In a turn of events, a class-run blog, Innovation Journalism, was busting at the seams with a surge in posts at the end of the Fall 2007 semester at CSULB.
"I don't know what happened," said Carlos, student in In Jo. "It's like everyone decided to post last-minute articles to make up for what they missed."
Some researchers are calling this phenomenon a once-in-a-semester occurance that preludes what hallmarks the end of a grading period.
According to ProcrastiNation, it is only to be expected when students begin posting multiple stories that make absolutely no sense.
"It's sad really," said Tuffey McGoowey, representative of ProcrastiNation. " I look at these articles and I think to myself, Really guys? C'mon. A wave of disappointment washes over me basically."
"I think it's awesome," said Gremlin Poof. "It really makes everything magical. Even if it's a last-ditch attempt to earn some credit."
The professor of the class of Innovation Journalism could not be reached for comment. Actually, we're too lazy to do it right now..maybe later.
Monday, December 17, 2007
New football Head Gear
A study was done and looked at concerning football players and the age they are dying at. Many of them are dying before they are 46 and when autopsies is done the players are showing they had brain damage. Physician Bennet Omalu a former neuropathologist believes he found what he calls Shronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE. He relates this to boxers dementia. Some of the symptoms would be confusion, mood disorder, slurred speech and memory loss.
The new technology that is being created is the helmets will have a sensor embedded in each one taht can gauge in real time a concussion. It will them notify the trainers at the sidelines. This will help to let the coachs know when a player should not be playing any longer an give more information on the causes of head trauma which will produce more helpful headgear.
Christine Thompson
The new technology that is being created is the helmets will have a sensor embedded in each one taht can gauge in real time a concussion. It will them notify the trainers at the sidelines. This will help to let the coachs know when a player should not be playing any longer an give more information on the causes of head trauma which will produce more helpful headgear.
Christine Thompson
say AHHHH
A recent technology found that with a simple spit check like a breath test it can tell if peopl are to tired to drive. Paul Shaw along with some of his reahcers found an enzyme in saliva that is also found in sleepiness. When they tested somone who was tired they found large abouts of the enzyme than when someone was well rested and and fine to drive. However, the test is not perfect and it could take up to years to get an accurrate test.
Anyone afraid of blood tests? Well by 2011 doctors are hoping to find a simple spit cup to replace these tests. Scientists have found 1,166 proteins in saliva which also include oral cancer. They have also found certain markers in the spit of someone who has breast cancer and Sjogren's syndrome. By find this doctors would be able to determine if a person has cancer with a simple check up by spiting into a cup. This would have to diagnose and start treatment as early as possible.
Christine Thompson
Anyone afraid of blood tests? Well by 2011 doctors are hoping to find a simple spit cup to replace these tests. Scientists have found 1,166 proteins in saliva which also include oral cancer. They have also found certain markers in the spit of someone who has breast cancer and Sjogren's syndrome. By find this doctors would be able to determine if a person has cancer with a simple check up by spiting into a cup. This would have to diagnose and start treatment as early as possible.
Christine Thompson
can this BEEEE any cooler
so who would have thought that by watching and observing honeybees scientists would come up with a system that would cut down time for accessing popular sites. The Georgia Institue of Technology and the United Kingdom's Universtiy of Oxford was able to improve a web hosting company's revenue up to 20 percent. Craig Tovey the co-director of Georgia Tech found this piece of information in the late 80s. He claims that when he first saw the Bees " unusual communication system with the waggle dance" he might be able to understand more about controlling groups.
The way the waggle dance goes is that there is always two flower patches for a poor honeybee to choose from. One of the patches may have better testing honey than the other and the question how to get the best supply at the time. The answer is the waggle dance. Its a type of calculation of its this kind of flower, in this direction and so far away.
When a little honeybee has found the perfect food it will dance on the floor of the hive waggling its body from side to side. The bee gies off a motion, smell, and a sound that the other little members of the family can find. So how is this used with computer well Tovey and his colleagues use an advertisement board which sends messages to communicat the location of hot websites. When one server recives a user request an internal ad pops up to attract other servers. Isn't this UnBEEElievaable!!
Christine Thompson
The way the waggle dance goes is that there is always two flower patches for a poor honeybee to choose from. One of the patches may have better testing honey than the other and the question how to get the best supply at the time. The answer is the waggle dance. Its a type of calculation of its this kind of flower, in this direction and so far away.
When a little honeybee has found the perfect food it will dance on the floor of the hive waggling its body from side to side. The bee gies off a motion, smell, and a sound that the other little members of the family can find. So how is this used with computer well Tovey and his colleagues use an advertisement board which sends messages to communicat the location of hot websites. When one server recives a user request an internal ad pops up to attract other servers. Isn't this UnBEEElievaable!!
Christine Thompson
Pianos are out
Anybody getting tired of that old piano and the tired noice it puts out. Well now there is a new keyboard that allows people to to create techno beats with the simple sliding and tapping of their fingers. The board is said to be like "finger painting." The little buttons on the keyboard light up as you touch them so you can the see the music you are creating.
There are different programs for the music. There is a bounce mode and which lets you draw wave pattttern to have a series of notes. Different modes will let single sounds to each key. There is a 253 builit in sounds. The Tenori-on which is what this new keybord is called is going for $1,200 in the U.K.
For a picture go to tenori-on.co.uk
Christine Thompson
There are different programs for the music. There is a bounce mode and which lets you draw wave pattttern to have a series of notes. Different modes will let single sounds to each key. There is a 253 builit in sounds. The Tenori-on which is what this new keybord is called is going for $1,200 in the U.K.
For a picture go to tenori-on.co.uk
Christine Thompson
Presidential candidate look to online world for support
By MATT SUN
In 24 hours, presidential candidate Ron Paul racked up $6 million from online contributions, breaking the record for a candidate raising money in a day.
This was done not by grace, wit or charm. Rather, many are concluding that this is only possible because it IS an online community where anyone with Internet access can contribute.
"I just think it's extraordinary," says Anthony J. Corrado, a campaign finance expert and professor of government at Colby College in Maine. "In my view, I expect that Ron Paul will raise more money than any other candidate this quarter. At this point, his main competition will be (Mitt) Romney's checkbook."
Dubbed Tea Party 07, volunteers urged Ron Paul supporters to "dump" funds into the Ron Paul campaign.
What I find absolutely interesting about Ron Paul's campaign is that he doesn't concentrate on print or tv media to help publicize his wishes to be president. Rather, using unconventional tactics and strategies Ron Paul has declared himself a prominent figure through blimp ads as well as a barrage of online support.
With this in mind, who knows where other candidates are going? Many have touched base with Myspace and a few have hit major "hotspots" on the net.
Home under the sea
How would you feel to live under water?? Lloyd Godson was doing a study to live under the sea for 13 days by himself. He was given the money to do this by Australian Geographic magazine as part of an experiment. He used recyled scrap metal to bulid his home for 13 days to keep the water out. Although this was not the longest stay under water. The longest to stay under water was Rick Presley set that, at 69 days. Lloyd Godson was only helping out Dennis Chamberland who plans on staying for 80 days under sea. Can you imagine how lonly that would get to be alone by yourself with no human contact. However, it is pretty crazy to see all the science that will come from this experience.
Christine Thompson
Christine Thompson
Friday, December 14, 2007
Best Inventions of 2007
By Jan Gray
Time magazine puts together a list of the greatest inventions every year. This year some of them are predictable but some are unbeleivable.
Steam power made it to the top of the list for the first time in a century. This time is is said to be able to increase the miles per gallon of a gasoline engine by 40 percent. This princible is possible by a San Diego race car designer who will implement the steam power in a hybrid gas -steam engine.
The new Boeing planes, the 787, have not even been released yet but it made it onto the list. The planes will be able to run on 20 percent less fuel as well as provide its passangers with larger windows, better humidity and pressure, as well as more leg room.
The book atm is essentially a kiosk that will deliver any book to a customer in around three minutes. The machine is a super fast printer that makes hard to find book titles a cinch to purchase. Just slide your credit card, punch in the book, and in about three minutes your book will be made, cover and all. The machine currently cost around $50,000.
Also invented this year is reusable paper. The ink when printed on this sheet will disappear within 24 hours when exposed to light because of a new material embedded in the paper's surface.
Organic screens, theorized for years has this year finaly become a reality. These are screens, just like any other but the only difference is they are fully flexable. Imagine a newspaper that is really a full digital screen that is equipped with videos and is constantly updated throughout the day. This time is now.
The greatest invention of the year, according to Time, is of course the Iphone.
Glow-in-the-dark CATS!
Scientists in South Korea have cloned and genetically altered the cells in cats to make them glow under fluorescent lighting.
No joke. There are seriously glow-in-the-dark cats in this world now. Check out that crazy photo up there!
Scientists say they plan to use this research and breakthrough in technology to study diseases and stem cells.
“Cats have similar genes to those of humans,” said veterinary professor Kong Il-keun of Gyeongsang National University. “We can make genetically modified cats that can be used to develop new cures for genetic diseases.”
As unusual at it sounds, animal clones have been genetically altered to glow green, red, blue or yellow in the dark before, including mice, rabbits and pigs. One company even sells pet "GloFish" commercially.
You can read more about the glowing felines here.
--Anna Mavromati
The Computers Processors You Will Use When Your Middle Aged
By Jan Gray
Have you noticed something recently about the new computer processors? You should have noticed that there speed is hovering around 3 or 4 Ghz and never really gets any faster. Instead all that is happening is that companies are adding more of the same chip to improve processing power (dual core, quad core). Current silicon based chips have a limit imposed upon them due to the physical limits of the materials used to construct them.
There are three ways we could go from here. One is quantum computing. Here is where atoms are essentiall cooled to a point in which they longer move (this was thought to have been impossible for a long time [known as absolute zero]). These atoms are them manuipulated with lasers in such a way as to form a computational device (how is an extremely complex endevor i do not wish to traverse at this point in time). The point is that a current computer uses pit and grooves or 0's and 1's as a foundation for information. It takes an input, does the computation on that input, and gives an answer in a linear fashion. Quantum computers will do computations simultainiously and a great deal of computations for that matter. It will do two the the power of the number of input bits. For example if there was a 100 input bits a quantum computer could do a thousand billion billion billion computations simulatiniously as opposed to one. And in terms of bits, just for comparison, the playstation 3 has a 128 bit processor.
Another is optical processing. Here information will travel to different parts of the system with packets of light or photons as opposed to todays processors which travel in little wires engrained within the chip. Aside from the obvious advantage of a higher processing power these processors will also use significantly less power.
Possibly the closest new computing system is the nano-computer. A group calling themselves the "dream team" has announced that they will have one out by November 1, 2011. The team, lead by Bill Spence publisher of Nanotechnology magazine, has never actually met each other and only communicate though the internet. They keep a tight lid on exactly they plan on making a computer out of atoms but the computer is literally expected to be billions of times faster than todays computers.
What You Will Drive When Your Middle Aged
By Jan Gray
According to GM, you will be driving a skateboard. Not a skateboard as it is known today but a car's version called a free standing car platform. This board will have everything important inside. The engine (fuel cell), the powertrain, and all steering mechanisms will all be inside a simple unit. the body of the cars will fit seamlessly on top of it.
