Technically Speaking

A new problem has popped up in the Spirit rover. When Spirit reported on the composition of some of the rocks on Mar’s surface the results were confusing. It turns out that the rover is using a Moessbauer spectrometer and it may have some limited abilities. Moessbauer spectrometers are designed to determine if a chemical structure has hydrogen in it.

Mission scientists will pay close attention to Martian minerals containing iron, because it interacts strongly with liquid water.

But a lack of variety in the way iron bonds with different atoms in molecules could make Moessbauer measurements difficult to interpret, said M Darby Dyar, associate professor of astronomy and geology at Mount Holyoake College, US.

“It won’t allow us to distinguish between minerals that have hydrogen in their structure and minerals that don’t, which of course is the million dollar question,” she said.

The presence of iron hydroxides, for example, would strongly indicate the past presence of water on Mars.

But Dr Goestar Klingelhoefer, head of Nasa’s Mars rover Moessbauer team, countered: “[This paper] ignores lots of details that we have already published.”

“For instance, goethite (a hydrogen-bearing mineral) in the Moessbauer spectrum has really a unique pattern.”

Dr Dyar said: “It’s particularly bad if it’s Fe3+, the oxidised form of iron - which is the one we expect to find on Mars. The range of Moessbauer parameters for this form of iron is very small, which means that almost everything with Fe3+ in it looks the same.”

xCHM is an open source (GPL’ed) viewer for reading Microsoft’s proprietary .CHM (compiled HTML) files. These .chm files are commonly used as product manuals, and lots of e-books come in this format. For instance, the PHP manuals and the Java class library references are primarily available in .chm format.

A beached Sperm whale, that died, was being moved to a research facility when it exploded.

Passers-by and cars were soaked in blood and body parts were sprayed over a road after the bursting of the whale, which was being carried on a trailer.

The whale had died earlier on a beach and had been collected so its remains could be used for educational purposes.

A marine biologist blamed the explosion on pressure from gases building up in the mammal as it began to decompose.

The whale attracted a lot of onlookers both before and after it exploded.

The stench was so bad that the shop owners, in the area, had to wear masks as the tried to clean up the mess. Apparently, there was enough of the whale intact to deliver to the research facility where they determined that the explosion was due to natural decomposing. It also turned out to be the biggest whale they have seen in Taiwan ever.

Professor Wang said initial observation showed the whale to be an older bull and that its weight of 50 tonnes and 17 metre-length made it the largest whale ever recorded in Taiwan.

Reports say because of the whale’s size, it took 13 hours, three large lifting cranes and 50 workers to get the whale loaded on the trailer truck for its final trip.

MIT’s Technology Review has a useful article on configuring Windows XP so that it will be more usable. The article states that most people use Windows in its standard form, with out of the box settings, and this may not be the best way to go. A few common features are looked at and useful customizations are given to enhance usability. If you are a Windows power user, you may know most of these suggestions, but I feel that this guide is still worth a look.

Venomous Kate has found a tool that will allow you to put your email address on your site and not have spambots come and harvest it.
I have been looking for a way to implement this functionality for some time now, so I was pleased to see that there was a solution for it. This is one way of doing it, Charles of The Gagalac Style has another way of protecting himself and I have been meaning to ask him how he does it. He has a link to a form that will allow you to email him right from his website. His email address isn’t so visible. Check it out. (Click on Contact me…View the source an check out the code.)

“Description:
http-equiv has reported a vulnerability in Windows XP, which can be exploited by malicious people to compromise a user’s system or gain escalated privileges.

It is possible to construct a malicious folder containing both script code and an executable file. This can be exploited to make Windows Explorer execute code automatically on a user’s system if the user is tricked into opening the folder.

A PoC (Proof of Concept) exploit is available.

Solution:
There’s no proper solution available at the moment.

Grant only trusted users access to affected systems. Don’t open untrusted folders. Use updated AV software.”

This year’s digital virus is bigger and badder than the SoBig and Blaster viruses. Currently, Mydoom has a penetration of 1 in 17. Meaning that for every 17 emails sent through the net, 1 is infected. The virus isn’t suppose to peak until two days from now. Penetration should increase to somewhere under 1 in 10. This virus is so disruptive that The SCO Group is offering a bounty of $250,000 for the creator of Mydoom.

“Although Mydoom’s author may be sympathetic to the open source community’s case, and this may have been the reason they targeted SCO, responsible members of the community would never condone such illegal activity,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.

