According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, if the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) can successfully sell licenses for its new stereo vision technology, you soon will be able to watch your favorite movies in 3D with light glasses and at a reasonable cost considering the prices of current 2D home theater systems.
This new one, named PSC Stereo Animation System (PSC-SAS), includes some specialized software to speed up the decoding of digital files and a two-processor PC to decode the right and left channels. You'll also need a pair of projectors to display the right and left-eye polarized images on the non-polarized screen simultaneously, and some light glasses.
Many 3D visualization technologies have been invented in the last fifty years, but none ever had a broad success. Will this new one come to the market and will it be successful? Time will tell. Read more for other details and references.
This new one, named PSC Stereo Animation System (PSC-SAS), includes some specialized software to speed up the decoding of digital files and a two-processor PC to decode the right and left channels. You'll also need a pair of projectors to display the right and left-eye polarized images on the non-polarized screen simultaneously, and some light glasses.
Many 3D visualization technologies have been invented in the last fifty years, but none ever had a broad success. Will this new one come to the market and will it be successful? Time will tell. Read more for other details and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:30 PM | Comments (1) Links to this post |
Molecular Electronics on Silicon
In order to build ever smaller electronic circuits, the semiconductor industry will have some day to move from current lithography technologies to something different, such as molecular electronics. This new process is pioneered by a group of engineers at Northwestern University. They are using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to precisely align multiple types of molecules on a silicon surface at room temperature. Their nanofabrication process will soon lead to molecular transistors or light-emitting diodes. As this new process works at room temperature, this means it is possible to integrate it with current technologies. Putting it in another way, in some future, we'll still be able to look at the screens of our computers, but we'll not see the chips inside, even with a home microscope. Read more for more details and great pictures.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:28 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Nanotubes that Form 'Nanocarpets' and Kill Bacteria
By mixing a salt compound with an hydrocarbon, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have created molecules able to sense their environment. Then they used these molecules to develop self-assembling nanotubes which look like that 'nanocarpets'.
These nanostructures can change colors when their environment is modified and can be trained to kill bacteria, such as E. coli. Now, they plan to develop products that would both detect and destroy biological weapons. Read more for selected excerpts about these nanostructures acting as biosensors.
These nanostructures can change colors when their environment is modified and can be trained to kill bacteria, such as E. coli. Now, they plan to develop products that would both detect and destroy biological weapons. Read more for selected excerpts about these nanostructures acting as biosensors.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:23 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Monday, September 27, 2004
Go Sub-Orbital for only £115,000
Sir Richard Branson has announced plans to offer the world's first commercial space flights by the end of the decade, the UK Telegraph reports. In a multi-milion dollar deal, Virgin Galactic will license technology from Mojave Aerospace Ventures, the same team responsible for leading X-Prize contender SpaceShipOne.
Sir Richard said: "We hope to create thousands of astronauts over the next few years and bring alive their dream of seeing the majestic beauty of our planet from above, the stars in all their glory and the amazing sensation of weightlessness.
"The development will also allow every country in the world to have their own astronauts rather than the privileged few."
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 1:18 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Times of London on Business Blogging
The Times of London recently did this story on business blogging, which just happens to feature Daily Relay contributor Roland Piquepaille.
One of the most important lessons for aspirant corporate bloggers, according to Big Blog Company associate Jackie Danicki, is how to write. Lesson One: drop the corporate speak. "It's not just getting on your blog and talking about 'This is why our product is the best and you should buy it'. That is not the point and people see through that.
"You basically have a lot of CEOs who are sitting there and writing about what they know. Also adding personal things in, talking off-topic, about their holidays. ..It gets readers to feel an affinity."
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 4:50 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Will Azul Reign on the Server Market?
A 105-person company, Azul Systems, is almost ready to enter the competitive server market with a new approach to computing named 'network-attach processing,' similar to the NAS approach for data storage. In "Azul: A Server Startup with a Plan," BusinessWeek Online writes that the company will release its product in early 2005.
Azul designs its own chips and the first boxes will come with an amazing number of 384 cores. These servers will only run 'virtual-machine' codes, such as those written in Java or .net. And the company claims that its servers will be ten times more efficient than other servers. Of course, this is largely unproven technology and the company is trying to build its credibility by giving access to its boxes to selected undisclosed customers for early evaluation.
