~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #153
From
brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Thu, 9 Dec 2004 22:27:48 -0600
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #153
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (12/09/2004)
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--
thanks Mike and Steve for photo-feedback. having heard of
people placing microphones on a spinning turntable to record
the unique sound experience, and also having seen a lissajous
exhibit in which visual patterns emerged from vibrating metal
bars, the thought came to me that a night or day long-exposure
photography could use similar methods: if a tripod was set on
springs, and a camera mounted for long exposure, then a weight
could be hung from its central joint as if a pendulum, which
could be set in motion, and in turn while the camera is taking
photographs, these oscillations may influences the imagery in
some unique way, maybe like those old paper spirograph sets.
* are artifacts of the 'early' world wide web that are
still located online equivalent to 'internet ruins'?
===================================================
01) --top stories--
---------------------------------------------------
Government Says Terrorists May Use Lasers // via drudgereport.com
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&u=/ap/20041210/
ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/terrorists_laser_beam&printer=1>
'"The most recent incidents appear to be aimed at pilots in the
vicinity of airports," Luckey said. "A few seem to be intentional, and
we're wondering why and what's going on."' .. 'Lasers can cause
temporary blindness and severely damage the eye by burning the retina.
The bulletin notes they are "relatively inexpensive, portable, easy to
conceal and readily available on the open market."'
Electrical brainstorms busted as source of ghosts
http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041206/full/041206-10.html
Holiday lights go pro // ***
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/06/bright.christmas.ap/index.html
'"I still have to put up the penguins around the campfire," he says.'
[and] Christmas lights. We love them! // holiday em-decoration...
http://planetchristmas.com/
[and] Flashing Xmas lights down DSL connection // via wired.com
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/08/broadband_lights/
'"When the lighting control unit is set to any mode other than a
steady state it may generate high levels of radio frequency noise and
may cause the broadband service to lose synchronisation."'
'e-junk' recycling still in its infancy // *** 90% em-tech unrecycled...
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/
aptech_story.asp?category=1700&slug=Tech%20Recycling>
'The problem, as Smith sees it, is that the costs of recycling have
not been included in the purchase of electronic equipment. His group
wants to mandate that manufacturers must take back used electronic
products when consumers or businesses no longer want them. This will
encourage manufacturers to keep toxic materials out of electronics
equipment...' .... 'Electronics manufactures "don't have the right
incentives now to really focus on green design," Smith said.'
Holy Matrimony // drawing by Aaron Nye. ***
Outstate Title: Communication Breakdown
http://mnartists.org/work.do?rid=37833
<http://mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_4801/
0706b3192c61fa5adc648359faf89788/0706b3192c61fa5adc648359faf89788.jpg>
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
Laptops go on sperm killing rampage
http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9569459.html
U.S. Defends Global Warming Strategy
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-climate-
conference,0,2985318.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
'At the last major conference on global climate change before the
Kyoto accord takes effect in February, the United States showed no
signs of budging from its opposition to the treaty, which requires
initial cuts in "greenhouse" gases by 2012.'
Ultraviolet rays can neutralize SARS in 10 minutes: Japanese firm
//drudge
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1508&u=/afp/
health_sars_japan&printer=1>
// UV detecting beads exist which can be made into jewelry...
[more UV] Getting Burned? Put on a Shirt
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,65967,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_6
'Based on a slight modification of a molecule that has been used as a
brightening agent in detergents for years, Tinosorb FD consists of a
UVA-absorbing portion to which two UVB-absorbing structures are bound.
Visible light is not absorbed, so the compound doesn't affect colors.
The chemical penetrates the fibers but they will not feel any
different, said Ellen Werner, a spokeswoman for Ciba.'
Dental X-rays Could Be First Step In Osteoporosis Screening
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041201082547.htm
Brain Remapping May Be Key To Recovery From Stroke
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041130235927.htm
Home Builders' Basics -- Indoor Air Quality
http://www.energybuilder.com/healthy.htm
'Recent research indicates that pollutant levels in the air inside our
homes and offices may
be two to five times higher than the air outside. Since people
spend 75 to 90 percent of their
time indoors, the quality of the indoor air has
become a major concern. Many of the adverse
human health effects arising from
indoor air pollution are still not well understood.'