The advantage of having a simple platform is that the body becomes interchangeable almost like a childrens toy. A person can own several body types and replace them in the confort of their own garage. This means you can have a truck one minute when hauling a large amount of cargo and they have a van then next when going on a road trip with the family.
The board is expected to be six inches thick. There is no need to place brake or accelerator pedals because they will all be electronic. This means that the vehicle will be fully autonomous or that it will drive itself.
The seat configuration is fully up to the user on the board. Since there really is no "driver" anymore the front seats can be turned around so that the people in the back are no longer left out of the conversation.
According to GM the boards will be, "easy to manufacture, safer and more affordable."
The boards are expected to last 20 years before needing to be replaced.
Nobel Prizes in 2007
By Jan Gray
The only news i heard about Nobel prizes this year was that Al Gore won part of a prize. The Nobel prize is quite possibly the most prestigious prize on the planet. Each winner automatically receives a boost to millionaire status as they each receive that amount of money as part of their prize. On top of that they receive the greatest parking spots. At UC Berkeley, for example, the Nobel Laureates have a special section in the staff parking lot. The lines that paint the spots perimeter are painted in gold.
So this year six new prizes were handed out to the brightest minds in the world. Lets see what they did.
The physics prize when to two scientists, one from France the other from Germany. They both had made a significant contribution to the science of how data is read from hard disks. Their progress is directly related to why hard drives have been able to become so much smaller in recent years (think IPod). I won't get into exactly what they did but their prize was touted as "for the discovery of giant magnetoresistance" which are weak magnetic changes that majorly affect electrical resistance in a system.
The chemistry prize went to a German scientist for his studies in surface chemistry. His contribution will help man kind further develop fuel cells which is ultimately what will replace gasoline as the engine for personal transportation devices. His prize was announced as "for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces" which is basically an observation of how atoms and molecules behave on a pure surface.
American medicine is usually assumed to be the best in the world and the 2007 nobel prize is surely indicative of that. The prize was split between three people, two of them from the Unites States and the other from the UK. They all invented a new technology called gene targeting where essentially single genes are inactivated. This technology will help us create the treatments of the future.
The literature prize went to a woman from the UK. She is described by the Nobel foundation as "the epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny".
The peace prize of course when to Al Gore and an entire intergovernmental panel on climate change. I don't want to get into this one anymore.
The last prize, the economics prize, went to three economists all from the United States of America. They have all invented something called the mechanism design theory. The theory allows us to distinguish situations in which markets work well from those in which they do not. It has helped economists identify efficient trading mechanisms, regulation schemes and voting procedures.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Technology dominates gift-giving this holiday season
Christmas is coming up...and apparently gifts are become more technology-focused and "adventurous" as the holiday season draws near.
Boots.com, a UK-based health, beauty and toiletries retailer with thousands of gifts, saw that so-far, online shoppers are going for unique and innovative gifts. iPods are topping the list this year, along with digital cameras--and accessories for such gadgets.
"Gift experiences" are also big this year, according to the website. "Experiences," such as Name a Star, Adopting a Vine, Adopt a Tiger and Dedicate a Tree (Note: The links are only a few of the many places one can go to for these types of services).
Full story here.
--Anna Mavromati
Boots.com, a UK-based health, beauty and toiletries retailer with thousands of gifts, saw that so-far, online shoppers are going for unique and innovative gifts. iPods are topping the list this year, along with digital cameras--and accessories for such gadgets.
"Gift experiences" are also big this year, according to the website. "Experiences," such as Name a Star, Adopting a Vine, Adopt a Tiger and Dedicate a Tree (Note: The links are only a few of the many places one can go to for these types of services).
Full story here.
--Anna Mavromati
New Taste Sensation
Hey all,
Since we're enjoying some tasty snacks in class today I figured this story, found on yahoo to be appropriate! Christine and I were going to do our third story on Food technology but decided to do the scanning instead, but we would have talked about this had we done our original idea:
Americans are taught from an early age that there are four basic tastes -- sweet, salty, sour and bitter. But what describes the taste of chicken soup?
To an increasing number of chefs and food-industry insiders, the answer is "umami," dubbed "the fifth taste." First identified by a Japanese scientist a century ago, umami has long been an obscure culinary concept. Hard to describe, it is usually defined as a meaty, savory, satisfying taste.
[Umami photo]
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's 'umami bomb' of Parmesan custard and white truffles.
But now, in the wake of breakthroughs in food science -- and amid a burst of competition between ingredient makers to create new food flavorings -- umami is going mainstream. Chefs including Jean-Georges Vongerichten are offering what they call "umami bombs," dishes that pile on ingredients naturally rich in umami for an explosive taste. Packaged-food companies such as Nestlé, Frito-Lay and Campbell's Soup are trying to ramp up the umami taste in foods like low-sodium soup to make them taste better, while the nation's mushroom farmers are advertising their produce to chefs as an ideal way to get the umami taste.
The food industry is embracing umami as part of an effort to deliver highly flavored foods to consumers while also cutting back on fat, salt, sugar and artificial ingredients. At the same time, more consumers are scrutinizing food labels for chemical-sounding words and unhealthy ingredients.
To understand the taste of umami, imagine a perfectly dressed Caesar salad, redolent of Parmesan cheese, minced anchovies and Worcestershire sauce; or slurping chicken soup; or biting into a slice of pepperoni-and-mushroom pizza. The savory taste of these foods, and the full, tongue-coating sensation they provide, is umami.
While umami is a relatively new concept in this country, it has been well known in parts of Asia for nearly 100 years. It was identified in the early 20th century by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese scientist who coined the name umami (pronounced "oo-MA-mee") using the Japanese term for "deliciousness." He found that foods with the umami taste have a high level of glutamate, an amino acid and a building block of protein. Mr. Ikeda developed and patented a method of making monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a processed additive that adds umami taste to food, much as sugar makes things taste sweet.
MSG, which was first manufactured by the company Ajinomoto in 1909, is made through a complex process that involves fermenting corn glucose and other raw materials. Today, an estimated 95,000 metric tons of MSG are sold in North America each year, according to Ajinomoto. It appears in everything from some McDonald's sausage and chicken meals to supermarket items like Campbell's soup, Doritos chips and Kraft macaroni and cheese.
What MSG has going for it is that it is a readily available, inexpensive, intensely umami ingredient with no off-flavors -- just as sugar is a classic expression of sweet and salt is perfectly salty. (Other ingredients also add umami, including yeast extracts, but these can add flavors some product developers don't want.) In many parts of Asia, it is as common to add a dash of MSG to dishes as it is for cooks here to toss in a little salt or sugar. But in the U.S., MSG has developed a bad reputation as a suspicious additive that many consumers believe gives them allergies or headaches.
In fact, many studies have found that MSG doesn't cause ill effects. "I don't see normal amounts of MSG as posing a risk to the vast majority of people," says Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington food-safety advocacy group.
For years, Western chefs and food scientists debated whether umami was a true taste, as fundamental to the sensory system as sweet or sour. That changed in 2000 when scientists at the University of Miami published a study -- partly funded by Ajinomoto -- identifying receptors on the tongue with no purpose other than to recognize the presence of glutamate. Subsequent studies, some funded by the ingredient industry and others without industry funding, identified other umami receptors.
While there is debate about which study is correct, scientists now widely believe that the body was designed to recognize glutamate, says Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, a sensory research institute that also receives some Ajinomoto funding. Just as we crave sweets as a spur to seek out carbohydrates, we are also geared to enjoy glutamate so that we will eat proteins, he says.
San Francisco chef Gary Danko whips up a tomato soup that will tempt and tantalize with that little-known fifth taste: umami. Stacey Delo gets a demo at Mr. Danko's home kitchen.
A Monell study found that babies will eat more soup if it has small doses of glutamate. (When my 17-month-old son had a recent bout of pneumonia and lost his appetite, a grating of Parmesan, one of the foods highest in glutamate in the Western diet, helped entice him to eat noodles, rice and lentils.)
Umami's acceptance as the fifth taste has spurred everyone from high-end chefs to packaged-food makers to find ways of delivering the taste to foods. Because MSG's negative connotation has persisted in the West, that often means finding MSG substitutes. Mr. Vongerichten creates intense umami-tasting dishes, which he dubs umami "bombs," at his various restaurants. "The ultimate umami dish is expensive," he says, citing a $185 Parmesan custard with white truffles at his New York restaurant Jean Georges. His less pricey umami bombs include a $12 lunch dish of black bread with sea urchin.
Hiro Sone, chef and co-owner of Ame, a new-American restaurant in San Francisco, touts his "umami soy sauce," enhanced with kombu, a type of seaweed, and bonito flakes, which are pieces of dried fish. When added to cuttlefish and sea urchin, the umami sauce is "like an MSG bomb," Mr. Sone says, but without any MSG.
Interest in umami is driving new research and development among companies that create and manufacture flavorings for the processed-food industry. These can range from natural ingredients to artificial flavors that essentially are to MSG what saccharine and aspartame are to sugar. Senomyx, an ingredient-making company in San Diego that went public in 2004, has developed an artificial taste bud, complete with umami receptors, in its lab. The company uses it to test reactions to thousands of ingredients.
So far, Senomyx has identified four new umami ingredients that can often be used in small enough amounts to be listed on a food label simply as "artificial flavors." This is a boon to food companies because it eliminates the need to add an unfamiliar, chemical-sounding word to an ingredient list.
Nestlé is using one of the Senomyx umami ingredients in bouillon cubes in the Caribbean, instant noodle dishes in Brazil and powdered seasoning in parts of Central America, all under the company's Maggi brand.
When Campbell's recently reformulated its soups to lower the sodium content, part of the focus was on "including ingredients that would provide umami-type characteristics," says George Dowdie, Campbell's senior vice president of global research and development and quality. Mr. Dowdie wouldn't reveal which ingredients did the trick but says it was a combination of natural foods -- things like cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes -- and proprietary flavorings from flavor companies. He adds that the company is hoping to learn more about umami through a research deal it has made with Senomyx.
In mid-July, Frito-Lay, a unit of PepsiCo, hired its first executive chef, Stephen Kalil. Mr. Kalil says he is experimenting with umami ingredients from Latin and Asian cultures -- like cheese powder, anchovy powder, fermented soybean products and mushroom powder -- to create new flavors for brands including Lay's and Flat Earth vegetable and fruit crisps. The company has no plans to replace the MSG in certain products, however. "If we were to change the flavor of Doritos, for our 18-to-24-year-old male consumer there would probably be a riot," says Mike Zbuchalski, vice president of culinary innovation for Frito-Lay North America.
Dairy Management Inc., a trade group for the dairy industry, recently funded research into what compounds cause the umami taste in Swiss and cheddar cheese, in the hope of learning how to give cheese umami taste more consistently and quickly.
The Mushroom Council, a trade group for the mushroom industry, has distributed a report to restaurants about how mushrooms contribute to umami. Titled "Umami: If You've Got It, Flaunt It," it offers instructions in "building the U-bomb," by sautéing mushrooms and adding them to grilled steak.
Some of the biggest promoters of the idea that there are umami-rich alternatives to MSG in many foods we eat are MSG makers themselves. A consortium of MSG manufacturers, led by Ajinomoto, sponsors the Tokyo-based Umami Manufacturers Association. The group hosts conferences about umami and publishes a Web site in English featuring MSG-free umami recipes.
