Seit 1.12.2009 gibt es am Leibniz-Institut fuer Festkoerper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (IFW) ein Zentrum fuer Spektroelektrochemie. Damit soll die Entwicklung spektroelektrochemischer Methoden vorangetrieben und vor allem fuer die Anwendung in der Industrie attraktiv gemacht werden.
Picosun Chooses dpUNION as Its Distribution Partner in Brazil
Picosun Oy, Finland-based global manufacturer of state-of-the-art Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) systems announced today having signed a distribution partnership agreement with dpUNION, a prominent Sao Paulo, Brazil, technology agency with a first class portfolio of scientific and analysis equipment.
Rusnano chief looks at nanotechnology projects in Siberia
State-of-the-art projects of Krasnoyarsk scientists in the sphere of nanotechnology will be presented to head of the RUSNANO Corporation Anatoly Chubais who is arriving in Krasnoyarsk on Thursday.
Single-molecule detection with nanodumbbells
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers enormous potential for chemical sensing, even though the large nonlinearity of the effect makes reproducible sensing difficult. SERS relies upon a fundamental phenomenon in physics called the Raman effect - the change in the frequency of monochromatic light, such as a laser, when it passes through a substance. Properly harnessed, Raman scattering can identify specific molecules by detecting their characteristic spectral fingerprints. A novel DNA-based assembly technique developed by scientists in South Korea now offers a means of precise engineering of gap distances in nanoparticle dumbbells for a robust surface-enhanced Raman sensing of DNA and RNA molecules.
Shaping graphene nanostructures with water droplets
Chemists at the University of Illinois at Chicago say it's possible, reporting that graphene can become quite pliable using only a nanodroplet of water to do the job.
Magnetische Speicherbits – 1000 mal kleiner als Viren
Metall-Kohlenstoffsysteme ermoeglichen den Bau von Festplatten mit einer bis zu tausendfach hoeheren Packungsdichte.
Randi, skepticism, and global warming | Bad Astronomy
Yesterday, James Randi posted an entry on the JREF’s Swift blog about global warming. In it, he expressed some doubt over the consensus that humans are causing global warming. He does not doubt that warming is happening, as he made clear, just the role of humans in that change.
Unfortunately, one source he used in his essay was the Petition Project. This was an attempt by global warming denialists to muddy the climate issue, and one that has been thoroughly trashed — it’s really just as awful as the similarly ridiculous, and just as thoroughly nonsensical, attempt by the Discovery Institute to get a petition by scientists who doubt evolution. Randi also made a claim about the complexity of global warming, and how difficult it is to model, casting some uncertainty on it. As he said, this makes it very difficult for someone not well-versed in the field to come to a well-informed decision on climate change.
I was unaware that Randi had just posted his essay when, yesterday, I wrote a post asking for donations to the JREF. Obviously, the comments focused on Randi’s post. While some were fair, I was taken aback by the vitriol of many of the comments; some people were out-and-out calling Randi a denialist, which is ridiculous. Other comments were worse.
Needless to say, this made quite a splash in the skeptical blogosphere as well. Posts and comments sprouted up everywhere about it. Some were thoughtful, others, um, not so much. I was surprised by how many skeptics were quick to vilify Randi, again accusing him of being a global warming denialist. I got emails from people fearing for the skeptical movement as a whole!
Instead of rending my garments over this, I read Randi’s post carefully, and then sent him a note outlining why the Petition Project is a crock, as well as saying that yes, mathematical models of climate are very complex, but that doesn’t change observations indicating the reality of global warming or our role in it. Randi told me he was writing a followup, so I decided not to say anything about it here until his new post went up. I wanted to make sure I had all the facts before commenting.
Randi posted that followup blog entry today. As I expected, he took the new information into account, admitting that he was unaware of the dubious nature of the petition, and re-affirming that he is not denying global warming is occurring.
So what are we to make of all this?
One is that anyone, everyone, is capable of making mistakes, from grand to minor, from basic ones we never should have made to ones that are inevitable. Skeptics make these same mistakes, too. Even noted skeptics. I’ve done it, Randi’s done it, every human has done it. Apropos of exactly this, Michael Shermer changed his stance on global warming after sufficient evidence swayed him.
