reuters.com/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=4700792§ion=news>
Gates: Hardware Will Be Free // doubtful, if resources costed-out not
obsolete.
<http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/
0,1377,62867,00.html?tw=wn_techhead_1>
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
10,000 Micron wafers trashed, wire claims // interesting...
<http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=15047>
// this place has trashed wafer artifacts for artworks, teaching....
4" Diameter Silicon IC Wafer - G13302
<http://sales.goldmine-elec.com/prodinfo.asp?prodid=6633>
5" Diameter Silicon IC Wafer - G13303
<http://sales.goldmine-elec.com/prodinfo.asp?prodid=6634>
Giant IC Wafer - G13746
<http://sales.goldmine-elec.com/prodinfo.asp?prodid=8171>
4" Diameter Silicon IC Wafer - G13302
<http://sales.goldmine-elec.com/prodinfo.asp?prodid=6633>
Large IC DIE-G1922
<http://sales.goldmine-elec.com/prodinfo.asp?prodid=2739>
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