"We are hoping that eventually people will become familiar with why this flavor enhancer is in our food -- well, because it's giving my food the taste that I like," says Kitty Broihier, a consultant for Ajinomoto Food Ingredients, a Chicago-based subsidiary of Ajinomoto. By emphasizing that the glutamate in food is the same as the glutamate in MSG, makers hope to make people think of MSG as a more natural ingredient.
For home cooks, umami can open up an entire pantry of ingredients. Just as a few shakes of salt can improve a dish, a correctly applied dash of cheese, wine or even ketchup can pump up the umami, without overwhelming the dish with the flavor of the added ingredient. Cooks skilled in umami can reduce the fat and salt content of foods without sacrificing flavor. There are several ways to boost the umami taste in a meal (see the accompanying graphic for umami tricks used by top chefs). One is to add ingredients rich in glutamate, such as Parmesan (even a rind tossed into the soup pot deepens flavor) or other types of aged cheese; soy sauce; tomato products such as juice, paste or ketchup; and fish-based sauces (like Worcestershire and Thai fish sauce). Another is to use foods high in certain nucleotides, another compound that contributes to the umami taste. These include many kinds of seafood, mushrooms and meat, especially veal and stocks made from bones.
For a more powerful effect, cooks can combine foods from those two categories. For reasons scientists don't entirely understand, when glutamate is combined with certain nucleotides, the umami effect is magnified.
Finally, cooks can build umami flavor through technique. In general, any process that breaks down protein, including drying, aging, curing and slow cooking, increases umami. This is because glutamate, normally bound up in proteins, is released into a form the tongue can perceive as umami when proteins are broken down, says Chris Loss, a senior culinary scientist at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, Calif.
~Noor Z.
Since we're enjoying some tasty snacks in class today I figured this story, found on yahoo to be appropriate! Christine and I were going to do our third story on Food technology but decided to do the scanning instead, but we would have talked about this had we done our original idea:
Americans are taught from an early age that there are four basic tastes -- sweet, salty, sour and bitter. But what describes the taste of chicken soup?
To an increasing number of chefs and food-industry insiders, the answer is "umami," dubbed "the fifth taste." First identified by a Japanese scientist a century ago, umami has long been an obscure culinary concept. Hard to describe, it is usually defined as a meaty, savory, satisfying taste.
[Umami photo]
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's 'umami bomb' of Parmesan custard and white truffles.
But now, in the wake of breakthroughs in food science -- and amid a burst of competition between ingredient makers to create new food flavorings -- umami is going mainstream. Chefs including Jean-Georges Vongerichten are offering what they call "umami bombs," dishes that pile on ingredients naturally rich in umami for an explosive taste. Packaged-food companies such as Nestlé, Frito-Lay and Campbell's Soup are trying to ramp up the umami taste in foods like low-sodium soup to make them taste better, while the nation's mushroom farmers are advertising their produce to chefs as an ideal way to get the umami taste.
The food industry is embracing umami as part of an effort to deliver highly flavored foods to consumers while also cutting back on fat, salt, sugar and artificial ingredients. At the same time, more consumers are scrutinizing food labels for chemical-sounding words and unhealthy ingredients.
To understand the taste of umami, imagine a perfectly dressed Caesar salad, redolent of Parmesan cheese, minced anchovies and Worcestershire sauce; or slurping chicken soup; or biting into a slice of pepperoni-and-mushroom pizza. The savory taste of these foods, and the full, tongue-coating sensation they provide, is umami.
While umami is a relatively new concept in this country, it has been well known in parts of Asia for nearly 100 years. It was identified in the early 20th century by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese scientist who coined the name umami (pronounced "oo-MA-mee") using the Japanese term for "deliciousness." He found that foods with the umami taste have a high level of glutamate, an amino acid and a building block of protein. Mr. Ikeda developed and patented a method of making monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a processed additive that adds umami taste to food, much as sugar makes things taste sweet.
MSG, which was first manufactured by the company Ajinomoto in 1909, is made through a complex process that involves fermenting corn glucose and other raw materials. Today, an estimated 95,000 metric tons of MSG are sold in North America each year, according to Ajinomoto. It appears in everything from some McDonald's sausage and chicken meals to supermarket items like Campbell's soup, Doritos chips and Kraft macaroni and cheese.
What MSG has going for it is that it is a readily available, inexpensive, intensely umami ingredient with no off-flavors -- just as sugar is a classic expression of sweet and salt is perfectly salty. (Other ingredients also add umami, including yeast extracts, but these can add flavors some product developers don't want.) In many parts of Asia, it is as common to add a dash of MSG to dishes as it is for cooks here to toss in a little salt or sugar. But in the U.S., MSG has developed a bad reputation as a suspicious additive that many consumers believe gives them allergies or headaches.
In fact, many studies have found that MSG doesn't cause ill effects. "I don't see normal amounts of MSG as posing a risk to the vast majority of people," says Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington food-safety advocacy group.
For years, Western chefs and food scientists debated whether umami was a true taste, as fundamental to the sensory system as sweet or sour. That changed in 2000 when scientists at the University of Miami published a study -- partly funded by Ajinomoto -- identifying receptors on the tongue with no purpose other than to recognize the presence of glutamate. Subsequent studies, some funded by the ingredient industry and others without industry funding, identified other umami receptors.
While there is debate about which study is correct, scientists now widely believe that the body was designed to recognize glutamate, says Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, a sensory research institute that also receives some Ajinomoto funding. Just as we crave sweets as a spur to seek out carbohydrates, we are also geared to enjoy glutamate so that we will eat proteins, he says.
San Francisco chef Gary Danko whips up a tomato soup that will tempt and tantalize with that little-known fifth taste: umami. Stacey Delo gets a demo at Mr. Danko's home kitchen.
A Monell study found that babies will eat more soup if it has small doses of glutamate. (When my 17-month-old son had a recent bout of pneumonia and lost his appetite, a grating of Parmesan, one of the foods highest in glutamate in the Western diet, helped entice him to eat noodles, rice and lentils.)
Umami's acceptance as the fifth taste has spurred everyone from high-end chefs to packaged-food makers to find ways of delivering the taste to foods. Because MSG's negative connotation has persisted in the West, that often means finding MSG substitutes. Mr. Vongerichten creates intense umami-tasting dishes, which he dubs umami "bombs," at his various restaurants. "The ultimate umami dish is expensive," he says, citing a $185 Parmesan custard with white truffles at his New York restaurant Jean Georges. His less pricey umami bombs include a $12 lunch dish of black bread with sea urchin.
Hiro Sone, chef and co-owner of Ame, a new-American restaurant in San Francisco, touts his "umami soy sauce," enhanced with kombu, a type of seaweed, and bonito flakes, which are pieces of dried fish. When added to cuttlefish and sea urchin, the umami sauce is "like an MSG bomb," Mr. Sone says, but without any MSG.
Interest in umami is driving new research and development among companies that create and manufacture flavorings for the processed-food industry. These can range from natural ingredients to artificial flavors that essentially are to MSG what saccharine and aspartame are to sugar. Senomyx, an ingredient-making company in San Diego that went public in 2004, has developed an artificial taste bud, complete with umami receptors, in its lab. The company uses it to test reactions to thousands of ingredients.
So far, Senomyx has identified four new umami ingredients that can often be used in small enough amounts to be listed on a food label simply as "artificial flavors." This is a boon to food companies because it eliminates the need to add an unfamiliar, chemical-sounding word to an ingredient list.
Nestlé is using one of the Senomyx umami ingredients in bouillon cubes in the Caribbean, instant noodle dishes in Brazil and powdered seasoning in parts of Central America, all under the company's Maggi brand.
When Campbell's recently reformulated its soups to lower the sodium content, part of the focus was on "including ingredients that would provide umami-type characteristics," says George Dowdie, Campbell's senior vice president of global research and development and quality. Mr. Dowdie wouldn't reveal which ingredients did the trick but says it was a combination of natural foods -- things like cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes -- and proprietary flavorings from flavor companies. He adds that the company is hoping to learn more about umami through a research deal it has made with Senomyx.
In mid-July, Frito-Lay, a unit of PepsiCo, hired its first executive chef, Stephen Kalil. Mr. Kalil says he is experimenting with umami ingredients from Latin and Asian cultures -- like cheese powder, anchovy powder, fermented soybean products and mushroom powder -- to create new flavors for brands including Lay's and Flat Earth vegetable and fruit crisps. The company has no plans to replace the MSG in certain products, however. "If we were to change the flavor of Doritos, for our 18-to-24-year-old male consumer there would probably be a riot," says Mike Zbuchalski, vice president of culinary innovation for Frito-Lay North America.
Dairy Management Inc., a trade group for the dairy industry, recently funded research into what compounds cause the umami taste in Swiss and cheddar cheese, in the hope of learning how to give cheese umami taste more consistently and quickly.
The Mushroom Council, a trade group for the mushroom industry, has distributed a report to restaurants about how mushrooms contribute to umami. Titled "Umami: If You've Got It, Flaunt It," it offers instructions in "building the U-bomb," by sautéing mushrooms and adding them to grilled steak.
Some of the biggest promoters of the idea that there are umami-rich alternatives to MSG in many foods we eat are MSG makers themselves. A consortium of MSG manufacturers, led by Ajinomoto, sponsors the Tokyo-based Umami Manufacturers Association. The group hosts conferences about umami and publishes a Web site in English featuring MSG-free umami recipes.
"We are hoping that eventually people will become familiar with why this flavor enhancer is in our food -- well, because it's giving my food the taste that I like," says Kitty Broihier, a consultant for Ajinomoto Food Ingredients, a Chicago-based subsidiary of Ajinomoto. By emphasizing that the glutamate in food is the same as the glutamate in MSG, makers hope to make people think of MSG as a more natural ingredient.
For home cooks, umami can open up an entire pantry of ingredients. Just as a few shakes of salt can improve a dish, a correctly applied dash of cheese, wine or even ketchup can pump up the umami, without overwhelming the dish with the flavor of the added ingredient. Cooks skilled in umami can reduce the fat and salt content of foods without sacrificing flavor. There are several ways to boost the umami taste in a meal (see the accompanying graphic for umami tricks used by top chefs). One is to add ingredients rich in glutamate, such as Parmesan (even a rind tossed into the soup pot deepens flavor) or other types of aged cheese; soy sauce; tomato products such as juice, paste or ketchup; and fish-based sauces (like Worcestershire and Thai fish sauce). Another is to use foods high in certain nucleotides, another compound that contributes to the umami taste. These include many kinds of seafood, mushrooms and meat, especially veal and stocks made from bones.
For a more powerful effect, cooks can combine foods from those two categories. For reasons scientists don't entirely understand, when glutamate is combined with certain nucleotides, the umami effect is magnified.
Finally, cooks can build umami flavor through technique. In general, any process that breaks down protein, including drying, aging, curing and slow cooking, increases umami. This is because glutamate, normally bound up in proteins, is released into a form the tongue can perceive as umami when proteins are broken down, says Chris Loss, a senior culinary scientist at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, Calif.
~Noor Z.
Avoid Death: Wackiest Labels
Hey class,
I found this article hilarious, thought we could use some laughs since everyone seems stressted!
