~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--
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DOCUMENTS Related to Cheney Case Ordered Released // !!!
<http://www.reuters.com/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=4728811§ion=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."........."'
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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§ion=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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