~e; EM observations #14
From
brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Sat, 16 Apr 2005 12:06:35 -0500
[keywords] papal TSCM, bionic ear, classical architecture
and electromagnetism, wi-fi airships, nuclear diplomacy,
ionic ozone-pollution machines, corrupt blogs, blip game,
.CN/.JP oil drilling rights, sat.events, damming evidence,
.UN oil-food scandal, Amazon to e-books, em architecture,
gamma ray view of earth, // public service announcement...
===================================================
electromagnetic observations -- #14
===================================================
* apparently Palm (palmone.com) is soon going to announce a new
concept in PDAs (Tungsten X) which is eagerly awaited. one thing
floating around in discussion boards is streaming wi-fi music,
via remote server, to a connected, distributed device, which if
true would allow carrying unlimited music around (versus iPods
and all of it on a harddrive) or someday, possibly other data,
that is accessible and organized by way of networked services.
apparently they will also be developing a linux-based OS next.
if the new device has bluetooth and wi-fi and large PDA screen
and some keyboard attachment, there would seem to be little that
could not be accomplished in terms of information management (not
media creation) that could not be better than carrying a laptop
around, on a plane, on a bike, or while traveling around worlds.
it could also become an optimal platform for school computing
initiatives, and could be developed so as to include graphing
calculators (required in highschools), language translation
devices, e-book readers and dictionaries, among other tools
as part of the core hardware design, which is way different
than competing with cellphones and would open up the market
for conceptual innovations and bring educational purpose to
the devices beyond simple corporate data management tools.
* neologistics: technocracy-inspired acronym & new word management
* last issue wrote that the figure of speech, caused 'sparks
to fly', was em-related. it may be (bursting circuit breakers)
though upon further reflection it probably arose from grinders
and grinding of metal, though it also could be electrostatic...
* recently wrote i never have had support for the work that has
been done over the last 15 years. in the context of grants this
is indeed true, and a major frustration because it is where all
the hype of institutional revolutionaries meets the reality of
bureaucracies, and repackaging old ideologies within new ideas.
it is where philosophy meets bureaucracy and it is frustrating,
so much potential and yet all along a clearly 'public' project
never has received institutional, structural support to integrate
into existing systems while billions of dollars have gone to a
multitude of more private if not privatized projects which have
yet to fundamentally effect things in cosmic scales marketed to.
what has happened is that individuals, businesses, organizations
have been critical in encouraging this project to stay afloat,
and i prefer the support i receive, if it is indeed either/or,
because every link counts and is meaningful and appreciated,
as is every subscriber, building up the project the hard way,
independently, and it also means a lot that so many persons
have contributed with their ideas, links, meeting, publishing,
sharing works, exchanges, feedback, and offering consul. this
support has been and remains critical and makes it possible
and worthwhile to continue this work even if it has yet to
receive institutional support/funding because of arbitrary,
fickle, risk-averse, banal, techno-bureacratic group-think.
it is a project of individuals networked together, it is not
being done nor is pursued because of being given sanction to
do so. and i feel a need to thank everyone for being a part
of this project, contributing in whatever ways, as to me it
keeps it meaningful and real and i would choose this route
anyday over the intellectual wasteland of doing the ordained.
still, the hypocrisy of institutional control of ideation and
its relation to the state of the world does get frustrating.
those who help today and meet half-way will be treated in a
way different than those who've made it a constant friction.
that is, there will be rewards for making the right choices.
* trend worth noting: Apple's new OS upgrade is shipped on DVD.
CD-only computers will not be able to load the upgrade and will
need to ship the DVDs back, to get CDs in return, which may be
another dileanation of where hardware upgrades become necessity.
===================================================
--urls--
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Prank fools US science conference // *** artful. reverse sokal-hoax...
A collection of computer-generated gibberish in the form of an
academic paper has been accepted at a scientific conference, to the
delight of hoaxers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4449651.stm
'One of the hoaxers said the fake paper was designed to expose the
lack of standards at academic gatherings.' ... 'Hoaxer Jeremy
Stribling, a computer science graduate at Boston's MIT university, said
they had targeted WMSCI because it sent large amounts of spam emails
soliciting admissions for the conference.' .. '"We were tired of the
spam," he told Reuters news agency.'
// one of the more important advances in middle-east nuclear
// diplomacy could be establishing a fair point of view which
// provides accurate context for resolving ongoing disputes.
