Tuesday, September 30, 2003
linmagau.org :: Australian Linux/OpenSource Magazine -- Local Content - Local People - Australia
linmagau.org :: Australian Linux/OpenSource Magazine -- Local Content - Local People - Australia: "When you absolutely positively need to connect to the Internet, why not carry your own broadband connection with you? As a web-developer I'm currently traveling around Australia. With my wife, we've been on the road since February 2003 and we hope to be able to continue to travel for at least two years. "
Monday, September 29, 2003
News
News:
By Terri Judd
30 September 2003
"A strict Muslim who slit his daughter's throat because he believed she had become too Westernised pleaded with a judge yesterday to sentence him to death.
When Abdalla Yones learnt that his 16-year-old child, Heshu, had begun seeing a Christian teenager he stabbed her 11 times. After breaking down the door of the bathroom where she had barricaded herself in, he slit her throat leaving her to bleed to death.
Yesterday, as the 48-year-old Kurd was sentenced to life after becoming the first person in Britain to admit an 'honour killing', the policeman at the head of the investigation, Commander Andy Baker, warned anyone who carried out a similar murder - whatever religion they were - would suffer the severest penalties."
By Terri Judd
30 September 2003
"A strict Muslim who slit his daughter's throat because he believed she had become too Westernised pleaded with a judge yesterday to sentence him to death.
When Abdalla Yones learnt that his 16-year-old child, Heshu, had begun seeing a Christian teenager he stabbed her 11 times. After breaking down the door of the bathroom where she had barricaded herself in, he slit her throat leaving her to bleed to death.
Yesterday, as the 48-year-old Kurd was sentenced to life after becoming the first person in Britain to admit an 'honour killing', the policeman at the head of the investigation, Commander Andy Baker, warned anyone who carried out a similar murder - whatever religion they were - would suffer the severest penalties."
Who plans to steal the 2004 US elections?
Who plans to steal the 2004 US elections?: "It's how America, the 'world's greatest democracy,' casts its votes. And it's why George W. Bush will almost certainly be the next president of the United States--no matter what the people of the United States might want.
The American vote-count is controlled by three major corporate players--Diebold, ES&S, and Sequoia--with a fourth, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), coming on strong. These companies--all of them hardwired into the Bushist Party power grid--have been given billions of dollars by the Bush Regime to complete a sweeping computerization of voting machines nation-wide by the 2004 election. These glitch-riddled systems--many using 'touch-screen' technology that leaves no paper trail at all--are almost laughably open to manipulation, according to corporate whistleblowers and computer scientists at Stanford, John Hopkins and other universities.
The technology had a trial run in the 2002 mid-term elections. In Georgia, serviced by new Diebold systems, a popular Democratic governor and senator were both unseated in what the media called 'amazing' upsets, with results showing vote swings of up to 16 percent from the last pre-ballot polls. In computerized Minnesota, former vice president Walter Mondale--a replacement for popular incumbent Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash days before the vote--was also defeated in a large last-second vote swing. Convenient 'glitches' in Florida saw an untold number of votes intended for the Democratic candidate registering instead for Governor Jeb 'L'il Brother' Bush. A Florida Democrat who lost a similarly 'glitched' local election went to court to have the computers examined--but the case was thrown out by a judge who ruled that the innards of America's voting machines are the 'trade secrets' of the private companies who make them."
The American vote-count is controlled by three major corporate players--Diebold, ES&S, and Sequoia--with a fourth, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), coming on strong. These companies--all of them hardwired into the Bushist Party power grid--have been given billions of dollars by the Bush Regime to complete a sweeping computerization of voting machines nation-wide by the 2004 election. These glitch-riddled systems--many using 'touch-screen' technology that leaves no paper trail at all--are almost laughably open to manipulation, according to corporate whistleblowers and computer scientists at Stanford, John Hopkins and other universities.
The technology had a trial run in the 2002 mid-term elections. In Georgia, serviced by new Diebold systems, a popular Democratic governor and senator were both unseated in what the media called 'amazing' upsets, with results showing vote swings of up to 16 percent from the last pre-ballot polls. In computerized Minnesota, former vice president Walter Mondale--a replacement for popular incumbent Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash days before the vote--was also defeated in a large last-second vote swing. Convenient 'glitches' in Florida saw an untold number of votes intended for the Democratic candidate registering instead for Governor Jeb 'L'il Brother' Bush. A Florida Democrat who lost a similarly 'glitched' local election went to court to have the computers examined--but the case was thrown out by a judge who ruled that the innards of America's voting machines are the 'trade secrets' of the private companies who make them."
Linux-Kernel Archive: Linksys WRT54G: Part 2
Linux-Kernel Archive: Linksys WRT54G: Part 2:
From: Andrew Miklas (public@mikl.as)
Date: Sun Sep 28 2003 - 18:16:29 EST
"A few months ago, I wrote to the kernel list describing the
relationship between Linksys (now business unit of Cisco Systems),
their WRT54G 802.11g wireless home gateway, and Linux. At the time,
we had recently discovered that the WRT54G was using a great deal of
software made available under the GPL, but was not giving credit to
the authors, or providing the source as required by the GPL.
After a bit of public pressure, Linksys posted their 'GPL Code Center'
[1], where they claim that 'the GPL source code contained in this
product is available for free download' [2]. Shortly after the code
center was made available, a group of developers pointed out to
Linksys that their source code, particularly their Linux kernel code,
was incomplete.
Previously, it was thought that the WRT54G source releases had only
neglected to include the source code for the various kernel modules
used to run the ethernet and wireless interfaces. However, at this
time, it is clear that the kernel proper of the WRT54G itself has had
functionality added to it. This functionality is not present in the
kernel code that Linksys has provided at their 'GPL Code Center'.
That is to say, there is code STATICALLY LINKED with the Linux kernel
running this device that is not present in the source download. This
code seems to be shared between the Broadcom ethernet and wireless
chips. It appears to be primarily responsible for configuring the
Sonics' SiliconBackplane and handling DMA transactions for both
devices."
Sunday, September 28, 2003
Yahoo! News - Power Failure Brings Italy to Standstill
Yahoo! News - Power Failure Brings Italy to Standstill: "Sun Sep 28, 6:11 AM ET
By James Crawford
ROME (Reuters) - A nationwide power cut plunged Italy into darkness early Sunday in one of the country's worst blackouts, which authorities blamed on the breakdown of electricity lines from France and Switzerland hit by storms."
By James Crawford
ROME (Reuters) - A nationwide power cut plunged Italy into darkness early Sunday in one of the country's worst blackouts, which authorities blamed on the breakdown of electricity lines from France and Switzerland hit by storms."
