~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #97

From brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>
Date Fri, 2 Apr 2004 11:24:22 -0600


===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #97
===================================================

00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (4/02/2004)

01) Top Stories of Electromagnetism
02) Electromagnetic health & safety
03) Electromagnetic trash & treasure
04) Electromagnetic security & surveillance
05) Electromagnetic power & energy
06) Electromagnetic current & human affairs
07) Electromagnetic transport & communication
08) Electromagnetic matter & information
09) Electromagnetic trends & inventions
10) Electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
11) Electromagnetic business & economics
12) Electromagnetic artworks & artifacts

===================================================
00) --commentary-- urls


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

DOCUMENTS Related to Cheney Case Ordered Released // !!!
<http://www.reuters.com/ 
newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=4728811&section=news>

	'In an opinion released late on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paul  
Friedman ordered seven government agencies including the Department of  
Energy, Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management to  
hand over pertinent documents by June 1.' ... 'The task force produced  
a policy paper calling for more oil and gas drilling and a revived  
nuclear power program.'

[and] Judge orders release of energy documents // "the poetry, the  
poetry..."
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/ 
apwashington_story.asp?category=1151&slug=Cheney%20Energy>

	'Friedman's order deals with agencies that are subject to the federal  
Freedom of Information Act. Federal agencies must turn over more  
documents by June 1 or explain to the judge why they cannot, Friedman  
said.' .. 'The Energy Department and other agencies have turned over  
some 40,000 documents since another federal judge ordered them to do so  
in 2002, but have withheld an estimated 100,000 additional documents  
that may be relevant to the Judicial Watch-Sierra Club lawsuit,  
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said Thursday.' .. 'It is not clear  
how many of those documents might be covered by Friedman's order. He  
agreed with agency lawyers that in some instances certain documents  
were exempt from the FOIA request or may not exist at all.' .. 'The  
judge disagreed, however, with their contention that records of  
communication between federal agencies and the task force are  
automatically exempt. He also ordered release of records from the task  
force's director, then a civil servant on loan to the task force from  
another government job.' .. 'Those records will probably prove  
revealing, Fitton said.' .. '"This is a brushback to the government,"  
Fitton said. "I read it to mean we will finally get documents from the  
heart of the energy task force."'

[+] Radar outpost near Tetons coincides with Cheney visits // .mil  
gadget freak?
<http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/04/ 
01/build/wyoming/50-tetons-radar-cheney.inc>

	'".... His recent mission, however, was a little less hectic. Until  
last week, when the unit packed up and left town, Santiago, 40, was  
responsible for the squadron manning Operation Noble Eagle, a  
surveillance unit located at Teton Point Turnout." ... "Although  
officials won't say the outpost is for the protection of Vice President  
Dick Cheney, who owns a home here, the manning of Operation Noble  
Eagle, part of Homeland Defense, has coincided with his visits in  
December, January and February." ... "The base is a full-scale  
surveillance outfit headed by the U.S. Air Force staffed by about 80  
people. The operation includes a TPS-75 radar capable of detecting  
aerial moving targets from 200 miles away, a room holding radar screens  
where employees are stationed 24 hours a day, a generator powerful  
enough to light up a small town and several tents needed for  
maintaining the equipment." ... ""It's a city unto itself," Santiago  
said." ... "The radar works by sending out electromagnetic radio waves  
that bounce off fast moving targets in the air, said Lt. Col. Steve  
Robinson." ... "Operation Noble Eagle also is able to detect targets on  
the other side of the Teton Range by connecting with radar in Idaho, he  
said. Also, the surveillance unit has worked in conjunction with  
Jackson Hole Airport and Grand Teton National Park, briefing them of  
any activity." ... "Asked whether the surveillance unit is here solely  
for Cheney, Robinson said that the radar is for homeland defense. But  
he added, "If you've been around here long enough, you can make your  
own interpretation."" ... "In the event of an aerial attack, the  
officials at Operation Noble Eagle would contact Air Force headquarters  
in Colorado Springs, Colo., where they have a missile arsenal, Robinson  
said." ... "He said, though, that the Teton County base has  
"self-protective capabilities."........."'

