My namesake links to the complete text of the “I Have a Dream” address. Reading it and taking it in at your own pace adds more power to the message. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.
Thank you Tony Rosen, Sophorist and Dr. King.
With the development of nanotechnology comes the need for small power sources. Since the conception of the idea of microscopic power sources, circa 1990, IBM has been working to make it a reality.
In a field that is so young and is moving so quickly it’s hard to see the milestones, but it has advanced from the theoretical research phase to patented techniques that will form the foundation for its growth and development.
One such patent has just been issued to the University of Tulsa for batteries that are so small that 40 could be stacked across the width of a human hair. Chemistry professor Dale Teeters and two of his former chemical engineering students, Nina Korzhova and Lane Fisher, have constructed thousands of tiny batteries, each of which can deliver up to 3.5 volts.
“These batteries aren’t going to drive a flashlight,” says Teeters, because they are so small their energy supply would be quickly exhausted. “There’s an incredibly tiny amount of energy involved, but if you have an incredibly tiny device then the device will function for the period of time that it needs to.”
Such a tiny battery could be used to drive a microbe-sized submarine through a patient’s blood vessels like the one featured in the 1966 science fiction movie, Fantastic Voyage. Teeters says he used to dismiss that movie as pure fantasy, but not anymore. A company in Germany has already developed just such a “submarine,” he says.
There are many conceptual devices that will benefit from such a power source. Perhaps when nanotechnology advances, to a point, these power sources will be common place in powering their world as they build it.
AMD has lowered the prices on some of their mid-level chips, soon to be low-level when the new Athlon64 chips are readily available. With prices falling like this the time is right for building a new machine. Check out the ASUS motherboard that would go nicely with one of the following chips.
| Athlon XP price cuts | |||
| Processor | Prev. Price | New Price | Change |
| 2600+ | $103 | $93 | -9.7% |
| 2500+ | $89 | $87 | -2% |
| 2400+ | $84 | $81 | -4% |
| 2200+ | $74 | $71 | -4% |
| 2100+ | $74 | $69 | -7% |
Have you noticed that some of your CDs that you recorded are difficult to play? Have you been trying to retrieve data off of a CD that you recorded some time ago and you just keep getting errors? Chances are that it isn’t your CDRW machine.
Roughly translated from Dutch:
The tests showed that a number of CD-Rs had become completely unreadable while others could only be read back partially. Data that was recorded 20 months ago had become unreadable. These included discs of well known and lesser known manufacturers.
It is presumed that CD-Rs are good for at least 10 years. Some manufacturers even claim that their CD-Rs will last up to a century. From our tests it’s concluded however that there is a lot of junk on the market. We came across CD-Rs that should never have been released to the market. It’s completely unacceptable that CD-Rs become unusable in less than two years.
JJD over at DaleyNews links to INSULTINGLY STUPID MOVIE PHYSICS to point out some of the remarkable physics in Spiderman and the unsurprisingly real to life physics of Road to Perdition. The Intuitor has several movies listed that he has given some thought provoking analysis on. This is really a nice sight for it also talks about physics in general. Go take a look around.
Some other movies reviewed by the Intuitor:
The Hulk (2003)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Italian Job (2003)
The Core (2003)
The Sum of All Fears (2002)
Reign of Fire (2002)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Collateral Damage (2002)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
The Matrix (1999)
Armageddon (1998)
The Terminator (1984)
This motherboard is billed as “loaded with features, and yet we see it selling in the “value” $70 to $100 price range.” It isn’t a top performer as boards go but it is using the latest KT600 chipset and is a great bargain for the technology. AMD is near releasing their new AThlon64 CPUs and all of this existing technology will be moving on. If you are up for building a great machine with the last of this generations components, this is the motherboard to get.
The ASUS A7V600 is feature-laden, and an excellent value at its selling price. It is the only KT600 board that we have tested to provide Gigabit LAN and a slot for a wireless transmitter. It is not a blistering performer, even compared to other KT600 boards, but it is a solid and trouble-free motherboard, and one of the best overclockers among the KT600 boards. If your needs are best served by the latest top-notch features in a solid, reliable board from a top-tier manufacturer, then the ASUS A7V600 is your choice. Did we also say it’s available at a bargain price?
Read the complete review at AnandTech
Over the past five years, a team led by Sandia cognitive psychologist Chris Forsythe has been working on creating intelligent machines: computers that can accurately infer intent, remember prior experiences with users, and allow users to call upon simulated experts to help them analyze problems and make decisions.