Boeing: Rocketdyne: XRS-2200 Linear Aerospike Engine
Boeing: Rocketdyne: XRS-2200 Linear Aerospike Engine: "The XRS-2200 Linear Aerospike Engine is being produced for use on the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' X-33 Vehicle. The Aerospike allows development of the most traceable X-33. Flight operation, flight control, and installed engine performance are fully representative of the Reusable Launch Vehicle. The engine structure is integral to the vehicle, demonstrating installed weight benefits. Over $500 million have been invested to date in aerospike engines, and previous full-size versions of the engines have accumulated 73 tests and over 4,000 seconds of operation."
Duplidisk 3 gives RAID 1, and no drivers
Duplidisk 3 gives RAID 1, and no drivers: "All ARCO Duplidisk RAID solutions are software independent by design, and in my experience all do their job nicely, 'faking' a single IDE hard disk to the system board, or hard disk controller, while duplicating data on a pair of identical, or similarly sized, IDE disks. You can use different drives, but then the board switches speed to PIO4 (no UDMA), and you will be limited to the capacity of the smaller drive, which always must be the primary."
Saturday, September 27, 2003
ABCNEWS.com : Mandmade Diamonds Look the Same, Cost Less
ABCNEWS.com : Mandmade Diamonds Look the Same, Cost Less: "In an industrial warehouse outside Boston, scientists at one company have perfected a complex process for making diamonds in a lab. The stones are so perfect they can fool the experts.
'They simply cannot tell cannot tell the difference,' says Robert Linares, founder and chairman of Apollo Diamond. 'And that's because they are diamond.'"
'They simply cannot tell cannot tell the difference,' says Robert Linares, founder and chairman of Apollo Diamond. 'And that's because they are diamond.'"
Did a gamma-ray burst devastate life on Earth?
Did a gamma-ray burst devastate life on Earth?: "A DEVASTATING burst of gamma-rays may have caused one of Earth's worst mass extinctions, 443 million years ago. A team of astrophysicists and palaeontologists says the pattern of trilobite extinctions at that time resembles the expected effects of a nearby gamma-ray burst (GRB). Although other experts have greeted the idea with some scepticism, most agree that it deserves further investigation.
GRBs are the most powerful explosions known. As giant stars collapse into black holes at the end of their lives, they fire incredibly intense pulses of gamma rays from their poles that can be detected even from across the universe for 10 seconds or so. All the bursts astronomers have recorded so far have come from distant galaxies and been harmless on the ground, but if one occurred within our galaxy and was aimed straight at us, the effects could be devastating, according to astrophysicist Adrian Melott of the University of Kansas in Lawrence."
GRBs are the most powerful explosions known. As giant stars collapse into black holes at the end of their lives, they fire incredibly intense pulses of gamma rays from their poles that can be detected even from across the universe for 10 seconds or so. All the bursts astronomers have recorded so far have come from distant galaxies and been harmless on the ground, but if one occurred within our galaxy and was aimed straight at us, the effects could be devastating, according to astrophysicist Adrian Melott of the University of Kansas in Lawrence."
Microsoft Agrees to Settle Suit by Former Rival Be - Computerworld
Microsoft Agrees to Settle Suit by Former Rival Be - Computerworld: "Shier continues to rely on BeOS and Web development tools that were written for the operating system. 'I like the responsiveness, speed, lack of crashing and lack of viruses,' he said."
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Front and rear signal lights for V-Strom.
Lockhart Phillips USA - The Sportbike Connection:
"122-3015 DL1000 2002 REAR $16.95
122-3016 DL1001 Lens kit - Clear $19.95
122-3017 DL1002 Lens kit - Iridm $19.95"
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Ace's Hardware
Ace's Hardware: "The first 64-bit x86 CPU for the Windows desktop is here: the Athlon 64 FX and Athlon 64 have been launched and are available today. AMD's newest CPU has been improved where it matters the most: a much faster memory controller, a more intelligent branch predictor and a faster and larger L2-cache.
AMD's ambitions for the Athlon 64 FX are very high, it is 'simply the fastest desktop CPU, period!'"
AMD's ambitions for the Athlon 64 FX are very high, it is 'simply the fastest desktop CPU, period!'"
Monday, September 22, 2003
Caltech Quantum Optics
Caltech Quantum Optics: "Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics
Cavity quantum electrodynamics is one of the few experimentally viable systems in which the intrinsic quantum mechanical coupling dominates losses due to dissipation. As a result, the interesting quantum mechanics is not obscured by interactions with the external environment but instead reveals itself for study. We investigate the use of strong coupling to control the simple quantum system of one atom interacting with a single photon in an optical cavity.
A recent application of this strongly coupled atom-cavity system has been the experimental realization of a one-atom laser. Here the macroscopic amplification medium of a conventional laser is replaced by a single cesium atom confined within a high-finesse cavity. While everyday lasers generate classical (coherent) light, the one-atom laser produces light with interesting quantum mechanical characteristics."
Cavity quantum electrodynamics is one of the few experimentally viable systems in which the intrinsic quantum mechanical coupling dominates losses due to dissipation. As a result, the interesting quantum mechanics is not obscured by interactions with the external environment but instead reveals itself for study. We investigate the use of strong coupling to control the simple quantum system of one atom interacting with a single photon in an optical cavity.
A recent application of this strongly coupled atom-cavity system has been the experimental realization of a one-atom laser. Here the macroscopic amplification medium of a conventional laser is replaced by a single cesium atom confined within a high-finesse cavity. While everyday lasers generate classical (coherent) light, the one-atom laser produces light with interesting quantum mechanical characteristics."
Artworks for State Buildings
Artworks for State Buildings:
"Location
Ida and William Friday Building and E.K. Fretwell Building
Artist
Jim Sanborn"
Suzuki DL1000 / V-Strom FAQ: What spark plugs (sparkplugs) does this thing take?
Suzuki DL1000 / V-Strom FAQ: What spark plugs (sparkplugs) does this thing take?: "The NGK iridium spark no. plug for the V-Strom is NGK CR8EIX. This is the latest version with ultra thin electrode, which provides the advantages described above.
Peter Kroll 19-Jul-2003 "
Peter Kroll 19-Jul-2003 "
Digging for Truth
Digging for Truth: "Research in support of an Open Source/Free Software Community's Reply to Darl Mcbride
By Pamela Jones and the Groklaw Team: Friday 19 September 2003, 13:11
Introduction
The following research is the result of efforts to compile a truthful record of the SCO controversy and in the hope that it will be helpful to anyone interested in understanding and proving the truthfulness of statements made in an open source / free software community's open letter to SCO's Darl McBride by Groklaw's readership on September 18, 2003.
We note that a number of web pages appear to have disappeared from SCO's web site recently, as well as from the Wayback Archive and from Google, particularly in the past few weeks. All the links on this page worked at the time of preparing this document, but we cannot guarantee their continued availability. And if nothing else, this record shows what once was available, even if it all should suddenly disappear from the internet. Many of us, in any case, have saved copies of the materials locally."