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

Ultrasound Makes Waves In Space And On Earth -- Ultrasound techniques
developed by NASA to examine International Space Station crewmembers
may soon find another use helping treat medical emergencies on Earth.
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040331004722.htm>

	'Portable ultrasound machines remotely, guided by experts, can be used  
to extend medical care into challenging areas such as remote rural or  
military locations.'

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

ANWR drilling no solution to gasoline costs, Kerry says // via  
drudgereport.com
<http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/4907260p-4841999c.html>

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

Explosions rattle BP refinery in Texas City // [inmages]. via  
drudgereport.com
<http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2476496>

	'The Texas City refinery is the largest in the BP system and the  
third-largest refinery in the United States, so the blast helped stoke  
a brief runup in gasoline futures today to an all-time high of $1.1770  
a gallon in early trading.' .. 'But only 5 percent of the plant's  
production was affected by the blast, Clawson said, and reports that  
production was almost back to normal today soothed traders' concerns  
about a shortage. The refinery can handle more than 460,000 barrels of  
crude oil daily.' .. 'The refinery sends feedstocks to BP's adjacent  
chemical plant. Those feedstocks are used to produce paraxylene,  
styrene, polybutane, propyylene, metaxylene and multigrade solvents.'

// is a normal x-ray equivalent to standing in the sun for 1,000 hours,  
then?

Giant X-ray used in drugs search
A 7ft-tall X-ray machine was used for the first time by police
who arrested 35 people during a raid on two pubs in north-west London.

	'The machine shows a "graphic" image of the suspect minus their  
clothes.' ... 'It shows up anything hidden under the clothes, including  
metal, plastic or ceramic guns, wooden clubs and coshes, explosives or  
drugs.' ... 'Police say the radiation used by the machine is 1,500  
times less than a normal chest X-ray, or the equivalent of standing in  
the sun for 40 minutes.'

Cybersecurity Group Gives Advice:  Vendors, federal agencies
join forces to protect Net infrastructure, quash bugs.
<http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,115509,00.asp>

[and] Business calls for U.S. help in Net security
<http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2004/04/01/rtr1320997.html>

	'Business groups have lobbied successfully for years against  
cyber-security laws or regulations, but the task force concluded that  
critical systems that oversee power plants, banks and other sensitive  
areas may need government regulation.'

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

France, UK, Germany Criticize Iran Nuclear Plant // nuclear diplomacy...
<http://www.reuters.com/ 
newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4717398&section=news>

	'In a strongly worded statement, Europe's "Big Three" powers  said  
Iran's announcement that it was starting up the plant near  its central  
city of Esfahan sent the wrong signal and would  make it harder for the  
country to regain international  confidence.'

[and] Iran's nuclear facility erodes diplomatic victory
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1183329,00.html>

EM-spam subject: Forget about high gas prices!

	'Fuel Costs are reaching all time highs.  OPEC is planning further
cuts in production.  We have the answer...'

W.House Stops Short of Criticizing OPEC, Draws Fire
<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4715069>

	'Kerry blamed Bush for "old thinking" on solutions to energy   
problems, saying he "sent a message to OPEC that his  administration  
will continue to be complacent about our  dependency on foreign oil."'

Hopes of Building Nation's First New Nuclear Plant in Decades // .US
<http://nytimes.com/2004/03/31/politics/31NUKE.html>

Over 1000 Households to Receive Electricity // Pretoria. rural  
programs...
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200403310398.html>

	'"Electrification is a national government effort that is implemented  
within the framework of skills development, capacity building and Black  
Economic Empowerment," the department said.'

Electricity grid in north close to collapse // Turkish Cypress
<http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=13655&cat_id=1>

	'Pertev added that if improvements were not made by the end of May,  
"serious cuts" in the power supply would be unavoidable.' ... 'Apart  
from the overloading of transformers, Pertev said KIB-TEK was  
understaffed – both locally and centrally – and inefficiently run. He  
called for a complete review of the electricity master plan for the  
north of the island, and the replacement of transformers, especially in  
coastal areas.'

