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Weblog for March 2002

28 March, 2002

Augmented Reality: A New Way of Seeing [permanent link]: Scientific American has an interesting article on "Augmented Reality." Unlike "virtual reality," which replaces what the use sees with a virtual world, "augmented reality" displays 'augment' what the user sees by putting extra information in the user's field of vision. Examples quoted in the article include fire fighters getting info on hot spots while fighting fires or getting reviews of restaurants while walking down a street or soldiers getting real-time info on enemy soldiers that have been spotted. An interesting look at what the technology has and can achieve.
Stopping Light [permanent link]: Science@NASA News has an article about stopping light. Photons of light are quantum-mechanically 'stored' in the 'spin states' of atoms, effectively stopping the light. It can then be recovered by reactivating the light pulse. Pretty amazing stuff.
"Ultra Wideband" Wireless technology on the way [permanent link]: AsiaBizTech has this story on ultra wideband (UWB) wireless technology. This technology promises transmission rates of between 500Mbps (megabits per second) and 1Gbps (gigabits per second) while consuming as little power as bluetooth. It does this by transmitting data in very short pulses over a very wide range of frequencies, minimising power use and interference with other signals at the same frequency. An interesting new wireless technology to watch.
Configuring the Palm Key flash drive in Linux [permanent link]: An interesting article for those running the Linux OS by NewsForge on how to configure the Palm Key flash drive to make it work for Linux. This should help those using Linux to use such small flash devices.
Building a Space Elevator [permanent link]: Not much has been said about the space elevator lately but this MSNBC article gives an update on current thinking and technologies needed to make it work. What is a space elevator? It is a cable thousands of kilometres long stretching from a base on the earth and stretching to geosynchronous (24 hour) orbit (35,000 kilometers) or beyond. A satellite in geosynchronous orbit appears fixed over the earth so such a cable will appear stationary and you can just take a ride on it like an ordinary elevator, only this ride will take you to space. Some of these Google 'space elevator' links may help you to understand its concept better.
Solved: How an Egg can Spin on its End [permanent link]: The mystery of how a hard-boiled egg can spin on its end has been solved accord to this BBCNews article. As the egg first spins on its side, friction gradually changes its axis of rotation from horizontal to vertical in a series of small, jerky motions. Will this discovery 'shake the world'? Maybe, maybe not. But it is still a fun finding.

27 March, 2002

Baen Books offering free electronic downloads of selected books [permanent link]: I have just discovered that Baen Books is offering a library of free electronic books for download. These are selected titles from Baen.
BBC World Service broadcasting Douglas Adams's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" [permanent link]: The BBC World Service is broadcasting Douglas Adams's famous radio serial, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". The series first appeared as this radio serial before becomming books, a TV series and spawnning a human edited web version. Check out the BBC Schedule Guide to find out when it will will broadcast in your area if it can receive the BBC World Service.

23 March, 2002

Humour: Final Exam Questions [permanent link]: A friend passed me a reference to this Google Groups link to a list of humoruos final examination questions. Read it and laugh.

22 March, 2002

How Stuff Works: Quicksand, Stinger Missles, Lock-picking, Nicotine, Plasma Displays, Laser Printers, Solar Cells and Pinball Machines [permanent link]: Plenty of interesting articles have popped up at How Stuff Works, including How Quicksand Works, How Stinger Missles Work, How Lock-picking Works, How Nicotine Works, How Plasma Displays Work, How Laser Printers Work, How Solar Cells Work and How Pinball Machines Work. Read them to be entertained and educated.
Cryptogram for March [permanent link]: Bruce Schneier's Cryptogram for the month of March, 2002 is full of the usual stuff about computer security alerts. This month, he looks at SNMP vulnerabilities, terrorists and cryptographic laws, a 'possible' factoring breakthrough and ends with a number of thoughful letters from readers about security. You may not understand much of it but the newsletter will still give you the impression that companies should be doing more to protect themselves and consumers from security break-ins.
Free as in Freedom [permanent link]: Danny Yee has written a review of Free as in Freedom, found on Slashdot. This book looks at the life of Richard Stallman, one of the most impressive characters in the software field. I was privileged to meet him at a talk a few years ago and I look forward to reading this book in the near future.

21 March, 2002

Dog-Sized Horned Dinosaur Fossil Found in China [permanent link]: This National Geographic News story looks at the recent discovery of a distant relative of Triceratops, the three-horned dinosaur, that may give clues on how this particular group of dinosaurs evolved their huge horns and frills.
Bose-Einstein Condensates: A New Form of Matter [permanent link]: Much has been written about the Bose-Einstein Condensate. This NASA News story gives a reasonable explanation of how a Bose-Einstein Condensate forms and what quantum-mechanical effects scientists hope to study using this new form of matter.
Interview with an Anatomist [permanent link]: Gunther von Hagens is the man behind an exhibition of dead bodies that have been cut open to expose their internal organs. Read this New Scientist interview to find out why he decided to put up such a controversial exhibition.
The Ice Man's final battle? [permanent link]: Oetzi, the famous ice-man, may have died in a fight, according to this BBC News story. Scientists have found injuries to his hand and wrist, probably while defending himself against attack. This is on top of an arrowhead found in his back which may have caused him to bleed to death.
Soviet Moon Rocket secrets revealed [permanent link]: This BBC News story looks at the newly released photos of the Soviet moon rocket. The large number of huge boosters was the main reason why the rocket failed to take off: it was too difficult to control them all. An interesting look into the history of the moon race.