“It is hoped that this reward may tempt the computer underground into ’spilling the beans’ about who might be responsible for this latest attack on all users of the internet.”

Mydoom, which only affects computers using Microsoft Windows, also spreads through file-sharing networks, like Kazaa, and installs a “back door” onto machines if launched.

This is a bit of software which allows a computer to be remotely controlled. It listens to commands sent over the net and acts on them.

An infected computer could allow attackers to get unauthorised access to a user’s machine and use it to bring down SCO’s website, according to security experts.

If I remember correctly, some poor teenager was caught and charged with distributing the SoBig variant virus. Despite the reward that was offered last time the original virus maker wasn’t caught. This makes me wonder whether there is honor among thieves!

MYDOOM DETAILS

• From: random e-mail address
  
• To: address of the recipient
  
• Subject: random words
  
• Message body: several different mail error messages, such as: Mail transaction failed. Partial message is available
  
• Attachment (with a textfile icon): random name ending with ZIP, BAT, CMD, EXE, PIF or SCR extension
  
• When a user clicks on the attachment, the worm will start Notepad, filled with random characters
  

Okay, I finally got a plugin working that I have been messing with for months now, off and on. AdSenseStats is working and I must say that it will be a great tool for me to check my info. I still stand behind my assertion that MT Plugin Manager doesn’t work the way you would expect it to work. I have found that the plugin, OtherBlog didn’t install properly through the manager as well as the others I listed in the previous entry. The manager didn’t catch that OtherBlog didn’t install when it did on the others. After installing it manually, I found that it worked properly. So I decided to install AdSenseStats manually and it worked the first time through. I have racked my brain and John’s brain trying to get his plugin to work. Just another benefit of working with a clean slate.

Danish scientists have created a way to genetically alter the Thale Cress so that when the plants roots come in contact with NO2, the plant will change color. Green cress becomes red cress. Of course, this is not a foolproof solution but it is another solution. The plant can be sprayed onto an area via an off-the-shelf pump or a crop-spraying plane.

At least 26,000 people are killed or injured by mines every year.

Aresa’s aim is to plant its GM plant - an altered thale cress - in landmined areas. Scientists say that within three to six weeks it will change colour in areas where roots come in contact with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) evaporating from explosives in the soil.

We have to convince people who are actually clearing mines that this system is reliable

Aresa Chief Executive Simon Oestergaard said the project was still in its early days but it had great potential for land that could be used for different agricultural activities.

“We don’t think our invention will completely replace other methods,” he said.

Landmines are traditionally located by a number of methods including the use of sniffer dogs, heavy machines or metal detectors. The mines can then be carefully removed.

In order for this plant to do its job, its roots has to be exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2). There are mines that are specifically sealed that do not seep nitrogen dioxide. This would be one instance in which the plants wouldn’t work. I think that the technique would be a great first step in the process of mine clearing.

Read more

Toshiba Corporation researchers have created a .85-inch hard drive, smaller than some coins. The capacity is a whopping 2 to 3 gigabytes, according to reports coming out of Japan. The drive should become available in 2005.

This breakthrough will insure the development of even smaller MP3 player in the near future.

Source: LockerGnome

The recently completed supercomputer of Virginia Tech is about to make a major change. All of the 1100 PowerMac G5 computers used to make the supercomputer will be swapped for Xserve G5 servers, one for one.

The new system, which went online toward the end of last year and which Virginia Tech said was the most powerful supercomputer at any university in the world at the time, will be completed by May.

By moving to the thinner servers, the supercomputer will consume less power and generate less heat, said Srinidhi Varadarajan, assistant professor of computer science, college of engineering, at Virginia Tech.

“It cuts the system’s size down by a factor of three,” Varadarajan said. “The new system will take much less power and generate less heat and free up space.”

The current supercomputer that uses 1,100 PowerMac G5 desktop computers occupies 3,000 square feet.

The price of this change has not been disclosed. The university is looking to find “good homes” for the PowerMac G5 machine that they currently have. If you are looking for a G5 machine, I’d suggest contacting the university.

Well, so far things are looking pretty good. I have just finished moving all of my templates and plugins over to the new install. Things are so much easier the second time around. I have spent many hours putting the fine touches on this site and today, I have had to recreate about half of them within the span of a few hours. I truly thought that I wouldn’t have this site back to a workable state until later this week. I must be getting good in my old age.