So will Azul unseat IBM, HP, Sun and Dell? Time will tell, but Azul already envisions a second-generation box with 896 cores. Read more for selected excerpts about this radical new approach to computing.
Azul designs its own chips and the first boxes will come with an amazing number of 384 cores. These servers will only run 'virtual-machine' codes, such as those written in Java or .net. And the company claims that its servers will be ten times more efficient than other servers. Of course, this is largely unproven technology and the company is trying to build its credibility by giving access to its boxes to selected undisclosed customers for early evaluation.
So will Azul unseat IBM, HP, Sun and Dell? Time will tell, but Azul already envisions a second-generation box with 896 cores. Read more for selected excerpts about this radical new approach to computing.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 8:22 AM | Comments (1) Links to this post |
A Liquid that Goes Solid when Heated
There are some sure things in life, such as death and taxes. When you are heating a solid, you expect it will melt and when you're boiling water, you're pretty certain that it will turn into vapor. But what about a liquid that becomes solid when it's heated? Of course, it has already been done, for example in the chemical process of polymerization. But now, PhysicsWeb writes that a team of French physicists has discovered a law-breaking liquid that defies the rules.
When you heat it between 45 and 75°C, it becomes solid. But the process is fully reversible, and this is a world's premiere. When you decrease the temperature, this solid melts and turns again into a liquid. I'm not sure of the implications of such a phenomenon, but it's fascinating. Read more for essential details.
When you heat it between 45 and 75°C, it becomes solid. But the process is fully reversible, and this is a world's premiere. When you decrease the temperature, this solid melts and turns again into a liquid. I'm not sure of the implications of such a phenomenon, but it's fascinating. Read more for essential details.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 8:20 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Wireless Sensors Monitor Volcanic Activities
Several months ago, I wrote
about how wireless sensors were used to monitor glacier behavior. Now, for the first time, a wireless array of sensors has been deployed to monitor the eruptions of an active volcano in central Ecuador, the Tungurahua.
An international team of computer scientists and seismologists installed a small wireless network of five nodes to record 54 hours of continuous infrasound data transmitted over a 9 km wireless link back to a base station at the volcano observatory. As the results are very encouraging, and because these wireless sensors are very cheap, this installation will soon be duplicated to detect eruptions of other active volcanoes.
The team expects to deploy larger infrasonic arrays consisting of up to 50 nodes in the next six months either on Tungurahua or elsewhere in the world. Read more for other details, references and pictures.
about how wireless sensors were used to monitor glacier behavior. Now, for the first time, a wireless array of sensors has been deployed to monitor the eruptions of an active volcano in central Ecuador, the Tungurahua.
An international team of computer scientists and seismologists installed a small wireless network of five nodes to record 54 hours of continuous infrasound data transmitted over a 9 km wireless link back to a base station at the volcano observatory. As the results are very encouraging, and because these wireless sensors are very cheap, this installation will soon be duplicated to detect eruptions of other active volcanoes.
The team expects to deploy larger infrasonic arrays consisting of up to 50 nodes in the next six months either on Tungurahua or elsewhere in the world. Read more for other details, references and pictures.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 8:17 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Sony to support MP3
CNET reports that Sony will begin to add MP3 support to its portable music players, reversing a longtime stance.
Sony is revisiting its MP3 strategy at a time when competition in the digital music market is heating up and threatening to leave the company behind. The surprise move could portend a major strategy reversal for the consumer electronics giant, with important ramifications for the fledgling online music market.
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 6:42 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Flexible Sensors Make Robot Skin
In recent years, lots of efforts have been made to give robots the ability to hear and see. But what about the sense of touch? Unlike us, robots don't have sensitive skin. But this is about to change. By using organic, or plastic, field-effect transistors as pressure sensors deposited on a flexible material, researchers at the University of Tokyo have created an artificial skin which will give robots the sense of touch.
The prototype has a density of 16 sensors per square centimeter, far from the 1,500 of our fingertips. When this density increases and when the problem of the reliability of this kind of transistors is solved, the researchers say this artificial skin will also be used for car seats or gym carpets. Expect to see them in four or five years. Read more for other details and a picture of a robotic hand using organic transistors as pressure sensors.
