Google Earth used to target Israel

The Guardian reports in 'Google Earth used to target Israel' how Palestinian militants are using Google Earth to help plan their attacks on the Israeli military and other targets:

Members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a group aligned with the Fatah political party, say they use the popular internet mapping tool to help determine their targets for rocket strikes.

"We obtain the details from Google Earth and check them against our maps of the city centre and sensitive areas," Khaled Jaabari, the group's commander in Gaza who is known as Abu Walid, told the Guardian.

Abu Walid showed the Guardian an aerial image of the Israeli town of Sderot on his computer to demonstrate how his group searches for targets.

Another indication of the blurring between digital and physical worlds, a type of augmented reality...

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Google's Health Platform

Google plans to bring its immense data storage and organization capacities to the field of medical care and patient records, incorporating personal medical records, health care-related search features, diet and exercise regimens, a localized "find a doctor" application, and other elements:

Speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Mayer outlined the ways in which the search giant plans to bring its immense data storage and organization capacities to the field of medical care and patient records. Google is already the starting point for a large majority of the health-related searches on the Web, she pointed out.

"If you look at health care, there's already a huge user need, people are already using Google more than any other tool on the Web to find health information," Mayer said. "And the health care industry generates a huge amount of information every year. It's a natural core competency fo us, to understand how to organize all that data."

Read full story - 'Google Says Its Health Platform Is Due In Early 2008'

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Can a Flying Car be Successful?

This is a question that has been asked by many innovators. Now, a group of MIT alums believe that they are on their way toward overcoming this problem...or so they claim:

Founded in 2006 and called Terrafugia, their startup, based in Woburn, MA, recently produced the first automated folding wing for a light sport aircraft. (A light sport aircraft is a type of airplane deemed by the Federal Aviation Administration to be easier to fly and hence more accessible than regular private planes.) The wing, however, is just the first step toward an aero-auto hybrid that the company plans to call the Transition.

This summer, the group demonstrated its folding wing at the annual AirVenture aviation festival in Oshkosh, WI. With more than 650,000 attendees, the festival is the most important event in experimental-aircraft aviation.

Read in full - 'Flying Car About to Take Off?'

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Mobile phones on planes?

This article from the BBC reports that passengers could soon be using their mobile phones on planes flying through European airspace. Is this an inevitable move?

Plans have been developed across EU countries to introduce technology which permits mobile calls without risk of interference with aircraft systems.

Regulators around Europe are calling for consultation on the potential introduction of the technology. If given the go ahead, the service would allow calls to be made when a plane is more than 3,000 metres high.

Individual airlines would need to decide if they wanted to introduce the technology, if the green light is given by national regulators.

Read full story - 'Mobile phone use backed on planes'

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Hand-held supercomputers 'on way'

BBCNews reports that it may soon be possible for the creation of tiny supercomputers which could fit in the palm of the hand:

Engineers at the University of Edinburgh studied the behaviour of wires which were 1,000 times thinner than human hair. They then created a tool which could help develop tiny microchips.

German and Italian experts also worked on the project. Their findings will be published in the journal Science. It is hoped that the discovery will eventually lead to medical advances, as well as hand-held PCs and mobile phones as powerful as laptops becoming available on the high street.

Read full story - Hand-held supercomputers 'on way'

Solving the Climate Crisis

Open the Future has a worthwhile discussion on climate change that takes a specific look at the central issues of prevention, mitigation, and remediation:

They cover three broad categories: Prevention (actions that reduce the risks of global warming or soften its eventual impact); Mitigation (actions directed at reducing the harm of global warming, and as possible reducing its sources); and Remediation (actions intended to reverse global warming and its effects). Each of these entails its own set of political, economic and environmental risks.

One of the reasons why the answers are not cut-and-dried is an aspect of global warming that, as yet, still does not receive the kind of mainstream attention it deserves: climate commitments. It turns out that, no matter what we do, we are committed to a certain amount of continued warming and climate change. Moreover, the longer we wait to start acting seriously, the more of a commitment we'll build up.