Another is that even skeptics can be quick to jump to conclusions based on our own preconceived notions and methodology. Randi made an error, yes. Pointing that out politely and clearly is fine, as can be seen by the fact that he followed up on his post once he was given better data. But the ways in which many people attacked him were, in my opinion, unfair. If someone has a history of spinning the truth, of lying, of distorting reality for their own agenda, then sure, have at them. But when it’s someone who has devoted their life to prying the scales from everyone’s eyes, I think they’ve earned a modicum of decorum when they make a mistake.
Of course, on blogs (either writing them or commenting on them) it’s very easy to simply react. Again, we have all done this, and usually with some regret later. I’ve had to go back and retract things I’ve written when better evidence has arisen, or simply when someone has pointed out where I blew it.
Part of being a skeptic — and it’s a big part — is admitting when you’re wrong.
And finally, there is a really good takeaway point from this: when it comes to reality, no one and no thing is sacrosanct. If something is wrong, it gets called out. That’s what skepticism is all about. If Randi makes a mistake, he gets called on it. If scientists do, or the Pope does, or anyone, then it is up to all of us to speak up. And I think that how we do it is just as important as the content of our claims.
I’ve known Randi many years, and I know that for him, truth trumps all. May all of us be so inclined.
Iraqi insurgents using $26 software to monitor Predator video feeds
From Engadget:
We can't say we've ever heard of a $26 Russian program called SkyGrabber before, but it's about to get famous real fast -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Iraqi insurgents have been regularly using the satellite-snooping software to monitor live Predator video
Marsha Blackburn Takes Over for Inhofe on the Climate Issue | The Intersection
It is clear that the GOP now has a new denial spokesperson–Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. I already blogged her misleading radio address on “ClimateGate” and Copenhagen; now, watch her in this CNN debate with Ed Markey:
It’s all here, folks: We’ve got the massive over-interpretation of “ClimateGate”, global cooling claims (both about the 1970s and about the present), the assertion that “climate change is cyclical,” that it is “unsettled science” and “it depends on whose science you’re looking at,” and so forth. It’s bad, bad news.
Blackburn is quickly becoming the new James Inhofe….
Study: Like Earthquakes & Financial Markets, Terrorist Attacks Follow Laws of Math | 80beats
For soldiers and civilians alike, insurgency wars are not only deadly but also frustrating in their apparently random spikes of violence. In a study in Nature, however, researchers put forth a mathematical model that shows terrorist attacks and insurgencies are not so scattershot as they seem.
The team searched for statistical similarities across nine historic and ongoing insurgencies including those of Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland [BBC News]. That meant compiling more than 50,000 acts of violence. And despite the fact that these events happened in different countries in different times, Neil Johnson and his team found a relationship between the size of an attack in casualty terms and how often it occurs.
By plotting the distribution of the frequency and size of events, the team found that insurgent wars follow an approximate power law, in which the frequency of attacks decreases with increasing attack size to the power of 2.5. That means that for any insurgent war, an attack with 10 casualties is 316 times more likely to occur than one with 100 casualties (316 is 10 to the power of 2.5) [Nature].
Researchers have used power laws to try to find order in natural phenomena, like a size vs. frequency pattern in earthquakes or avalanches. Johnson and his colleagues argue that the pattern arises because insurgent wars lack a coherent command network and operate more as a “soup of groups”, in which cells form and disband when they sense danger, then reform in different sizes and composition [Nature]. Also, he says, terrorist groups compete for media attention, which could help drive the pattern.
Other researchers doubt the reliability of the model. For one thing, terror cells battle one another and probably aren’t as free to break up and reform as the study suggests, terrorism modeler Roy Lindelauf says. And the number of insurgents in a fight might not stay close to constant, as the model presumes. But the math could have real-world practicality, team member Michael Spagat argues. “We could never say with certainty that there were going to be 10 attacks on one day, for example,” [BBC News] he says, but the model could predict whether a given day carried a lighter or heavier probability for a deadly attack.