Forsythe has been working to create a “synthetic human” — A software application that could think like a human being. Of course, this was for national defense, ie, the government. In 2002, DARPA gave funding to Sandia to develop a real-time machine that could figure out what its user is thinking.
“For instance, sitting in my car at a red light, I should be able to set up and run a simulation that shows me possible effects on traffic of the accident that is ahead of me,” Forsythe said.
“Such a tool would not necessarily tell me the answer, but it would augment my own cognitive processes by making me aware of potential realities, as well as the interrelationships between various factors that I may or may not be able to control, influence or avoid.”
Computer software often, but not exclusively, relies on programmed rules. If “A” happens, then so does “B.” Humans are a bit more complex. Stress, fatigue, anger, hunger, joy and differing levels of ability can change how humans respond to any given stimulus.
Through the use of AI, the computer would get to learn its user and understand what the user is thinking. By this means the computer would have a good idea of what the user knows and would be able to qualify queries based on that information. It would be able to converse with the user to determine what the user really wants.
Forsythe and his team are trying to mimic real human interaction, embedding within computers an extremely human-like cognitive model that enables the machine to have an interaction with the user that more closely resembles communications between two thinking humans.
“If you had an aide tasked with watching everything you do, learning everything they could about you and helping you in whatever way they could, it is extremely unlikely that your interactions with that aide would in any way resemble interactions with Clippy,” Forsythe said.
If you are picturing the agent, Clippy, that Microsoft uses, wipe that from your mind. Forsythe says that Clippy is an example of what not to do when building a cognitive system. Microsoft took the one-size-fits-all approach which greatly limits the abilities of the system.
When two humans interact, two (hopefully) cognitive entities are communicating. As cognitive entities — thinking beings — each has some sense of what the other knows and does not know. They may have shared past experiences that they can use to put current events in context; they might recognize each other’s particular sensitivities.
Wired’s article, Machine Thinks, Therefore It Is, doesn’t mention when the completed product should be available but it does say that the cognitive machine technology should be embedded into most computer systems in the next 10 years.
Source: Wired Magazine
If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you may be looking for the Platinum Edition of The Two Towers. November 18 is the scheduled date of release for the Special Extended version, so mark your calendars. A little tidbit of whats in it:
FEATURE (approx. 214 minutes) -
A new version of the second installment in the epic trilogy! The film includes over 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film, made especially for this video release:
This is one of those very rare occurrences that we would ever see. It appears that Ann Coulter began to smolder while she was in the middle of a rant about liberal comedian Al Franken. She kept on talking like nothing happened.
I don’t know what to make of this story for I did a Google search on - spontaneous combustion “ann coulter” - and came up with some results (about 26) that were not talking about this event. Could this be a stunt to increase her book sales or is this just a coincidence?
Biomedical imaging has come a long way since 1895. A 100 years plus have passed since x-rays have been discovered and used to help diagnose problems of the body. During this range in time, man has grown to use x-rays with better data collecting media. Gone are the days of film plates and darkrooms.
The transmission and detection of X-rays still lies at the heart of radiography, angiography, fluoroscopy and conventional mammography examinations. However, traditional film-based scanners are gradually being replaced by digital systems that are based primarily on caesium-iodide scintillators coupled to flat-panel detectors. Some systems rely on charged-coupled devices (CCD) rather than flat panels but the end result is the same: the data can be viewed, moved and stored without a single piece of film ever being exposed.
The humble X-ray also forms the heart of modern computed tomography (CT) systems, which can obtain a series of 2D “slices” through the body. A whole host of other physics-based techniques or “modalities” are also routinely used to look inside the body without the need for a scalpel. Single photon emission CT (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) rely on the properties of radioactive isotopes, while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exploits the well known principles of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and is the starting point for functional MRI (fMRI). Last but by no means least, ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves in a similar manner to submarine sonar to produce images of tissue and blood vessels.
Common sense tells us that the more data we collect the more information we would have to make an intelligent conclusion for the problem at hand. This isn’t necessarily true. Sometimes there is too much data. This is a problem with multislice CT technology.
(more…)
The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is a spacecraft observatory made for studying objects seen in the infrared band of the light spectrum. SIRTF is the fourth spacecraft of the “Great Observatories “. The three before it are the Hubble Space Telescope, launched by the space shuttle in 1990; the Gamma Ray Observatory, launched in 1991; and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, launched in 1999.