A warning on a small tractor that reads "Danger: Avoid Death" has been chosen as the nation's wackiest warning label by an anti-lawsuit group.
The Wacky Warning Label Contest, now in its 11th year, is conducted by Novi-based Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch as part of an effort to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels.
Kevin Soave of Farmington Hills, a Detroit suburb, won the $500 grand prize for submitting the winning label.
The $250 second place was given to Carrianne, Jacob and Robby Turin of Greensburg, Pa., for a label they found on an iron-on T-shirt transfer that warns: "Do not iron while wearing shirt."
Richard Goodnow of Lancaster, Mass., earned the $100 third-place prize for a label on a baby stroller featuring a small storage pouch that warns: "Do not put child in bag."
Contest organizer Bob Dorigo Jones says the silly labels reflect how broken America's civil justice system is.
"Predatory lawyers know they can file ridiculous lawsuits against innocent product makers and blackmail them into a cash settlement _ even in cases in which a user has ignored common sense," Dorigo Jones said in a statement Wednesday.
Those who oppose the contest say that while some warning labels may seem silly, even dumb warnings can do good. They have a warning of their own: Don't be so quick to laugh at labels that help save lives.
Honorable mention went to Cyndi LaMonde of Traverse City for a label on a letter opener that says: "Caution: Safety goggles recommended."
Ann Marie Young of Fillmore, N.Y., took the second honorable mention for a warning she found which cautions users: "The Vanishing Fabric Marker should not be used as a writing instrument for signing checks or any legal documents."
The group selected a list of finalists and listeners of WOMC-FM's Dick Purtan show chose the winners.
~Noor Z.
I found this article hilarious, thought we could use some laughs since everyone seems stressted!
A warning on a small tractor that reads "Danger: Avoid Death" has been chosen as the nation's wackiest warning label by an anti-lawsuit group.
The Wacky Warning Label Contest, now in its 11th year, is conducted by Novi-based Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch as part of an effort to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels.
Kevin Soave of Farmington Hills, a Detroit suburb, won the $500 grand prize for submitting the winning label.
The $250 second place was given to Carrianne, Jacob and Robby Turin of Greensburg, Pa., for a label they found on an iron-on T-shirt transfer that warns: "Do not iron while wearing shirt."
Richard Goodnow of Lancaster, Mass., earned the $100 third-place prize for a label on a baby stroller featuring a small storage pouch that warns: "Do not put child in bag."
Contest organizer Bob Dorigo Jones says the silly labels reflect how broken America's civil justice system is.
"Predatory lawyers know they can file ridiculous lawsuits against innocent product makers and blackmail them into a cash settlement _ even in cases in which a user has ignored common sense," Dorigo Jones said in a statement Wednesday.
Those who oppose the contest say that while some warning labels may seem silly, even dumb warnings can do good. They have a warning of their own: Don't be so quick to laugh at labels that help save lives.
Honorable mention went to Cyndi LaMonde of Traverse City for a label on a letter opener that says: "Caution: Safety goggles recommended."
Ann Marie Young of Fillmore, N.Y., took the second honorable mention for a warning she found which cautions users: "The Vanishing Fabric Marker should not be used as a writing instrument for signing checks or any legal documents."
The group selected a list of finalists and listeners of WOMC-FM's Dick Purtan show chose the winners.
~Noor Z.
Social Networking For Two-Year-Olds
Staff writer Louise Story, appropriately named, released an article in the New York Times online edition today headlined “Shift Away From Ad-Free Has a Price.” The story is basically reviewing how Children who visit Webkinz.com, the popular virtual world for children who buy Webkinz stuffed animals, may also see advertisements on the site.
This site is in fact a social networking site for children as soon as they can read, sometimes earlier. They can do their own movie reviews, allow their online characters to be friends, etc..
The Webkinz site began running movie ads on its site in October, with ads for “Bee Movie” and later for “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” The ads run on the right side of the home page after users log in. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, an advocacy group based in Boston, is demanding that the site remove the ads.
“One of the reasons why parents buy Webkinz for their children is the expectation that the site will be free from advertising,” said Susan Linn, the campaign’s director. “It’s disappointing that the site is choosing to maximize revenue at the expense of children.”
But hey, why not? Kids have a huge pull on their parents, and their influence and ability to force their parents to buy them things just to shut them up is impressive. Although, parents who strive for a “commercial free childhood,” are understandably outraged.
Here’s the rub. Guess what parents, you don’t have to let your kids use this Web site. If you are so concerned, use better parenting tools. Or with all of the time you are wasting complaining, you could ban together and create a new site. HHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMM… Fancy that.
Jacqueline Rupp, a mother of two in Philadelphia, said she would stop allowing her children to use the site if Ganz did not stop all advertising. “I bought into the Webkinz phenomenon because there wasn’t mass marketing on the site,” said Ms. Rupp, adding that she has spent more than $300 on Webkinz toys in the last two years. “If you’re putting out $15 for the Webkinz doll, you are paying for the ability to have something ad-free.”
Just a fun little distraction…
-Roger
AIDS
September brought lousy news from the front lines of the fight against AIDS: In clinical trials, the most promising HIV vaccine in the pipeline failed to prevent infections. But researchers hope that tactical setbacks will deliver crucial insights. "We'd be a lot happier if we were looking at why it did work," says University of Washington AIDS researcher Lawrence Corey, "but we can learn a lot from why it didn't."
The most important—and disturbing—lesson from the trial may turn out to be that the vaccine made things worse. The September tally showed that volunteers who received the vaccine were slightly more likely to become infected than were those who got dummy shots. The difference was so small that it could have been coincidence, says Corey, who heads the International HIV Vaccine Trials Network, a consortium of AIDS researchers. But that possibility won't become clearer until more data rolls in.
~Noor
The most important—and disturbing—lesson from the trial may turn out to be that the vaccine made things worse. The September tally showed that volunteers who received the vaccine were slightly more likely to become infected than were those who got dummy shots. The difference was so small that it could have been coincidence, says Corey, who heads the International HIV Vaccine Trials Network, a consortium of AIDS researchers. But that possibility won't become clearer until more data rolls in.
~Noor
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Cell phones: The choice of the young and the poor
Apparently cell phones have become much more popular than landlines--in fact, they are now the preferance. More than one in eight households in the U.S. have cell phones but lack traditional landline telephones, according to a federal study released Monday that tracks the country's increasing dependence on wireless phones.
Many are beginning to catch on to the new trend as well. Some pollsters, who typically rely on random calls to households with landline telephones, have begun calling cell-phone users instead, which is more expensive and makes it harder to ensure their samples are truly random.
Federal data showed that young, poor, male and Hispanic people are more likely to rely only on the cell phone and lose the landline. 18 percent of Hispanic adults have cell phones but no landlines. 11 percent of white adults and 14 percent of black adults only used cell phones. Roughly three in 10 ptopl age 18 to 29 had only cell phones--more than double the number of those 30 and older who rely only on cell phones. About one in five poor people only use cell phones, at double the percentage for those who are not poor. And 59 percent of households have landlines and cell phones, both--24 percent have only landlines.
The National Health Interview Survey represents the first half of 2007 and was consucted by the CDC.
The AP story can be found here.
--Anna Mavromati
Many are beginning to catch on to the new trend as well. Some pollsters, who typically rely on random calls to households with landline telephones, have begun calling cell-phone users instead, which is more expensive and makes it harder to ensure their samples are truly random.
Federal data showed that young, poor, male and Hispanic people are more likely to rely only on the cell phone and lose the landline. 18 percent of Hispanic adults have cell phones but no landlines. 11 percent of white adults and 14 percent of black adults only used cell phones. Roughly three in 10 ptopl age 18 to 29 had only cell phones--more than double the number of those 30 and older who rely only on cell phones. About one in five poor people only use cell phones, at double the percentage for those who are not poor. And 59 percent of households have landlines and cell phones, both--24 percent have only landlines.
The National Health Interview Survey represents the first half of 2007 and was consucted by the CDC.
The AP story can be found here.
--Anna Mavromati
Britons log onto Myspace more than any other Europeans
Social networking websites are not only a phenomenon in the U.S.--they have also become a hit abroad. And studies show that apparently Britons use social networking sites more than any of their European counterparts.
According to the research by Ofcom, Britons devote 5.3 hours a month to sites like Facebook and MySpace, visiting them an average of 23 times. Almost 40 percent of British adults with internet access were found to use social networking sites compared with 22 percent in Italy, 17 percent in France and 12 percent in Germany. Women age 18 to 34 were found to be using the internet more often than men as well.
The Britons also beat Americans by 34 percent and Japan by 32 percent, according to the watchdog's international communications market report.
Full story here
--Anna Mavromati
IBM's prediction
IBM is predicting that the way you drive is going to change dramatically within the next five years. It's annual "Five in Five" forecast, which lists five ways that technology will alter people's lifestyles over the next five years, included the prediction that according to IBM researchers, automotive innovation is going to include services to find the cheapest gas, global positioning technology (which will allow traffic jams to be avoided), web-enabled evasive action to avoid accidents, and sophisticated analytics to ease congestion across entire cities.
As Forbes put it: "automotive innovation normally reserved for the likes of Batman and James Bond is imminent."
Some countries are already way ahead of us. In Singapore, a nationwide initiative provides sensors and cameras to measure and predict the flow of vehicles, and adjusts traffic lights and other roadway signals accordingly. In Stockholm, a "virtual toll booth" electronically tracks vehicles entering the city during peak hours or in high congestion areas. Then it registers a fee associated with the particular vehicle. There is a sensor inside each vehicle, similar to the EZPass system used in New York, but in this case, drivers can pay the fee later online or at certain convenience stores.
“In New York and other cities that use EZPass, tons of traffic data is being collected through automated recognition technology, and until now we weren’t even aware of the possibility of using it as a predictive traffic measure,” says Francoise Legoues, an engineer at International Business Machines Corp. in Armonk, N.Y.
The full story can be found at MSNBC
--Anna Mavromati
iPods and Ice Cream
The Brazilian ice cream company, Kibon, is initiating a very creative givaway. Rather than printing a prize on its popsicle sticks--a common promotion tactic that has been used previously by popsicle manufacturing businesses--Kibon is going to make 10,000 specially made "propsicles," fake ice-cream that looks like real popsicles, which will contain actual frozen mini iPod shuffles within them. "Propsicles" will look identical to the brand's regular popsicles in size and color, so that the lucky winner doesn't discover his brand new treat-within-a-treat until after attempting to bite into it.
"We developed a special prototype that emulates the real ice cream;" Neto says, "it protects the iPod from humidity, and it feels like the real ice cream. It is virtually impossible to fell the difference without opening the package."
The company Bullet Brazil developed the idea for Unilever's Kibon. It is considered the Brazilian version of the Good Humor ice cream brand. The company had been contemplating he idea of putting shuffles somehow directly into the hands of prize-winners since March. If they put the iPod directly into the box with the popsicles, buyers would be able to tell which box was a winner--so the company turned to "propsicles."
Of course, it took a few tests before Apple was ready to sign on to the deal. They couldn't afford for the iPod prizes to end up faulty, do to the intense cold and humidity of being kept in a freezer. After a "never-ending" number of tests, it was proven that the fake-ice cream could indeed protect the electronic circuitry against temperatures between -4 and -22 degrees Fahrenheit (the temperature range of a standard freezer). Apple approved.