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
Human activity implicated in Europe's 2003 heat wave
http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041129/full/041129-6.html
[and] Emissions double heatwave risk // powerplants.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4059497.stm
Don't Dump Your Old PDA, Donate It! // *** via macsurfer.com
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1735082,00.asp
'Laser scam' gamblers to keep £1m
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4069629.stm
'A laser scanner linked to a computer was allegedly used to gauge
numbers likely to come up on the roulette wheel.' .... 'They allegedly
used the scanner to judge the speed of the ball on the roulette wheel
and hence the number most likely to come up.'
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
WAR ON SPAMMIES // 'make love not spam'. lycos .eu screensaver
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/top/story/0,4136,78756,00.html
Major satellite in mystery shutdown
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996742
Unprotected PCs Fall To Hacker Bots In Just Four Minutes //
macsurfer.com
http://www.techweb.com/wire/security/54201306
Desktop Google Finds Holes // google security audit. via wired.com
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1730748,00.asp
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
Oil Rises on Nigeria, Norway Disruptions; OPEC May Curb Output
<http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/
news?pid=10000086&sid=afiIrZmWFtOQ&refer=news_index>
'Militants stormed three pumping stations run by Royal Dutch/Shell
Group and ChevronTexaco Corp. in Nigeria, halting output of 90,000
barrels a day.'
Solar cell doubles as battery // photocapacitor...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/120104/
Solar_cell_doubles_as_battery_120104.html>
Short nanotubes carry big currents // nano-electricty/electronics...
<http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2004/120104/
Short_nanotubes_carry_big_currents_Brief_120104.html>
Zapped human eggs divide without sperm // stem cells...
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996733
---------------------------------------------------
06-- Electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2004 // blog.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/04words.htm
UN unveils sweeping blueprint for reform // new name: the world
community
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041130/1/3oxr1.html
'"What is needed is a comprehensive system of collective security, one
that tackles both old and new threats, and addresses the security
concerns of all states -- rich and poor, weak and strong," Annan said
in an introduction to the report.' .... '[The report] outlines three
principles for collective security -- that current threats go beyond
national boundaries, that no nation is strong enough to defend itself
alone, and that not every nation will be willing or able to protect its
own people or refrain from harming its neighbours.'
New Security Pain: Radioactivity // symptom of nuclear medicine
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65878,00.html
'[The] report, released in Chicago at the annual meeting of the
Radiological Society of North America, estimated that nuclear material
used as tracers in some scans to detect cancer is gone in less than 24
hours.' .. 'But material used for bone and thyroid scans can persist
for three days while thallium used in cardiac exams can stick around
for up to 30 days, he said. Iodine used as therapy for thyroid problems
can be traced up to 95 days later.'
[headline] EU Backs Annan Over Oil-For-Food Scandal
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
Cap Harnesses Human Thought to Move PC Cursor // electromagnetic
mindbody...
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/
1207_041207_brain_interface.html
'The cap translates electrical signals in the brain to physical
outputs, which govern the movement of a computer cursor.' .... 'The
subjects wore the electrode caps, which analyzed
electroencephalographic (EEG) activity (brain waves) recorded from
their scalp. The electrodes, small metal disks about a quarter of an
inch (three-fifths of a centimeter) wide, were placed over the sensory
motor part of the brain.' .. 'At first, participants learned to use
their thoughts to direct a cursor on a computer screen by imagining
specific actions, from running to shooting baskets.' .. 'As they became
more comfortable with the technology, the subjects began to rely less
on such imagery to direct the cursor. Eventually, the participants
couldn't tell what they were thinking about to move the cursor; they
simply moved it.'
GPS havoc on French motorway // via wired.com
<http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/
0,7204,11553850%5E15321%5E%5Enbv%5E15306,00.html>
RC Aerial Photography // *** incredible images. via gizmodo.com
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302503
Humanitarian efforts boosted by satellites
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996771
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
Realization Of Quantum Memory For Light Allows The Extension Of
Quantum Communication Far Beyond 100 Km // the state of light...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041206214216.htm
// quote: 'the whole Web will not fit on a single machine', so it is
// chopped up 'so that each machine contains one part of the Web.'
// maybe google will someday become a global operating system...
The magic that makes Google tick // the googleplex. via wired.com
http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/software/0,39023769,39168647,00.htm
'It is one of the largest computing projects on the planet, arguably
employing more computers than any other single, fully managed
system..., some 200 computer science PhDs, and 600 other computer
scientists.' .. 'And it is all hidden behind a deceptively simple,
white, Web page that contains a single one-line text box and a button
that says Google Search.' .... 'Google's vision is broader than most
people imagine, said Hölzle: "Most people say Google is a search engine
but our mission is to organise information to make it accessible."'