The prototype has a density of 16 sensors per square centimeter, far from the 1,500 of our fingertips. When this density increases and when the problem of the reliability of this kind of transistors is solved, the researchers say this artificial skin will also be used for car seats or gym carpets. Expect to see them in four or five years. Read more for other details and a picture of a robotic hand using organic transistors as pressure sensors.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 1:25 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Wearable Aid for People with Low Vision
People with low vision usually rely on dogs or canes to detect obstacles at ground level. But what about higher ones such as street signs or tree branches? Computer scientists at the University of Washington think they have the answer, according to this IEEE Pervasive Computing article (PDF format, 4 pages, 390 KB). They've designed a cheap wearable device which alerts visually impaired people that they're about to hit an inanimate object.
Their prototype device consists mainly of a video camera mounted on headset glasses and a laptop carried in a backpack which uses specialized software to detect potential collisions. The device, which is still in an experimental stage, should cost less than $1,000, but weighs about 15 pounds, so I'm not sure if it will ever turn into in a commercial product. Read more for other details and a picture of one of the patients testing the equipment.
Their prototype device consists mainly of a video camera mounted on headset glasses and a laptop carried in a backpack which uses specialized software to detect potential collisions. The device, which is still in an experimental stage, should cost less than $1,000, but weighs about 15 pounds, so I'm not sure if it will ever turn into in a commercial product. Read more for other details and a picture of one of the patients testing the equipment.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 7:35 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Monday, September 20, 2004
'Smart Dust' for Monitoring Ready for Sale
Kris Pister is one of the pioneers of the concept of 'smart dust,' or grids of very small wireless communication nodes dubbed 'motes,' which permit to monitor the environment. Now, Pister is the CTO of Berkeley-based Dust Networks. Today, according to both the Wall Street Journal (paid registration needed) and Business 2.0, this company is delivering its first products, composed of motes and specialized software.
The motes are linked to sensors which detect temperature, air flow or humidity, and wirelessly inform systems which monitor building security or manufacturing processes. This will -- theoretically -- lead to businesses that are run even more efficiently than they are today. If you want to try it, an evaluation kit, including 12 motes, will cost you $4,950. Read more for selected excerpts from the above articles and an illustration of the SmartMesh concept.
The motes are linked to sensors which detect temperature, air flow or humidity, and wirelessly inform systems which monitor building security or manufacturing processes. This will -- theoretically -- lead to businesses that are run even more efficiently than they are today. If you want to try it, an evaluation kit, including 12 motes, will cost you $4,950. Read more for selected excerpts from the above articles and an illustration of the SmartMesh concept.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 1:26 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
'Cursor on Target' and 'Click to Approve'
The Cursor on Target (CoT) initiative is giving the U.S. Air Force the ability to share data across multiple and various systems used by air and ground forces. Currently, voice messages are exchanged back and forth by combat controllers in the field, command centers, air operation centers and aircrafts, allowing for human errors and loss of valuable time. On the contrary, the CoT project, which only cost $800,000 so far, relies on XML to carry and exchange information between these different entities. With CoT, all messages are transmitted in a common XML format, allowing a rapid process of 'cursor on the target' and 'click to approve.'
The system, which uses only a few hundred lines of code, has already been tested in Afghanistan and Iraq. These tests have shown that 'sensor-to-shooter paths enabled with CoT software improve the speed of the process by nearly 70 percent, while also significantly increasing firepower accuracy.' Read more for additional details and selected excerpts.
The system, which uses only a few hundred lines of code, has already been tested in Afghanistan and Iraq. These tests have shown that 'sensor-to-shooter paths enabled with CoT software improve the speed of the process by nearly 70 percent, while also significantly increasing firepower accuracy.' Read more for additional details and selected excerpts.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 1:20 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Weir to Direct Pattern Recognition
I don't know when this was announced, but according to the Internet Movie Database, Peter Weir is directing an adaptation of William Gibson's Pattern Recognition.
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 4:48 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Friday, September 17, 2004
Nurses Bid Online for Extra Shifts
Two U.S. hospitals, one in Ayer, Massachusetts, and another one in Chicago, have found an innovative way to deal with nursing shortage. They post shift openings and the highest hourly rate they're willing to pay. Then, the nurses bid online for these extra shifts. The lowest bidders get the shifts and are notified by e-mail. The software behind the process, named eShift and marketed by FlexEstaff, is raising eyebrows at nurses associations. Still, FlexEstaff is negotiating with 8 more hospitals.
