May 6, 2006, 8:40 PM CT

MyCessPit

Good lordy, the way MySpace is sometimes portrayed you'd be forgiven for thinking that it was hell on earth - sucking in the world's bogeymen like a black hole. This week's Economist reports that it's where paedophiles spend their lives grooming the underage, al-Qaeda communicate plans about world domination, Playboy recruit topless models and - prepare yourself - teenagers are rude about their teachers! Luckily, the advertising community are making themselves available to steer brands through this quagmire of filth.

David Cohen, a grand fromage at Universal McCann says he, "wouldn't be caught dead in that kind of environment". Mystifyingly, he goes onto say that when he does recommend it, he tells clients to stick to the bits that News Corporation have built and not to go anywhere near the, "unpredictable, user-generated, content". (Presumably because that's where the terrorists, paedophiles and Hugh Hefner hang out). Furthermore, Cohen says.

if he really, really, really has to use it, then he has negotiated a way for his clients to get out very quickly in case something unspeakable happens. "We can be out of there in a heartbeat", he says before going onto clarify that he actually means two days. (Nice one Dave, what could possibly happen in 48 hours on one of the world's largest networked communities). Anyway, that's much quicker than the normal two weeks it takes advertisers who have stumbled into MyCessPit without the expert guidance of Mr Cohen. Phew! Meanwhile, the tiny proportion of MySpace residents who aren't axe-wielding psychopaths go ahead organising political campaigns to stop legislation about immigration that they feel is a bit unfair. But, let's face it, they're probably up to something horribly, evil really. ;-).........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

May 6, 2006, 1:37 PM CT

A Portable Cubicle

Perhaps useful if you're managing a fleet of evil telemarketers and having a completely mobile, relocatable-in-an-instant "boiler room" can help you stay one step ahead of the law. Whatever you decide to do with these, they seem to me to have quite the potential for usefulness. They're modular cubicles-on-wheels called Standby Office, designed by the German studio Konig+Neurath.

These offices are made from steel, aluminum and wood and measure 190 x 146 x 74 cm. They come with an integrated WiFi access point, so all you have to do is add a chair and computer.

Your fleet of evil telemarketers better be good at separating grandma from her money though, cause each of these will set you back a cool 5,000 Euros. They'll hit the market in Spain in the next few months.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

May 3, 2006, 0:40 AM CT

Nanotubes Keep Computer-chip Cool!

Engineers have created carpets made of tiny cylinders called carbon nanotubes to enhance the flow of heat at a critical point where computer chips connect to cooling devices called heat sinks, promising to help keep future chips from overheating.

Scientists are trying to develop new types of "thermal interface materials" that conduct heat more efficiently than conventional materials, improving overall performance and helping to meet cooling needs of future chips that will produce more heat than current microprocessors. The materials, which are sandwiched between silicon chips and the metal heat sinks, fill gaps and irregularities between the chip and metal surfaces to enhance heat flow between the two.

Purdue University scientists have made several new thermal interface materials with carbon nanotubes, including a Velcro-like nanocarpet.

"The bottom line is the performance that we see with nanotubes is significantly better than comparable state-of-the-art commercial materials," said Timothy Fisher, an associate professor of mechanical engineering who is leading the research. "Carbon nanotubes have excellent heat-conduction properties, and our ability to fabricate them in a controlled manner has been instrumental in realizing this application".

Recent findings have shown that the nanotube-based interfaces can conduct several times more heat than conventional thermal interface materials at the same temperatures. The nanocarpet, called a "carbon nanotube array thermal interface," can be attached to both the chip and heat sink surfaces.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

May 1, 2006, 11:50 PM CT

New Software Protects Confidentiality Of Data While Enabling Access

Penn State researchers have developed software that allows databases to "talk to each other" automatically without compromising the security of the data and metadata because the queries, data communicated and other information are encrypted.

The Privacy-preserving Access Control Toolkit (PACT) acts like a filter but is resilient to eavesdropping or other attacks because of the encryption.