Iris Murdoch's last book reveals early Alzheimer's
Computer analysis of final novel shows signs of language decline.
http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041129/full/041129-4.html
Magnetic field benefits bacteria
Weak magnetism shown to affect chemical reaction inside cells.
http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041122/full/041122-13.html
Statistical Abstract of the United States // power/energy/info/scitech
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html
[and] ENERGY CONSUMPTION PER PERSON, 2000
http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank30.html
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
Apple to rule family room with entertainment server? // macsurfer.com
http://www.macminute.com/2004/11/29/entertainmentserver/
Unified 802.11n Wi-Fi Standard to Emerge in Mid-2006
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1735082,00.asp
Epson developing e-paper, giant flexible TVs // macsurfer.com
http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4604
// bigger screen for translations + speaking chip => languagePod?
// bigger screen and specific universal buttons --> mathPod?
Sacre bleu! Learning French with the iPod
<http://news.com.com/Sacre+bleu+Learning+French+with+the+iPod/2100-
1041_3-5485124.html>
'Some students said that trendiness aside, the iPod has helped their
foreign-language skills.' .. '"You get more of a sense of how people
actually speak," Samantha Greene, 13, said, as she dragged the audio
files for Chapter 4 of her French textbook from the school's academic
server onto her iPod. Twenty new tracks of French appeared in her iPod
library, just beneath three songs by OutKast.' .... 'For parents, the
hope is that the iPod will become more than just the new graphing
calculator: an expensive piece of hardware required for their
children's homework.'
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
Cellphone sniffs out dirty bombs // RadNet phones...
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996766
'The phone transmits radiation readings continuously over an always-on
internet connection to a central computer. A GPS receiver in the phone
labels the data with a time and location, allowing it to be used to
build up a radiation map of a particular area.'
// non-nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, as a response to
// .US national missile defense... via drudgereport.com
Russia reveals new missile threat
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041206/1/3p2h4.html
Remote-Controlled Bomb Kills 11 in Kashmir // .IN
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-kashmir-
explosion,0,4573181.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
Series of explosions rock Madrid // petroleum stations...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4067127.stm
More Robot Grunts Ready for Duty // lethal R2D2 backing stryker...
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65885,00.html
'GlobalSecurity.org's Pike isn't worried about the Talon going
haywire. He's concerned about what the armed UGV represents for the
future...'
'Weaponization of space' not part of anti-missile shield, Martin says
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/12/02/missile-
shield041202.html
Thais plan origami 'peace bombs'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4069471.stm
Lawmaker: Spy Project Threatens Security // via drudgereport.com
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/041209/ap/d86rtnf80.html
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
Infineon Execs Plead Guilty to Price-Fixing // DRAM market...
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3443021
Where are oil prices headed? -- Experts are divided on the next
move for crude futures, and even on the factors that influence them.
http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/02/markets/crude_crash.reut/
'"We're in virgin territory," said Rick Mueller, crude market analyst
for Boston-based Energy Security Analysis Inc. "People are still trying
to figure out this market and there's no consensus yet on what a fair
price is."' .... 'The problem, experts said, is that, with record
prices, surging demand from China and India, a weakening U.S. dollar,
and growing turmoil in many producer nations, there is no obvious
landmark in the past to look to for guidance.'
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
Holy Matrimony // drawing by Aaron Nye. ***
Outstate Title: Communication Breakdown
http://mnartists.org/work.do?rid=37833
<http://mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_4801/
0706b3192c61fa5adc648359faf89788/0706b3192c61fa5adc648359faf89788.jpg>
[and] SPES--Magic Elixir Salesman
http://mnartists.org/work.do?rid=54374
<http://mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_4801/
5066307156c24534525d3f530bad0d30/5066307156c24534525d3f530bad0d30.jpg>
O Hologram, Where Art Thou? // via wired.com
Why holograms look so cool in the movies—and so lame in real life.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2110446/
[quote] Ex-Abs -- Committed abstractionists are finding themselves
irresistibly drawn to the figure // via artsjournal.com
http://www.artnewsonline.com/currentarticle.cfm?type=feature&art_id=1634
'Less known is that Dan Flavin, who never actually abandoned
abstraction, indulged a passion for the Hudson River School, painting
and drawing landscapes and sailing pictures while making his neon
sculptures.'
Music thing: Speak & Spell // circuit bending...
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000807022606/
Second Career for Old Robot: Art // Robotlab .DE
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/
0,1282,65937,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3
---------------------------------------------------
* please forward to your friends and colleagues *
---------------------------------------------------
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