This bidding process is almost certainly a good thing for the hospitals, but is it good for the nurses? Will we soon other industries adopt auction systems? Imagine a company telling you, "Hey, you want to make some extra dollars by building this car or writing this piece of software? Name your price, and you'll make some more cash." What do you think of this bidding process? Read more before posting your comments.
This bidding process is almost certainly a good thing for the hospitals, but is it good for the nurses? Will we soon other industries adopt auction systems? Imagine a company telling you, "Hey, you want to make some extra dollars by building this car or writing this piece of software? Name your price, and you'll make some more cash." What do you think of this bidding process? Read more before posting your comments.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 1:19 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
The First Bluetooth Enabled Motorcycle Helmet
So you thought that you could quietly ride your bike without receiving pesky phone calls. Not anymore. Motorola and an Italian style firm, MOMODESIGN, have teamed up to produce the first Bluetooth enabled motorcycle helmet. This helmet, dubbed Fighter, embeds a Motorola HS810 headset and you can talk non-stop for five hours. The Fighter will be available at the beginning of 2005 for an undisclosed price.
The press release which announces the product contains a gem. It says that this helmet is "an essential accessory for urbanites who demand to stay in touch at all times, whether in the car, on a bike, in the office or at home." Well, only if you remember to remove the headset from the helmet. Can you imagine wearing a motorcycle helmet in your office just to give phone calls? Very silly. Read more for a picture of the Fighter.
The press release which announces the product contains a gem. It says that this helmet is "an essential accessory for urbanites who demand to stay in touch at all times, whether in the car, on a bike, in the office or at home." Well, only if you remember to remove the headset from the helmet. Can you imagine wearing a motorcycle helmet in your office just to give phone calls? Very silly. Read more for a picture of the Fighter.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:06 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Hip-Hop Atoms
For the first time, a team of physicists of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has controlled "the movement of a single atom back and forth between neighboring locations on a crystal." This will allow to build nanoscale devices atom by atom. Not happy enough with this technological breakthrough, the NIST team also discovered that the atoms were 'noisy' when moving on the crystal surface. They converted the electronic signals emitted by the atoms into audio ones and they were quite surprised to hear something similar to a 'hip-hop' musician's rhythmic 'scratching'.
The audio files also helped the team to know in real time that atoms have moved into desired positions. Read more for pictures and references or jump here to listen to the hip-hop atoms (Real Player necessary, 2 minutes and 40 seconds).
The audio files also helped the team to know in real time that atoms have moved into desired positions. Read more for pictures and references or jump here to listen to the hip-hop atoms (Real Player necessary, 2 minutes and 40 seconds).
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 1:25 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Gaia and its Billion-Pixel Camera
Gaia is an ambitious project from the European Space Agency to create the most precise map of a billion stars in our Galaxy and millions of other celestial objects invisible from current telescopes. When the spacecraft is launched in 2010, it will carry the most sensitive cameras ever made. Its billion-pixel camera will be in fact composed of 170 separate cameras, tiled together in a mosaic to register every object that passes through the field of view. Each individual camera or 'charge-coupled device' (CCD) will have a resolution of almost nine million pixels. Gaia will take images for five years.
The above link will provide you with more details about this billion-pixel camera, but here I chose to focus on a particular aspect of the mission: checking the usually unobversable asteroids between the Sun and the Earth because of light conditions. Read more about Gaia for other details and references about these asteroids -- which should not hit us.
The above link will provide you with more details about this billion-pixel camera, but here I chose to focus on a particular aspect of the mission: checking the usually unobversable asteroids between the Sun and the Earth because of light conditions. Read more about Gaia for other details and references about these asteroids -- which should not hit us.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 1:22 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Speech recognition on a chip
According to this news release from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), the National Science Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to a team of CMU and researchers at the University of California at Berkeley to develop a silicon chip for automatic speech recognition. In fact, speech recognition will move from software to hardware.
