~e; EM observations #21

[brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>]

[keywords] hybrid cars, hybrid (fuel-cell/lithium-ion) batteries,
hybrid car-software crashes, ghostbusting for fun and profit,
beyond the Simputer: Mobilis/Softcomp, rural cellphone anomalies,
PDA evolution, nanomagnetics, the rise of scripters, crack WEP,
- special section: wireless & Voice over IP (VoIP) -

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electromagnetic observations -- #21
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* all things nuclear are in the background, not mentioned in
this newsletter because it is so constant and assumed it does
not need to be mentioned, every up and down event. somewhat
like the oil situation, record highs one day, records lows
the next, one report one day saying one thing, the next the
exact opposite, etc. there are some hopeful things that may
not be in news stories but could be mentioned here just for
sake of continuity. apparently North Korea is in talks with
South Korea to get back to the table, which has some promise.
and the Foreign Minister of Iran is visiting Iraq, which in
terms of nuclear-related events and also the horrors of war,
may also signify a future shift should all things transform.
there was a big space weather blast. and the New York Times
is going to go to a paid subscription model for some of its
news editorial/content. on this last point, the NY Times is
in a unique position imo to utilize its About.com purchase,
and competing with online news may not be the best option
nor may charging for news content be the wisest decision.
all things nuclear, oil, war, media, this week's backdrop.

* hi Ron, i was wondering the same thing about the space
weather and that report was related to a sunspot eruption
that took place on friday, when sends particles throughout
space which hit earth over a period of days afterwards. and
i've not read any reports with this event though previously
there have been infrastructural disruptions due to the same
thing. on www.spaceweather.com they have 'NOAA Forecasts' on
the bottom-left of the webpage, like a weather forecast yet
for solar flares and geomagnetic storms.  here are a few
links that are interesting on that main page:

Interplanetary Magnetic Field
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour_def/glossary/IMF.html

Magnetosphere
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour.cgi?link=/glossary/ 
magnetosphere.html&frp=/ 
windows3.html&cd=false&fr=f&sw=false&art=ok&edu=mid&cdp=/windows3.html

photographing satellites
http://www.spacearchive.info/satphoto.htm

the sun's influence may give electromagnetic credence to
the idea that the moon may disrupt local EM environments
enough to change normal operations, if all is connected,
when things get strange during full moons (speculating).
there was one link about photographing satellites that is
interesting as i once saw the supply ship for the ISS (or
the International Space Station itself) pass overhead as
it was said to be flying across the sky in Northern Calif.
i've heard about amateur astronomers who photograph and
track satellites (instead of stars) and the idea of being
able to see with the naked eye a satellite passing through
the sky at night, as if a falling star, tracking it across
the horizon is to me somehow like space weather in that it
takes one context (dome of night stars) and changes it by
adding artifice, as with aurora borealis (northern lights)
being a fantastic light show, or, in EM terms, a bunch of
space dust in the van allen belts, visualizing EM environs
and an instance of this space weather - as sun spots, etc.
that's where local weather forecasts can be interesting,
if they tell you how to locate & see the satellites, etc.

* read about wireless 'bridge' routers, and it would seem
helpful if using a mobile bridge with PDA or laptop when
accessing public wi-fi hotspots and using e-mail/browsers
so as to stay behind a hardware firewall and ever-changing
IP addresses when in public wi-fi zones such as cafe/airport.
though maybe this would not do any good... still the thought
of hooking up (by wire) a laptop or PDA to a wireless bridge,
then access a public wi-fi network behind a firewall would
appear to be another layer of basic security that would be
helpful if today's gadgets (PDAs, laptops) somehow built-in
such functionality into new (security conscious) devices,
as it is hard to imagine how much trust can be granted to
security-through-obscurity before data-theft limits usage
of public wi-fi hotspots, to become a security liability
in which the public services are transformed by well known
wi-fi netcrimes with basic access setups as used today...
(that is, if it involves ID theft and credit cards, etc.,
impacts e-commerce and makes public wi-fi hosts liable).

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--urls--
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Nano World: Nanomagnet Future Bright // ** fascinating overview...
http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=101000023Q55

	'Conventional magnets act like collections of tiny bar magnets that  
line up into spirals, due to what scientists call magnetostatic  
interaction. That means the magnetic poles in a conventional magnet end  
up pointing in all directions. At the distance of about 10 nanometers  
or less, however, the esoterically namedquantum Latest News about  
quantum mechanical exchange interaction dominates, so each tiny bar  
magnet lines up in rows. The magnetic poles in nanomagnets end up  
pointing in the same direction, explained physicist Denis Koltsov at  
Lancaster University in Britain.'
	'Below a certain size, magnetic nanoparticles becomes  
superparamagnetic, which means they do not act like magnets unless they  
are in a magnetic field.'
	
// magnetic microscope with a dollar bill and PCB current flow...

