~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #140
From
brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Fri, 27 Aug 2004 18:48:42 -0500
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #140
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (8/27/2004)
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--
---------------------------------------------------
Saboteurs Attack About 20 Iraq Pipelines in
Southern Iraq, Cutting Oil Production by a Third
<http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040826_256.html>
U.S. Report Turns Focus to Greenhouse Gases // *** .US climate change
(drudge)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/26/science/
26climate.html?ei=5006&en=c21c01ca7e7ccf9d&ex=1094184000&partner=ALTAVIS
TA1&pagewanted=print&position=>
'In a striking shift in the way the Bush administration has portrayed
the science of climate change, a new report to Congress focuses on
federal research indicating that emissions of carbon dioxide and other
heat-trapping gases are the only likely explanation for global warming
over the last three decades.' .. 'In delivering the report to Congress
yesterday, an administration official, Dr. James R Mahoney, said it
reflected "the best possible scientific information" on climate
change...' .... 'The studies in the report that point to a human cause
for recent warming all involved supercomputer simulations of climate,
which have increased in power over the last several years.' .. 'The
latest analysis, done at the National Center for Atmospheric Research
in Boulder, Colo., found that natural shifts in the output of the sun
and other factors were responsible for the warming from 1900 to 1950,
but could not explain the sharp and continuing rise since 1970.'
// the events of simultaneous passenger aircraft disappearing from
Russian
// radar, and thus the sky, brought back the disbelief during 9/11
events,
// the extreme sadness. in the movies there is a classic repeated
'radar'
// scene, where someone is sitting at a CRT or other terminal, looking
at
// something disappear from radar. it reminds of this fiction, though
now
// in real life as a repeated, tragic event. also, radar as a screen is
in
// the realm of one of many cyberspaces, and these are not part of basic
// discourses about new electronic-spaces, nor is TV or radio, it
usually
// remains in the mass-market consumer devices. though the virtual
spaces
// or representations on radar precede the internet and other
perspectives
// and could offer more insight into what it is when observing
screens...
[em-quote] Top Russian Official: Plane Terror Likely
<http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040826_2124.html>
'Yakovlev said the planes' flight recorders provide no clues to the
disaster. He said both boxes had shut off abruptly without any
indication of trouble, a sign U.S. aviation experts said was strong
evidence of explosions.' .. 'Also, Transport Minister Igor Levitin
confirmed Sibir airlines' report that its crew activated an emergency
signal shortly before the plane disappeared from radar...' .... '"It's
too suspicious," agreed Natalia Kozhelupova, a physicist who was out on
a national day of mourning for the 89 people killed in the crashes.
Russia's tricolor flag flew at half-staff and television canceled
entertainment programs.' .... 'Bill Waldock, aviation safety professor
at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, said a sudden
stoppage of a plane's two recorders indicates that its electrical
system was cut. "An explosion could interrupt electrical power," he
said, adding that it was extremely unlikely that another problem would
cause four boxes in two planes to quit abruptly.' .... 'The planes a
Sibir Tu-154 with 46 aboard and a Volga-Aviaexpress Tu-134 with 43
people disappeared from radar almost simultaneously around 11 p.m.
Tuesday. The Tu-134 was headed to the southern city of Volgograd and
the other plane to the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, where President
Vladimir Putin was vacationing. They had taken off about 40 minutes
apart.'
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
// constantly transmitting wireless antenna wrapped around a human
brain...
Police using wireless helmet-cams during Republican convention next week
<http://www.engadget.com/entry/4115556233487645/>
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
Bananas could power Aussie homes // via wired.com
Australian engineers have created an electricity generator fuelled by
decomposing bananas, and hope to build a full size fruit-fired power
station.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3604666.stm>
'About one third of tropical Queensland's banana crop - which is more
than 20,000 tonnes a year - never makes it into the shops.' ..
'Normally they are just left to rot on the ground, but Dr Clarke says
this damages the soil - and wastes a potentially useful resource.'