By Pamela Jones and the Groklaw Team: Friday 19 September 2003, 13:11
Introduction
The following research is the result of efforts to compile a truthful record of the SCO controversy and in the hope that it will be helpful to anyone interested in understanding and proving the truthfulness of statements made in an open source / free software community's open letter to SCO's Darl McBride by Groklaw's readership on September 18, 2003.
We note that a number of web pages appear to have disappeared from SCO's web site recently, as well as from the Wayback Archive and from Google, particularly in the past few weeks. All the links on this page worked at the time of preparing this document, but we cannot guarantee their continued availability. And if nothing else, this record shows what once was available, even if it all should suddenly disappear from the internet. Many of us, in any case, have saved copies of the materials locally."
Groklaw sends a Dear Darl letter
Groklaw sends a Dear Darl letter: "With regard to the invoices you have said you will mail out by October 15, we caution you that we believe that any such action will expose you to civil lawsuits under both federal and state consumer protection laws, as well as to possible criminal prosecution and penalties should state and federal agencies, attorneys general, and district attorneys decide to get involved, which we fully intend to ask them to do upon receipt of any invoice from you."
Sunday, September 21, 2003
Yahoo! Autos : VStrom2 Messages : 25518-25548 of 25572
Yahoo! Autos : VStrom2 Messages : 25518-25548 of 25572
"Headlight modulators are worth every penny. Any of you that have looked at the accident studies, such as the Hurt Report (Named after Prof. Harry Hurt that did the study) you already know that the highest percentage of accidents is with another vehicle at intersections with 'Left Turn Larry' violating our right of way by turning left in front of the motorcyclist, with 'Right Turn Mary' pulling out in front of us from the right the next highest percentage. Overall, over 70-80 percent of the accidents are directly in front of you within 45 degrees directly ahead while less than 4 percent coming from the rear. These folks are looking for cars, trucks and police. Not motorcyclist, bicyclist and pedestrians. They operate on what is called the Bartlett Effect, in which it was found that in humans that a flicker rate of light of around 3-4 times per second is simply impossible to ignore.
Yahoo! Autos : VStrom2 Messages : 25398-25427 of 25565
Yahoo! Autos : VStrom2 Messages : 25398-25427 of 25565: "US Motorcycle sales 2003
Honda.......... 241491...28,2%
Harley-Davidson..216120...25,2%
Yamaha...........163612...19,2%
Suzuki...........102354...11,9%
Kawasaki..........75701....8,8%
BMW...............18364....2,1%
KTM...............17501....2,0%
Buell..............5358....0,7%
Triumph............5329....0,6%
Ducati.............4574....0,5%
Indian.............3282....0,4%
Polaris/Victory....2088....0,2%
Aprilia............1893....0,2%
MZ..................258...0,02%"
City of Austin - Green Building Program | Factsheet: Insulated Concrete Forms
City of Austin - Green Building Program | Factsheet: Insulated Concrete Forms: "Things to think about when planning an ICF house or building:
1. Use non ozone-depleting foam ? all expanded polystyrene foams are now produced without ozone-depleting chemicals, the same cannot be said of all extruded polystyrene foams.
2. Plan for future expansions/additions?because they are filled with concrete, making a doorway out of an existing window or wall for an addition or expansion requires the use of a jackhammer. Planning ahead and creating knock-outs in the walls can save time and money and add long-lived versatility to a building.
3. The cost of concrete?all of these products must be filled with concrete, check the price of concrete before settling on ICF's as your building system. Though most are efficient with their concrete requirements, systems vary, and recent increases in the price of concrete have added substantially to the cost of an ICF house.
4. Roof connections?how your roof connects to the hurricane and tornado resistant walls is important. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and ensuring your roof is properly tied to these walls is part of the process of creating a wind resistant building.
5. Excellent product support--is the manufacturer willing to come out to your site and help train you or your contractor?
6. Properly size your air-conditioning system?because many ICF's help reduce the cooling load, a smaller air conditioner may be appropriate. The Portland Cement Association has several technical guides for right-sizing the A/C system in ICF houses."
1. Use non ozone-depleting foam ? all expanded polystyrene foams are now produced without ozone-depleting chemicals, the same cannot be said of all extruded polystyrene foams.
2. Plan for future expansions/additions?because they are filled with concrete, making a doorway out of an existing window or wall for an addition or expansion requires the use of a jackhammer. Planning ahead and creating knock-outs in the walls can save time and money and add long-lived versatility to a building.
3. The cost of concrete?all of these products must be filled with concrete, check the price of concrete before settling on ICF's as your building system. Though most are efficient with their concrete requirements, systems vary, and recent increases in the price of concrete have added substantially to the cost of an ICF house.
4. Roof connections?how your roof connects to the hurricane and tornado resistant walls is important. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and ensuring your roof is properly tied to these walls is part of the process of creating a wind resistant building.
5. Excellent product support--is the manufacturer willing to come out to your site and help train you or your contractor?
6. Properly size your air-conditioning system?because many ICF's help reduce the cooling load, a smaller air conditioner may be appropriate. The Portland Cement Association has several technical guides for right-sizing the A/C system in ICF houses."
Universal Design Kitchen Cabinet
Universal Design Kitchen Cabinet
"Incorporating Universal Design features in kitchens, for example, can give homes a competitive edge in the market by addressing the increasing demand for accessible living environments by today's homeowners. Features such as adjustable countertops and cabinets, undercounter kneespace, and pullout shelves provide accessible work surfaces and storage that can be used by all of the members of the household, including those with physical disabilities. An investment in Universal Design can make your homes stand out from the rest by adding value that today's homebuyers appreciate."
Insulating Concrete Form Systems (ICFs)--In-Depth Analysis
Insulating Concrete Form Systems (ICFs)--In-Depth Analysis: "Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are rigid plastic foam forms that are filled with reinforced concrete to create structural walls. They hold concrete in place during curing and remain in place afterwards to provide thermal insulation. ICFs are used to make structural concrete walls, and can be used to make either foundation or above-grade walls. The forms are typically made from pure foam-plastic insulation but may also be made from a composite of cement and foam insulation or a composite of cement and processed wood. The foam is typically either expanded polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene (XPS) and occasionally polyurethane. Forms come in three basic form-types: blocks, planks, and panels. Blocks are molded, hollow foam blocks that are stacked, much like Legos®. Plank and panel types use flat sheets (typically) of foam held together with plastic or metal ties, with panels using larger sheets of foam, similar to metal or plywood formwork. The resulting shape of the concrete, explained in more detail later, will be one of several shapes: flat, waffle- or screen-grid, or post-and-beam.