[and] Magnetic sensors - a new slant on an old technology
http://www.sciencenewsdaily.org/story-4127.html

// i remember some of these from early catalogs... the Sharp pc-1211.
// interesting about early calcuators (e.g. HP) used for programming.
// then there's the whole cross-over between PDAs and devices for use
// in inventory control, such as with Symbol and Psion PDA systems...

THE EVOLUTION OF THE PDA - 1975-1995 -- by Evan Koblentz, editor,
Computer Collector Newsletter -- posted May 2005, version 0.99
http://www.snarc.net/pda/pda-treatise.htm

Mobile phone over-use leads to premature aging - study (engadget)
http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=732636

[and] Rural cellphone use may pose tumour risk // qualified doubts...
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7388

	'One explanation for this is that transmitter base stations tend to be  
more spread out in rural areas as compared with towns, say the authors,  
led by Lennart Hardell at the University of Örebro in Sweden. As a  
result, the phones have to emit more powerful signals to enable them to  
link with their nearest stations, thereby exposing the user to more  
powerful radio waves.'

Donations For New Chernobyl Shield // **
http://7am.com/cgi-bin/wires02.cgi?1000_2005051309.htm

Grassroots computing languages hit the big time -- Once considered  
simple toys by serious programmers, scripting languages are becoming  
first-class citizens in the world of corporate software development. //  
PHP Python Perl Ruby
http://news.com.com/Grassroots+computing+languages+hit+the+big+time+- 
+page+2/2100-1007_3-5705448-2.html?tag=st.next

[and] How To Crack WEP – Part 1: Setup & Network Recon
http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article118.php

Men chattier than women
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/12/mobile_texting/

// chemical battery limitations constrain new techno-development,
// & trickle-charged lithium-ion and fuel cell battery hybrids...

The Obstacles to Improving Battery Technology // *** 4min. realaudio
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/ 
story.php?storyId=4618037&sourceCode=RSS

Indian firm unveils low-cost Linux-based PCs
http://news.com.com/The+Simputer+A+handheld+for+the+masses/2100-1042_3- 
5701552.html

[and] Low-cost computing with style // image *** Mobilis, Softcomp...
http://news.com.com/Photos+Low-cost+computing+with+style/2009-1005_3- 
5701496.html?tag=nl

// this CEO sounds like a new generation's answer to Jack Welch...
// and this business philosophy reflects the opportunities to be had
// for those willing to take risks with changed and adapted strategies.
// when .US energy policy changes, those following could be at a dis-
// advantage to those all over the world, competing in the new markets
// for increased efficiencies, sustainable, green energy  
infrastructures.
// once the industries wake up to changes, it could get to be  
exciting...
// as there is not a place that major innovations cannot be had, that is
// (money to be made) by saving energy it will create new-market  
money...
	
Just my "ecomagination" -- G.E. CEO Jeffrey Immelt has pledged to "make  
coal sexy again" with a new set of enviro-friendly technologies. But  
what if his green gamble doesn't pay off? // *** free day pass
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/05/12/muckraker/index.html

	'Gimmicky as the fetching coal miners and nature-machine imagery may  
sound, don't assume that it's all a green-washing snow job. Granted,  
there are more than a few environmental skeletons in the G.E. storage  
room that might call for creative P.R., not the least of which is the  
long-running Hudson River controversy in which the company dumped scads  
of toxic chemicals into the New York waterway and went to great lengths  
to shirk financial responsibilities for the cleanup. But the  
ecomagination program in fact reflects an admirably broad and ambitious  
effort to pioneer next-generation clean technologies, lower the  
company's emissions, and boost its energy efficiency.'

[vs] For fuel cell innovation, the tank is half full -- "Clean  
technologies" have gained a new lease on life due to rising energy  
prices, venture capitalists in search of new places to put their money  
and repeat IT entrepreneurs confident they can boost energy efficiency.  
// (role in transit, telecom, & computing)
http://news.com.com/For+fuel+cell+innovation%2C+the+tank+is+half+full/ 
2100-1041_3-5706300.html?part=rss&tag=5706300&subj=news

// this equipment would be perfect for visualizing EM fields, for art,
// research, design, interactive exhibits, mapping, installations, etc.

Scaring Up Paranormal Profits -- There's science, albeit shaky, behind  
the devices on offer. UFOs might disturb an area's electromagnetic  
field, some believe. Ghosts can cause fluctuations in magnetic fields,  
radio waves, or light. Much of the gear that ghost hunters use measures  
these things -- but hasn't been designed specifically with ghosts in  
mind.
http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=03100000N51X

	'Lured by the possibility of spending a sleepless night watching for  
spirits in a haunted movie theater, a witch cave or a cemetery,  
enthusiasts flock to these tours, so most of them sell out months in  
advance.
	'Then there's all that equipment.'