"The software automatically regulates access to data, so some information can be exchanged while other data remains confidential and private," said Prasenjit Mitra, assistant professor of information sciences and technology and member of the research team that developed the software. "Often when we implement security, we decide not to give access to data. This tool preserves security while allowing permitted access".

Organizations like government agencies, non-profits and corporations frequently need to access data belonging to other organizations. But sharing data is difficult because databases are typically constructed using different terms or vocabularies.

Consequently, in order to share data, organizations have to develop special-purpose applications. But organizations also need to protect sources, intellectual property and competitive advantages, so the applications must address security.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

April 30, 2006, 11:46 PM CT

Laser Trapping Of Erbium May Lead To Novel Devices

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have used lasers to cool and trap erbium atoms, a "rare earth" heavy metal with unusual optical, electronic and magnetic properties. The element has such a complex energy structure that it was previously considered too wild to trap. The demonstration, published in the April 14 issue of Physical Review Letters,* might lead to the development of novel nanoscale devices for telecommunications, quantum computing or fine-tuning the properties of semiconductors.

Laser cooling and trapping involves hitting atoms with laser beams of just the right color and configuration to cause the atoms to absorb and emit light in a way that leads to controlled loss of momentum and heat, ultimately producing a stable, nearly motionless state. Until now, the process has been possible only with atoms that switch easily between two energy levels without any possible stops in between. Erbium has over 110 energy levels between the two used in laser cooling, and thus has a number of ways to get "lost" in the process. NIST scientists discovered that these lost atoms actually get recycled, so trapping is possible after all.

The NIST team heated erbium to over 1300 degrees C to make a stream of atoms. Magnetic fields and six counter-propagating purple laser beams were then used to cool and trap over a million atoms in a space about 100 micrometers in diameter. As the atoms spend time in the trap, they fall into one or more of the 110 energy levels, stop responding to the lasers, and begin to diffuse out of the trap. Recycling occurs, though, because the atoms are sufficiently magnetic to be held in the vicinity by the trap's magnetic field. Eventually, a number of of the lurking atoms fall back to the lowest energy level that resonates with the laser light and are recaptured in the trap.........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

April 30, 2006, 11:44 PM CT

Gearing Up To Verify Short Range 3-D Imaging

Three-dimensional imaging devices are becoming important measuring tools in the manufacturing, construction and transportation sectors. Numerous models of the imaging devices, capable of digitally capturing the existing conditions of objects from as small as pipe fittings to as large as an entire bridge, are on the market. A lack of standard tests to verify manufacturers' performance specifications is inhibiting wider market acceptance of these devices.

In response, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently established an indoor, artifact-based facility to create new test protocols and performance measures to evaluate such 3D imaging systems. Several prototype artifacts (e.g., spheres, a stairway, and a slotted-disc) are currently being tested for evaluating both instruments and software.

NIST researchers reported on progress in establishing the new facility at a recent conference.* The new facility is part of a larger effort to provide standard test protocols and associated facilities for evaluating and calibrating these instruments. In addition to the indoor, artifact-based facility, NIST also operates an indoor 60 meter (m) range calibration facility and is developing a separate 3D facility so that manufacturers or research groups can send in instruments for spatial calibrations. Finally, NIST will establish an outdoor ranging facility for evaluating the performance of 3D imaging systems up to 150 m to 200 m.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

April 30, 2006, 11:28 PM CT

Pros And Cons Of Internet Use

Between 75 and 90 percent of teenagers in the United States use the Internet to email, instant message (IM), visit chat rooms and explore other sites on the World Wide Web. According to the latest research presented in a special issue of Developmental Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), spending a lot of time on the Web can have both negative and positive effects on young people, i.e., the sharing of self-injury practices by some and the improvement of academic performance and health awareness by others.

"A major goal for this cumulation of research is to show the good and bad sides of the Internet as it relates to children," said coeditors of the special issue Patricia Greenfield, PhD, of the Children's Digital Media Center, University of California at Los Angeles and Zheng Yan, PhD, of the State University of New York at Albany.