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
// wondering if advances in radiation detection devices may bring the
// technology more in the realm of hobbyists (sensors for circuits)...
Alliant radiation detector a hot item // D-tech System...
<http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4950275.html>
'Edina-based defense firm Alliant Techsystems has entered the
terrorism prevention business with a powerful new device that can
detect the presence of radiation 25 feet from a stationary or moving
source.' .... 'To emphasize the accuracy, Alliant engineered the device
to read as little as one micro-curie of the radioactive chemical
Am-241, even when several feet away. At that size, the sample is about
the size as the tip of a ballpoint pen and relatively harmless,
Hallowell said.'
New Nukes at U.S. Border
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/
0,1282,64735,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2>
'Starting early next week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP,
agents will start testing a nuclear scanning device, called a Pulsed
Fast Neutron Analysis system (PDF), that will show a border agent the
molecular construction of all materials in an 18-wheeler without the
agent having to open the truck.' .... '"If you have a brain lesion, you
can X-ray the hell out of your head and you will see the sockets for
your eyeballs, your jawbone and your teeth, but you get no clue whether
you have a lesion in your soft tissue," Brown said. "An MRI, on the
other hand, is able to locate that lesion in three dimensions, based on
a signature that is different in the lesion than in the healthy tissue.
Our technology works exactly the same way.' .. '"A lot of threats are
packed in barrels. An X-ray of a barrel would simply show a full barrel
but wouldn't tell you it was full of water, oil or explosives," Brown
said. "PFNA can determine what is in barrels."'
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
// compares powerplant with data network node, interesting conceptual
parallels.
// wonder if the idea scales; such that if brownouts are pending,
announcement
// for public to take offline major appliances or limit use, in
emergencies...
// (e.g. 'please turn off your air conditioner or you will lose power
soon.')
Selective shutdown protects nets // balancednet.strategy...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/082504/
Selective_shutdown_protects_nets_082504.html>
'Networks, including the Internet and power grids, are complicated
entities. They are made up of nodes -- servers or power stations --
that connect to greater or lesser degrees with other nodes, and they
are susceptible to cascade failures, which occur when large,
well-connected nodes abruptly disconnect from the network.' .. 'A
researcher from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex
Systems in Germany has shown that it might be possible to suppress
cascade failures triggered by attacks on large network nodes by
shutting down peripheral nodes, much like a forest fire can be
controlled by setting small containment fires.' .... 'Motter
constructed a model that shows that the size of a cascade can be
drastically reduced if a certain number of nodes that handle small
loads are taken out of service before the cascade effect begins. "When
central nodes are attacked, the intentional elimination of peripheral
nodes right after the initial attack, before the propagation of the
cascade, may be the key to [reducing] the size of an otherwise large
cascade," said Motter.'
DARPA to Fund Nanosys Solar Cell Development Project // scroll 1/3rd
<http://www.wapa.gov/es/greennews/default.htm>
California Approves New Transmission Line for Wind // scroll 2/3rd
<http://www.wapa.gov/es/greennews/default.htm>
'The California Independent System Operator Board of Governors, which
manages the flow of electricity along California's power grid, has
announced that it will install a new transmission line to carry wind
energy from the Tehachapi and Antelope Valley area to customers
throughout California...'
[and] Sun-Powered Homes? California Could Require It // scroll 2/3rd
'The plan proposes that the state give rebates to home builders who
install solar panels on new homes, and incentives for installing panels
on existing homes, according to a California Environmental Protection
Agency draft unveiled this month...'
GAS prices look likely to rise and electricity could follow. ...