As for how winners get their hands on the charger and manual for the iPod, the company provided an 800-number for winners to call, and they will have both sent to them--along with a real popsicle, the same color and flavor as the fake one.
The full story can be found at Gizmodo.
--Anna Mavromati
Google: The New Big Brother?
So by now you must know that the New York Times pretty much dominates news and media coverage in the
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
New Social Networking Site May Be A Little Too Little Too Late
The New York Times released an article online today headlined "Universal Imeem Deal May unlock More Free Music." The article is basically talking about how Universal's music group is creating a social networking site that will allow users to listen to as many songs as they want on the site--streaming, not downloading.
This may be a good advent for those who simply love music and want a forum to discuss it. Users can however purchase songs for less than a dollar if they wish, so this is really not much different from using iTunes, but it does provide a networking site. In essence, it is combining both iTunes and MySpace in one easy to use forum.
One key quotation provided by reporter Saul Hansell reads, “In many ways, sites like Imeem could well serve the function that radio played for many years, exposing people to new songs, some of which they ultimately chose to buy. Imeem puts this in the context of a social network where some of the main activities are recommending songs and trading playlists with friends.”
The fact that these songs are available at low cost speaks to the fact that they have to rely on advertising to generate more revenue. So essentially, this really does encompass many different types of media in one outlet. I don’t know that I would be interested enough in using this new outlet, but I do appreciate the specialization of the site.
-Roger
Monday, December 10, 2007
Self-tuning guitar
Les Paul, the newest Gibson guitar model, is one that can tune itself!
The guitar maker said it is most useful for beginners who find tuning to be annoying and stressful. It is also very useful for professionals.
"If they use special tuning for just part of a concert, as he often does, it means they don't have to lug around an extra guitar with the second tuning ready."
This guitar model costs about $2,499 in the U.S. plus the extra self-tuning cost, $900.
Some are comparing it to a robot.
"Gibson guitars with the technology come preset with six types of tuning to play different kinds of music. They also can remember a player's additional original tuning styles, by listening with a microphone to the sounds of the strings."
"To set the instrument to a particular tuning, the user pulls a knob, turns it to the desired style, indicated with a blue light, and then pushes the knob back in. An electric signal travels up the strings to the motors on the tuning pegs. The system is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery."
By Lauren Darmody
The guitar maker said it is most useful for beginners who find tuning to be annoying and stressful. It is also very useful for professionals.
"If they use special tuning for just part of a concert, as he often does, it means they don't have to lug around an extra guitar with the second tuning ready."
This guitar model costs about $2,499 in the U.S. plus the extra self-tuning cost, $900.
Some are comparing it to a robot.
"Gibson guitars with the technology come preset with six types of tuning to play different kinds of music. They also can remember a player's additional original tuning styles, by listening with a microphone to the sounds of the strings."
"To set the instrument to a particular tuning, the user pulls a knob, turns it to the desired style, indicated with a blue light, and then pushes the knob back in. An electric signal travels up the strings to the motors on the tuning pegs. The system is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery."
By Lauren Darmody
Slot machines for younger people
Slot machines are soon going to be popular among the young.
"Coming soon are slot machines with joysticks, which the industry expects to be particularly popular, and others that will allow users to play in tandem or against one another, much as they do in many Internet games. "
They are saying that younger people come to gambling towns to party, not to gamble, so they want to make it more available. They also said that they want to bring new gamblers in instead of just recycling the ones that are already there.
The joy stick makes it more appealing because the younger generation are the ones that grew up with video games so it looks more fun then just pulling down a stick.
By Lauren Darmody
"Coming soon are slot machines with joysticks, which the industry expects to be particularly popular, and others that will allow users to play in tandem or against one another, much as they do in many Internet games. "
They are saying that younger people come to gambling towns to party, not to gamble, so they want to make it more available. They also said that they want to bring new gamblers in instead of just recycling the ones that are already there.
The joy stick makes it more appealing because the younger generation are the ones that grew up with video games so it looks more fun then just pulling down a stick.
By Lauren Darmody
Laser Propulsion
By Jan Gray
Leik Myrabo is an aerospace engineer professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He is also the inventor of a technique that uses light to throw objects into space.
Myrabo got the idea in the sixties to station a set of high powered lasers on the ground and simply beam the energy the spacecraft needs to use as propellant from this point. There is no need for big bulky external tanks and the bellows of rockets or the danger of cataclysmic explosions. The energy remains stationary on the ground.
The lasers fire upward to the base of the craft. The craft is equipped with a series of mirrors that focus the distant laser light into a piece that converts the beam into heat energy. So far we have used superheated air as the propellant. The air is heated to between 10,000-30,000 degrees Celsius. As a result, the air expands violently and pushes the craft in an upwards direction. This has already been successfully experimented with and we have reached altitudes of 233ft. We still have a ways to go. Some day Myrabo hopes that craft like this will be able to carry people to space for very cheap. All that is needed is more power. Supercharge the laser beam and use a propellant that expands more than air and we got it. A life size model of the craft, made from fiberglass and epoxy, has already been built
Leik Myrabo is an aerospace engineer professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He is also the inventor of a technique that uses light to throw objects into space.
Myrabo got the idea in the sixties to station a set of high powered lasers on the ground and simply beam the energy the spacecraft needs to use as propellant from this point. There is no need for big bulky external tanks and the bellows of rockets or the danger of cataclysmic explosions. The energy remains stationary on the ground.
The lasers fire upward to the base of the craft. The craft is equipped with a series of mirrors that focus the distant laser light into a piece that converts the beam into heat energy. So far we have used superheated air as the propellant. The air is heated to between 10,000-30,000 degrees Celsius. As a result, the air expands violently and pushes the craft in an upwards direction. This has already been successfully experimented with and we have reached altitudes of 233ft. We still have a ways to go. Some day Myrabo hopes that craft like this will be able to carry people to space for very cheap. All that is needed is more power. Supercharge the laser beam and use a propellant that expands more than air and we got it. A life size model of the craft, made from fiberglass and epoxy, has already been built
Take an Elevator Into Space in 23 Years, 320 Days, 21 Hours, and 35 Minutes From Now
By Jan Gray
The Liftport Group is a collaboration of various companies in various industries uniting under a single goal, to get a space elevator built. They are serious. They have an exact date when they expect to be done and even a countdown clock emblazoned on the top of there website. Tickets are being sold for about $400 a pound to buy today.
The idea is simple. Simply fasten a line on the ground. Then attach a counterweight to the opposite end. The counterweight will be in geosynchronous orbit hovering over the base of the line. The line will be kept taut by the centrifugal force from the rotation of the earth. Simply attach an elevator to the line and bam there is a space elevator.
Of course the reality of the matter is that there are many more things to consider. First the line must be about 35,786 km in length. The base station holding the line to the ground must be somewhere in the ball park of 50 km tall itself for the whole thing to work. The counterweight must be a massive structure and some scientists, according to NASA, have even theorized about using an asteroid for this. The elevators would be electromagnetic, much like the Maglev trains in Europe, allowing the elevator to accelerate to speeds beyond a 1,000 km/h.
The base tower which extends 50 kilometers in the air would have to be built on the equator for this is where the counterweight and the base can remain in geosynchronous and this is where the centrifugal force is at maximum. The tower, being stretched so far into the skies would be undoubtedly susceptible to the elements, mainly winds. This would have to be taken into account and a location would have to be found where wind is minimal.
The line or cable must be made out of a material that has yet to be made. I am of course referring to the carbon nanotube. This material has recently undergone some controversy as to where and when it was created. Most say that it was invented in Japan in 1991 however some say that it was invented in Russia during the Cold War. Regardless, the material still has not been perfected. When it is done, it will be the strongest, toughest, and just outright rudest material on the planet. Only then can the space elevator become a reality. Some think were already there.
The Largest Structure in the World
By Jan GrayIn Tokyo Japan space is very limited. With a population of about 12 and a half million people all crammed into a very small space of land problems are soon to erupt. With no more available land to build on there is only one solution. Make new land.
The Shimizu Pyramid is a proposed structure by Italian architect Dante Bini, that would be built on Tokyo Bay, directly on the water. Japan has already built the Osaka airport which was all constructed on an artificial island. Dubai, a city in the middle east has recently undertaken a similar project, building a giant artificial peninsula shaped like a palm tree.
The only difference with the Shimizu Pyramid is the sheer magnitude of the project. The pyramid would be over 2,000 meters tall, or about four times the height of the world trade center, with the area of the infrastructure being in the ball park of 88 square kilometers. The structure is expected to be fully sustainable for the some 800,000 residents who will live there.
To get an estimate of just how big this is imagine this. The pyramid will be constructed in sections of smaller pyramids, 55 to be exact, each of the smaller ones being about the size of the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.
Transportation inside will be by individual autonomous pods that would travel within the hollow trusses of the structure.
But currently there are problems. With the current materials that are readily available the structure would collapse under its own weight. We are currently relying on carbon nanotubes, the third form of carbon discovered, which would be strong enough to hold the structure together.
Set Fires to Your Wires
By Jan Gray
There is no longer need for any wires anymore. First, the remote control lost its wire when it was figured out that electromagnetic waves could send information through the air. Then the telephone cord was launched into the stone age with the advent of the wireless telephone, using the very same principals. Soon the mouse followed, than speakers, than the keyboard then the internet all togeter became free of the ever constricting cord. Today the last remaining cord, the power cord, has been enlisted on the endangered technology list.
Powercast, an east coast technology company that started in 2003, has invented a way to transfer power wirelessly. The company is able to achieve this with almost antiquated technology, radio waves. These wasves are actually hold a significant amount of energy in them, it was just a matter of figuring out a way of efficiently converting these waves into energy on the recieving end. Powercast has been able to successfully convert upwards of 70 percent of the initial energy back into energy at the other end. Previous attempts have really only been able to achieve around 10 percent.
Though the product is limited at the moment. Currently the device is only able to transmit a few milliwatts of energy within a meter of the source. This is not very far of a range and not that much power at all. This power would only charger your cell phone half way if left to charge the whole night.
So hold on to those wires for now but soon, maybe sooner than you think, set them on fire because they will be an ancient relic of early 21 century technology.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Facebook banned from Syria
Syrians won't be able to access Facebook any longer, or at least not without a legal struggle. Apparently the popular social networking website has been banned from the country over fears of Israeli infiltration. The site has been used by political activists to organize members around global causes, prompting the ban.
The website Global Voices Online posted this tongue-in-cheek response about the ban:
"Just imagine having a site which starts with w and ends with .com and not having it banned in Syria!" the author wrote in Arabic. "We can go back to using carrier pigeons. At the least, they are more guaranteed and faster than the Internet we have."
Global Voices reported that many Syrian bloggers are fuming about the ban.
More on this story can be found at Seattlepi.
--Anna Mavromati
The website Global Voices Online posted this tongue-in-cheek response about the ban:
"Just imagine having a site which starts with w and ends with .com and not having it banned in Syria!" the author wrote in Arabic. "We can go back to using carrier pigeons. At the least, they are more guaranteed and faster than the Internet we have."