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Image: flickr / :.phoenix.:
Children’s Magazine DADA will presesnt Futurism issue in Savona (Dec. 18)
PRESENATION
Rivista DADA (for children)
Friday, December 18, 2009
3:30pm – presentation of the magazine Dada “Futurismi”
4:30pm – “Il Futurismo raccontato ai bambini”
Fortezza del Priamar, Palazzo del Commisario – Savona
The special issue “Futurismi” of the children’s magazine Dada will be presented on the occasion of the exhibit “Savona Futurista: esperienze d’avanguardia da Marinetti a Tullio d’Albisola”.
This issue was curated by Après la nuit Associazione Culturale e Artebambini in collaboration with the Comitato per le celebrazioni del Centenario Futurista, the Comune of Savona and the Comune of Altare.
This totally reminds me of this children’s book I picked up at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Museum Shop (who by the way is having a winter sale I believe). It teaches kids about Futurism through various craft projects!
Il Futurismo: tutto corre rapido
by Giovanna Giaume, illustrated by Paolo Marabotto
Published by Lapis, 2000
VFD 18 Pole?
Why do some VFDs come in 18 pole?
It’s OK. I Love My Old Gear, Too [Old Gadgets]
You'd think a guy who writes about tech all day would have the latest and greatest gear. Confession time: I don't. In fact, most of it's pretty old and I sort of like it that way.
The winter months are the hardest time to not want new stuff. We're inundated with sales, and in a few short weeks we'll be ogling next year's tech at CES. As the resident Gizmodo "no I won't upgrade my PowerBook" curmudgeon, I'm here for support. Take a look at the gear I use, and how despite its age, all (well, most of) it has plenty of life left.
I Call Him FrankenPod
No, you're not seeing things. The image above is indeed a picture of my primary media player, and yes, it is an iPod mini.
Go ahead, get the Borat jokes out of your system.
Done? Okay, now hear me out. Don't judge a book by its cover. As far as I'm concerned, this little guy can blow away nearly any other MP3 player on the market.
Under the hood, I swapped the 6GB microdrive with a 16GB Compact Flash card. I can easily change it out for a 32 or a 64GB card once prices come down. It's also running what I consider to be the most feature-rich firmware around, Rockbox. What looks like a beat-up iPod mini is actually a robust, nearly indestructible flash-based portable audio player, all built for a fraction of what a new one costs.
The mini isn't the only old iPod that's easily moddable. Considering about 118% of the United States' population has an old iPod lying around somewhere by now, chances are you've got what you need for a fun weekend project. Even if your heart's set on the Zune HD's OLED display or the Touch's app catalog, some love and a little elbow grease can breathe old life into that old iPod, and give you a great secondary PMP.
The Little Computer that Could
When I walked into Gizmodo HQ on my first day, I was nervous. Some of that anxiety was the new job jitters, but I was mostly afraid that my 12" PowerBook wouldn't cut it. Gizmodo moves fast, and my aging machine certainly doesn't. I was on the verge of upgrading, but decided to see how my old hardware fared before taking the plunge.
Long story short: It did the job. Barely. But through compromise, I made it work. I love Firefox and all of its extensions, but Safari runs at half the resource load. Photoshop Elements does what I need without the huge footprint of CS. With a little thought as to what applications I was running, which ones I didn't need, and where I was willing to compromise, my plucky PowerBook and I made it through the summer.
As much as I love the little guy, it's not like I haven't thought about replacing him. I almost pulled the trigger on a new MacBook last month. At the last minute I decided that instead of buying a computer that would last me 2-3 years, I wanted another that could feasibly last for 4+. Whenever that computer comes out, I'll probably bite, but until then I'm happy squeezing a little extra life out of my aging hardware.
Look at how you use your computer. If you're rendering all day, never leave Photoshop, or doing any other heavy computing and you need the speed, then upgrade. But the rest of us can probably hold off a little longer, even tech-obsessed gadget bloggers.
Nice Peeling Chrome Paint, Dude
I'm fairly certain I'm the only writer at Gizmodo without a smartphone. Yes, dumbphones must die, and someday I will upgrade this one. But for now, it makes calls, texts, and even has an almost acceptable music player built in that works in a pinch. Google services run surprisingly well in a WAP browser, too, so I can get email and read my RSS feeds when necessary.