[quote] Israel, Iran, and nuclear weapons programs // ***
As Sharon renews warnings to Bush about Iran's nuclear program,
the US may be ready to turn up the heat on Israel's nukes.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0413/dailyUpdate.html
'Israel wants the US to increase pressure on Iran to give up all
elements of its nuclear program, but analysts are now wondering whether
recent statements by non-senior State Department officials signal a key
shift in US policy vis-a-vis Israel's alleged possession of nuclear
weapons.' ... 'Referring to Israel as a nuclear power – even implicitly
– has been a definite no-no for US diplomats and officials. Yet, in the
last couple weeks, US officials have indirectly called on Israel to
phase out its nuclear weapons programs.' ... 'In an opinion piece
published in Global Politician magazine, former Cairo-based freelance
Middle East correspondent Angelique van Engelen, writes that this
"might be a sign that the US perceives of nuclear issues as too serious
to condone the double standards it employs freely on other issues."'
// 'no inspection program' might work, prior to discovery. what
// could work is a treaty which outlines what would happen if it
// materializes, by joint declaration of official governments, and
// the dismantling of the program under any circumstances necessary.
// thus if a rogue program exists it separates out from officialdom,
// and local/international governments can act to enforce the treaty.
// else it is trying to stop a software bug with hardware diagnostics.
[and] Sharon Asks U.S. to Pressure Iran to Give Up Its Nuclear Program
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/13/international/middleeast/13nuke.html
'The United States has argued that because Iran hid so many elements
of its nuclear program from the International Atomic Energy Agency for
17 years, it cannot be trusted.' .. "If you think that they've been
running a secret weapons program, which is what we believe and the
Israelis believe, than what kind of inspection system could work?" a
senior American diplomat said Tuesday.'
Bug hunt to keep pope talk private // TSCM. via drudgereport.com
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/
0,5744,12849927%255E2703,00.html
'La Stampa newspaper reported that the Vatican would use US technology
to jam GSM, dual and tri-band mobile phones with an electromagnetic
"wall" covering the cardinals' hotel-style residence of St Martha's --
built between 1992 and 1996 with the succession process in mind -- the
Sistine Chapel and the 1km road linking them.' .. 'And as a cone of
silence drops over the Vatican, voting cardinals will be denied access
to newspapers, radio and television, while steps will be taken to stop
them having chance encounters with cleaning staff.'
// as brought up on the list several times before, the use of
// air-ionization technology is considered to be bad by all--
// ionized radiation, which creates ozone, in the house...
// how can it be sold and promoted as a health benefit?
Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Air Purifier May
Cause Lung Damage // *** lawsuit. via engadget.com
http://www.bookofjoe.com/2005/04/behindthemedspe_5.html
[and] Into Thick Air: Some Air Cleaners, Says Consumers Union,
Produce a Sweet Fresh Smell -- Of Damaging Ozone. But
Product Makers Insist Buyers Can Breathe Easy // ***
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45313-2005Apr11.html
'The devices, known as ionizing air cleaners or electrostatic
precipitators, work by electrically charging airborne particles and
trapping them on oppositely charged metal plates, according to the
American Lung Association (ALA). Ozone, a super-charged oxygen
molecule, is a byproduct of this process...' ... 'Jeff Asher, vice
president and technical director at CU, said air ionizers give off a
deceptively "fresh air" smell, similar to the scent just after a
thunderstorm. Buyers, he said, "think that this is a good smell . . .
that in fact, without that smell, that the ionizer isn't cleaning the
air." But what they smell, Asher said, is actually ozone.' ... 'Some
allergists said that they have long recommended HEPA cleaners over
ionizers because of fears about ozone output...'
// i think this is great, i remember the game by the noise the
// knob made. in circuit cookbooks (actual title of a book of
// electronics circuits that can be replicated) they have a
// game with LEDs that i wonder if it is related to such early
// electronics games. also, have a book of early electronics games
// and toys such as the early LCD football games, speak-N-spell,
// computers, its an archive of ideas implemented in electronics:
// http://www.electronetwork.org/assemblage/zone4/gamebook.htm
Blip // ** early electronics game, with video Alan Sondheim
http://sympa.anart.no/sympa/arc/syndicate/2005-04/msg00081.html
[definition] supercurrent: electrical current running without
resistance, as through a metal at or near absolute zero. (websters)
// is there an environmental review before putting up space beams?
US rolls out robotic broadband airship // wi-fi migration interference?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/13/broadband_airship/
'US communications outfit Sanswire yesterday unveiled concrete
evidence of its truly audacious plan to deliver line-of-sight wireless
broadband and mobile phone signals to an area the size of Texas from a
single transmission point. The company is not, however, planning a
private satellite launch or 10,000-foot-high transmission mast
disguised as a really big tree - rather it intends to deploy a fleet of
geostationary, robotic airships hovering at a comfortable 65,000 feet
above the Earth.'
// note .CN recently made a 'peaceful' oil pact with .VN, .TH, .PH ...