The goal of the engineers is to develop "a radically new and efficient silicon chip architecture that only does speech recognition, but does this 100 to 1,000 times more efficiently than a conventional computer." Even if the future chips will be integrated in cell phones or PDAs, the real goal is to help security and emergency organizations. These chips should be ready in three years. Read more for other comments and references.
The goal of the engineers is to develop "a radically new and efficient silicon chip architecture that only does speech recognition, but does this 100 to 1,000 times more efficiently than a conventional computer." Even if the future chips will be integrated in cell phones or PDAs, the real goal is to help security and emergency organizations. These chips should be ready in three years. Read more for other comments and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 1:15 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Sunday, September 12, 2004
The Self-cleaning NanoHouse
In "Technology at your service," Australian IT looks at how some emerging technologies will improve our lives. The list goes from solar-powered robotic lawn mowers, network-controlled appliances such as microwaves or air-conditioners, to even full houses.
For example, in the MajikHouse, all the home's systems, such as heating, electricity or entertainment are wirelessly controlled via touchscreen panels and smart phones. There is also the NanoHouse, co-developed by CSIRO and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
The NanoHouse is a new type of ultra-energy efficient house using the new materials being developed by nanotechnology such as self-cleaning glass or dye solar cells. The NanoHouse is currently a concept going from one exhibit to another. But prototypes should appear in 2007 while manufacturing should start around 2009. Read more about the NanoHouse here for other details and references.
For example, in the MajikHouse, all the home's systems, such as heating, electricity or entertainment are wirelessly controlled via touchscreen panels and smart phones. There is also the NanoHouse, co-developed by CSIRO and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
The NanoHouse is a new type of ultra-energy efficient house using the new materials being developed by nanotechnology such as self-cleaning glass or dye solar cells. The NanoHouse is currently a concept going from one exhibit to another. But prototypes should appear in 2007 while manufacturing should start around 2009. Read more about the NanoHouse here for other details and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 1:46 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Quantum Optics: Coupling One Atom To One Photon
For the first time, a team of scientists from Yale University has successfully coupled a single photon to a single superconducting qubit (quantum bit or "artificial atom"). In "Yale scientists bring quantum optics to a microchip," you'll discover that it is now possible to perform quantum optics experiments in a micro-chip electrical circuit using microwaves instead of visible photons and lasers.
This is another important step towards quantum computers where bits of data are replaced by qubits, or atoms. Because it's now possible to couple qubits to photons, this could allow qubits on a chip to be wired together via a "quantum information bus" carrying single photons. Read more here for other details and references.
This is another important step towards quantum computers where bits of data are replaced by qubits, or atoms. Because it's now possible to couple qubits to photons, this could allow qubits on a chip to be wired together via a "quantum information bus" carrying single photons. Read more here for other details and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 3:20 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Friday, September 10, 2004
'Nurturing' Computers Are Coming
Current computers don't have a clue about what their users feel or think. This is about to change, with ATHEMOS (Automatic THErmal Monitoring System), a device developed by Ioannis Pavlidis, a computer science professor at the University of Houston (UH). This news release from UH says that ATHEMOS is a physiological device which performs touchless measurements of your vital signs, such as blood flow, pulse or breathing rate.
During the three days of Wired Magazine’s Nextfest, where ATHEMOS was featured, over 500 people had their vital signs measured at a distance of about 10 feet. So maybe one day, our computers will warn us to get some rest or to go jogging. Read more here for other details and references.
During the three days of Wired Magazine’s Nextfest, where ATHEMOS was featured, over 500 people had their vital signs measured at a distance of about 10 feet. So maybe one day, our computers will warn us to get some rest or to go jogging. Read more here for other details and references.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 2:01 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
California Sues Voting Machine Maker Diebold
The San Jose Mercury News reports that California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has joined a lawsuit against Diebold, one of the leading manufacturers of electronic voting machines.
Lockyer joined a suit filed in November by whistle-blowers who charged that Diebold Election Systems sold the state faulty balloting equipment that could make California elections vulnerable to software glitches or hacking.(via MIT Technology Review)
Additionally, the attorney general closed a criminal investigation against the Ohio-based company without pressing charges.
Lockyer's move throws the state's weight behind the activists' false-claims suit. He took action after his investigators found ``sufficient evidence of them defrauding the state'' by providing the electronic voting systems, said spokesman Tom Dresslar. Alameda County also joined the suit.