// gizmodo editor made a great point about this story: someday the
// software update could be shipped (on DVD) and put into a car-
// stereo player (e.g. DVD player) in the dashboard and update and
// reprogram the car's computer system that way instead of a garage.

Prius hybrids dogged by software
Report: Internal computer woes reportedly cause autos
to stall or shut down at highway speeds. (gizmodo.net)
http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/16/Autos/prius_computer/ 
index.htm?section=cnn_tech

	'Toyota spokesman Sam Butto told the newspaper the auto manufacturer  
identified a "programming error" in the computer systems of 23,900  
Prius cars last year and sent owners a service notice advising them to  
bring the cars into dealers for an hour-long software upgrade.'

// another view of recent GM-Toyota hybrid-tech sharing...

GM Death Watch Pt. VIII: Banzai!
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/11162659041744424054/

Penguin Books remixed -- Download the samples, use them in your music,  
submit your tracks and you could win a great prize, including your tune  
published in a Penguin Digital Audiobook. // via thingsmagazine.net
http://www.penguinremixed.co.uk/site/rmx_main.php

[non-em] got woot?
http://www.woot.com/

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-- special section: wireless & Voice over IP (VoIP) --
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* the future of wi-fi and Voice over IP (VoIP) seems to be
the clearest trend in upcoming computing developments with
a convergence of business and consumer migration to VoIP
phone services (with caller ID and other services included
in the base services, including Interent long-distance)...
along with the quandry of cellular phones and 'smart phones'
of PDA-cellphone hybrids, where different phones work with
different cellular services and not others. with a wireless
(wi-fi/wimax) based access device (phone, pda, laptop, pc)
it seems to be the trend for devices to tap the wireless
(wi-fi) networks to make telephone calls using VoIP instead
of cellular phone networks - the vision is that people will
make calls from their home wi-fi networks and even wi-fi
cafes and hotspots (airports, businesses) when on the go.
what a hellish vision, that. dozens of people in cafes all
talking outloud on VoIP telephones in public wi-fi spots.
as if that is some desired goal to hear more cellphoners,
and it would probably be negative for businesses themselves
if talkers crowd to talk on phones and drive customers away.
if it were data services or if wide-area wi-fi networks are
the 'last mile' of broadband, then maybe this is not a small
geographic location and people could talk anywhere using a
VoIP-wireless device. the devices themselves are of interest
because it is possible that companies such as Palm, Apple,
Dell, Microsoft, HP, and others are preparing new hardware
to integrate these services with home and mobile computers.
Such that the future of the Palm Smartphone (Treo) may be
a dual cellphone/wireless VoIP chipset, hopping from one
network to another. Or, the Motorola iTunes phone, if it
were to be modified in a similar way - could be a sleek
home VoIP handset that works by cellular when outside,
yet can access iTunes remotely via wi-fi when on the go,
thus the unlimited music storage streamed wirelessly with
some of it on a harddrive-based pod, pda, or mobile phone.
a big question with all of this would seem to be security,
I've heard that VoIP is not encrypted or something like
this - so all the business and personal calls, like public
wi-fi in general, is ultimately more and more publicized,
for those who care about the flip-side of surveillance.

VoIP rings the right bells for phone users -- The Internet-based  
technology is winning converts for price, features, convenience // user  
vignettes...
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/ 
20050513/RTALK13/TPTechnology/

[quote] Dual-Mode VOIP Handsets Could Take Off // ***
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/ 
0,1558,1814160,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532

	'According to a new study from ABI Research, annual global sales of  
"dual-mode" mobile phones -- which can connect to either a conventional  
cellular service or a Wi-Fi network -- are likely to exceed 100 million  
in 2009.'

[and] Wireless VoIP is officially upon us (news.com)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050505-4881.html

	'Anybody who thinks about it for even a moment knows that VoIP and  
wireless Internet are a match made in heaven, and if this InfoWeek  
article is any indication that consensus is so strong that the search  
for an appropriate buzzword that encompasses both has already begun.  
For the combination of VoIP and Wi-Fi, the preliminary favorite is  
VoWi-Fi. As for me, I'd prefer it if we just skipped the buzzword phase  
and started calling it "wireless telephony" as of today. (I always  
hated the borderline nonsensical "Wi-Fi" anyway.) Realistically,  
though, we'll need a transitional term to differentiate VoIP-based  
wireless telephony from the traditional kind. I think "wireless VoIP"  
is a good compromise.'

[and] VoIP firm Vonage tests routers for mobile service (news.com)
http://news.com.com/VoIP+firm+Vonage+tests+routers+for+mobile+service/ 
2100-7352_3-5706515.html

	'Current Wi-Fi hot spots often pose problems for VoIP users. In  
theory, someone should be able to walk into a Wi-Fi-enabled cafe, fire  
up a laptop, log on to the Internet and start dialing.'

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