// such conflicts may become more likely as world oil supplies dwindle.
China berates Japan drilling move -- China has criticised
Japan's decision to allow test drilling for gas and oil in
a disputed area of the East China Sea as a "provocation".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4442537.stm
'China and Japan are heavily dependent on imported energy, and both
are seeking new sources of energy to power their economies.'
[and] Power Switch // (non-em) .CN & .JP backgrounder...
Silence, sulking and suspicion have crept into Sino-Japanese relations
as the two nations struggle for supremacy, writes Jonathan Watts
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/
0,7792,1459317,00.html
'Old-fashioned realpolitik would suggest that Japan has little choice
but to cuddle up closer to the US. China is no longer a pitiful
backward nation in need of charity. It has become a rival for regional
influence and resources. It is racing Japan to sign free trade pacts
with other Asian nations and competing for energy supplies - a
particularly tetchy issue as the rows over the Siberian oil pipeline
and the South China Sea gas fields have demonstrated.'
Surprises Lurk in Satellite Snaps // *** unique sat.map events
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,67190,00.html
'Notable surprises [captured in satellite snapshots] include a
just-erupted volcano, violent scenes from Iraq (a bomb going off in
Baghdad and a firefight in Najaf) and even a 747 landing in Tokyo,
something difficult to capture given that the satellite is moving at
17,000 mph. (See the picture gallery at left.)'
Beware of toxic blogs // ** corrupt blogs...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/14/toxic_blogs/
New bionic ear uses smart plastic // *** cochlear. via gizmodo.net
http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1342345.htm
'Scientists are building a new bionic ear coated in a smart plastic
that boosts the growth of nerve cells in the inner ear when it's zapped
with electricity.' ... 'Wallace says the cell regrowth will create a
better connection between the brain and the device, improving hearing
when there's a noisy background and making listening to music easier.'
S.Korean, Texas Oil Man Charged in UN Scandal
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8186105
// looking at the image of this microdrive, compared to a die/dice,
// made me wonder if the miniature size is the result of using new
// surface-mounted devices (SMD) or technology (SMT) in electronics.
// that tiny thing in the lower-right-hand corner of the drive is
// the entire circuitboard, with at least three visible components,
// likely chips and not just resistors which may be on another layer
// of a sandwiched circuit board. having just seen some miniaturized
// machined parts in the newspaper used in medical devices, it is
// curious if these manufacturing tolerances may overlap now/later.
Toshiba putting 4GB, 0.85-inch mini hard drive into mass production
http://engadget.com/entry/1234000717040174/
New Image of Earth, Seen Through Gamma-Ray Eyes // 7 yr exposure...
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2005/gamma_earth.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/
110721main_earth_4color_gamma_lgweb.jpg
Damming evidence of human interference-- New survey reveals the
impact of dams on more than half of the world's large rivers.
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050411/full/050411-7.html
'Nilsson says that his survey highlights the global nature of the
damming problem and notes that most new dams are being planned for Asia
and South America. Engineers in Southeast Asia, for example, plan to
add 49 more dams to the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) river, already home to
China's controversial Three Gorges Dam. Nilsson hopes that his survey
will influence decision-making on the planned construction.'
Amazon buys Booksurge and Mobipocket // Amazon PDA/e-book publishing...
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=3833
// (note: 'classicism' when considered as a poetic idea not literalism.)
// in effect: architecture today consists of 'reinventing the building,'
// and efficiencies and empirical systems (for energy, light, computing)
// are secondary to style, form, and aesthetics: i.e. ideological
conceit.
// architecture ceases to exist today in the building of buildings, as
// their cultural dimension has become largely a societal engineering
// based on vacancy of meaning and the dearth of abstract expressionism.
// that is if judging based on the 'prize' winners of today's profession
// and extrapoliting some insight into culture based on celebrity
designs.
// whereas, instead of 'building' new abstractions with assumed inherent
// meanings, the meaning already exists in things abstract, to make them
// less so, and below is the exact case for why electrical
infrastructure
// is worthy of consideration as being an architectural order as
extended
// from antiquity (the past/traditions) and used as a common referent
for
// designing a shared environment/fabric/cultural experience, rather
than
// arbitrary one-offs, which caters to a deadened and hollowed
experience.
// the electrical and electromagnetic order (wooden poles, wireless
towers,
// antennas, media) do have inherent meaning and are pure potential as
to
// what can be made of these if not just considered engineering, but
also
// cultural forms, constants that can shape and be shaped and cultivate
// new awareness and understanding of new environments we inhabit today.
// that is, the new architecture is not in the domain of architecture,
as
// of yet, nor just purely engineered infrastructure, but between these.