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 12:28 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Save the Planet: Go Wireless
Wireless delivery of news generates as much as 140 times less carbon dioxide, gobs less greenhouse gases and between 26 to 67 times less water. This according to UC Berkely Lab Notes. While common sense dictates that teleconferences are more environmentally friendly than travel, the actual savings in emissions is massive, and this study did not include the cost of roads, airports, maintenance and vehicle manufacture.
| :: posted by Doug, 11:37 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Cubes Not Just for Nintendo
A new wave of super small, low-cost, hi-powered satellites are being deployed into space. As orbital space becomes more crowded and consumers demand more connectivity from their everyday devices, the race to build a smaller satellite heats up.
When most people think of satellites they imagine those giant insectoid crafts with large golden solar panels, like some heavenly dragonfly. I alway think of V'ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The new CubSats are the polar opposites. An average cubsat is about 4 inches (10 cm) square, weighs about 2 pounds (1 kg) and is made from more or less off the shelf parts. These mini-monsters are cheaper to deploy, easy to replace and quite effective. This could lead to more competition in the cellular and wireless internet markets. Small startups and nations with less resources stand a chance at making a dent in a field almost completely dominated by large corporations and governments.
For more info:
CNN Article
When most people think of satellites they imagine those giant insectoid crafts with large golden solar panels, like some heavenly dragonfly. I alway think of V'ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The new CubSats are the polar opposites. An average cubsat is about 4 inches (10 cm) square, weighs about 2 pounds (1 kg) and is made from more or less off the shelf parts. These mini-monsters are cheaper to deploy, easy to replace and quite effective. This could lead to more competition in the cellular and wireless internet markets. Small startups and nations with less resources stand a chance at making a dent in a field almost completely dominated by large corporations and governments.
For more info:
CNN Article
| :: posted by Ben Jarvis, 9:32 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Top 10 Gaming Grails
Clean out your closets, GameSpy lists the top 10 most collectible video games. Alas, I have none of them.
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 1:28 PM | Comments (1) Links to this post |
Mitnick Movie Comes to DVD
After a six-year path from controversial screenplay to final product, Takedown, the movie based on Kevin Mitnick's exploits is being released in the US on September 28th. The film was previously released only in France as Cybertraque. This comes as an unpleasant surprise to Mitnick - and probably to anyone who sees the film. Reviews are tepid and Mitnick himself is disappointed that the film depicts him doing things he never did.
| :: posted by Doug, 10:58 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Futuristic Farming
From computers monitoring plant population and seed placement to milking robots, and from GPS receivers enabling farmers to map their fields and track their cows, the farming world is using more and more high-technology tools, at least in developed countries. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review attended Ag Progress Days 2004, a three-day event sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and reports on these technological advances in farming.
This long article also mentions robotic transplanters to deliver seeds and high tunnel vegetable production to extend the growing season, a technology which doesn't involve electrical services or heating systems, to the point it has been adopted by a group of Amish growers. Read more here for specific details on this technology, and watch the great lettuce produced with it.
This long article also mentions robotic transplanters to deliver seeds and high tunnel vegetable production to extend the growing season, a technology which doesn't involve electrical services or heating systems, to the point it has been adopted by a group of Amish growers. Read more here for specific details on this technology, and watch the great lettuce produced with it.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 8:58 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Supercomputer Helps to Find Metallic Glass
Before going further, what are metallic glasses? Unlike conventional metals, which have regular molecular structures, amorphous metals, or metallic glasses, exhibit disorganized structures. Because of this disorganization, they don't have the defects which are common in crystals, and which lead to corrosion or even rupture. Until now, these amorphous metals were created by melting and casting various alloys. Not anymore. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a team of physicists led by a Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) professor is using a new computational method to simulate future alloys at the Pittsburgh Computing Center (PSC).
For example, with the help of the supercomputers at PSC, the team discovered that adding small quantities of yttrium will lead to superstrong amorphous steel, before doing any physical experiment. In the next three to five years, this will bring to the market ship hulls that never rust and are invisible to magnetic detection. And amorphous aluminum will be incorporated into lighter planes and cars. Read more here for other details and references, including a couple of pictures showing the difference between conventional and amorphous metals.