Shanghai to charge more for electricity on peak hours
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-04/01/content_1396083.htm>

Electricity consumption up 7.2% // South Africa
<http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimes/business/ 
business1080823129.asp>

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

EM-quote excerpted from: Creepier than Nixon // free day-pass
<http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/03/31/dean/>

	'Salon [Q] Why have Congress and the press allowed Dick Cheney to get  
away with his stonewalling tactics on the energy task force,  
Halliburton, duck hunting with Justice Scalia, and other questionable  
aspects of his vice presidency?' -- John Dean [A] '...There has never  
been a vice president -- ever (and even including Spiro Agnew who was  
Nixon's) -- who needed to be investigated more than Cheney. Nor has  
there ever been such a secretive vice president. Dick Cheney is the  
power behind the Bush throne. Frankly, I am baffled why the mainstream  
news media has given Cheney (not to mention Bush) a free ride. I don't  
know if it is generational, or corporate ownership, or political bias,  
but it is clear that Cheney has been given a pass by the major news  
organizations.'

Lightning Strikes Jet of Mexico's Fox
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-mexico- 
president-lightning,0,7555505.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>

The Candidates Are Mortal // NYT op-ed (EM-related)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/02/opinion/ 
02FRI2.html?ei=5062&en=a7762f469be856cc&ex=1081486800&partner=GOOGLE&pag 
ewanted=print&position=>

	'... medical checkups are regularly released in detail. But not so for  
Vice President Dick Cheney, who not only is a cardiac patient taking  
serious medication and dependent on an electronic device to insure a  
regular heartbeat, but also has a record of secretiveness and disregard  
of public disclosure. Mr. Cheney has certainly  seemed robust of late  
in the heavy's role of attacking Mr. Kerry's character and candidacy.  
But it's not enough for the public to hear the White House's grudging  
announcements that Mr. Cheney continues to pass his physicals. Where is  
the full report on the vice president's health that voters deserve as  
he seeks four more years of public service?'

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

Broadcasters to hold indecency summit // .US
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2004/03/31/summit/>

Google Gets the Message, Launches Gmail // webmail...
<http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040331/315958_1.html>

Regime change radio launches in the US
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3588289.stm>

Space Technologies Aid Solar-powered Global Flight Bid // ESA...
100% solar powered at 10 km altitude, flying round the clock
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040401081908.htm>

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

Credit cards tap into radio tags
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3582779.stm>

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

Venerable US companies dumped from the Dow // bellwether...
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1184111,00.html>

	'Dow Jones said the changes were to reflect the changes in the  
marketplace. "They recognise trends within the US stock market,  
including the continued growth of the financial and healthcare sectors  
and the diminishing relative weight of basic materials stocks," said  
Paul Steiger, managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, published by  
the Dow Jones company. By tradition it is the top news editor of the  
Journal who oversees the make-up of the Dow.'

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

Revenge of the Killer Drones // the ethics of robotic assassinations...
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/ 
0,1282,62893,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1>

	'The Defense Department would like to shift from persistent  
surveillance -- which the drones are now starting to provide -- to an  
always-on ability to kill, should an adversary pop up in a pilotless  
plane's sights.' ... 'What the Pentagon wants ... is a new plane that  
could knock out an opponent's air defenses; strike hundreds, maybe  
thousands, of miles deep into enemy territory; and serve as a scout in  
hostile skies ... Enter the UCAV.' ... '... the Pentagon wants the  
UCAVs to be able to do more than chat with one another. The unmanned  
planes should be able to take off, fly and defend themselves as a group  
without a human telling them what to do.'

Cold war bomb warmed by chickens // eccentric approach...
Plans to fill a nuclear landmine with chickens to regulate
its temperature were seriously considered during the Cold War.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3588465.stm>

U.S. to Sell Long-Range Radar Gear to Taiwan
<http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/292334%7Ctop%7C03-31- 
2004::13:31%7Creuters.html>

	'The Pentagon said on Wednesday it planned to sell Taiwan long-range  
"early warning" radar equipment worth as much as $1.78 billion, a deal  
bound to anger China at a sensitive time in cross-straits relations.'