// and it is this archaeological connection with the past, that is the
// thread connecting 'the modern' with the previously developed orders,
// and carries within it the same modalities for cultural enlightenment
// (establishing a sense of shared context, and of universal standards).
// the supposedly so intelligent architectural elite (marketed as such)
// are unable to compete in reality with ideas that are based in facts,
// thus fictional cosmogenesis trumps actual electromagnetic cosmology.
// there is no one to hold these to account, to check and balance fact
// from fiction, truth from lies, and corruption of this establishment.
// why are 'buildings' 90% wasteful today? -- architectural ideology.
// (note: reference to 1893 exposition: it was all about electricity...
// 'white city' is electrified city, henry adams wrote: virgin & dynamo,
// yet all of this is mysteriously unmentioned in 'cultural' analysis.)
Science, Pseudo-Science, and Architecture // *** case for EM arch...
http://www.techcentralstation.com/041405A.html
'[T]he grounds for the rejection of tradition lay outside the realm of
design. Science was thought to have re-created man, and this new man
was entitled to a new architecture. For the likes of Le Corbusier,
Gropius, and Mies, the frontiers of human knowledge had so vastly
expanded and the prospects for humanity's material existence so vastly
improved as to dispel any notion of a fundamental continuity in the
human condition. In the early decades of the 20th century, a European
coterie of Nietszchean Übermenschen thus went about the business of
ushering in a brave new architectural world whose foundations were sunk
in the same sort of theoretical quicksand as "scientific socialism." In
the "new world order of the machine," as Gropius called it, the
classical Orders (i.e., Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns and the
entablatures they support) were history, period. But from the ruins of
the great tradition no new set of acceptable architectural conventions
has emerged. Certainly "form follows function" didn't get us there. Not
surprisingly, plenty of new recipes have followed in its train.' ..
'The history of modernist architecture is thus like a highway whose
exits are abstract theories about what contemporary architecture should
be. Instead of a home for architecture such as it knew when tradition
ruled, each exit leads to a dead end. So the architect gets back on the
highway to nowhere and heads for the next exit, and the next dead end.
The result has been an extreme stylistic instability involving
recurring discoveries of new modes of artistic dysfunction. You can't
make a city more beautiful on these terms.' ... ( 'For [Philip]
Johnson, there was no destination. His way was the highway. The game
was simply to get to the next exit before the herd.') [...] 'Johnson
wasn't driven by scientific concepts, it's true. He was largely
concerned with the use (or abuse) of "historical" elements reduced to
crude abstractions, or, depending on the way the wind was blowing,
their complete abandonment. And yet scientific or technological
"paradigm shifts" akin to the "new world order of the machine" continue
to be adduced as justification for new fads...' ..... 'Needless to say,
we haven't reached the end of the highway to nowhere. More exits lie
ahead. But by now, it should be clear that apart from the baleful
influence of science, and to a degree because of it, modernism has been
completely hamstrung by its realism. Structural realism lies at the
heart of "form follows function." But more to the point, modernists
believe architecture's formal vocabulary, not just the practical
purposes it serves, must be determined by its immediate cultural
context, whether that context be global, national, or regional. That
context, in turn, entails some combination or other of the reigning
cosmology, religion (or lack thereof), political ideology, and
technological and ecological conditions. This is cultural realism. But
of course divining the significance of the age is a completely
subjective business. The same goes for divining the way architecture
should reflect it. The "authenticity" cultural realism extols,
therefore, inevitably lies inside the architect's (or the critic's)
head. Far from serving as an objective basis for architectural design,
it serves as a codeword for inflicting the rarified, ephemeral
sensibilities of a tiny elite on the public realm.' ... ('Tradition
threatens the starchitect's "world," with the autonomous self -- the
godlike creative "genius" -- at the center of an eminently subjective
universe in which it is beholden to no higher reality than the self.')
two photos of a rainbow outside my apartment // em-related
http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=65004
Motorola Set to Unveil iRadio for Cell Phones
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=581&ncid=581&e=1&u=/nm/
20050415/tc_nm/tech_motorola_dc
[and] 2 Mobile Phone Makers Report Declines in Profit
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/16/business/businessspecial3/16tech.html
---------------------------------------------------
// public service announcement
---------------------------------------------------
[non-em] Toothpaste cancer alert // TRICLOSAN ***
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/
17956139?source=Evening%20Standard&ct=5
'Researchers have discovered that triclosan, a chemical in the
products, can react with water to produce chloroform gas. If inhaled in
large enough quantities, chloroform can cause depression, liver
problems and, in some cases, cancer.'
Triclosan is in:
Dentyl mouthwash
Colgate Total fresh stripe
Colgate Total
Sensodyne Total Care
Tesco own brand toothpaste
Mentadent P; Aquafresh'
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