Global Voices reported that many Syrian bloggers are fuming about the ban.
More on this story can be found at Seattlepi.
--Anna Mavromati
Technology investors can turn to Yahoo
Yahoo is going to open up a new online program called "TechTicker" next month, for technology investors. The program will report on technology stocks, offer a daily stream of videos and blog posts, and cover breaking news live. This program will be Yahoo's "second foray into streaming-video finance." In 2000 Yahoo launched its online cable business channel, "FinanceVision." But apparently that program was not a hit and shut down within two years.
The "TechTicker" program illustrates how Yahoo is aggressively moving toward content, a feature which sets it apart from its main competetor, Google. But some analysts wonder whether the program will be able to distinguish itself from similar mediums for financial news coverage. For one thing, it will have to compete with television news programs.
“If they can get an audience aggregated around the site, it can provide an off-ramp to other Yahoo properties,” Mike McGuire, a media analyst with Gartner Inc., said. “But we have a ton of stuff that’s available on TV and any number of blogs and Web sites that provide close to real-time accounts, so this will be a real challenge for Yahoo.”
The full New York Times story can be found here.
--Anna Mavromati
The "TechTicker" program illustrates how Yahoo is aggressively moving toward content, a feature which sets it apart from its main competetor, Google. But some analysts wonder whether the program will be able to distinguish itself from similar mediums for financial news coverage. For one thing, it will have to compete with television news programs.
“If they can get an audience aggregated around the site, it can provide an off-ramp to other Yahoo properties,” Mike McGuire, a media analyst with Gartner Inc., said. “But we have a ton of stuff that’s available on TV and any number of blogs and Web sites that provide close to real-time accounts, so this will be a real challenge for Yahoo.”
The full New York Times story can be found here.
--Anna Mavromati
The Beginnings of Another Cold War?
By Jan Gray
The Russians have, as of last month, created a larger and more destructive non-nuclear weapon than us, the United States of America. Since nuclear weapons have such a negative social stigma at this time,they are no longer considered fair game in the art of war. This signals the importance of non-nuclear weapons. This should be a wake up call for our military contractors. Get on the ball people come on. Are you going to let those commie bastards build a better bomb than you?
The Russian bomb is an eight ton fuel-air bomb and is about four times more powerful than the current largest American non-nuke, the Massive-Ordanance air blaster. The blast is capable of sending shockwaves of 6,700 mph. Those not killed by the initial blast can suffer from blindness, deafness and internal organ failure. The shockwave also produces a vaccume and a mushroom cloud similar to the old nuclear blast we all know.
Get Drunk to Live Longer
By Jan Gray
Once again another study links alcohol to longevity. The experiment was done on mice, but not just any mice, lazy unhealthy mice. Red wine was given to them and researchers witnessed a "boost" in their well being. The magical ingredient in the wine is known as resveratrol and it has conclusively shown life lengthening benefits in mammals. In 2003 a David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School gave the compound to mice and found that they lived 60% longer. If that works for us we would live 150 drunken years! Other benefits are detected as well. According to Dr. David J. Hansen alcohol consumption, "improves blood lipid profile by increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol and decreasing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, decreases thrombosis (blood clotting) by reducing platelet aggregation, reducing fibrinogen (a blood clotter) and increasing fibrinolysis (the process by which clots dissolve), increases coronary blood flow, reduces blood pressure, and reduces blood insulin levels."
oh yeah.
One less reason to be bored on your flight...
Being a constant traveler and spending a lot of time on airplanes flying to and from Europe, I found this news very interesting.
The next couple of months, airlines will be testing internet service on their planes. That means that you can log onto the internet on your phone, lap top, or any other device that can be used to connect to the web.
"JetBlue Airways will begin offering a free e-mail and instant messaging service on one of its planes, while American Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines plan to offer broader Web access in coming months, probably at a cost around $10 a flight."
Apparently, you can log on when you are in the air but can't during takeoff or landing.
Something that was brought up as an issue on the news the other day was if the person next you is searching some "racy" sites...or if they are on their phone and talking on and on and on. I am guessing that connection could be pretty slow but I guess it can just give you another thing to do while in the air.
By Lauren Darmody
The next couple of months, airlines will be testing internet service on their planes. That means that you can log onto the internet on your phone, lap top, or any other device that can be used to connect to the web.
"JetBlue Airways will begin offering a free e-mail and instant messaging service on one of its planes, while American Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines plan to offer broader Web access in coming months, probably at a cost around $10 a flight."
Apparently, you can log on when you are in the air but can't during takeoff or landing.
Something that was brought up as an issue on the news the other day was if the person next you is searching some "racy" sites...or if they are on their phone and talking on and on and on. I am guessing that connection could be pretty slow but I guess it can just give you another thing to do while in the air.
By Lauren Darmody
How Do You Like Them Apples?
By Jan Gray
A new Apple store was opened in Manhattan on Friday. As a result a giant line containing hundereds of people was formed. These people were not waiting for an autograph by Steve Jobs nor were they waiting for first dibs on a new Apple product. They were really just waiting to go into a store. I might add that this is New York were talking about and it is absolutley freezing there in mid-December.
The first person in line was a high school student who had been in line since 1 A.M. the night before.
"Other people started showing up at 3 or 4 in the morning," he told reporters.
This is lunacy. It is absolutly amazing how a company can have this loyal of a following. They must be doing something right.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
DVD's will Never be Scratched Again
By Jan Gray
A product has been invented that will provide an extra layer of protection to any DVD or CD. The product, currently called D-Skin, fit right over any disk and never has to be removed. The material allows for the reading laser to pass right through it without and obstruction. Now you can throw DVD's across rooms, stack them into a giant tower and never put them back into there proper cases without any worry whatsoever.
The company, based in New Berlin, Wisconsin, will be at CES an annual tech convention in Las Vegas.
Friday, December 7, 2007
It is a Lamp That Hovers
By Jan Gray
Being within the forefront of the new year of 2008 we owe it to ourselves to equip our homes with the decor of the time. Now we can have a hovering lamp, a lamp where the shade and light fully levitate above the base.
The process though is a trade secret.
"We have discovered a new levitation concept which is able to produce a very high levitation height combined with a low power dissipation and excellent stability," the company said in a press release.
Crealev, the company who produces the hovering lamp, is planning to release a full line of hovering products. The possibilities are endless. Levatating chairs, televisions, microwaves and maybe skateboards. Those hoverboards from "Back to the Future" are finally closer than ever
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Blogger in trouble?
Bloggers are trying not to file charges when a teacher became arrested for posting an anonymous comment online praising the Columbine shooters.
James Buss, a Milwaukee high school chemistry teacher, left a blog comment on www.bootsandsabers.com which is a site about Wisconsin politics.
"The comment, left under the name “Observer,” came during a discussion over teacher salaries after some commenters complained teachers were underworked and overpaid."
"“They knew how to deal with the overpaid teacher union thugs. One shot at a time!” he wrote, adding they should be remembered as heroes," Buss said.
It's like, this is a blog where open views should be expressed but for a high school teacher to say something like that seems kind of strange.
Some officials said they took it as a threat with him saying "one shot a time" and that referencing Columbine was totally inappropriate.
Where does free speech draw the line in blogs? Are people safe to say anything in blogs?
By Lauren Darmody
James Buss, a Milwaukee high school chemistry teacher, left a blog comment on www.bootsandsabers.com which is a site about Wisconsin politics.
"The comment, left under the name “Observer,” came during a discussion over teacher salaries after some commenters complained teachers were underworked and overpaid."
"“They knew how to deal with the overpaid teacher union thugs. One shot at a time!” he wrote, adding they should be remembered as heroes," Buss said.
It's like, this is a blog where open views should be expressed but for a high school teacher to say something like that seems kind of strange.
Some officials said they took it as a threat with him saying "one shot a time" and that referencing Columbine was totally inappropriate.
Where does free speech draw the line in blogs? Are people safe to say anything in blogs?
By Lauren Darmody
setting of bombs in class!!
Who would have thought that we are now in a world where you can take a class and set off bombs as a lab!!! This class in New Mexico teaches why car bombs are destructive and how to make diamonds. I don't know about the diamonds part but if i can go to a lab where i can set off a bomb that seems pretty cool to me. This class is called Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center where they have 40 square miles of desert so they set of bombs on daily base
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRJN0jsoX8ss. This is a clip that you can watch from youtube. Jobs that you can go from here are Structural engineer, chemical engineer, and explosives expert. If this is the future of classes that would be great and i dont think many people will have a problem going to class.
Christine Thompson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRJN0jsoX8ss. This is a clip that you can watch from youtube. Jobs that you can go from here are Structural engineer, chemical engineer, and explosives expert. If this is the future of classes that would be great and i dont think many people will have a problem going to class.
Christine Thompson
Innovation in Sports
Innovation in sports has been much more about the fan experience in recent years than the actual product and integrity of proceedings on the field. Remote control on-field cameras provide great new views of the action while state-of-the-art jumbotrons and high definition television produce tremendous viewing experiences for the fan either at home or in the sporting venue itself. Billion dollar facilities bring the fan increasingly closer to the action and provide even more amenities from luxury boxes to concessions.
Yet despite all the positives that technology has provided the sports world more needs to be done to make sure the calls are made correct on the field/rink/court if the technology to do is available.
Football at both the college and pro level is improving in this regard. When a play is in doubt, referees can not only see replays in high definition but are consulting with replay officials whose job is to help make sure the call is made correctly. The leagues are still tinkering with "what is reviewable" i.e. a field goal attempt but they are coming along.
The NHL has long reviewed disputed goals for both making sure the call is correct on the ice and for scoring purposes - credit for the goal/assist(s).
In the NBA, backboards were recently upgraded to light up around the edges when the clock expired to assist in video reviews. Officials also consult video to determine if a made three point attempt was done so behind the line, or if the player had a toe on the line, to deem it a two point basket.
The sport where technology has really not been implemented where it needs to be is Major League Baseball. In a multi-billion dollar industry where fans can watch games from the internet and their cell phones, and players scout opposing teams and monitor their own performance through ipods, computers, and video, they need to do more to guarantee the product on the field is as up-to-date as it can be.
A system that critiques the umpire's calls of balls and strikes is in place in many major league stadiums. This computer program is called QuesTec. Yet of all baseball's idiosyncrasies and potential to overturn missed calls, balls and strikes is the most human element of them and least likely to be implemented.
Instant replay is needed for disputes over home runs and whether or not a ball is fair or foul. Lagging far behind the other professional sports in this regard baseball needs to get on board soon.
http://www.questec.com/q2001/index.htm
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xLDEPKbtGm8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D3-GOxX1RmQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rY95p_ELquI
-- Tucker Savoye
Yet despite all the positives that technology has provided the sports world more needs to be done to make sure the calls are made correct on the field/rink/court if the technology to do is available.
Football at both the college and pro level is improving in this regard. When a play is in doubt, referees can not only see replays in high definition but are consulting with replay officials whose job is to help make sure the call is made correctly. The leagues are still tinkering with "what is reviewable" i.e. a field goal attempt but they are coming along.
The NHL has long reviewed disputed goals for both making sure the call is correct on the ice and for scoring purposes - credit for the goal/assist(s).