In a series of six articles, leading researchers examine normal behavior in chat rooms and the use of message boards by adolescents who self-injure, uses of the Internet to improve academic achievement among low-income youth and ways to provide health information to youth living in developing countries. Researcher Yan examines the importance of age in understanding the social and technical aspects of the Internet; Subrahmanyam and colleagues look at why adolescents reveal their identities and sexuality online differently when in monitored versus nonmonitored virtual environments; while Cassell and colleagues investigate how language use and linguistic styles of adolescents in an online community can predict leaders.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

April 29, 2006, 9:32 AM CT

Use Of Information Technology In Hospitals

Eventhough information technology is now common in a number of hospitals and biomedical laboratories, in the 1950s only a small number of scientists imagined its enormous potential. In 1967, supported by NCRR, doctor Homer Warner led a seminal effort that created one of the first bioinformatics systems. This work has influenced patient care, increased safety, and produced cost-effective service in hospitals around the nation. Today, NCRR continues its support of clinical bioinformatics as an integral component of the new Clinical and Translational Science Awards.

Clinical application of bioinformatics began in earnest when the University of Utah installed a state-of-the-art computer in the early part of 1960s. Back then, Warner became intrigued by the possibility of using this new technology with patients at the Latter-day Saints (LDS) Hospital. It wasn't long before he gained access to the giant machine and began writing programs to study coronary blood flow. Because the computer was only available at night, he set a cot beside it to sleep on while the computer slowly crunched numbers.

One of the central questions in his mind was how to obtain around-the-clock physiological information from post-operative cardiac patients. Warner resolved this problem by inserting catheters into patients' arteries. When connected through a computer, the apparatus calculated stroke volume, heart rate, cardiac output, and blood pressure on demand. Resulting data were displayed on the screen of an oscilloscope, and three small lights alerted nurses of abnormal vital signs that could lead to complications. This was one of the first uses of computers for preemptive patient monitoring, a concept now propagated through nearly every intensive care unit.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

April 28, 2006, 0:08 AM CT

Software Allows Neighbors To Improve Internet Access

Computer scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed software that enables the sharing of high-speed wireless connections without compromising security or privacy. The software can improve Internet connectivity in residential areas at no additional cost.

"Significantly improved speed and the 'always on' feature of wireless routers have been driving the rapid spread of broadband Internet access in many residential areas," said Haiyun Luo, a professor of computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "More than 56 percent of homes in the United States already have Internet access, and more than half of those homes are using Wi-Fi wireless home networks".

A typical residential user accesses his broadband home connection about 12 to 15 hours per week, Luo said. "So, while the Internet connection is always on, most of the time it sits idle." Luo would like to see that idleness put to good use by benefiting other users, and he and graduate student Nathanael Thompson came up with a way to do it.

Luo and Thompson have developed a software framework called PERM (Practical End-host collaborative Residential Multihoming) that allows neighbors to pool their Internet access and thereby improve both performance and resilience.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

April 28, 2006, 0:03 AM CT

Software For The Next Generation Of Net Surfers

With an estimated 12 billion websites online, it's not always easy finding the exact site you want. However, University of Alberta computer researchers have developed software they believe will make surfing the Web faster and easier.

The software uses machine learning technology to predict the information needs of web surfers by refining search engine queries and filtering out irrelevant search results based on surfers' past surfing results.

WebIC is a "complete Web recommendation system" says one of its creators, Tingshao Zhu, a doctoral student in the U of A Department of Computing Science. "Surfing the Web can be time-consuming and frustrating, but this product can simplify things a lot."

The software can be incorporated with search engines (e.g. Google) or be downloaded directly onto to individual computers. It works by anticipating users' info needs; users can click on an icon that leads to suggested sites the user may be looking for, which is a step beyond the usual search engine index retrievals. It can also be used to filter emails and find specific articles online (not simply direct you to related sites).

"On most search engines the order of the keyed words is very important as the associations are made sequentially," Zhu said. "But our software uses machine learning to transfer human inquiries into the type of inquiries a computer can fully understand. Our system can point you directly to the sites that you want and not just to sites that are correlation to your keyed words."........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source