Would I love to have a smartphone? Sure. (Hey Brian Lam and Jason Chen, skip down a few sentences) But it's also really nice to be disconnected sometimes. My Gizmodo email account receives a very steady stream of emails, to say the least. I like being able to walk away from the computer and cut myself off every once in a while, without my phone constantly reminding me that there's work to be done (Okay overlords, you can read on from here).
Just Because it's Old Doesn't Mean it Sounds Worse
No, this stereo doesn't do DTS-HD Master Audio. It has zero HDMI ports. But it still does 2-channel audio pretty well, more than well enough for what I need it to do.
Repurposing old stereo equipment is one of the best ways to build a great system on the cheap. The turntable and receiver are my dad's old gear, coupled with a pair of speakers I yanked off of a CD player I've had since I was 14. The setup won't win me any audiophile cred, but it definitely does a much-better-than-OK job at playing music.
Not to mention that it's pretty cool to listen on the same equipment my dad once used. When I was 17, I found his old record collection in the basement and immediately started spinning it on his long-forgotten turntable. Call me corny, but I think it's pretty awesome to know that 30-some years ago he was listening to the same records on the same deck.
If you aren't lucky enough to have access to your parents' old stereo equipment, it's not uncommon to find some real gems at your local thrift shop on the cheap, tossed away by someone who thought McIntosh is a cheap Apple knock-off.
Okay, so Maybe I Want to Upgrade Some of It
I do have one thing that I desperately want, and will upgrade to soon: an HDTV. I've never owned anything besides tube TVs under 20 inches. The fact that flat-panel prices are finally reasonable, combined with the digital switchover makes it prime time for me to jump the CRT ship.
I want to say that it always makes sense to hold onto your old TV after you upgrade, but in this case it might not. Television sets were at their saturation point well before HDTVs came along. In 2009 there were more TVs per household than people. By now it's likely that you just don't have room for a fourth or twelfth tube anywhere.
If you find yourself needing to dispose of an aging TV, please do so properly. Donate it. Sell it on Craigslist. Or look into electronics recycling centers in your area. An old TV may not have a place in your house or apartment, but it might find a place in someone else's home. It certainly doesn't belong in a landfill.
See? I'm Not a Total Luddite
I might roll with old stuff, but I'm not some sort of quasi-neo-luddite. Plenty of other gadgets in my arsenal are much more recent than what you see here. I have a PS3, my music gets fed to my stereo through a Squeezebox, and I do have another receiver that handles multichannel audio, albeit a relatively cheap and older one (and in case you're wondering, I did take these pictures with a DSLR, but it's not mine).
So yes, even I don't always live by the "never upgrade" mentality. Planned obsolescence and the industry's fast pace make it impossible to live by that creed. But I also think that a lot of the time we feel "forced" to upgrade we're really being driven by gadget lust, that powerful desire which makes us overlook the benefits of using old stuff.
Here's what I always think about when that ol' familiar "gotta have it" feeling hits. The biggest and most obvious perk: buy new stuff less often, save money. I don't know about you, but if I walk away from a big purchase, I feel like I've won. It's like trapping money that was trying to escape from my bank account. And if you've got a bit of the tree-hugging hippy spirit in you, you'll feel good about cutting down on your e-waste output, even if only by a little bit.
Not to mention the freedom old gear provides. I imagine it's similar to the feeling of operating the Mars rovers. I know that my gadgets have gone far beyond their planned mission length, so I throw them around without caring if they get damaged. And once that old gear inevitably goes belly up, I'll feel no remorse upgrading something that lasted for so long.
But that doesn't mean I won't be sad to lose my gadgets. I've heard other tech junkies say that we should never fall in love with technology, because we'll just end up heartbroken when it's time to say goodbye. In my opinion, that emotional connection is exactly what we need nowadays. If we all try to love our gadgets, to start treating them more like companions than disposable tools, a lot more perfectly good gear could be saved from an untimely retirement.
I know more than a few of you out there are eyeing some new toys for the holidays. I am too. But before we let upgraditis get the best of us, let's consider what we already have. Maybe it's still good enough. Maybe there's a new part that could make our gadgets better, and provide a fun modding project to boot. Take it from me: There's almost always some way to squeeze extra life out of old gear.