Read full article - 'Solving the Climate Crisis'

SimCity Societies

Open the Future has an interesting post on the new version of SimCity -- SimCity Societies -- which is due out in the US this month. It appears to be a much more realistic simulation of how social forces operate in a societal context. Could be a useful educational tool too?

SimCity Societies takes a different path. Rather than worry about building zones and water supplies, the new game gives the player the tools with which to build the kind of society she or he wants: agrarian, totalitarian, creative, and so forth. The challenges that one faces depend on the kind of culture that has emerged:

In addition to building up simolians (the game's currency), each city generates "social energies." These energies come in six forms: Industry, Wealth, Obedience, Knowledge, Creativity and Devotion. Different buildings give off specific energies and citizens adapt according to the city's vibe. By using this design, players can toy with various social experiments that include eco-friendly buildings, whacky Creative cities with gingerbread houses or dystopian police-states. Or players can go for it all and even try for a free-wheeling eclectic society.

Go to full post

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Cheating on the Carpool?

TechReview has a good article on a new infrared system that can tell people from decoys in an effort to catch people who sneek into carpooling lanes... are people really this desperate to go as far as costumed mannequins in passenger seats, dolls swaddled like babies--even dogs in bonnets?

A company called Vehicle Occupancy, based at Loughborough University, in Leicestershire, England, says that it has developed an infrared camera-mounted scanning system that foils 95 percent of such trickery.

Automated systems for counting passengers have a heightened appeal as many urban areas with crowded roadways contemplate occupancy-based tolls as a way to pay for new highway construction. "We are far better at looking inside the car than the human," says Tim Ballantyne, Vehicle Occupancy's director of business development. "We can see 95 percent of the people in the car, whereas a trooper sees just 65 percent." Vehicle Occupancy's system, dubbed Dtect, was tested against humans from a distance of 150 feet, with cars moving at about 50 miles per hour, Ballantyne says.

Read full article - 'Foiling Carpool-Lane Cheaters: A new infrared system can tell people from decoys'

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personal rapid transit systems running through our cities?

The Guardian reports in 'Welcome to the transport of tomorrow' on the rise of personal rapid transport (PRT) systems that are coming closer to large-scale realisation:

When Heathrow Terminal 5 opens next year, a network of up to 18 driverless pods will ferry people between the main terminal and its car parks, where each pod will be controlled by an internal computer and onboard sensor systems.

Welcome to the pioneering world of personal rapid transport (PRT) - a feasible technological solution to the chronic problem of traffic congestion, offering public transport with the privacy of a car.

Basically, a driverless four-seater vehicle (call it a podcar if you like) that automatically runs on a guideway over a dedicated network, lighter than light rail and running on a fraction of its energy, PRT has been the ambition of a select group of engineers since the late 1950s. But only now are the first networks being constructed.

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matterealities, mobilities, innovation

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
======================

matterealities, mobilities, innovation.

A growing body of studies show that in the detailed how of ‘how matter comes to matter’ (Barad 2003) the social and the material are inextricably linked. However, the very practices that join also often conceal such entanglement - in everyday practice, politics, science and design. In this interdisciplinary workshop we seek to explore a particular set of connections between 'matterealities', mobilities and innovation:

Matterealities: If social-material realities or orders are made, two questions arise: ‘How are they made?’ and ‘How could they be made ‘better’?’ Science and technology studies and ethnomethodological studies address the first, and – sometimes also the second question (e.g. through socio-technical innovation and ‘engaged’ research (Sismondo 2007). However, while these studies can powerfully draw our attention to the entanglement of the social and the material, they often struggle to escape the dualisms entrenched in our languages and epistemic practices. Non-representational philosophy and Barad’s agential realism in particular, open up new possibilities for a study of ‘intra-action’, not only by focusing on how epistemic practices and 'pre-cognitive' 'matereal' ethnomethods of embodied conduct make material agential forces ‘speak’ and matter, but also by formulating a new physical epistem-ontology. The convergence of increasingly powerful and small computing, sensor and actuator technologies with everyday materials, including the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, and the places we live, play and work in – presents a particularly rich challenge for this approach. Whereas research into socio-technical settings and practices has tended to look at human-computer interaction and 'the virtual' (cyberspace and life online), research must now also look towards the intra-actions of digital phenomena and the 'materealization' of socio-technical realities.