20 March, 2002

The Brain has a Gravitational Model [permanent link]: According to Science@NASA News, neuroscientist, testing on astronauts flying on the space shuttle, have discovered that the brain may have a built-in model of gravity. They tested the astronauts by making them catch a moving ball and discovered their reactions were slightly off due to the way a ball travels in zero-G. This makes sense since we usually live in a gravitational field and may need to make instant calculations of where an object may be travel under the influence of gravity.
Pelvic Exam Training [permanent link]: Pelvic examination (along with breast and prostate examinations) may be one of those necessary things, but training doctors to do them right is not easy; they have to be guided to feel the right things, sometimes by the person been examined. Wired News has an article on the ePelvis, a pelvic examination simulator that can be used to train doctors in the 'art' of pelvic exams. It can also be used in exams on doctors to make sure they can do proper diagnosis.

19 March, 2002

Optical Interferometry Achieved [permanent link]: This BBC News item talks about how astronomers have been able to combine the images of six separate optical telescopes together to create a single image. This technique, optical interferometry, allows astronomers to make out more detail as it emulates the effect of a larger telescope. But it is difficult to achieve, due to the small wavelength of light. Radio astronomers have been using this technique for decades to get finer detailed radio images. Well now, optical astonomers can join their ranks.

15 March, 2002

Using Ultrasound for Drug Delivery [permanent link]: Wired News has an interesting story about using ultrasound to aid in drug delivery. First, some of the patient's blood is extracted and the drug put into the blood cells. They are then injected back into the patient and, at the site where the drug is to be delivered, they are exposed to ultrasound, causing them to burst and release their payload. This allows for pinpoint delivery of drugs at lower dosage levels (minimising side effects) and avoiding rejection since it is the patient's own blood being used. It is currently experimental and only done on animals but still an interesting development in localised drug delivery.
Google News Search (beta) [permanent link]: The wonderful search site, Google is constantly changing; yet it still remains a search engine site at heart. The latest addition to it is a Google News site, currently in beta. Take a look at it and see if you like it. For me, I find it somewhat sparse (like its main web site) but the lack of annoying advertising on it is a plus.
XHTML with CSS2 [permanent link]: ExtremeTech has a pair of articles on how to build a simple web page using XHTML and CSS2. The first part covers building a page using XHTML and the second part covers using CSS2. A simple but effective introduction to using them to build a consistent and non-browser specific web page. One of these days, I hope to convert my own web pages to XHTML with CSS(1 or 2).
How Zippers Work [permanent link]: How Stuff Works has an article on how zippers work. It is short but to the point. Now you know how this very essential fastening mechanism works.

14 March, 2002

Famous National Geographic Face Found Again [permanent link]: Seventeen years ago, the National Geographic Magazine featured the photo of a girl with piercing eyes on its cover. After an extensive search, that girl has been found again as given in the following reports by the BBC and National Geographic. A story of an amazing photo and an amazing search.

13 March, 2002

The Incredible Rubberband Machine Gun [permanent link]: I found this via Slashdot. An engineer has designed an all wooden rubber band machine gun that can shoot up to 144 rubber bands. This National Post article gives some background the person and the gun. Absolutely incredible.
Hacking with a Pringles Tube [permanent link]: This BBC News article isn't really about hacking, but about using an empty Pringles tube to detect wireless networks. Still, it is an interesting article that highlights some of the problems being faced by wireless networks that needs to be solved if it is to be made a secure way of connecting computers.
A Tribute in Light [permanent link]: New Scientist has an article about two vertical beams of light that began shining on 11 March, 2002, six months after the events on 11 September, 2001. This tribute will shine every night (except on foggy nights when the FAA says the lights may blind pilots) until 13 April.
Mozilla's revenge [permanent link]: Andrew Leonard, a Salon senior editor has written an interesting opinion piece on the Mozilla browser, which also happens to be my favourite browser. While saying it took four years to come up with a useable browser, he feels that Mozilla validates what 'Open Source' is for: the ability of users to feedback and improve on programs and products that they use.
Palm Introduces New PalmOS Based Devices [permanent link]: It didn't seem fair for me to mention Sony's new PalmOS based devices without mentioning that Palm also released two new devices on the market: the Palm M515 and M130. Brighthand has an overview on both devices.
Sony Introduces New PalmOS Based Devices [permanent link]: PalmInfoCenter has this announcement by Sony on two new PalmOS devices: the PEG-NR70 and PEG-NR70V which are clamshell based. One half holds the screen, the other half holds a keyboard and buttons. The screen is unique; it can open up swivel around and close to cover the keyboard, making it look like a 'traditional' handheld. But this may be mechanically fragile.

12 March, 2002

New use for microdots [permanent link]: An interesting news item from Wired News about microdots, a spy technology used during World War II, being used as a way to identify cars and other items. Thousands of them can be put on the item to be protected and made visible using 'black lights' to warn thieves of their presence. They can also be used to authenticate documents.

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