As with any product, ICFs have their advantages and disadvantages. Although they can be more expensive than other residential wall types, and there is much debate over their use below grade because of termites, ICFs appeal to builders and homeowners due to the many possible advantages of ICFs. Advantages over conventional construction include a reduction in the number of trade contractors required, strength, thermal efficiency, reduction in through-the-wall sound transmission, and the ease of construction. This report presents these issues and more in further detail, including comments from builders and homeowners familiar with ICFs."
As with any product, ICFs have their advantages and disadvantages. Although they can be more expensive than other residential wall types, and there is much debate over their use below grade because of termites, ICFs appeal to builders and homeowners due to the many possible advantages of ICFs. Advantages over conventional construction include a reduction in the number of trade contractors required, strength, thermal efficiency, reduction in through-the-wall sound transmission, and the ease of construction. This report presents these issues and more in further detail, including comments from builders and homeowners familiar with ICFs."
Nudura, Insulated Concrete Form, Concrete home, ICF, polystyrene foam, steel reinforced, durable building, Fire resistant, Flexible building, basement
Nudura, Insulated Concrete Form, Concrete home, ICF, polystyrene foam, steel reinforced, durable building, Fire resistant, Flexible building, basements, round walls, fast setup. ISOMatrixx Building Products Ltd. Petersburg Ontario Canada: "The main features of the NUDURA ICF system revolve around
1. The forms acting as the stay in place concrete forming system.
2. The plastic webbing in the wall system has a second role as the studding for drywall and siding. No need for extra studding or insulation.
3. The Expanded Poly Styrene acts as the insulation for the building, which reduces energy requirements for heating and cooling systems.
4. The total system acts as the vapor barrier for the building."
1. The forms acting as the stay in place concrete forming system.
2. The plastic webbing in the wall system has a second role as the studding for drywall and siding. No need for extra studding or insulation.
3. The Expanded Poly Styrene acts as the insulation for the building, which reduces energy requirements for heating and cooling systems.
4. The total system acts as the vapor barrier for the building."
An overview of the different concrete home building methods
An overview of the different concrete home building methods: "In the last eight years, home buyers and builders have increasingly chosen concrete for their home. Even in this area, they have a choice of materials. Concrete masonry block, ICFs (insulating concrete forms) and removable forming systems (cast-in-place) are the top three choices. Precast/prestressed, tilt-up and autoclaved/aerated concrete systems are some other options, but less popular for residential building.
'About 1994,' said Jim Niehoff, residential promotion manager for Portland Cement Association, 'things started to pick up in a significant way nationally. PCA estimates that for 2001, the market share for all concrete building methods run about 14.6 percent. Of course, concrete masonry block has always been around. With the strongest showing, it's market share is hovering right around the 9.5 percent mark. The ICFs market is also very good. Estimates for 2001 for ICFs alone are approximately 2.5 percent.
'Cast-in-place systems are pulling in about 1.7 percent of the market, but are expected to capture a more significant share in the next couple of years, based on the work of the Concrete Homes Council, which is part of the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA). There is a network of concrete contractors who are familiar with the concrete forms building methods below grade; they just have to be convinced to take it above ground. The skill is in place.
'What would make a difference? First, the council needs to help contractors see that they could sell these houses "
'About 1994,' said Jim Niehoff, residential promotion manager for Portland Cement Association, 'things started to pick up in a significant way nationally. PCA estimates that for 2001, the market share for all concrete building methods run about 14.6 percent. Of course, concrete masonry block has always been around. With the strongest showing, it's market share is hovering right around the 9.5 percent mark. The ICFs market is also very good. Estimates for 2001 for ICFs alone are approximately 2.5 percent.
'Cast-in-place systems are pulling in about 1.7 percent of the market, but are expected to capture a more significant share in the next couple of years, based on the work of the Concrete Homes Council, which is part of the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA). There is a network of concrete contractors who are familiar with the concrete forms building methods below grade; they just have to be convinced to take it above ground. The skill is in place.
'What would make a difference? First, the council needs to help contractors see that they could sell these houses "
ECO-Block Insulating Concrete Forms - ICF For Concrete Home Builders and Contractors
ECO-Block Insulating Concrete Forms - ICF For Concrete Home Builders and Contractors: "Energy Efficiencies - ECO-Block buildings consistently save 25- 50% in monthly utility costs over the life span of the structure, translating into fewer resources consumed for the creation of energy. Beyond the insulating qualities of the foam block (R-22), the thermal mass of the concrete acts as an energy reservoir, which helps maintain an even indoor temperature. Consequently, the HVAC system can be scaled down by up to 35%, offering another added cost savings.
Environmental Benefits - An average 2,000 square foot home built with ECO-Block can save up to 47 trees. which would have been cut for creating lumber."
Environmental Benefits - An average 2,000 square foot home built with ECO-Block can save up to 47 trees. which would have been cut for creating lumber."
Wicked Good Guide to Boston's public restooms
Wicked Good Guide to Boston's public restooms
"Other cities (Paris and New York leap to mind) put their restrooms right on the street and in the subway, where visitors and residents can actually see and use them. Not Boston. We hide our bathrooms away, taunting you, daring you to see if you've got real bladder control. Town Meeting in Concord, one of the most popular tourist sites in America, once rejected plans for a new visitor center because it would have had restrooms - residents were afraid people from the neighboring town of Maynard would drive into Concord just to use the facilities."
Motorcycle Replacement Airshields
Motorcycle Replacement Airshields: "no matter if your bike was built in 1964 or today, we can make them !"
Their email is: fairingscreens@wmconnect.com
Their email is: fairingscreens@wmconnect.com
Saturday, September 20, 2003
Bug & Wind Deflector
Bug & Wind Deflector WINDSHIELD-MOUNT BUG AND WIND DEFLECTOR Clear formed Lexan"
ST1100 Custom Motorcycle Windshields
ST1100 Custom Motorcycle Windshields They don't make a shield for the V-Strom; yet.
Motorcycle Long Distance Pieces & Parts
Motorcycle Long Distance Pieces & Parts Nice site, I need to remember to check it out.
Memphis Shades
Memphis Shades: "Fully adjustable; measures 21'W x 18'H above headlight
Fits most rount headlights; see application guide for specific bikes
Made of ICI Lucite® for excellent clarity and weather-resistance
Available in gradient black, clear and solor
2-point handlebar mount
Mounting hardware kit included cotains:
billet aluminum handlebar clamps that fit 1' and 7/8' handlebars (w/ sizing band),
aluminum mounting plates and rake pivots,
stainless steel support rods and socket head screws
View pictures >"
Fits most rount headlights; see application guide for specific bikes
Made of ICI Lucite® for excellent clarity and weather-resistance
Available in gradient black, clear and solor
2-point handlebar mount
Mounting hardware kit included cotains:
billet aluminum handlebar clamps that fit 1' and 7/8' handlebars (w/ sizing band),
aluminum mounting plates and rake pivots,
stainless steel support rods and socket head screws
View pictures >"
Friday, September 19, 2003
Software Aimed at Blocking VeriSign's Search Program (TechNews.com)
Software Aimed at Blocking VeriSign's Search Program (TechNews.com): "VeriSign's service, which affects only '.com' and '.net' names, also overrode similar services offered by several Internet service providers, including America Online, and through Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser.