Guernsey Weekly Press - Vale,Guernsey,UK
MORE than 2,000 still without electricity
Park Hills Daily Journal - Park Hills,MO,USA
PURCHASERS face 30% hike in gas and electricity bills
SupplyManagement.com - London,United Kingdom
BRITISH Gas announces sharp rise in gas, electricity prices
Xinhua - China
ELECTRICITY to Cost More Next Month
AllAfrica.com - Africa
ELECTRICITY utility asks for increase in rates
Kansas City Star (subscription) - Kansas City,MO,USA
LOOSE [semi-truck trailer] Boom Cuts Electricity Pole In Half
KLTV - Tyler,TX,USA
CALL for public to fight back against gas and electricity price ...
scottish tv - Glasgow,Scotland,UK
CEZ to raise electricity prices 16 % next year
Interfax - Czech Republic
GOVERNOR'S biggest battle over electricity
San Francisco Chronicle - San Francisco,CA,USA
FIRMS to Pay More for Electricity
AllAfrica.com - Africa
ECG disconnets electricity in the Volta Region
GhanaWeb - Accra,Ghana
THIRD time lucky - Ireland to plug in to European Electricity ...
Politics.ie - Ireland
HUGE electricity and gas price hike
IrishExaminer.com (subscription) - Ireland
DOHAR villages get electricity
Financial Express.bd - Bangladesh
// the remark below is, essentially, what becomes very clear in reading
// histories of electricity, and it goes far beyond the internet to all
// aspects of the now electrified society, understanding by looking back
// at how things were, how and why they evolved the way they did, etc...
Dark light or benevolent force?: Book details the history of
electricity // **
<http://www.zwire.com/site/
news.cfm?newsid=12782273&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=100731&rfi=6>
'In "Dark Light," written by Linda Simon, echoes of the Internet
abound. Anyone who has ever heard a hyped-up testimonial about the Web
would recognize claims made by champions of the telegraph: It would be
a force for democratization; it would render the postal system
antiquated; it would "annihilate space and time."' .. '"All through the
book, doing the research, I felt like I was reading yesterday’s paper,"
said Simon, an English professor at Skidmore College in Saratoga
Springs.' .... '"Initially, electricity was not a silent, invisible
force," Simon said. "If you turned on a light switch, often there would
be sparks. The wires buzzed and crackled. So you had this constant
sense there was this threat."'
[and] POWER for the People: A history of electricity in Sydney // ***
On Line opinion - Australia
<http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2485>
'And so, much to everyone's surprise, the lights first came on all
over what is now the CBD. People scurrying through the rain at first
thought it was a particularly bright flash of lightning. But it stayed
on.' .... 'Sydney would never be the same again.' .... 'By the end of
1904, although the street lighting was being extended to areas such as
Kings Cross, the general population had no conception of the future
uses of electricity. They still cooked on fuel stoves or with gas, they
still lit gas lamps or candles in their homes, they still stoked their
coppers with wood and coal, and manufacturers still used steam to drive
their machinery.' .. 'The task of converting Sydney to electricity
wasn't made any easier by the fierce competition from the Australian
Gas Light Company (the AGL), which, in an effort to preserve its
monopoly, began a smear campaign, hinting that electricity was
dangerous and leaked through the ground, despite the fact that it was
quite the opposite - gas was the one that leaked.' .... 'Fleets of
repair vans plied the suburbs, and door-knocking salesmen exhorted Mrs
Sydney to show them her kitchen. Once in the kitchen, the salesman
would pull out a plan of an ultra-modern "all-electric kitchen" and try
to sign up the housewife.'
---------------------------------------------------
06-- Electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
[em-quote] Electricity breathes life into Alvin depot // em-language...
<http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=25d25afc09f6cf43>
'A piece of Alvin’s history has been asleep since the mid-1990s. A
jolt of electricity to the historic 1907 Alvin Railroad Depot on
Wednesday is helping bring it back to life.' .. '“Bringing power to the
building is basically giving a heartbeat to the building,” said Brett
Weinberger, Alvin Parks and Recreation director...'
// the use of the WWW as a campaign tool is somewhat mundane, such that
// a web campaign HQ can easily be located at a website, for instance.
// yet in an era where public debates between candidates have often been
// mediated by television, radio, and print-- the following Web-release
of
// a challenge to justify positions between candidates views and
actions,
// becomes seemingly more democratic, less dictated, and more
creative...