For example, with the help of the supercomputers at PSC, the team discovered that adding small quantities of yttrium will lead to superstrong amorphous steel, before doing any physical experiment. In the next three to five years, this will bring to the market ship hulls that never rust and are invisible to magnetic detection. And amorphous aluminum will be incorporated into lighter planes and cars. Read more here for other details and references, including a couple of pictures showing the difference between conventional and amorphous metals.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 8:55 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Self-assembling 3D Nanostructures
Chips holding 10 terabits of data? Copper as strong as steel? Ceramics tough enough to be used in car engines? All this will be true in five years, thanks to two new methods to create self-assembling 3D nanostructures. These methods used pulsed laser deposition to create layers of nanodots organized in a matrix. These arrays of nanodots are consistent in shape and size -- 7 nanometers with nickel for example.
But the real beauty of these methods is that they can be applied to almost any material, like nickel for data storage or aluminum oxide for ceramics. These methods also reduce drastically imperfections, leading to future superstrong materials. Read more here for other details and an image of a single nickel nanocrystal, or nanodot.
But the real beauty of these methods is that they can be applied to almost any material, like nickel for data storage or aluminum oxide for ceramics. These methods also reduce drastically imperfections, leading to future superstrong materials. Read more here for other details and an image of a single nickel nanocrystal, or nanodot.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 8:53 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Concerned about piracy, XM Radio discontinues PC receiver
The RIAA wasn't at all a factor in XM Radio's decision to cancel release of the PC version of their radio receiver. Oh, no. Not at all.
| :: posted by Doug, 11:43 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
1.5Gb Closer to a PDA/Phone/iPod
Samsung has shown what they hail as the worlds first hard-drive based phone. The gadget has a (not)whopping 1.5Gb hard drive. Although not a world shaker - except for the $800 price tag - it's a start. As much interest is that the unit "also features an FM radio, 64-voice polyphonic ringtone support, a 240 x 320 display and TV output." For sale only in Korea starting next month.
| :: posted by Doug, 1:45 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Monday, September 06, 2004
Tivo and Netflix Join Forces
Newsweek reports that Tivo and Netflix have joined forces to provide viewers with downloadable movies on demand.
Netflix and TiVo want this digital nirvana to arrive as soon as possible, and they are about to join forces to make it happen. Later this month, NEWSWEEK has learned, the companies plan to unveil a simple but significant partnership that could shake up the media world. Subscribers who belong to both services will be able to download their Netflix DVDs over the Internet directly into the TiVo boxes in their homes, instead of receiving them in the mail. Spokespeople at the companies refused to comment on what they called rumor. But an insider who was close to the negotiations says the straightforward partnership is all but a done deal, pending only the approval of the TiVo board this week: "You don't need a lot of creativity to figure out the details," the insider said.(via BoingBoing)
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 4:10 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Marijuana Helps to Shrink Brain Tumors
A team of Spanish researchers has discovered that cannabinoids, the active ingredients in marijuana, make brain tumors shrink by halting the growth of blood vessels that feed the tumors, reports New Scientist. The researchers have successfully tested the effect of this cannabis extract on thirty mice which were given a cancer similar to the human brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme).
More importantly, they also successfully tested the procedure on two human patients who had glioblastoma multiforme and had not responded to chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery. Of course, these results are encouraging, even if larger studies need to be done to be sure that these cannabinoids are really effective on human brain cancers, and possibly other forms of cancers. Read more here for other references and a picture showing the effect of this marijuana extract on two human patients.
More importantly, they also successfully tested the procedure on two human patients who had glioblastoma multiforme and had not responded to chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery. Of course, these results are encouraging, even if larger studies need to be done to be sure that these cannabinoids are really effective on human brain cancers, and possibly other forms of cancers. Read more here for other references and a picture showing the effect of this marijuana extract on two human patients.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 6:25 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Simulating the Whole Universe
An international group of cosmologists, the Virgo Consortium, has realized the first simulation of the entire universe, starting 380,000 years after the Big Bang and going up to now. In "Computing the Cosmos," IEEE Spectrum writes that the scientists used a 4.2 teraflops system at the Max Planck Society's Computing Center in Garching, Germany, to do the computations. The whole universe was simulated by ten billion particles, each having a mass a billion times that of our sun.