Series of explosions rocks Texas City refinery // via drudgereport.com
<http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/print_033004_local_explosion.html>

[and] Emotional Elder Bush Attacks Son's Critics //  
location-location-location
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040330/pl_nm/ 
campaign_bush_father_dc&cid=615&ncid=2043>

	'It is "deeply offensive and contemptible" to hear "elites and  
intellectuals on the campaign trail" dismiss progress in Iraq since  
last year's overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the elder Bush  
said in a speech to the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association  
annual convention.' ... 'The former president, who waged the first Gulf  
War against Saddam in 1991, described progress in Iraq as "a miracle."'  
.. '"Iraq is moving forward in hope and not sliding back into despair  
and terrorism," he said.'

[related] U.S. TV Avoids Graphic Iraq Images // charred arm hanging  
from e-wire.
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-tv- 
iraq,0,7911966.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>

[and] Former Sec of State Albright worried Bush is fueling terrorists'  
hate
<http://drudgereport.com/flash1.htm>

	'...  "I now do think that Iraq has become a magnet, a gathering  
ground for all various groups that hate us."' // em-wordage

EM-related quote: Dream-Filled Missile Silos // NYT op-ed on near-field  
IR sat
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/01/opinion/01THU1.html>

	'Mr. Bush ought to pay attention to the powerful advice just offered  
by a group of 49 retired generals and admirals who say he should shelve  
his [missile defense] fantasy start-up plan. They urge that the money  
for that project be spent instead on bolstering antiterrorist defenses  
at American ports, borders and nuclear weapons depots.'

EM-quote: Cheney visits Wright-Pat // sidenote: VP inferred  
commander-in-chief
<http://www.hilltoptimes.com/story.asp?edition=147&storyid=4120>
	
	'Vice President Cheney said Air Force people and those who work here  
helped win the war in Iraq. He cited such innovations as the RQ-1  
Predator and RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles that were  
developed here and played an instrumental role in the war....' ...  
"This nation has confidence in your abilities," [Cheney] said.' ...  
'"It's nice to know they have confidence in our abilities and that we  
have the confidence of our commander in chief," said Staff Sgt. Fermin  
Garcia of the 88th Mission Support Squadron.'

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

// previous reports indicate this is new oil territory for all  
parties...

Opec heavyweights back production cut
<http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/ 
FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1079420027958&p=1012571727085>

	'Most of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting countries on Tuesday  
favoured a cut of 1m barrels a day in oil output, despite increased  
concern in consuming countries that high crude prices threaten the  
world economy.' ... 'Russia criticised Opec, saying prices were too  
high, but Mexico said it wanted market stability, adding that the  
cartel had not yet reached a formal decision.'

[and] OPEC to cut oil production by 4 percent
<http://salon.com/news/wire/2004/03/31/opec_cuts/>

	'Analysts said the decision could boost oil prices to the  
psychologically important threshold of $40 per barrel.'

// what remains largely unsaid is that people have stated they do not
// actually know what is actually going to happen with these changes...

[and] White House Urges OPEC Decision Reversal
<http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040401/D81LMQF00.html>

[and] Why turning off oil taps?
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-04/01/content_1396256.htm>

[and] Saudi priorities 'driving oil price'
<http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/ 
FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1079420106634>
	
	'Facing a domestic struggle against suspected al-Qaeda militants and  
with little economic growth outside the oil sector, Saudi Arabia is  
increasingly reliant on high oil revenues to maintain domestic  
stability.'

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

// read on another list and have heard or read it elsewhere, also, that
// people building things electronic can find many complex parts already
// developed into children's toys or electroncis junk. one spectacular
// story was using the video-chips in videogame machines to guide  
missiles.