In the NBA, backboards were recently upgraded to light up around the edges when the clock expired to assist in video reviews. Officials also consult video to determine if a made three point attempt was done so behind the line, or if the player had a toe on the line, to deem it a two point basket.
The sport where technology has really not been implemented where it needs to be is Major League Baseball. In a multi-billion dollar industry where fans can watch games from the internet and their cell phones, and players scout opposing teams and monitor their own performance through ipods, computers, and video, they need to do more to guarantee the product on the field is as up-to-date as it can be.
A system that critiques the umpire's calls of balls and strikes is in place in many major league stadiums. This computer program is called QuesTec. Yet of all baseball's idiosyncrasies and potential to overturn missed calls, balls and strikes is the most human element of them and least likely to be implemented.
Instant replay is needed for disputes over home runs and whether or not a ball is fair or foul. Lagging far behind the other professional sports in this regard baseball needs to get on board soon.
http://www.questec.com/q2001/index.htm
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xLDEPKbtGm8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D3-GOxX1RmQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rY95p_ELquI
-- Tucker Savoye
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Ann Marie McNally
When relatives looked for information on the deceased Ann Marie McNally on Google, they were taken to a Web site that contained a video of her memorial.
"The friend, Markus Diersbock, visited the site. It notified him that he did not have the appropriate software for viewing the video and asked him to download new software, he recalled. He clicked on the link and noticed that it took him to a URL that was strikingly similar to the one used in the hacking of Alicia Keys’s MySpace page last month. In that case, the link on Ms. Keys’s page was one that passed users on to a page where their computers were infected with spyware. Spyware can steal private information from people’s computers like credit card numbers and passwords."
The article said that Diersbock suspects that they are making fake memorial sites by scanning newspapers for articles about deaths.
Look what else...
"Ms. McNally’s death is also being used by some people who set up sponsored link pages to make money. A search for “Ann Marie McNally” today brings up a link labeled “Shocking Pictures of Ann Marie McNally Fatal Crash” as the third listing. That link took people to a page on a site called Xomba that is plastered with pay-per-click ads. There were no photos of Ms. McNally there, only a link to the Boston Herald article about her death. "
It's sad that these hackers are taking advantage of vulnerable situations like this as a chance to spread viruses through people's computers.
By Lauren Darmody
"The friend, Markus Diersbock, visited the site. It notified him that he did not have the appropriate software for viewing the video and asked him to download new software, he recalled. He clicked on the link and noticed that it took him to a URL that was strikingly similar to the one used in the hacking of Alicia Keys’s MySpace page last month. In that case, the link on Ms. Keys’s page was one that passed users on to a page where their computers were infected with spyware. Spyware can steal private information from people’s computers like credit card numbers and passwords."
The article said that Diersbock suspects that they are making fake memorial sites by scanning newspapers for articles about deaths.
Look what else...
"Ms. McNally’s death is also being used by some people who set up sponsored link pages to make money. A search for “Ann Marie McNally” today brings up a link labeled “Shocking Pictures of Ann Marie McNally Fatal Crash” as the third listing. That link took people to a page on a site called Xomba that is plastered with pay-per-click ads. There were no photos of Ms. McNally there, only a link to the Boston Herald article about her death. "
It's sad that these hackers are taking advantage of vulnerable situations like this as a chance to spread viruses through people's computers.
By Lauren Darmody
Pay phones going bye-bye?
AT&T said by the end of next year they are going to stop owning and operating public pay phones. The company which operates 65,000 pay phones will put them up for sale and it is said that independent operators will be the first to bid.
"Even in the age of mobile handsets and BlackBerrys, people still drop quarters into public phones. About 5% of all U.S. households, and 8% of those with annual incomes under $20,000, have access to neither wireless nor land-line phones."
This is what would be my guess for why AT&T is going to stop operating the pay phones. I remember awhile back, the phones on some sides of freeways were taken away because the majority of people own a cell phone now and there was no need to have them there.
Apparently, public pay phones have been around since the 1880's and now with all of the technology we have, it seems as if the pay phone business is no longer profitable.
By Lauren Darmody
"Even in the age of mobile handsets and BlackBerrys, people still drop quarters into public phones. About 5% of all U.S. households, and 8% of those with annual incomes under $20,000, have access to neither wireless nor land-line phones."
This is what would be my guess for why AT&T is going to stop operating the pay phones. I remember awhile back, the phones on some sides of freeways were taken away because the majority of people own a cell phone now and there was no need to have them there.
Apparently, public pay phones have been around since the 1880's and now with all of the technology we have, it seems as if the pay phone business is no longer profitable.
By Lauren Darmody
feeling depressed
Are there times when saddnes just takes a hold of you and you stay in a rut. Well there are many people who suffer from depression. However, some of those people will try and treat their depression with pills while others dont believe in the magic of medicine. For those who don't believe in medicine a new innovations has arrived. This is new innovation is a permanent implant in the brain that shocks it with electrcity. Several different wires are placed in different areas of the brain. the wires are then hooked up to two battery-run stimulators. At a doctors command the shock is sent to the individual. Millions of neurons sit in electricity. After this the indivdual feels happier and more livly. Who would have thought that all anyone needed to be happy was an electric shock to the brain.
Christine Thompson
Christine Thompson
once a tire and poof now is oil.
Frank Pringle’s has created a machine that will turn pretty much anything into oil. He can put in a tire, a rock or a platic cup and seconds later it will turn in oil. The machine is a microwave emitter that extracts the petroleum and gas hidden inside everyday objects—or at least anything made with hydrocarbons. This happens to be many of the products that used around in everyday life. This machine this will turn 10 tons of every day waste like tires, plastic and more to create 17 million BTU's of energy. Frank Pringle thought of this idea 10 years ago when he witnessed a tire fire an saw how much engery was being wasted. With this new innovation it will help change how we are able to gain oil.
Christine Thompson
Christine Thompson
A new taste for food
scientists are testing new ways for individuals to like certain foods. They have found that many people dont like the taste of oysters because they seem to be slimy while others don't like lemons because they are bitter. Scientists have found that a a like or dislike doen't only come from the taste buds in the tongue but also that it is molecules, receptors, brain structures and genetic code that will enable them to create flavors that will be come irresistible. They have found that certain foods a mother will eat with child will become a food that the child when born will also love. Scientists are useing a machine called a "sepbox" which is a high-performance liquid chromatograph, an instrument that separates compounds according to their chemical affinity with certain solvents and resins. This helps scientists see what types of flavors will taste good. With this new innovation to food it will make certain foods taste better and more appealing.
Christine Thompson
Christine Thompson
Robotic Leeches: Sucking on Your Heart
For over 2000 years, leeches were needlessly applied to treat a multitude of maladies as an adjunct to bloodletting. Since medieval times the leech has been used to cure everything from fever to possession by evil spirits. Now I know leeches may seem a bit outdated in modern medicine, but a 21st century robotic version of these slimy little blood suckers may soon be let loose inside the chests of heart patients. As the April 2007 New Scientist explains, a tiny device known as the Heartlander, brainchild of scientists at Carnegie Mellon University, can slide across the still beating heart of a patient and deliver treatment without the need for open heart surgery.
While the application of these robotic leeches may not be available for human trials just yet, their potential for treating congestive heart failure patients certainly merits our attention, because let’s face it, the thought of leeches mending our broken hearts doesn’t suck.
Now for many of us, the advent of the Heartlander may conjure up images of the miniaturized surgical team in the 1966 film “Fantastic voyage,” in which Donald Pleasance and his fellow mini-adventurers aboard the submarine Proteus are shrunk to microscopic size so they can remove a blood clot from inside a human brain. The reality of procedures such as this is explained in the April 19, 2007 Guardian, which states, “the Heartlander team hopes their creepy-crawly robot will be much less traumatic for both surgeons and patients.” Traditional open-heart surgery, commonly used for bypass, involves surgeons opening up the patient’s chest and pulling back the ribs. Recovering from this operation can take weeks.
However, according to the April 2007 New Scientist, The Heartlander can be inserted using minimally invasive keyhole surgery. Once in place, it will attach itself to the heart and begin inching its way across the outside of the organ, injecting drugs or attaching medical devices. In tests on pigs, the Heartlander has fitted pacemaker leads and injected dye into the heart. The September 16, 2007 Philadelphia Inquirer explains, the 20-milimeter-long robot has two suckers for feet, each pierced with 20 holes connected to a vacuum line, which hold it onto the outside of the heart. By moving its two body segments back and forth relative to one another it can crawl across the heart at up to 18 centimeters per minute. This back and forth movement is generated by pushing and pulling wires that run back to motors outside the patient’s body.
The plan, according to developer Cameron Riviere in the May 7, 2007 Business Week, is to insert the Heartlander through an incision below the ribcage, and pass it through a further incision in the membrane that encloses the heart. Surgeons keep track of the device using X-ray video, or a magnetic tracker, and control its movement via a joystick. “This device is certainly like nothing else I’ve seen,” says Andrew Rankin, a cardiologist at the University of Glasgow in the U.K., April 18, 2007. “Many procedures can be performed by passing instruments into the heart through blood vessels, but it is not possible where damaged or diseased tissue is close to the heart’s surface.” This device could be useful in those cases.
Medical News Today explains on April 25, 2007, the latest research shows that over 308,000 patients underwent coronary artery bypass surgery last year. “Though minimally invasive procedures on a beating heart are sometimes possible, some areas of the heart are out of reach to instruments inserted through keyhole incisions and the limited space in the chest cavity makes operating difficult.” Along with the use of other robotic devices, the Heartlander can reach all parts of the heart’s surface.
Currently, according to the previously cited Philadelphia Inquirer, the use of laparoscopic coronary artery bypass surgery has increased in popularity, so more surgeons are using robotic arms controlled by joysticks, tools that some say make the operation easier. There are fewer occurrences of hand tremors, and with the use of three-dimensional cameras, as Dr. Joseph Woo explains, “it looks like you are sitting inside the heart.” Unlike laparoscopic instruments, small robotic arms have full range of motion and much smaller incisions are required.
Men’s Health Magazine goes on to explain, In April of this year Joseph M. Hendrickson underwent bypass surgery where surgeons used robotic arms to relieve the strain on three of his plaque-choked arteries. While sitting around the fishing hole six weeks later, he proceeded to explain to his two fishing buddies that doctors were able to sew grafts on to his beating heart through an incision no larger than the size of your average fishing lure. “They just couldn’t believe I was out fishing already and in no pain whatsoever,” Hendricks explained. The two men who had also undergone bypass surgery stepped forward to tell him they knew better, each sporting eight-inch scars from where doctors sawed through their chests to get to their hearts.
Through a combination of robotic arms and stents, or small mesh tubes used to prop the blood vessels open, Dr. Francis P. Sutter, explains “we can do these surgeries on very sick patients without putting them on heart and lung machines that have been known to diminish cognitive ability.” Robotic technologies now allow surgeons to sit a few feet from a patient peering through a three-dimensional scope, manipulating the robotic arms like a space-age marionette.
The October 5, 2007 Medical News Today explains, the prototype has not been tested on humans, which will take several years, so it is unlikely to be in general use by heart surgeons before the year 2013. Medical News Today goes on to explain that heart experts have welcomed and praised the idea of the Heartlander. However, they wonder whether in practice it will be as useful as its inventors hope. Many heart procedures require access to the inside of the heart, whereas the Heartlander only accesses the outer surface.