The BIND patch allows AOL and others to restore control by identifying and then ignoring data from Site Finder, said Paul Vixie, president of the Internet Software Consortium.
When the patched software receives such data, it will instead pass along an 'address not found' message."
The BIND patch allows AOL and others to restore control by identifying and then ignoring data from Site Finder, said Paul Vixie, president of the Internet Software Consortium.
When the patched software receives such data, it will instead pass along an 'address not found' message."
Ars Technica: The PC enthusiast's resource
Ars Technica: The PC enthusiast's resource
"He said the BBC was developing a 'super EPG' that would work on any platform and let users record programmes as with a PVR. The Internet Media Player (IMP) will allow programmes to be downloaded or streamed to PC desktops and handheld devices. [...] 'A fully flexible, platform-neutral, super EPG is in development that will allow TV content to be recorded TiVo-style,' said Highfield. 'It'll enable shows being broadcast now to be downloaded or streamed, and most significantly [let] TV shows that went out recently to be recalled from our archive and downloaded. 'To save on the huge bandwidth load this will place on us, we're exploring legitimate P2P models to get users to share our content on our behalf transparently"
Cybiko Inter-tainment system in Electric Shock Yellow Toy Toy Cybiko
Cybiko Inter-tainment system in Electric Shock Yellow Toy Toy Cybiko: "Cybiko: The Un-Game Boy
This is a great toy for someone that can't afford all of those expensive game boy games. What's great about the Cybiko is that it offers so much more than game boy at an unbelievable price. You pay for it... once. That's right. You buy the Cybiko and that's the only time you pay for it. The games are free-you download them off the internet using an application called 'Cyberload.' For the wireless chat and gaming features, there is no fee for air time like there is on a cell phone. And get this-it even has RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES! My favorite APPS are the text editor and English-German translator (both available from the website) and my favorite game is Rotoball. Now, the bad news. Cybiko only has a 300 ft range. This is great if you would like to sneak your Cybiko into school and chat with people during class, which I don't recommend."
This is a great toy for someone that can't afford all of those expensive game boy games. What's great about the Cybiko is that it offers so much more than game boy at an unbelievable price. You pay for it... once. That's right. You buy the Cybiko and that's the only time you pay for it. The games are free-you download them off the internet using an application called 'Cyberload.' For the wireless chat and gaming features, there is no fee for air time like there is on a cell phone. And get this-it even has RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES! My favorite APPS are the text editor and English-German translator (both available from the website) and my favorite game is Rotoball. Now, the bad news. Cybiko only has a 300 ft range. This is great if you would like to sneak your Cybiko into school and chat with people during class, which I don't recommend."
Thursday, September 18, 2003
Cybiko Extreme - Ferrago
Cybiko Extreme - Ferrago
"Fitting strangely somewhere between a mobile phone, a PDA, and a kiddies ‘First’-style PC (the acidic colour scheme and ‘easy grip’ style design make it a bit too reminiscent of Fisher Price), the Cybiko Extreme is a hard product to place, let alone review. Designed to appeal to the early-teens market, it’s with social-cool features such as chat rooms, messaging, simple Snake-esque games and address book features that the manufacturers aim to entice purchasers. Have Cybiko got it right, however? Well, this is something of a hard one to call, after all the market is a notoriously tricky one to capture, and some may find the Cybiko just a bit too PDA-like to appeal to an audience that demands something a bit more ‘street’. On the other hand, its place in mobile phone culture seems to assure of its worthiness, despite the ‘average’ aesthetics and slightly-awkward menu system. My take on the Extreme would therefore be that it’s best suited as an older kids toy (my ten year-old Niece for example was quite taken with it), with some fun features that just aren’t quite as easy to use as they should be, sadly."
Heath, Zenith items for sale
Heath, Zenith items for sale: "Zenith Z-100 series computers, which were built and sold in the 1980's. The Z-110 model is generally called the low profile model, without an internal CRT monitor; the Z-120 or 'all-in-one' model had a monochrome CRT monitor (which many updated to color). Brief specifications of the Z-100 series is: a S-100 or IEEE-696 standard motherboard backplane but with on-board dual processor (8088 and 8085) and memory, and 'daughterboard' video (32K or 64K of RGB color or monochrome). S-100 cards from Heath included a floppy disk controller, additional memory, a hard drive controller, 4-port serial card. Many other S-100 companies offered add on cards. These systems were bought by the US military for training, and a number of universities bought them or required them for students. These are very reliable and rugged systems; many are still in use to this day (2003), and some still appear at military surplus auctions."
The Contiki Operating System and Desktop Environment
The Contiki Operating System and Desktop Environment: "The Contiki desktop environment is a highly portable, modern, open source, Internet-enabled operating system and desktop environment for very constrained systems, such as 8-bit homecomputers like the Commodore 64"
Use a Surplus Primestar Dish as an IEEE 802.11 Wireless Networking Antenna
Use a Surplus Primestar Dish as an IEEE 802.11 Wireless Networking Antenna
Primestar was recently purchased by Direct TV who
is phasing out all the Primestar equipment. This means that the dishes are
being trashed, and are available for other uses such as the one I describe
here. It is easy to make a surplus Primestar dish into a highly directional
antenna for the very popular IEEE 802.11 wireless networking. The resulting
antenna has about 22 db of gain, and is fed with 50 ohm coaxial cable. Usually
LMR400 or 9913 low loss cable is used if the source is more than a few feet
from the antenna. The range using two of these antennas with a line of sight
path is around 10 miles at full bandwidth. I must stress the line of sight
part though. Leaves really attenuate the signal.
Friday, September 12, 2003
Globetechnology
Globetechnology: "The Mebius PC-RD3D, billed by Sharp as the world's first 3D laptop, goes on sale Oct. 27 in Japan and is planned for release later this year in the United States."
New Scientist | Evolution of the Car
New Scientist | Evolution of the Car: "By Jeff Hecht
ENGINEERS have been barking up the wrong tree in their efforts to make diesel engines run cleaner and more efficiently.
A new X-ray study has revealed a type of supersonic shock wave that no one has seen before in the high-speed fuel jets used in diesel cars. 'Nobody had any idea this was going on,' says Jin Wang of the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. Engine designers will now have to scrap their old models of fuel mixing and combustion.
