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 Biting the hand that feeds IT Copyright: Copyright 2008, Situation Publishing Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:55:35 +0200 Snake-eaters SEAL $200m porta-drone dealThe US Special Operations Command, SOCOM - aka the "snake eater community"* - has just placed a new order for hand-launched aerial surveillance robots which could be worth up to $200m and see hundreds of portable drones delivered.… Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:24:54 +0200 10 flights before retirementNASA has released its final manifest for space shuttle launches before the fleet retires in 2010.… Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:48:07 +0200 Pooh-poohs flap-happy eggheadsEveryone knows about the current rage for biomimetics - the building of machines or robots which copy design features from living creatures. But now a top UK biomech boffin has hurled cold water over the whole idea.… Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:27:44 +0200 A £20 one from Maplins would do just as wellMotor mammoth Toyota, maker of the famed Prius hybrid car, is rumoured to be thinking about fitting some new Prius models with solar panels. The possible move is unlikely to seriously affect the car's fuel consumption, however, and is being seen by some as a PR stunt.… Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:23:59 +0200 As in 'Dude, where's my multispectral imaging device?'DARPA, the renowned bulgy-bonced battle-boffinry bureau (apparent motto: "If you can't beat them... well, some sort of murderous killer robot army would seem to be in order") has just issued its latest call for notions. This time, the Pentagon science chiefs want a new and ultra-puissant combo nightsight module.… Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:17:31 +0200 'Bulge' wave power - a hard one to swallow?British professors have secured government research funding for their plans to generate energy using gigantic black rubber snake-like devices moored off the UK coasts.… Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:42:47 +0200 Soft buildings: require no foundation of hard factsArchitect Watch Heavens be praised* - the energy security/climate/fuel-price crisis has been solved by an MIT professor. Remarkably, not a professor of engineering or science either - but an architecture prof. Sheila Kennedy and her partner Frano Violich - assisted by other architects - have designed a "soft house" powered by "energy harvesting" solar-photovoltaic curtains.… Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:46:31 +0200 Climate science's bipolar disorderPBEM The headlines last week brought us terrifying news: The North Pole will be ice-free this summer "for the first time in human history," wrote Steve Connor in The Independent. Or so the experts at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado predict. This sounds very frightening, so let's look at the facts about polar sea ice.… Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:06:27 +0200 Dumb and dumber science examsBoffins have slammed examiners in England for setting school children seriously dumb questions.… Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:02:03 +0200 'Windfarm output is never zero. Sometimes it's less'Fresh contenders have entered the UK wind power debate, as a turbines expert funded by the Renewable Energy Foundation publishes an investigation into a hotly-disputed subject - the variability in output to be expected of a large UK windfarm base.… Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:26:03 +0200 Looking hopeful for 2008 airshow seasonIt looks like Vulcan XH558 - which last year took to the skies following a 15-year, £7m restoration - will be able to wow the crowds at air shows this summer following fears that a lack of cash might keep it grounded.… Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:43:18 +0200 Governator sings the body electricCalifornia governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - famed for his uncanny resemblance to an electric machine clad in an unrealistic fleshy cloak - has managed to ensure that noted electrical car company Tesla will base future manufacturing in areas under his rule.… Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:22:37 +0200 'We'll take our chances with the strangelets'The US government has asked a court to throw out a lawsuit that seeks to stop the world from ending.… Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:21:25 +0200 Wrapped in Dutch spudsApple's new iPhone 3G will be shipped on July 11 in a potato starch paper tray. Apple placed an order with Dutch company PaperFoam, which also makes packages for Motorola.… Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:21:59 +0200 South China tiger makes surprise appearanceChina has given more than a dozen government officials their marching orders over faked photographs of the highly-endangered South China tiger, Xinhua reports.… Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:46:21 +0200 NASA hails Phoenix wet chemistry resultsNASA scientists are pretty excited about the initial results of the Phoenix Mars lander's "flawless" first wet chemistry experiment which has revealed the Red Planet's soil to be "a close analog to surface soils found in the upper dry valleys in Antarctica", as wet chemistry lead investigator Sam Kounaves put it.… Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:54:42 +0200 A fresh blow to the government, as it wereAnalysis Good news and bad news. This week's government strategy document-cum-consultation on renewable energy, and on how the UK proposes to meet its EU obligation to derive 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, shows clear signs of practicality and joined-up thinking. But making it to the magic 15 requires several desperately optimistic assumptions, and the gloomy subtext is all too evident.… Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:38:02 +0200 American ingenuity and exceptionalism transforms weeds into, er, porkRead the daily reports on what to do to counter high gas prices, and you'll see the importance of magic in US energy strategy. A rich variety of schemes have been put forward, literally within weeks of the gas crunch, delivered with the traditional slogan that occurs to every editorial writer who believes children's fairy tales about American ingenuity and exceptionalism.… Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:58:37 +0200 'We've found the crater to prove it,' boffins claimNew data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor backs a theory that the Red Planet's huge northern hemisphere Borealis basin was created by an impact 3.9bn years ago by a body some 1,900km (1,200 miles) in diameter, or larger than Pluto.… Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:28:21 +0200 Porton DownerMPs have painted a embarrassing picture of the UK’s bio research facilities, describing some labs as “shabby” and “deplorable” after years of underinvestment and neglect.… Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:05:11 +0200 Strangelets and black holes? PahHere's some good news for those of you who like the universe just the way it is: CERN has declared its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) perfectly safe.… Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:08:22 +0200 Nasa's Hansen goes DCVeteran climate scientist James Hansen is marking the twentieth anniversary of his seminal speech to the US Congress on global warming by calling for oil company execs to be locked up for denying global warming.… Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:30:40 +0200 Sublimation caught on cameraNASA's Phoenix Mars lander has spotted the sublimation of probable water ice in a trench excavated by its robotic arm by comparing two photos taken on the 21st and 25th days of the mission, aka Sols 20 and 24 (15 and 19 June):… Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:39:29 +0200 Aliens visit the land of leeks and daffodilsThe pilot of a police helicopter was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision with a UFO as the aircraft was returning to the Ministry of Defence base of St Athan, near Cardiff.… Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:01:05 +0200 Zero-carbon UK plans for all: Greens, nimbys, even LibsAnalysis A topflight science brainbox at Cambridge University has weighed into the ever-louder and more unruly climate/energy debate with several things that so far have been mostly lacking: hard numbers, willingness to upset all sides, and an attempt to see whether the various agendas put forward would actually stack up.… Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:31:43 +0200 'Frankenstein's monster may be ugly, but at least he's well fed'Analysis Advocates of genetically modified crops are growing more confident that the problems facing the world will soon override "Frankenstein food" fears, and now they appear to have convinced the government to once again brave the controversy.… Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:56:28 +0200 Turn off that PC and get helpA US psychiatrist has declared internet addiction a "clinical disorder" with some sufferers so hooked on cyberspace they "required medication or even hospital treatment to curb the time they spent on the web".… Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:32:25 +0200 Tin snips deployed in harrowing rescue ordealRoTM A Weston-super-Mare woman is lucky to have survived an encounter with an obstreperous tumble dryer after a simple fluff-removal operation ended in an emergency services tin-snip deployment, a local rag breathlessly reports.… Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:18:04 +0200 Russian sat flop flap sees mass Borat stranglingsCentral Asian ex-Soviet republic Kazakhstan has reportedly lost all domestically controlled satellite TV services due to malfunctions in its sole communications spacecraft.… Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:19:14 +0200 Flexible bot-probes to penetrate tight backdoorsFamous robotics company iRobot - maker of the noted Roomba autonomous floor-cleaner and supplier of war-bots to the US military - has announced a radical new development contract. The company is to create a "soft" robot able to wriggle its way through "openings smaller than its actual structural dimensions".… Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:26:12 +0200 Why? Asymmetric brain structureA study at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm has provided strong evidence that sexuality is a biologically fixed trait demonstrated in physical brain differences, New Scientist reports.… Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:59:49 +0200 Presumably it goes up to 11Japanese motor mammoth Honda has announced "production commencement" for its new hydrogen fuel-cell car, the FCX Clarity.… Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:43:58 +0200 Bot-chuff bot has interface that gets into your faceGovernment boffins in Korea have perfected a cutting-edge robot which is able to give off smells as part of a panoply of human-style interaction technologies. Apparently the aroma interface kit is now ready for commercialisation.… Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:01:46 +0200 With marketing soundbites from Lead Balloon™A company in Colorado says it will build a miraculous flying robot Humvee, able to hover in midair or zoom along at up to 450 mph. The "Hummer of the Sky™" could be used to resupply US troops with ammo, food etc during battles - or, naturally, it could be tooled up with an array of deadly weaponry and join in itself.… Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:56:44 +0200 For mice only. Catherine Zeta Jones not involvedMouse-molesting boffins in California have used biochemical signals to rejuvenate elderly, knackered bodily tissues in a fashion normally only achievable by youngsters. However, the scientists insist that they have not yet achieved an immortality drug, and if they had it would only be for mice.… Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:47:23 +0200 Next shuttle mission: HubbleSpace shuttle Discovery returned to Earth on Saturday, touching down at 15:15 GMT at the Kennedy Space Center at the end of a successful 14-day jaunt to the International Space Station.… Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:07:59 +0200 White after Labor Day is OK if you've got a rocketNASA is banking on a new lead contractor to design the next generation of space suits worn by astronauts on future moon missions.… Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:50:46 +0200 DARPA Mach 6 porkbarrel logroll dash cash slashedThe most ambitious hypersonic aircraft project known to exist - the Mach-6-barrelroll "Blackswift" proposal - has run into stiff opposition from politicoes in control of Washington purse-strings, according to reports.… Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:36:15 +0200 Final checks madeThe crew of space shuttle Discovery are today making final preparations for a scheduled landing tomorrow at Kennedy Space Center, following a successful mission STS-124 which saw delivery, attachment and activation of the Pressurized Module of the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory.… Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:43:43 +0200 Turning jet-setters into jet-getters?If what's keeping you from buying your own personal ultralight aircraft is lack of garage space and a USB plug on the plane's dash for your iPod — you are certainly in luck.… Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:20:11 +0200 Third manned jaunt confirmedChina's postponed Shenzhou VII manned space mission will now launch in October, Reuters reports.… Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:06:34 +0200 Intelligence begot atheismA psychology researcher has controversially claimed that stupidity is causally linked to how likely people are to believe in God.… Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:52:10 +0200 Dwarf planets to be known as 'Plutoids'The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has awarded poor old Pluto a consolation prize following its controversial demotion from the league of planets - other similar dwarf planets will henceforth be called "plutoids".… Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:37:56 +0200 Successful launch for universe-probing 'scopeNASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) yesterday lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 16:05 GMT atop a Delta II rocket.… Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:46:56 +0200 TEGA oven finally fullThe Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars lander finally has an ovenful of dirt for anlaysis, following various attempts to shake the "clumpy" Martian soil into the instrument.… Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:21:30 +0200 Space merchant heads offplanetGoogle kingpin Sergey Brin has put down $5m to book a ride into space aboard a Russian rocket, according to reports. American orbital-joyride travel agency Space Adventures revealed the move yesterday.… Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:35:23 +0200 Electrode-hat paranoia specs will detect subversivesAmerican armaments goliath Northrop Grumman announced another huge technology coup this week. The company has won a Pentagon contract to develop a mindreading hat which will allow US soldiers to identify threats with unparalleled range and speed.… Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:02:03 +0200 The Phage FactorAnton By rights the world and its dog should now know the name Daniel Burd. For Daniel Burd has an eco-friendly solution for disposing of the plastic bag menace. About half a trillion plastic bags are produced globally each year, but they take up to 1000 years to decompose. In the meantime they can migrate to the oceans and be ingested by wildlife, with fatal results.… Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:04:54 +0200 Fishermen (and media bottom feeders) a bigger threat?Analysis For the last twenty-four hours or so the news has been full of beached dolphins, following incidents since Monday near Falmouth in which more than 70 of the marine mammals got into trouble and reportedly up to 30 have died.… Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:09:54 +0200 Clean quietly... or there will be... troubleReview Robots. Everybody loves them, but not many of us - unless we're members of the armed forces, cybernetics profs, supervillains etc - actually get to own one. Unless you invest in a domestic droid from iRobot.… |
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