Some positive things have come out of this experience. I guess the main lesson here is to backup your site. This should be a daily habit but I am a bit forgetful at times and couple that with laziness…you get the picture. I’ll try to make it a point to make an export of this site at least once a week. If I should need another fresh start I hope that I will be able to get away with only a few entries that will need to be manually entered. Another lesson learned is that I should stop procrastinating when it comes to fixing known issues with this site. The Berkeley database has been corrupt for about 4 months now. We tried to get away from the database at that time but the conversion process from Berkeley to MySQL didn’t go well. At that time I could have entered the hand few of entires that didn’t make it through automatically. Hindsight is 20/20. At the time I thought that we might be able to find a solution to the conversion and /or the existing problem would go away.
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Ok all, I have been trying to have this blogsite work with a MySQL database and it hasn’t been converting over nicely. So I am at the point where I have to create a new database and continue on blogging, leaving behind all that I have blogged about before. What does this mean? Well, all of my entries are on this server in my individual pages. Those will stay as is. If you have links to those entries, they will still work. Unfortunately, since the actual posts are not in the new database, you will not be able to search this site for any old articles. This seems to be the only option I have left, cutting off a leg to save the body. I will be working on this site for the next few days to get everything configured pretty much back to the way it was, so bear with me. Hopefully I can be back to normal by Friday. Wish me luck!

Thank you to Simon, at Bloggedup.com, for trying his best to get this all working with MySQL. There is something corrupt in my old MT setup that prevents a smooth conversion. Simon has work all weekend to get this back to normal but it just isn’t possible. So onward we go.

There are a lot of MP3 players on the market today and many of them are trying to be like the iPod. ZDNet has put together a comparison comparison chart of 6 different MP3 players so that we can easily see what we are getting for our money. The iPod is not on this chart but there is a good review that ZDNet wrote. In the review, the iPod received a rating of 8.7 making it a leader of the pack. On the comparison chart, two other units received the same mark, the Rio Karma and the iRiver iHP-120. All of the 20GB MP3 players are in the $250 - $300 price range so there is hardly a reason not buy the best in the category. Take a look at the articles and form your own conclusions.

I just came across this picture while browsing CNN’s site.

ICE AND FIRE Only
the hardiest eclipse chasers made the trip last month to see the moon
block out the sun over Antarctica. Fred Bruenjes, webmaster of
www.moonglow.net, was one of them. The Southern Californian put
together this solar eclipse composite image, which accidentally caught
Japanese artist Kagaya in the foreground. It makes the composition more
interesting, Bruenjes said.

(12/17/03)

News Flash –

Spirit rover stopped transmitting data from the surface of Mars for more than 24 hours, mission members said Thursday.

I saved this list from somewhere, but I can’t recall where. It is a good list of evolving technologies that we should hopefully see some advancements on this year.

1. Home networking

   Ultra-wideband: Imagine a television that can wirelessly send three different programs to separate monitors. Low-power, low-cost, and with roughly 45 times the data transmission speed of run-of-the-mill Wi-Fi, this wireless technology is finally ready to debut in the living room.

2. Supply chain

   RFID: While they’ve been talked about a lot, radio frequency identification tags have yet to appear in a big way in the supply chain. Wal-Mart is making it happen: All its suppliers must use the tags for pallets and cases of merchandise by 2005.

3. Wireless broadband

   802.16: WiMax enables wireless networks to extend as far as 30 miles and transfer data, voice, and video at faster speeds than cable or DSL. It’s perfect for ISPs that want to expand into sparsely populated areas, where the cost of bringing in DSL or cable wiring is too high.

4. Energy

   Micro fuel cells: Japan’s largest wireless phone carrier, NTT DoCoMo, plans to introduce cell phones powered by miniature fuel cells — which run on hydrogen or methanol — late next year. Look for them to also show up as expensive add-ons for high-end laptops.

5. Household products

   Gecko tape: Lizards climb walls using the mechanical adhesive force of millions of tiny hairs on their feet. A synthetic version of those microscopic hairs allows gecko tape, developed at England’s University of Manchester, to stick to almost any surface without glue. Applications include gloves that allow a person to climb a glass wall, the ability to move computer chips in a vacuum, and new bandages.

6. Software

   Antispam software (that works): If you’ve tried filters, whitelists, and blacklists, chances are you still receive plenty of junk e-mail. “Challenge/response” technology may be the answer; it requires senders to manually verify their identity before e-mail is passed along to the intended recipient.