In a diesel, fuel ignites spontaneously when it is injected into the combustion chambers. The way the fuel mixes with air is crucial to how it burns, so knowing how the fuel sprays out is important for boosting efficiency and reducing pollution.
Researchers use light scattering from fuel droplets to profile the shape of the injected fuel jet. However, droplets in the jet scatter light many times, obscuring what's going on.
To see through the haze, Wang and his colleagues tried using a single-wavelength X-ray source and a high-speed detector that recorded an image every 5 microseconds. They sprayed standard diesel fuel, mixed with a caesium compound to enhance its X-ray contrast, into a chamber containing the inert gas sulphur hexafluoride to stop it combusting. As the jet moved through the gas, they took a series of pictures.
The team's research was funded by the automotive systems company Robert Bosch in Stuttgart. To simplify measurements, they used a modified version of a standard fuel-injector nozzle that had only one hole rather than the usual five or six.
They found that 90 per cent of the fuel was concentrated in a thin jet behind the V-shaped shock wave, with the densest concentration of fuel right behind the shock front. And while the gas in the chamber slowed down the leading edge of the fuel jet, the trailing edge moved several times faster, at supersonic velocity. As the tail end of the fuel jet caught up with the leading edge, most of the fuel became concentrated in a blob just behind the point of the shock cone. 'Nobody knows why that should be, but we're going to try and find out,' Wang told New Scientist.
The finding will send fuel efficiency researchers back to their drawing boards, says Oleg Vasilyev, a fluid dynamics specialist at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Fuel distribution in the initial jet is critical to how the fuel spreads through the chamber to be burnt. A better understanding could lead to new injector nozzle and chamber designs that improve fuel efficiency and reduce pollution, says Vasilyev."
ENGINEERS have been barking up the wrong tree in their efforts to make diesel engines run cleaner and more efficiently.
A new X-ray study has revealed a type of supersonic shock wave that no one has seen before in the high-speed fuel jets used in diesel cars. 'Nobody had any idea this was going on,' says Jin Wang of the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. Engine designers will now have to scrap their old models of fuel mixing and combustion.
In a diesel, fuel ignites spontaneously when it is injected into the combustion chambers. The way the fuel mixes with air is crucial to how it burns, so knowing how the fuel sprays out is important for boosting efficiency and reducing pollution.
Researchers use light scattering from fuel droplets to profile the shape of the injected fuel jet. However, droplets in the jet scatter light many times, obscuring what's going on.
To see through the haze, Wang and his colleagues tried using a single-wavelength X-ray source and a high-speed detector that recorded an image every 5 microseconds. They sprayed standard diesel fuel, mixed with a caesium compound to enhance its X-ray contrast, into a chamber containing the inert gas sulphur hexafluoride to stop it combusting. As the jet moved through the gas, they took a series of pictures.
The team's research was funded by the automotive systems company Robert Bosch in Stuttgart. To simplify measurements, they used a modified version of a standard fuel-injector nozzle that had only one hole rather than the usual five or six.
They found that 90 per cent of the fuel was concentrated in a thin jet behind the V-shaped shock wave, with the densest concentration of fuel right behind the shock front. And while the gas in the chamber slowed down the leading edge of the fuel jet, the trailing edge moved several times faster, at supersonic velocity. As the tail end of the fuel jet caught up with the leading edge, most of the fuel became concentrated in a blob just behind the point of the shock cone. 'Nobody knows why that should be, but we're going to try and find out,' Wang told New Scientist.
The finding will send fuel efficiency researchers back to their drawing boards, says Oleg Vasilyev, a fluid dynamics specialist at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Fuel distribution in the initial jet is critical to how the fuel spreads through the chamber to be burnt. A better understanding could lead to new injector nozzle and chamber designs that improve fuel efficiency and reduce pollution, says Vasilyev."
New Scientist | Evolution of the Car
New Scientist | Evolution of the Car: "By Emma Young
The Ford motor company's abandonment of electric cars effectively signals the end of the road for the technology, analysts say.
General Motors and Honda ceased production of battery-powered cars in 1999, to focus on fuel cell and hybrid electric-gasoline engines, which are more attractive to the consumer. Ford has now announced it will do the same."
The Ford motor company's abandonment of electric cars effectively signals the end of the road for the technology, analysts say.
General Motors and Honda ceased production of battery-powered cars in 1999, to focus on fuel cell and hybrid electric-gasoline engines, which are more attractive to the consumer. Ford has now announced it will do the same."
New Scientist | Evolution of the Car
New Scientist | Evolution of the Car: "
By Ian Sample
An oil frequently found on your bathroom shelf may prove a viable alternative to diesel fuel for cars and trucks. Early tests show that jojoba-fuelled engines kick out fewer pollutants, run more quietly and for longer, and perform just as well as diesels."
By Ian Sample
An oil frequently found on your bathroom shelf may prove a viable alternative to diesel fuel for cars and trucks. Early tests show that jojoba-fuelled engines kick out fewer pollutants, run more quietly and for longer, and perform just as well as diesels."
New Scientist | Guide to the Quantum World | Silicon chips go quantum
New Scientist | Guide to the Quantum World | Silicon chips go quantum: "this is the first time that anyone has managed to entangle a pair of them. Entanglement is key to unlocking quantum computing power because qubits linked in this way share information, allowing lots of calculations to be carried out at once. The new chip is 'a pretty big step forward' says Martin Plenio, an expert in quantum computing at Imperial College, London.
In all computers, information is encoded as strings of 1s and 0s. In classical computers a bit stores either a 1 or a 0. Quantum computers are potentially far more powerful because a qubit can represent both at once. This means that an entangled pair of qubits can store four combinations (00, 01, 10 and 11) simultaneously. A two-qubit quantum computer will outperform a two-bit classical computer by carrying out four calculations at the same time.
Shen Tsai at the NEC Fundamental Research Laboratories in Ibaraki, Japan, and his colleagues have built a chip containing two squares of aluminium, called 'Cooper pair boxes', each about 0.1 micrometres across. Each box contains a few pairs of electrons, bound together in a state called a Cooper pair, and is connected to a reservoir of other electrons. When an electric field is applied across the box, an extra Cooper pair is pulled out of the reservoir and into the box. This changes the qubit 's state from 0 to 1. Removing a pair changes the state back. The quantum nature of the boxes allows them to exist in both states at once."
In all computers, information is encoded as strings of 1s and 0s. In classical computers a bit stores either a 1 or a 0. Quantum computers are potentially far more powerful because a qubit can represent both at once. This means that an entangled pair of qubits can store four combinations (00, 01, 10 and 11) simultaneously. A two-qubit quantum computer will outperform a two-bit classical computer by carrying out four calculations at the same time.