Kerry Campaign Asks Bush-Cheney to Explain 'Web of Connections' //
em-politics.
<http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=35268>
// it would be interesting if such web analysis graphics were clickmaps
via
// diagram software, one diagram to another, so that they can be built
up into
// a meta-map of connections of any subject. or tied into a database
somehow...
[see also] Connections: web diagram political analysis
<http://www.threetwoone.org/uggabugga/2004/swift-boat-connections.gif>
Scans show brain hard-wired for sweet revenge // *** great graphic...
<http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2004/08/26/revenge040826.html>
'Researchers in Switzerland said the brain centres linked to enjoyment
"lit up" in young men who punished those who cheated them.' .. 'It's as
if punishing cheaters is satisfying enough to motivate getting even,
even if revenge is costly.' .... 'The researchers said the instinct
likely evolved to ensure cheaters were punished during the thousands of
years that human societies lacked law enforcement institutions like
impartial police and judges.'
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
The Car that Could // ** fascinating...
<http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1640050,00.asp>
'Maybe your dream car has an 11-speaker Bose entertainment system in
the cabin. Well, the next performance car of your dreams could have a
Bose suspension system under the sheet metal. Seriously. The
Framingham, Massachusetts, company best known for audio systems and
speakers, has developed a revolutionary computer-controlled suspension
system that replaces the traditional shocks and springs with electronic
actuators. The result is a ride that's absolutely flat over the
bumpiest of roads and around sharp corners. In theory, a car could even
bank into turns, as do planes and high-speed trains.' .... 'In 1980,
Bose embarked on a five-year study of alternatives and decided
electromagnetic suspensions would be markedly superior once technology
could catch up with his mathematical model that called for better
linear electromagnetic motors, power amplifiers, control algorithms,
and processor power. He set a small team of engineers to work on
improving the first three in the mid-1980s and waited for Moore's Law
to help on the fourth.'
[google] define:actuator
<http://www.google.com/search?q=define:+actuator&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8>
US gamers dump TVs for consoles: US gamers are switching off the TV
and are turning to gaming on their consoles and mobiles, says a study.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3604290.stm>
'The report illustrates how much gaming is becoming a key part of the
entertainment and leisure culture.'
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
Computer helps map ancient Rome // via SciTech Review...
Progress has been made in piecing together the Forma Urbis Romae, a map
of
Rome carved into stone slabs about AD 210 but later broken into
fragments.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3659501.stm>
'The Forma Urbis showed almost every feature of the city from the
Coliseum and the Circus Maximus, where the chariot races took place,
down to individual shops and even staircases.' .. 'But shortly after
the fall of Rome, it is thought that the lower part of the map was torn
from the wall, probably to be burned in kilns to make lime for cement.'
.. 'It may have lain for centuries as just a heap of jumbled fragments,
occasionally plundered for other building works.' .. 'During the
Renaissance, some recognised its importance, but still the pieces
continued to be dispersed.'
The Cosmic Revolution:
Task Force Outlines Role Of Particle Physics In A New Universe
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040824013903.htm>
'The 58-page report, published in June, argues that answering such
fundamental questions requires new knowledge from particle physics.
"Quantum Universe makes it clear: These new discoveries are our
problem," Drell said.'
The Nine Questions
I. Einstein's dream of unified forces
1. Are there undiscovered principles of nature:
new symmetries, new physical laws?
2. How can we solve the mystery of dark energy?
3. Are there extra dimensions of space?
4. Do all forces become one?
II. The particle world
5. Why are there so many kinds of particles?
6. What is dark matter? How can we make it in the laboratory?
7. What are neutrinos telling us?
8. How did the universe come to be?
9. What happened to the antimatter?
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
PBS Programming Tops the List of Teacher Favorites for Second
Consecutive
Year // .US public TV press-release. em-education related. via NewsScan
Daily...