7. Consumer electronics

   OLEDs: Organic light-emitting diodes are brighter and use less power than normal light-emitting diodes. (They rely on carbon with nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen elements — thus, the “organic” tag.) They’re perfect for screens on cell phones, digital cameras, and camcorders, and even for a new crop of affordable flat-panel monitors.

8. Lighting

   LED lightbulbs: LEDs will outrun obsolescence by moving into the home. Philips is already pushing its Luxeon line of LED lightbulbs, which can last 10 to 50 times as long as incandescent bulbs while consuming 80 percent less energy.

9. Computer memory

   MRAM: Magnetoresistive random access memory is (in theory, anyway) more than 1,000 times faster than the fastest current nonvolatile flash memory and nearly 10 times faster than DRAM. “Nonvolatile” means it retains memory when the power is off. Add in its low power consumption, and it’s perfect for use in an upcoming crop of computers and cell phones.

10. Medicine

    Bioinformatics: Researchers, such as those at IBM Life Sciences, are finally getting a handle on building complex protein models to aid in drug discovery. The new, computationally accurate models mean that potential drugs can be identified more quickly and stand a better chance of working.

On Designtechnica, I read an interesting article about the direction that our mainstream computer industry is taking. They are trying to make the computer a common appliance, like a television, or refrigerator, every house should have one. I believe this is good and true, the computer is a very handy tool that all should use. The problem with this is that for everyone to own a computer the computers must be affordable to all and in making the computer affordable, the cutting edge components are not used.

Every market is defined by the participants that choose to do business in that industry. On the audio side, the home theater market has changed very little in the way of technology over the last 10 years compared to the computer market. And there is a distinct difference between a $300 Denon receiver and a $2000 Denon receiver in the way of features. The same holds true in the car market. I do not think a single person reading this can argue that a Ferrari and a Daewoo use the same parts; and you certainly cannot build a Ferrari for the price of a Daewoo using store bought parts. But when it comes to the computer market however, there is very little difference between the high-end computer systems being offered between various PC manufacturers, and a system you choose to build on your own; except the price.

The first question we really need to ask ourselves is whether the computer market is defined by computer manufacturers such as Dell, Gateway and HP? Hardly, and I will tell you why. If that were the case, the home theater market would be defined by the likes of Emerson, Craig and Fisher. And the car market would be defined by Daewoo, and Hyundai. But the sad truth is that the computer market is shaping up to where there will be little difference between each computer system and everything will be forever priced below $500. But there is still hope in the form of specialized niches within this industry.

One such niche is the home super-computer market. Companies like Alienware, VoodooPC, and Falcon Northwest have been thriving on selling mega powered cutting edge systems with the latest computer hardware and award winning paint jobs. To the average home computer user, a system sporting the latest video card, processor and hundreds of gigabytes of hard drive space may be overkill. But to the hardcore gamer and PC enthusiast, it commonplace and often required.

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Microsoft is planning to sue a Canadian teen, by the name of Mike Rowe, because his website’s name, MikeRoweSoft.com, infringes upon Microsoft’s copyright.

Rowe says on his Website that he was originally contacted by Microsoft via e-mail. He said “I was not ready to give up my domain name since I had put so much time and effort into establishing my name, getting my business cards out and posting my services on the Internet. If I were to give up my domain, I would lose all the time and effort I had put into it.”

He requested that they offered him a monetary settlement and Microsoft countered with an offer for $10, which was his domain registration costs.

“I was surprised that they would offer such a little amount of money to persuade me to hand my domain over to Microsoft. In response to this recent email, I sent one back to them describing how much work I have put into my business and that the domain was worth at least $10000. They refused to give me anything more than $10USD so I proceeded to ignore their most recent email. I didn’t hear anything from them after their last email” he said.

Mike’s site has been in operation since April of last year and now he is pulling visitor’s by the quarter million. He describes the impact of all the visits to his site and also works on a defensive stance to take on the giant Microsoft Corp. Pay him a visit and help support his cause.

If you want to know the facts about iPod sound quality, I have found a webpage for you. The page is just a bunch of links to some sources that will give you the information that you seek. Here is the text of the page, follow the link to see all the goods.

Several sources on the web make various conflicting claims about encodings and the iPod sound quality. Therefore I’ve started my own “research” to get a better clue. The following links will give you factual information of the iPod, and share my opinion about its sound quality. I’ve also included related information and links to the iPod and its use.