Shen Tsai at the NEC Fundamental Research Laboratories in Ibaraki, Japan, and his colleagues have built a chip containing two squares of aluminium, called 'Cooper pair boxes', each about 0.1 micrometres across. Each box contains a few pairs of electrons, bound together in a state called a Cooper pair, and is connected to a reservoir of other electrons. When an electric field is applied across the box, an extra Cooper pair is pulled out of the reservoir and into the box. This changes the qubit 's state from 0 to 1. Removing a pair changes the state back. The quantum nature of the boxes allows them to exist in both states at once."
New Scientist | Guide to the Quantum World
New Scientist | Guide to the Quantum World: "ONCE upon a time, Newton prevailed, and the world was a safe place for all of us. When you hit a plain, old-fashioned billiard ball, you could predict how fast it would move and in what direction. And when the billiard ball came to rest, you knew exactly where it was. These simple notions seemed obvious, necessary even. Most people believed that for physics to work, it had to be based on such solid and unshakable foundations.
Then on 19 October 1900, physicist Max Planck made a ground-breaking presentation to the German Physical Society. Planck was a sober man and, at 42, a little long in the tooth for a revolutionary. But his discovery was to turn the classical physics of the billiard ball on its head. What he described was an answer to an old question: Why does the colour of radiation from any glowing body change from red to orange and ultimately to blue as its temperature increases? Planck found he could get the right answer by assuming that radiation, like matter, comes in discrete quantities. And he called his little packets of energy 'quanta' from the Latin for amount. At the time, Plank seems to have imagined that some deeper explanation of these quanta would emerge.
But it rapidly became clear that the 'quantisation' of energy -- dividing it up into individual pieces -- was actually a new and fundamental rule of nature. The classically trained Planck didn't like this conclusion one bit. He resisted it to his dying day, prompting his famous lament that new scientific theories supplant previous ones not because people change their minds, but simply because old people die."
Then on 19 October 1900, physicist Max Planck made a ground-breaking presentation to the German Physical Society. Planck was a sober man and, at 42, a little long in the tooth for a revolutionary. But his discovery was to turn the classical physics of the billiard ball on its head. What he described was an answer to an old question: Why does the colour of radiation from any glowing body change from red to orange and ultimately to blue as its temperature increases? Planck found he could get the right answer by assuming that radiation, like matter, comes in discrete quantities. And he called his little packets of energy 'quanta' from the Latin for amount. At the time, Plank seems to have imagined that some deeper explanation of these quanta would emerge.
But it rapidly became clear that the 'quantisation' of energy -- dividing it up into individual pieces -- was actually a new and fundamental rule of nature. The classically trained Planck didn't like this conclusion one bit. He resisted it to his dying day, prompting his famous lament that new scientific theories supplant previous ones not because people change their minds, but simply because old people die."
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Dialect Survey Login
Dialect Survey Login
This site summarizes the results of a dialect survey of students and Web visitors conducted by linguist Bert Vaux and colleagues at Harvard University. Color-coded maps show the geographic distribution of responses to 122 questions asked of more than 5300 participants. Questions run the gamut from how to pronounce "aunt" and "caramel" to what you would call a long sandwich containing cold cuts. To most, it's a sub, but in New Orleans you will be ordering a poor boy and in Boston, a grinder.
This site summarizes the results of a dialect survey of students and Web visitors conducted by linguist Bert Vaux and colleagues at Harvard University. Color-coded maps show the geographic distribution of responses to 122 questions asked of more than 5300 participants. Questions run the gamut from how to pronounce "aunt" and "caramel" to what you would call a long sandwich containing cold cuts. To most, it's a sub, but in New Orleans you will be ordering a poor boy and in Boston, a grinder.
Science -- Science Collections: Anthropology
Science -- Science Collections: Anthropology: "Eight years ago, spelunker Jean-Marie Chauvet and two companions squeezed into a previously undiscovered cave in the Ardéche region of southern France. To their amazement, they found hundreds of paintings and engravings of woolly rhinoceroses, mammoths, and lions striding side by side, as well as other vivid images. Radiocarbon dating showed that some of the charcoal sketches on the walls of Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, as the cave is now called, were about 31,000 years old--15,000 years older than the famous works at Lascaux.
world's oldest cave art
world's oldest cave art
MIT team achieves coldest temperature ever
MIT team achieves coldest temperature ever: "CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- MIT scientists have cooled a sodium gas to the lowest temperature ever recorded -- only half-a-billionth of a degree above absolute zero. The work, to be reported in the Sept. 12 issue of Science, bests the previous record by a factor of six, and is the first time that a gas was cooled below 1 nanokelvin (one-billionth of a degree)."
Targeting transcription: New insights into turning genes on
Targeting transcription: New insights into turning genes on: "So just as coaches tell individual players when to scramble onto the field and when to stay on the bench, molecules called transcription factors prompt particular genes to be active or stay quiet. Transcription factors occur naturally in cells, but researchers have been working to develop artificial transcription factors (ATFs) that can be tailored to regulate particular genes or sets of genes. These molecules can help scientists probe transcription, the first step in the process through which instructions coded in genes are used to produce proteins. And because errors in transcription are linked to diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer, ATFs eventually might also be used to correct those mistakes.
Using a new approach to developing ATFs, University of Michigan assistant professor of chemistry Anna Mapp and coworkers have gained important insights into the workings of gene-activating transcription factors. They recently discovered that the gene-activating power of a transcription factor likely depends on where the factor binds to the cell's transcriptional machinery, as well as on how tightly it binds. Previously, researchers had thought that binding affinity (tightness) was the main determinant of a gene activator's potency. Mapp presented the group's results at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in New York today (Sept. 8).
Natural transcription factors typically have two essential parts or modules: a DNA-binding module that homes in on the specific gene to be regulated and a regulatory module that attaches itself to the cell's transcriptional machinery through a key protein-to-protein interaction and activates or represses the gene.
'When we started thinking about making artificial transcription factors, we knew we needed to find molecules that had that same binding interaction,' Mapp said. Other researchers have created ATFs by shuffling combinations of DNA-binding modules and regulatory modules, typically using regulatory modules that are derived from or resemble natural ones. Mapp's group took a different approach in hopes of creating smaller ATFs that might be easier to introduce into cells and less likely to be degraded or trigger an immune response---features that would be critical if ATFs are ever to be used in treating disease.
The Michigan team first isolated and purified a protein from the cell's transcriptional machinery; then they screened large groups of synthetic peptides (short chains of amino acids) for their ability to bind to the protein.
'From that, we got molecules that seem to bind to several different surfaces of the protein,' Mapp said, 'and we could use that binding interaction to activate transcription in some cases. So we were able to see for the first time that differences in binding site location may actually affect regulator function.'