<http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040825/dcwfns1_1.html>
'PBS undertook this study to ensure that its educational content meets
the changing needs of educators. "It's important for PBS and local PBS
stations to adapt to the new ways teachers are using video and Web
content in their classrooms," said Mary Kadera, director, PBS
TeacherSource. "We also want to make certain our content is valued by
educators, a critical audience for PBS."'
// the below advance in LEDs could be used for em-jewelry, too, as much
of
// the current lighting requires massive battery power to run chips,
displays
// in relation to what is likely possible, given advances. a nano
16-segement
// display could potentially run off smaller batteries or micro-power
sources.
Nanocrystals spark efficient LEDs
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/082504/
Nanocrystals_spark_efficient_LEDs_Brief_082504.html>
'The nanoscale lights use very little power and can be made in
different colors simply by varying the sizes of the nanocrystals.' ..
'The microscopic light-emitting diodes could eventually be used in
nanoscale optics, including light-based computer chips. Large numbers
of the microscopic lights could also be used as ultra-high efficiency
lights, including street lighting, according to the researchers.'
Photosynthesis drives solar cell
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/082504/
Photosynthesis_drives_solar_cell_Brief_082504.html>
'Plants and photosynthetic bacteria contain molecules that convert
photons to energy very efficiently. The trick to harnessing these
molecules for solar cells is marrying these relatively delicate
molecules with electronics.' .... 'When light shines on the spinach
leaf molecules and photosynthetic bacteria they produce an electrical
current that is captured by electrical contacts.'
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
FBI Probes Pentagon Spy Case // mole surfaces. Iraq war (office special
plans?)
<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/27/eveningnews/main639143.shtml>
Legal Document // (relates to war, oil, geography, business, terrorism)
<http://cryptome.org/alamoudi.htm>
Electric Bullet // via engadget.com
<http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/
view.php3?type=article&article_id=218392332>
'The bullet is constructed of piezoelectric material , used in car
starters and stove or cigarette lighters, where a spark ignites gas.
"We've taken a larger piece of that material and encapsulated it in a
bullet," LeBourgeois explains. On impact, it discharges from a live
round of ammunition and has the capacity to be lethal.'
Israeli Arrow missile fails to hit target in California test //
drudgereport.com
<http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/10513451p-11432567c.html>
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
Oil Sinks on Iraq, Gold Closes Steady
// (Seth Jayson loves most places in Europe, but he fears
// the lingering Red menace.) and DRM futures-market...
Europe's New War With America // digital rights management (DRM)
<http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2004/mft04082615.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
The Search Engine Belt Buckle // very funny D.I.Y. project...
<http://www.engadget.com/entry/6833839062762584/>
Tech and Art Mix at RNC Protest
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,64720,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3>
'"To me, social issues are technical issues, and vice versa,"
[Jeremijenko] said, as her rabbit, Sally, skittered across the hardwood
floors. "So I'm interested in how do you exploit technology for just
social policies."'
BIT CAB [CAB]
<http://www.bureauit.org/cab/>
'This wireless GPS based infrastructure on taxi cab roofs is currently
used for neighborhood corporate advertising, sports, weather and
financial data. In Bureau evaluation, this system has under-exploited
spatial and temporal potential. The Bureau has secured access to the
signage and will be inserting critical location-based data such as
detail of toxic residues at current GPS position of the vehicle; and
realtime news alerts for street-based public actions.'
[and] taxiroof // bureau of inverse technology
<http://www.bureauit.org/images/taxi_roof.jpg>
===================================================
* to subscribe to the electronetwork-list, send
an e-mail to lists@openflows.org with the
following command in the body of the message:
subscribe electronetwork-l
* to unsubscribe:
unsubscribe electronetwork-l
* questions and suggestions: info @ electronetwork.org
---------------------------------------------------
please forward to your friends and colleagues
---------------------------------------------------
the electromagnetic internetwork-list
electromagnetism / infrastructure / civilization
archives.openflows.org/electronetwork-l
http://www.electronetwork.org/list/