Mobilities: A new ‘movement-driven’ social science (Urry 2007) reveals movement, potential movement and blocked movement as constitutive of economic, social, political, environmental and material relations. Movement, momentum, and motion are also integral to epistemic practices. Moreover, they rely on and can reveal media (air, water) and infrastructural support (roads, cables, satellites, networks). Combining a focus on mobilities with studies of intra-action can make important aspects of the entanglement of the social and the material amenable to study.

Innovation: Can studies of how socio-material realities are made inform the making of ‘better’ realities? A first answer must be ‘No’, because by drawing attention to the entanglement of the social and the material, such studies show that it is difficult if not impossible to know what ‘better’ might mean, to go beyond the scale of ‘us, here and now’, let alone decide what steps would enable the matterealization of better futures (without treading loose an avalanche of unintended consequences). Yet, it is so tempting to think that ‘issues of social order and intelligibility must be understood before social problems can be intelligently addressed’ (Garfinkel 2002, p. 54) and that once such issues are better understood, social, material technical problems could be intelligently addressed. Experience from ethnomethodologically informed technology design reframes the ambition: First, by changing the way in which innovation is conceived of and achieved towards a more collaborative, iterative (pervasive and never-ending), interdisciplinary process (Suchman 1999), and second, by seeking to change the products of innovation, making technologies that support creative appropriation in the context of everyday innovation (e.g. Dourish 2001, Chalmers, PalCom). Agential realism opens up new possibilities for these approaches and provides an opportunity to widen the focus to other forms of socio-technical change.

In this workshop we bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners to fathom, formulate and shape these possibilities and opportunities.

IMPORTANT DATES
A maximum of 40 participants can be accepted. Registration takes place on a first come first served basis.

Registration will cost approximately £ 80.00. Details will be published on our website


A limited number of student bursaries are available. For information about these or an expression of interest please contact m.buscher(at)lancaster.ac.uk

Wi-fi health study

It appears that the UK government is taking another look at the effect that wireless networks have on health:

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced it will carry out "systematic" research into how wireless networks are being used.

The research will aim to establish average exposure to the low level radiation emitted by wi-fi access points and wireless links on computers. The HPA said it expected the results of the research to be "reassuring".

The BBC reports in 'Wi-fi health study gets go ahead'

Also, The Guardian reports in 'Wireless computer network risks to be investigated' that 'the investigation will then shift to homes, offices and schools. Officials are particularly keen to measure exposure levels in classrooms, where tens of computers may be hooked up to a wireless network at the same time.'

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Bloggers unite to go green

Worldchanging reports that on Monday's Blog-Action-Day bloggers were asked this year to spend the day typing about the environment:

UNEP spokesman Nick Nuttall said people often felt overwhelmed by global environmental problems -- bloggers such as one called "Dumblittleman.com" could help with their tips on recycling household items such as blue jeans or eyeglasses.

Jeans, for instance, can be cut up and used in other clothing. Glasses can sometimes be re-used, often by people in developing nations, if handed in to a specialized recycler.

Reuters reports also in 'Thousands of bloggers unite in blitz of green tips' that

15,800 sites had signed up and were offering ideas to millions of people via blogs, or online diaries, ranging from planting more trees to how to recycle plastics.

"Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future," according to www.blogactionday.com.