The artificial activators are much smaller than most known natural activators. Using the same kind of screening approach, the researchers now plan to search for small organic molecules that are structurally similar to their protein-binding peptides and to combine those molecules with small DNA-binding modules already developed by other researchers, with the goal of creating new ATFs."
Using a new approach to developing ATFs, University of Michigan assistant professor of chemistry Anna Mapp and coworkers have gained important insights into the workings of gene-activating transcription factors. They recently discovered that the gene-activating power of a transcription factor likely depends on where the factor binds to the cell's transcriptional machinery, as well as on how tightly it binds. Previously, researchers had thought that binding affinity (tightness) was the main determinant of a gene activator's potency. Mapp presented the group's results at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in New York today (Sept. 8).
Natural transcription factors typically have two essential parts or modules: a DNA-binding module that homes in on the specific gene to be regulated and a regulatory module that attaches itself to the cell's transcriptional machinery through a key protein-to-protein interaction and activates or represses the gene.
'When we started thinking about making artificial transcription factors, we knew we needed to find molecules that had that same binding interaction,' Mapp said. Other researchers have created ATFs by shuffling combinations of DNA-binding modules and regulatory modules, typically using regulatory modules that are derived from or resemble natural ones. Mapp's group took a different approach in hopes of creating smaller ATFs that might be easier to introduce into cells and less likely to be degraded or trigger an immune response---features that would be critical if ATFs are ever to be used in treating disease.
The Michigan team first isolated and purified a protein from the cell's transcriptional machinery; then they screened large groups of synthetic peptides (short chains of amino acids) for their ability to bind to the protein.
'From that, we got molecules that seem to bind to several different surfaces of the protein,' Mapp said, 'and we could use that binding interaction to activate transcription in some cases. So we were able to see for the first time that differences in binding site location may actually affect regulator function.'
The artificial activators are much smaller than most known natural activators. Using the same kind of screening approach, the researchers now plan to search for small organic molecules that are structurally similar to their protein-binding peptides and to combine those molecules with small DNA-binding modules already developed by other researchers, with the goal of creating new ATFs."
New technique could lead to widespread use of solar power
New technique could lead to widespread use of solar power: "Researchers envision mass-produced rolls of material that converts sunlight to electricity
Princeton electrical engineers have invented a technique for making solar cells that, when combined with other recent advances, could yield a highly economical source of energy.
The results, reported in the Sept. 11 issue of Nature, move scientists closer to making a new class of solar cells that are not as efficient as conventional ones, but could be vastly less expensive and more versatile. Solar cells, or photovoltaics, convert light to electricity and are used to power many devices, from calculators to satellites.
The new photovoltaics are made from 'organic' materials, which consist of small carbon-containing molecules, as opposed to the conventional inorganic, silicon-based materials. The materials are ultra-thin and flexible and could be applied to large surfaces.
Organic solar cells could be manufactured in a process something like printing or spraying the materials onto a roll of plastic, said Peter Peumans, a graduate student in the lab of electrical engineering professor Stephen Forrest. 'In the end, you would have a sheet of solar cells that you just unroll and put on a roof,' he said."
Princeton electrical engineers have invented a technique for making solar cells that, when combined with other recent advances, could yield a highly economical source of energy.
The results, reported in the Sept. 11 issue of Nature, move scientists closer to making a new class of solar cells that are not as efficient as conventional ones, but could be vastly less expensive and more versatile. Solar cells, or photovoltaics, convert light to electricity and are used to power many devices, from calculators to satellites.
The new photovoltaics are made from 'organic' materials, which consist of small carbon-containing molecules, as opposed to the conventional inorganic, silicon-based materials. The materials are ultra-thin and flexible and could be applied to large surfaces.
Organic solar cells could be manufactured in a process something like printing or spraying the materials onto a roll of plastic, said Peter Peumans, a graduate student in the lab of electrical engineering professor Stephen Forrest. 'In the end, you would have a sheet of solar cells that you just unroll and put on a roof,' he said."
Cornell News: mathematical model of language death
Cornell News: mathematical model of language death: "The key factor is status, according to Cornell graduate student Daniel Abrams and Steven Strogatz, Cornell professor of theoretical and applied mechanics, who described the model in the Aug. 21 issue of the journal Nature . Others, they say, have used mathematical modeling to study the evolution of grammar, syntax and other structural features, but they believe this is the first attempt to quantify competition between languages."
3DCenter - CineFX (NV30) Inside
3DCenter - CineFX (NV30) Inside: "In the following pages we're going to analyze this patent. We're especially interested in answering the well-known questions about NV30:
Why does NV30 perform so poorly when executing 1.4 or 2.0 pixel shaders which have been developed on ATi hardware?"
Why does NV30 perform so poorly when executing 1.4 or 2.0 pixel shaders which have been developed on ATi hardware?"
Space News from the Space Coast
Space News from the Space Coast: "Scientists are getting the Space Infrared Telescope Facility ready for official operations as they fine-tune it and cool it down so it can take infrared images of cold, old and dusty objects in the universe.
The telescope, the last of NASA"
The telescope, the last of NASA"
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
Thursday, September 04, 2003
Governor Rick Perry (TX)
Open Government Information Awareness
"Over the course of several weeks this candidate repeatedly refused requests by citizens in the candidate's own state, leaders of both major political parties, major news organizations and Project Vote Smart staff to provide voters with essential issue information in the National Political Awareness Test.
This candidate would not provide this information to citizens in the candidate's own state - no matter who asked them, when they were asked or how they were asked.
The Register A team of Israeli scientists have uncovered a possible means of cracking the GSM mobile phone network encryption code, opening the door to attacks that could enable eavesdroppers to listen into calls.
The GSM Association, a trade group for suppliers and mobile network operators, is downplaying the problem. It admits a potential vulnerability exists but argues that this would be very difficult to exploit in practice.
The GSM Association, a trade group for suppliers and mobile network operators, is downplaying the problem. It admits a potential vulnerability exists but argues that this would be very difficult to exploit in practice.
NewsForge: The Online Newspaper of Record for Linux and Open Source Thursday September 04, 2003 - [ 09:09 AM GMT ]
Topic - Open Source
- by Chris Gulker -
North America's power grid, creaking under loads it was never designed to handle, may be facing an even grimmer future thanks to security flaws in aging control systems that are increasingly interconnected with Microsoft-based enterprise systems. The situation is so bad, experts say, that bored script kiddies could soon be knocking out power stations as easily as they concoct viruses from toolkits available on the Web.
Topic - Open Source
- by Chris Gulker -
North America's power grid, creaking under loads it was never designed to handle, may be facing an even grimmer future thanks to security flaws in aging control systems that are increasingly interconnected with Microsoft-based enterprise systems. The situation is so bad, experts say, that bored script kiddies could soon be knocking out power stations as easily as they concoct viruses from toolkits available on the Web.