Each of the Great Observatories observes different colors of light that cannot be viewed from the Earth’s surface, and each serves a different function.
SIRTF has been on the drawing board since 1983 and it was originally set for launch in 1990. The design of SIRTF kept evolving and now we have something quite unique.
Unlike most astronomical spacecraft SIRTF will not be orbiting the Earth. Instead, it will be put into orbit around the sun.
“SIRTF will be following the Earth around the sun, kind of like a faithful puppy dog,” astronomer Michael Werner said. The solar orbit increases the lifetime of the spacecraft.
SIRTF will gradually lag further and further away from the Earth until it’s too far to be detected. But in about six decades the Earth will “catch up” with SIRTF, like a race car lapping another race car.
SIRTF observes in the infrared light band and its scientists joke that SIRTF looks at the “cold, the dark, and the dirty.”
ExtremeTech has a teaser article that addresses some of the issues with building your own laptop. For me, the hard part of a DIY laptop is getting the parts. It is nothing like buying the typical PC components. ExtremeTech explains some other problems that will just drive you mad unless you are a ubergeek. This is worth a look.
I haven’t got around to buying a 1GB microdrive yet because the price wasn’t right. I always assumed that at some point the price would come down and I would jump on it. Well, before the price of the 1GB could come down, Hitachi has come out with something better.
The 4GB Microdrive, a miniaturized version of a hard drive used in PCs, can be used by a wide range of devices to store data files for computers or image files for digital cameras, among other uses, the company said. The San Jose, Calif., hard-drive maker is offering samples now and plans to ship the 1-inch drive in volume in November.
I’m not sure if the 4GB Microdrive will be compatible with gadgets that have been made prior to its release, addressing the 4GB storage area may be an issue. One good thing about this release is that the 1GB drives will come down to reasonable range.
The company expects the 4GB Microdrive to sell for $499. Lexar Media sells 2GB and 4GB flash memory cards that cost as much as $799 and $1,599, respectively, according to its online store.
Source: CNET.com
AMD is hosting a contest and if you have a GPS you can play. “The contest is a virtual geocaching contest where participants answer clues to find 64 global locations which have significance to technology, 64-bit computing or AMD.” For each location you find you will get an entry into the drawing for the grand prize - an AMD Athlon 64 processor-based desktop system and a cash prize of $6,400.
Geocaching has become a growing trend among technology enthusiasts. According to www.geocaching.com, geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for global positioning system (GPS) users and can now be found in more than 180 countries. AMD’s virtual geocache contest allows participants to answer questions virtually about various landmarks.
This is in honor of AMD’s launch date for their 64 bit processor.
The AMD Athlon 64 processor will launch on Sept. 23, 2003, and will be the industry’s only Windows®-compatible 64-bit PC processor. Providing access to unprecedented software performance for current applications and designed to run next-generation software, the AMD Athlon 64 processor is designed to allow users to experience movie-like gaming and prepare for a new world of 3D interactive games and digital media.
Source: Designtechnica News
For those of you that didn’t know, I am now 37, this just happened Wednesday. Thursday I also played host to my 8000th visitor. Three more years and I will be ready to buy my Corvette. (…Mid-life crisis.) I found that Unix Girl has a birthday around the corner and she also has a stance on aging that I like. For her birthday, I think she should go back to Bahama Breeze for a few more rounds of Mojitos. I love it when people finally get turned on to the good stuff.
BigWig at Silflay Hraka, points out the current theories on global warming. BigWig is also keeping up with the progress of Sobig.F worm. My office was struck by the virus Thursday, that was a busy day. All parts of our IT department pulled together to clean some 500 plus machines. Luckily we only had to remove the quarantine file that Symantec captured. According to BigWig’s post, there is a surprise in store for us.
I found that Jay Solo picked up a site from Ith who pointed out that Jimmie J.J. Walker has a blog. There has got to be some interesting writings there.
I have recently been visiting BlogoSpherics on a regular basis. This is one of those sites that just holds my attention. (One day I will have to give a list of sites I frequent regularly.) McGehee has discovered a way to make your Technorati stats go through the roof. It does work and it is a lot of work keeping up with the sites that do inline commenting and trackbacks.