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Technology To Detect Terrorists

ScienceDaily reports on new technologies that detect the 'dangerous intentions' of those people on the move:

Airport screeners, customs agents, police officers and members of the military who silently pose that question to people every day, may soon have much more than intuition to depend on to determine the answer.

Computer and behavioral scientists at the University at Buffalo are developing automated systems that track faces, voices, bodies and other biometrics against scientifically tested behavioral indicators to provide a numerical score of the likelihood that an individual may be about to commit a terrorist act.

"The goal is to identify the perpetrator in a security setting before he or she has the chance to carry out the attack," said Venu Govindaraju, Ph.D., professor of computer science and engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Govindaraju is co-principal investigator on the project with Mark G. Frank, Ph.D., associate professor of communication in the UB College of Arts and Sciences.

Read in full - 'Technology Would Help Detect Terrorists Before They Strike'

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Tokyo Motor Show

A sneak look at some of the exhibits and concept cars from this year's Tokyo motor show will reveal flashy concept cars that both try to mimic nature (such as 'the wind' in the above vehicle). There are also concept vehicles for individual mobility such as Toyota's I-Real:




Blurb - 'It looks like a roofless plush armchair that scoots about on wheels, with buttons and controls on the arms. It changes positions, straightening up for moving slowly to mingle with pedestrians, while shifting to lay back to travel faster at up to 30 kph (18.6 mph)'

See the full post here

More on Toyota's 'personal mobility vehicles' - Smartmobs writes that:

Toyota is planning to roll out the latest in its “personal mobility” vehicles at the 2007 Toyota Auto Show. The new RiN Concept monitors the driver’s mood and takes steps to keep it even-keel. It accomplishes this through seats designed to maintain good back posture, an oxygen-level conditioner, and a pinpoint humidifier. Presumably these features help eliminate subconscious, physical discomfort which could contribute to angry drivers. Another, more exciting feature is an image display that aligns with the driver’s psychological state. These image displays are conveyed within the meter cluster of the mood-training steering control.

Read more on this from 'How the Toyota PM Works'
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Hydrogen Hybrid Canal Boat

Now here is a tempting look at possible future mobile-lifestyles - back to the days of the canal boats...something I have often considered myself (as long as it came with satellite communications...).

Green Car Congress reports on how engineers at the University of Birmingham (UK) have developed a zero-emission hydrogen hybrid canal boat - 'The boat, called The Ross Barlow, is fully operational and demonstrates how a combination of magnet and fuel cell technologies could be used to power inland waterways craft'. The post continues:

The Ross Barlow was created by converting a standard maintenance boat which was donated to the University’s Protium Project by British Waterways. Engineers replaced the diesel engine with a NdFeB permanent magnet electric motor, lead-acid battery stack, metal hydride store, and 5 kW PEM fuel cell.

Schematic for the propulsion system. Click to enlarge.

The motor is designed by the Lynch motor company, and is based on a brushed 4-quadrant axial flux motor, with a power output of 10 kW (13 hp) with a maximum efficiency of 89%. The NdFeB sintered magnets for the motor were manufactured by the Hydrogen Decrepitation process (HD process).

Read in full - 'Hydrogen Hybrid Canal Boat'

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Germany to build maglev railway

BBCNews reports in 'Germany to build maglev railway' how the state of Bavaria is to build a high-speed maglev railway line from Munich city centre to its airport, making it Europe's first commercial track:

Maglev trains use electric-powered magnets that enable them to float above their tracks, allowing for much faster speeds than traditional rail services.

The 1.85bn-euro ($2.6bn; £1.3bn) project had faced financing problems.

It is notable that the only regular maglev service at present is in China,

where the floating train whisks travellers between Shanghai's airport and the city's financial district. The maglev, which has a top speed of more than 500km/h (310mph), is regarded as a symbol of German technological prowess.

I've often considered high-speed maglev train networks to be one of the better options for European mass-transit futures.