However, with the advent of other robotic techniques, the Heartlander’s potential for aiding in bypass surgeries in the future is very exciting. Dr. Rankin, in the previously cited New Scientist reveals that this device will come into its own for future treatments such as stem cell therapies to encourage regeneration of heart tissue. Medical News Today goes on to explain that injections of adult stem cells into damaged heart tissue significantly improved heart function in patients with severe congestive heart failure. In fact in current trials, patients who have received stem cell injections therapy have seen a 45 percent increase in healthy tissue re-growth, as well as their heart’s improved ability to contract more effectively and restore its blood supply. The only problem is that stem cell therapies must be performed on an open heart to avoid pushing a needle too deeply into a patient’s heart.
This is where the Heartlander has the most potential for revolutionizing heart surgery. By attaching steel robotic hands and three-dimensional cameras to the end of the Heartlander, essentially giving the little leech eyes and arms, the device can move through the surface of the heart, even the difficult to reach areas at the back of the heart, and deliver treatment. The Heartlander has the ability to burn away dead or diseased tissue and inject stem cells in precise locations in the heart without having to rip open the patient’s chest. According to Dr. Riviere in the April 19, 2007 London Daily Mail, this will also alleviate serious complications such as abnormal heart rhythms, and the danger of strokes that are commonly associated with a surgery as dangerous as coronary artery bypass. While the Heartlander may not be able to perform bypass surgery on its own, its potential for creating longer healthier lives by providing much needed follow up therapy in a much less invasive way, is certainly impressive.
You know talking about leeches for this long reminds me of a disturbing scene in my favorite movie “Stand By Me,” you know the one I’m talking about. Now I’m not saying that you should run out and jump into the first swamp you see for improved health, but the next time you encounter one of our little blood sucking friends, and you will, remember to keep an open mind, or at the very least, an open heart.
-Roger
Sunday, December 2, 2007
MySpace to start news feeds...
I am not a MySpace user, but for those of you who are...you might be interested in this news that came out on Nov. 27.
News Corp.'s popular online social network, MySpace, plans to launch Facebook-style "news feeds" in the next 30 to 45 days, Fox Interactive Media President Peter Levinsohn said Monday.
News feeds, which alert users to what their friends and colleagues are doing, have been one of the most popular features of MySpace rival Facebook.
"The concept of a news feed is something we are very focused on, and we'll be well down the path in the next 30 to 45 days," Levinsohn said at a media conference.
He said his company also planned to let users express different versions of themselves by creating more than one profile, for example one for family, one for friends and one for work.
The new feature will let you "express yourself in all those different segments," Levinsohn said.
I remember when the news feeds first came out on Facebook and everyone freaked out trying to push petitions so I am sure MySpace users will react the same way. Most people I know are Facebook AND MySpace users so it might not come as big as a shock to them but we'll see. Oh yeah, it's funny how many stories are in the NY Times and LA Times about Facebook and MySpace.
By Lauren Darmody
News Corp.'s popular online social network, MySpace, plans to launch Facebook-style "news feeds" in the next 30 to 45 days, Fox Interactive Media President Peter Levinsohn said Monday.
News feeds, which alert users to what their friends and colleagues are doing, have been one of the most popular features of MySpace rival Facebook.
"The concept of a news feed is something we are very focused on, and we'll be well down the path in the next 30 to 45 days," Levinsohn said at a media conference.
He said his company also planned to let users express different versions of themselves by creating more than one profile, for example one for family, one for friends and one for work.
The new feature will let you "express yourself in all those different segments," Levinsohn said.
I remember when the news feeds first came out on Facebook and everyone freaked out trying to push petitions so I am sure MySpace users will react the same way. Most people I know are Facebook AND MySpace users so it might not come as big as a shock to them but we'll see. Oh yeah, it's funny how many stories are in the NY Times and LA Times about Facebook and MySpace.
By Lauren Darmody
Behavioral Targeting
This is the term used for what I wrote about on Facebook before. Advertising companies who are bordering on privacy lines who deposit tiny data files on personal computers to keep track of what people surf on the internet so they can try to sell things better to them.
" The research company eMarketer projects that spending on behavioral targeting will nearly double to $1 billion next year and hit $3.8 billion by 2011. "
WOW.
"Read enough golf articles online and a data file will be put on your computer labeling you a golf fan. When you're on a Web site on cooking, don't be surprised if ads for golf clubs follow you there."
SCARY.
I have experience with this since I travel so much. I am always looking for the best deals to fly places and I get ads and e-mails from online advertisers who I never subscribed with letting me know the best deals of flights to places I had previously searched like Budapest and Munich. I never even think about it and when I do, I just assume that I had not deleted my "cookies" on my computer and the ads were just following me.
If it means saving money for me, then the ads can follow me all they want. But if these ads were following me to sites I needed to go to for school work or something unrelated to travel then I would start getting annoyed.
By Lauren Darmody
" The research company eMarketer projects that spending on behavioral targeting will nearly double to $1 billion next year and hit $3.8 billion by 2011. "
WOW.
"Read enough golf articles online and a data file will be put on your computer labeling you a golf fan. When you're on a Web site on cooking, don't be surprised if ads for golf clubs follow you there."
SCARY.
I have experience with this since I travel so much. I am always looking for the best deals to fly places and I get ads and e-mails from online advertisers who I never subscribed with letting me know the best deals of flights to places I had previously searched like Budapest and Munich. I never even think about it and when I do, I just assume that I had not deleted my "cookies" on my computer and the ads were just following me.
If it means saving money for me, then the ads can follow me all they want. But if these ads were following me to sites I needed to go to for school work or something unrelated to travel then I would start getting annoyed.
By Lauren Darmody
New Limit on XBOX
I just read about a new innovation with xbox 360 and how they will install a timer for parents so that they can monitor the time their children spend playing video games.
The application will warn the children when their time is running out. It is easily overridden by parents if they want to give more time to their children or if they want to play the game themselves.
I believe this is such a good idea because so many children are becoming addicted to video games nowadays. They are even creating video games that are "educational" because they think that this is the only way they are going to get children to learn. We need to learn how to disconnect them and putting a limit on how much they are able to play is a great way to start.
The new application will be available in all xbox 360's starting December 4, 2007, and available automatically if your xbox is connected to a broadband network.
Krista Hartford
The application will warn the children when their time is running out. It is easily overridden by parents if they want to give more time to their children or if they want to play the game themselves.
I believe this is such a good idea because so many children are becoming addicted to video games nowadays. They are even creating video games that are "educational" because they think that this is the only way they are going to get children to learn. We need to learn how to disconnect them and putting a limit on how much they are able to play is a great way to start.
The new application will be available in all xbox 360's starting December 4, 2007, and available automatically if your xbox is connected to a broadband network.
Krista Hartford
Facebook Privacy Issues
In response to Lauren's post...
I joined the "Petition: Facebook, stop invading my privacy!" group last week after I saw two of my friends had joined and I clicked on the link to see what it was all about.
This is the group's motto: "Facebook must respect my privacy. They should not tell my friends what I buy on other sites—or let companies use my name to endorse their products—without my explicit permission."
In an age of open information, social networking shouldn't include a total loss of privacy and personal protection. People join these sites to put themselves out there, through pictures or comments, but what you have been purchasing on internet sites should not be standard "bulletin board" material.
Hopefully the increased awareness of this issue will cause Facebook to not only address the problem but fix it swiftly and permanently. Yet this is the risk/reward factor you must face when you choose to join websites like this and partake in these activities.
-- Tucker Savoye
I joined the "Petition: Facebook, stop invading my privacy!" group last week after I saw two of my friends had joined and I clicked on the link to see what it was all about.
This is the group's motto: "Facebook must respect my privacy. They should not tell my friends what I buy on other sites—or let companies use my name to endorse their products—without my explicit permission."
In an age of open information, social networking shouldn't include a total loss of privacy and personal protection. People join these sites to put themselves out there, through pictures or comments, but what you have been purchasing on internet sites should not be standard "bulletin board" material.
Hopefully the increased awareness of this issue will cause Facebook to not only address the problem but fix it swiftly and permanently. Yet this is the risk/reward factor you must face when you choose to join websites like this and partake in these activities.
-- Tucker Savoye
Russia plans to build a new space port
by Tiffany Rider
The Russians plan to build a new space port for human spaceflight and hope to begin manned missions by 2018.
Russian President Putin signed a declaration of the project last month that allows for the an eastern cosmodrome in the Amur region of Russia, which is along the border with China. The exact site will not be released until 2010, and will take about a decade to complete.
The proposed space port is planned to be built near an existing port for unmanned launches that the Russian government shut down earlier this year, according to ITAR-Tass and reported by CNN. It is unclear whether the new port will built on the same location.
Russia launches all its manned missions from a Soviet-built port leased from nearby Kazakhstan. These launches involved U.S. and other foreign crew members. The Kazakhstan government has criticized the dangers and environmental damage caused by failed Russian launches.
To view the CNN article, CLICK HERE.
To check out the Baikonur Cosmodrome leased to Russia by Kazakhstan, CLICK HERE.
The Russians plan to build a new space port for human spaceflight and hope to begin manned missions by 2018.
Russian President Putin signed a declaration of the project last month that allows for the an eastern cosmodrome in the Amur region of Russia, which is along the border with China. The exact site will not be released until 2010, and will take about a decade to complete.
The proposed space port is planned to be built near an existing port for unmanned launches that the Russian government shut down earlier this year, according to ITAR-Tass and reported by CNN. It is unclear whether the new port will built on the same location.
Russia launches all its manned missions from a Soviet-built port leased from nearby Kazakhstan. These launches involved U.S. and other foreign crew members. The Kazakhstan government has criticized the dangers and environmental damage caused by failed Russian launches.
To view the CNN article, CLICK HERE.
To check out the Baikonur Cosmodrome leased to Russia by Kazakhstan, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
More Facebook news.......
Facebook relies heavy on advertising as do other internet sites...but Facebook is trying to turn profits from its members.
Over the last couple of days, over 50,000 Facebook users have signed a petition to stop the new program which "sends messages to users’ friends about what they are buying on Web sites like Travelocity.com, TheKnot.com and Fandango". Apparently, one click of the mouse won't let users opt out of the program.
It said that "Companies like Google, AOL and Microsoft routinely track where people are going online and send them ads based on the sites they have visited and the searches they have conducted".
And that Facebook is sending alerts on the news feeds telling them what goods and services their friends and bought and viewed online.
I haven't seen this service but I do think it crosses a privacy line for those people who don't prefer to have that information shared. Creepy.
By Lauren Darmody
Over the last couple of days, over 50,000 Facebook users have signed a petition to stop the new program which "sends messages to users’ friends about what they are buying on Web sites like Travelocity.com, TheKnot.com and Fandango". Apparently, one click of the mouse won't let users opt out of the program.
It said that "Companies like Google, AOL and Microsoft routinely track where people are going online and send them ads based on the sites they have visited and the searches they have conducted".
And that Facebook is sending alerts on the news feeds telling them what goods and services their friends and bought and viewed online.
I haven't seen this service but I do think it crosses a privacy line for those people who don't prefer to have that information shared. Creepy.
By Lauren Darmody
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)