Ron, of Bear Left On Unnamed Road :: Technology fame, has two articles that have piqued my interest; Spray on computing: Just don’t tumble dry! and Extreme Programming: When two heads are better than one. These are 2 topics that Ron just beat me to the punch on. Good Job!!! Unfortunately, The Extreme Programming link is not working so just go to the main site and scroll through.(posted under Saturday Aug. 23)
I also saw that Jivha the Tongue has walked his entire BlogRoll. This is a vast undertaking. Good Job! There may be more blogroll potential for me. …That reminds me, I need to prune my roll. hopefully I can do it within the next couple of weeks. There is also an article about coming up with powerful titles. This is something that is extremely hard for me. Jivha, NewsCrawler rocks!!! Great minds do think alike.
And, we have a new convert to Mozilla. And with use of the new browser, Glenn was able to make his site look the way it is supposed to. I hope that he is happy now, I know that he has been working hard to make it look right for a while now.
It looks like NZB, of TTLB, has been working hard on the Ecosystem and it appears that he got it running at peak performance. He says that Hosting Matters will let him run his daily scripts and they will monitor the impact to their servers. So go out there and see the rankings. I’m really surprise to find myself in the Marauding Marsupials category.
A few months ago I posted Can light be faster than light?, which raised the question, “Will Einstein be remembered like Ptolemy?” The point I was trying to get across is that the scientist of yesterday used what was available to them to make their astute observations of our universe. I suppose, if we were to take their accomplishments and look at how long their ideas stay the leading theory, this could be a good testament of their true genius. Given that, Ptolemy’s theory of a geocentric system was believed for 1500 years, according to what I just said, he would be a Super Genius. In Ptolemy’s case, it was criminal to think other than what was widely believed, so people dare not think freely.
The reason why I bring this up again is that we have a scientist that is challenging Newton’s theory of gravity, a Mr. Ben Solomon. Mr. Solomon has come up with a device, Post-Newtonian Propulsion Technology (PNPT) device, that is able to change its own weight and the weight of a third object.
Mr. Solomon’s devices change weight by up to +/- 3 grams over a 3-hour period. The devices weigh between 2 and 300 grams. A weight loss of 41.5 grams has been observed for 3 seconds, but is not yet repeatable. During the experiment, he has noted the current weight, picked up the device, and placed the device back on the scale (Mettler P1200). The weight observed was the current weight, and not some other value. These devices operate at about 2 to 3 Watts. Estimated energy required is between 60 and 120 kJ per gram weight change.
Mr. Solomon is at proof-of-concept. The electromagnetic structure of matter, and not mass, is the source of gravity. This electromagnetic structure creates non-linear time dilation. This non-linearity of time dilation causes the effect of gravity. Modern physics states it the other way around, that gravity causes time dilation. His success, stemming from this significant paradigm shift on gravitational effects, seriously questions the validity of modern theories on gravity.
Questions modern theories on gravity…, if this revolutionary concept proves to be “correct”, our theory of gravity will be rewritten. Along with a new theory, a new age of propulsion technology will be upon us. I’m anxious to see what happens with Ben Solomon’s proof of concept.
Source: PhysicsWeb.org
Scientists say they have identified an ocean sponge living in the darkness of the deep sea that grows thin glass fibers capable of transmitting light better than industrial fiber optic cables used for telecommunication.The natural glass fibers also are much more flexible than manufactured fiber optic cable that can crack if bent too far.
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One of the key selling points of the car, focused toward people that like speed, is the Tiptronic-style shifters. The idea is borrowed from Formula-1 racing.
Cambiocorsa is similar-to-nearly-identical to the shifters used in Formula 1 racing. Paddles are located behind the steering wheel to shift up (right paddle) or down (left paddle). There is a learning curve to remember how to shift into neutral and first, for example, but once you’ve been in the car for a short while the shifting is effortless. The car even “double clutches” on downshifts - automatically. Cambiocorsa is also adaptive, so if you choose to drive the car hard, it will shift hard for you. If you just poke along, it will poke along with you.
There’s also an “auto” mode that can be actuated by a button on the center console. This puts it in automatic mode, although Maserati won’t admit to having an automatic transmission. Again, the transmission adapts to your driving style, and upshifts and downshifts at appropriate points. The indicator on the dash that tells you what gear you’re in with the paddles, also indicates which gear you’re in with the “auto” mode, something you don’t get with Tiptronic-style shifters. Maserati also claims that Cambiocorsa is faster than Tiptronic.
I know that Ith has been keeping up with the “Return of the King” movie announcements but I wasn’t able to actually get a glimpse of the trailer. The site she posted was asked to remove the trailer. I happened to stumble upon a trailer, unfortunately it is in the smallest format possible but it is watchable.