Now, if you'll excuse me, there's an old Dell tower around here somewhere that's begging to become a NAS.
Nexus One Google Phone Could Arrive on T-Mobile January 5th [Googe]
According to Reuters, Google will have two versions of the Nexus One—one unlocked and one on a service contract with T-Mobile. The phone could be available directly from Google as early as January 5th.
"In the long term Google will become a seller and get commission from operators," the source said, adding that other operators are expected to follow T-Mobile's lead eventually and agree to Google's terms.
Reuters also quotes Baird Research analyst Will Power on how Google's choice to market their own phone shakes up the smartphone market, but mostly screws other Android makers:
"We expect the launch of a new competitive device to be directionally negative for most of the existing smart phone markers, including Apple, Research in Motion, Nokia Oyg, HTC, Motorola Inc, Palm Inc, Samsung and others, while perhaps most negative for the existing Android partners."
If Google's choice to go the traditional route with carriers is true, it would, of course, dash any possibility that they might be giving this thing away for free. Let's just hope the unlocked version comes cheap. [Reuters]
Zune HD Twitter App Won’t Let You F#&$ing Swear [ZuneHd]
In the most random and unfortunate act of censorship we've seen since the iTunes Ninjawords debacle, the Zune HD Twitter app automatically whitewashes any bad words that show up in your timeline.
We've reached out to Zune to see if there's a way to adjust settings to switch it off, but if that's how Microsoft rolls, well, what a b%tch move. [Engadget]
EMP Resistant Vehicles
I am interested in finding a vehicle that is not subject to electromagnetic pulse events (EMP.) I understand that computer chips would be affected. What about electronic ignition? What were the cut off years for vehicles manufactured before these technologies were adopted? What about diesel vehi
LaCie 2Big: The First USB 3.0 RAID Drive [Storage]
Mother Nature's Little Helper
One of my favorite, silly Monty Python songs begins with "I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK", and then quickly jumps into the absurd – something, as many CR4 readers know, Monty Python is famous for. Another, continuing their forest-related theme, is their Finland Song – click here to liste
FSJ’s Anti-AT&T Manifesto Makes Me Raise My Fist in Solidarity [At&t]
Fake Steve Jobs' new "chat" with AT&T's Randall Stephenson from a few days ago has him hitting brilliant new heights. He really nails why AT&T's network failures are so infuriating. This is essential reading, if you missed it.
While I'm ranting, let me ask you something, Randall. At the risk of sounding like Glenn Beck Jr. - what the fuck has gone wrong with our country? Used to be, we were innovators. We were leaders. We were builders. We were engineers. We were the best and brightest. We were the kind of guys who, if they were running the biggest mobile network in the U.S., would say it's not enough to be the biggest, we also want to be the best, and once they got to be the best, they'd say, How can we get even better? What can we do to be the best in the whole fucking world? What can we do that would blow people's fucking minds? They wouldn't have sat around wondering about ways to fuck over people who loved their product. But then something happened. Guys like you took over the phone company and all you cared about was milking profit and paying off assholes in Congress to fuck over anyone who came along with a better idea, because even though it might be great for consumers it would mean you and your lazy pals would have to get off your asses and start working again in order to keep up.
Yes, this is in the arrogant, blustery Fake Steve voice, but make no mistake: there's nothing sarcastic about the message or the content here. [Fake Steve Jobs]
Texting and Walking Made Easy With iPhone App | Discoblog
For those too busy (or self-important?) to pocket the iPhone while walking down the street and too safety-conscious to blunder out into traffic while texting, we’ve got just the app for you, via Gadget Venue:
The application is called Type and Walk and makes use of the camera on your iPhone to push video in to the background of an application where you can type on top of the video, thus being able to see obstacles as you are walking.
Type n Walk was designed to work with your favorite apps — not try to replace them. Use it to compose your email, text message, status update, or tweet and paste it into your target app (or the browser) to send.
Yes, the app shows you the same thing you’d see if you just looked ahead of you without the iPhone, the same way people have for thousands of years, and animals before them for millions of years. Is it genius? A signal that our species has really, finally gone too far with this technology thing?
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Video: YouTube / typenwalk