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New University Bicycle Scheme

Now here's an example of ethical, environmental, and business entrepreneurship - a new scheme set-up by recent graduates James Paton and Daniel Jones, both 23, will lend bicycles to Cardiff University students in exchange for a £20 deposit. They will then sell the space between the crossbars as advertising space, and make a tidy profit on it. The duo's business will then give the students £50 if they subsequently return their bicycles in a serviceable condition. Also: 'Just when you thought the scheme couldn't get any more brilliant, the duo decided to donate the used bicycles to charity at the end of the academic year, shipping them to Gambia as part of a project called Bicycles4Africa' -

Any qualms the students might feel will no doubt be assuaged by company's charitable side, which has also pulled in sponsors. Unicycles have been working with a charity called Jole Rider that ships vast containers full of used bicycles to Africa before distributing them to secondary schools...

...Despite such protestations, the pair seem to be well on their way to success. Fifty bicycles will be loaned to Cardiff students in September, a number that will be increased after Christmas. The company then hopes to expand to other university cities next academic year, and already has its eye on some high-end institutions.

Read in full - 'Bicycle advertising: Pump up the cash'

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U.K. Social Network users spend all their time on Social Networking Sites!

So is this official? Do U.K. Social Network users spend more time on Social Networking Sites than the rest of Europe? Well, SmartMobs write that:

It’s confirmed, according to comScore, that if your British, and your into Social Networking - your probably more logged into your Social Networks than anyone else in Europe, all things being equal.

Usage of social networking sites in the U.K. proved heavier than the European average in terms of hours spent, pages viewed, and the number of visits per month.

The average visitor to social networking sites in the U.K. spent 5.8 hours per month on those sites in August and made 23.3 visits. This was a significantly heavier usage level than in France, which averaged 2 hours per month and 16.8 visits per visitor, or Germany, with 3.1 hours per month and 13.8 visits per visitor.

Read in - 'U.K. Social Network users spend more time on Social Networking Sites than the rest of Europe'

Broadband Internet access on board high-speed trains

The ESA website has announced that from 2008 broadband Internet access will be available on board high-speed trains combining satellite and mobile telephone data technologies with wireless networks:

The consortium, lead by Nokia Siemens Networks, will combine satellite and mobile telephone data technologies with wireless networks similar to WiFi hotspots to provide a continuous Internet connection on board trains travelling across national borders at speeds of 300 km/h. The service is expected to be fully operational by 2008...

...In 2005, as part of the ESA-sponsored project, 21Net designed, built and trialled a Wi-Fi (wireless local network) access system for use on trains, with the capability to support broadband Internet access and the delivery of local multimedia content such as short films and up-to-the minute news.

Read in full - 'True broadband Internet access on board high-speed trains available in 2008'

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The Social Web

Two valuable links here to posts on the 'social web':


Firstly - A History of the Social Web - a draft chapter from Trebor Scholz:

This is a cross-cultural, critical history of social life on the Internet. It captures technical, cultural, and political events that influenced the evolution of computer-assisted person-to-person communication via the net. Acknowledging the role of grassroots movements, this history does not solely focus on mainstream culture with all its mergers, acquisitions, sales and markets, and the (mostly male) geeks, engineers, scientists, and garage entrepreneurs who implemented their dreams in hardware and software. This is a critical history as it traces the changing nature of labor and typologies of those who create value online as much as it searches for changing approaches toward control, privacy, and intellectual property. It shows strategies for direct social change based on the technologies and practices which already exist.

citation: Scholz, Trebor. "A History of the Social Web (draft)."
Collectivate.net. 26 Sep 2007. 1 Oct 2007

Secondly, 'Visualizing Wikipedia' generates a map of this social site -

The map is generated by first laying out the graph of Wikipedia (nodes are articles, edges are links between articles) and then decorating that substrate with colours (for topics: maths, science and technology) and images. Given the broad swath of science (green) articles, a question that springs to mind is: what is divided by this class - what topics are to the left and right?

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