Making Music With Speak & Spell // *** circuit-bending (digicams +  
water, also)
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,62894,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4>

	'Ready to make some music? Pry open a Gameboy, tinker with its  
electronic guts, plug the re-engineered result into a Speak & Spell,  
duct tape it all together, sprinkle liberally with glitter, hook it up  
to an amplifier and let the good times roll.' ... 'Hacked musical  
instruments, and the distinctive sounds they produce, will be the focus  
of Bent 2004 , a weeklong festival of circuit-bending music and art  
that opens Thursday at Spaceworks at The Tank in New York City.' ..  
'"Circuit bending" is the art of modifying existing electronics,  
usually those found in children's toys, to create new sounds and unique  
musical instruments. Festival events will include a concert series, a  
gallery exhibit of "bent" instruments, how-to workshops for beginners  
and experienced artists, and a family day for fledgling benders....'

// if anyone gets a chance to go to this, please let me know how it  
was... it
// sounds like an intriguing way to learn electronics, an option to  
robotics.

		Bent 2004 will be at Spaceworks at The Tank
		in New York City from April 3 through April 10.
		<http://thetanknyc.com/bent>
		
[and] Art of Circuit-Bending // *** excellent introductory tutorial.
<http://www.anti-theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/>

	'Circuit-bending is an electronic art which implements creative audio  
short-circuiting. This renegade path of electrons represents a  
catalytic force capable of exploding new experimental musical forms   
forward at a velocity previously unknown. Anyone at all can do it; no  
prior knowledge of electronics is needed. The technique is, without a   
doubt, the easiest electronic audio design process in existence.' ...  
'Countless audio gadgets are experimental musical instruments waiting  
to happen. Circuit-bending's anti-theory approach to electronic design  
makes accessible to all audio explorers an endless frontier of original  
sound-forms to discover, and fantastic instruments to create.' ..  
'Within these adapted devices, along with the unusual voices of  
circuit-bending, are often found aleatoric music generators; that is,  
chance-music composers that stream unpredictable audio events: elements  
shifting and re-combining in fascinating ways.'

[and] Art of Circuit-Bending [body contacts] // anti-theory
<http://www.anti-theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/cb14.html>

	'Body-contact circuitry points are discovered in the exact same way as  
the circuit-bending pairs... with a test lead system. However, instead  
of the alligator clip test lead grasping a small jeweler's screwdriver  
at each end, you do. You simply hold a screwdriver in each hand. The  
search process is the same as before. The circuit makes its usual  
sounds while you listen to the changes that might occur due to the  
electricity now flowing into one screwdriver, through you, and out the  
other screwdriver back into the circuit. If good points are discovered,  
they are wired, as mentioned before, each to a metallic body-contact  
mounted on the instrument's case. These can then be touched by the  
player, creating the same body-circuit as discovered with a screwdriver  
in each hand.'

// it would seem that a device could possibly also be fed 6v power, such
// as a computer keyboard, and grab the signals sent back as output...

[and] Art of Circuit-Bending [cautions]
<http://www.anti-theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/cb18.html>

	'On the other hand, this chaotic snowballing of creative  
short-circuiting is at the essential and surreal heart of this chance  
process. There is no way to experience all the switching combinations  
as the new wiring is being charted on the board. It is not until the  
instrument is complete that it can be fully explored by the designer,  
since it is not until then that all discovered connections and new  
controls are in place at once and can be combined. At that point magic  
occurs. The instrument is explored, revealing itself in ways never  
evident during the initial, one-effect-at-a-time, discovery process.  
This is a wonderful moment.'

Seamless -- Issey Miyake saw the future of fashion. So he gave
up haute couture to become a softwear engineer. // computing loom...
<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.04/miyake.html?tw=wn_tophead_5>

	'Miyake has so far kept the patent-pending process a closely guarded  
secret. But fashion insiders recognize that the technology behind A-POC  
- the process of melding thread into clothing, seamlessly - represents  
an entirely new way of making clothes, one that has less to do with the  
needles and bobbins of a garment factory than with rapid prototyping  
methods used in manufacturing. The real effect of A-POC has yet to be  
felt.' ... '"Clothing has been called intimate architecture," Miyake  
says. "We want to go beyond that." Meaning furniture and building  
components.'

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