As it was necessary to compute the gravitational interactions between each of the ten billion mass points and all the others, a task that needed 60,000 years, the computer scientists devised a couple of tricks to reduce the amount of computations. And in June 2004, the first simulation of our universe was completed. The resulting data, which represents about 20 terabytes, will be available to everyone in the months to come, at least to people with a high-bandwidth connection.
Read more here about the computing aspects of the simulation, but if you're interested by cosmology, the long orginal article is a must-read.
As it was necessary to compute the gravitational interactions between each of the ten billion mass points and all the others, a task that needed 60,000 years, the computer scientists devised a couple of tricks to reduce the amount of computations. And in June 2004, the first simulation of our universe was completed. The resulting data, which represents about 20 terabytes, will be available to everyone in the months to come, at least to people with a high-bandwidth connection.
Read more here about the computing aspects of the simulation, but if you're interested by cosmology, the long orginal article is a must-read.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 6:21 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Friday, September 03, 2004
Nuclear Energy to Go
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are designing a self-contained, tamper-resistant nuclear reactor that can be transported and installed anywhere in the world. In "US plans portable nuclear power plants," New Scientist writes that the sealed reactors would last 30 years and deliver between 10 and 100 megawatts. The largest version would be about 15 meters high and 3 meters wide, with a weight of about 500 tons, allowing for transportation by ships or very large trucks.
The DOE thinks that this kind of nuclear reactor -- named SSTAR for "small, sealed, transportable, autonomous reactor" -- would help to deliver nuclear energy to developing countries while significantly reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation associated with the use of nuclear power.
What do you think of this idea? Is it a good one or a crazy one? Leaving a nuclear reactor in a developing country which can potentially become unstable during the 30 years of service of the reactor doesn't seem to be terribly safe. Read more before deciding. Anyway, there will be no prototypes before 2015.
The DOE thinks that this kind of nuclear reactor -- named SSTAR for "small, sealed, transportable, autonomous reactor" -- would help to deliver nuclear energy to developing countries while significantly reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation associated with the use of nuclear power.
What do you think of this idea? Is it a good one or a crazy one? Leaving a nuclear reactor in a developing country which can potentially become unstable during the 30 years of service of the reactor doesn't seem to be terribly safe. Read more before deciding. Anyway, there will be no prototypes before 2015.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 7:25 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
The MDGRAPE-3 Will Now Reach 1.4 Petaflops in 2006
The specifications of the MDGRAPE-3 have evolved since October 2003, when I wrote "Protein Explorer, the First Petaflop System." This system, which will be operational in 2006, will contain 6,144 processors instead of 5,120. And each chip, now running at 350 MHz, will have a peak speed of about 230 gigaflops, with 20 pipelines being able to compute 33 floating-point operations per cycle. This will bring the total power of the full system to an astounding 1.4 teraflops.
But please note that this is a specialized system, designed exclusively for molecular dynamics calculations and simulations at the RIKEN Genomic Sciences Center, based in Yokohama, Japan. The whole machine will not be very big, with only 32 standard 19-inch racks. Each rack will contain 16 boards hosting 12 chips each.
CNET News.com gives more details in "Japan designers shoot for supercomputer on a chip." Read more in this updated overview of the first petaflop system to come.
But please note that this is a specialized system, designed exclusively for molecular dynamics calculations and simulations at the RIKEN Genomic Sciences Center, based in Yokohama, Japan. The whole machine will not be very big, with only 32 standard 19-inch racks. Each rack will contain 16 boards hosting 12 chips each.
CNET News.com gives more details in "Japan designers shoot for supercomputer on a chip." Read more in this updated overview of the first petaflop system to come.
| :: posted by Roland Piquepaille, 7:20 AM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
Thursday, September 02, 2004
2600 Editor Arrested at RNC Protest
Emmanuel Goldstein, editor of the hacker mag 2600, was among 900 people arrested on Tuesday during protests at the Republican National Convention, 2600 reports. He was released 30 hours later, given a Desk Appearence Ticket (DAT) charging him with disorderly conduct.
| :: posted by Donald Melanson, 12:53 PM | Comments (0) Links to this post |
| Subscribe to our RSS feed: |
|
