Science

Seriously? A Moon Base?

January 31, 2012

Like most fans of Newt Gingrich – I believe he can effectively articulate the conservative vision for America which someone will need to do in contrast to President Obama’s vision of a redistributive utopia. Obama fans I mean no disrespect – just that he will continue to take from some groups and give to others like what is being done with food stamps, healthcare, etc.

But when Newt said we need a moon base I almost fell off the bed – and I was lying in the middle of it so you can imagine the acrobatic positions my body involuntarily contorted into as a result of this bizarre utterance.

I am still trying to wrap my head around how any candidate who says he or she is conservative can be for building moon bases. Unless of course there are diamonds or gold up there – which frankly the US government can use.

To learn more check out this article from Doug Mohney on TMCnet titled: Moonbase Newt vs. Republican Pragmatics .

Posted in Science

Evolution Understanding has Evolved

October 20, 2011

My paraphrased theory of evolution basically says DNA is passed from parent to offspring and through various mutations the offspring may be more adaptable to the changing environment, allowing them to be more apt to survive. But more recently I have read articles about how offspring can also be altered based on parental behavior.

In fact a new field of epigenetics is focused on chemical changes which determine if a gene is expressed or not.

This article I discovered today is very interesting if you have an interest in science, genetics or evolution as it details the concept of a molecular memory of a parent's experience. A few items of note are scientists have been able to alter the genes of worms to get them to live longer but offspring bred with non-mutated worms and no longer possessing the mutations still lived longer.

Basically it proves you can alter offspring through methods beyond mutations.

There is also a reference to a paper which shows the diet of a parent can change the offspring's cholesterol and lipids. Moreover, parents eating high-fat diets made daughters fatter and gave them type 2 diabetes.

While this topic is not my usual area of focus - I have always found science fascinating and moreover, I can't help but think that if the cost of healthcare is such a huge problem and it is in-part rising due to an ever-heavier population...

Posted in Financial, Science

CNBC Special on Science Interest in the US

October 17, 2011

In the past I have written about how I have huge concerns about how the US has gone from a nation where the youth is fascinated by science and technology to a celebrity culture where kids are more concerned about what celebs eat for lunch than they are about their own education and future. The first time I tackled the issue was in a post titled US Schools Must Improve where I contrasted the US educational system to that of Iran - a country which was barely third-world when I visited it decades ago. The point was that Iranian students had much more homework and were far better at math and science than comparable US students.

My next post on the matter discussed how Global Unrest is Tech's Fault - specifically I detailed how two billion people in Asia have entered the workforce in the past two decades because of technology which has allowed the cheapest and most productive labor to be a mouse click away.

Tonight on CNBC at 9:00 pm EST there is a special on how science has lost its luster among the youth in America. It is called Meeting of the Minds, The Business of Science.

Posted in Science, Technology

UCONN Flexes Technology Muscle to Help Fuel CT Economy

September 2, 2011

Last week – as hurricane Irene was beginning its journey up the east coast, I spent some time with the faculty at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) to hear all the exciting things the university was up to since my graduation from the School of Engineering in 1989. The campus has grown tremendously in the last two decades with buildings seemingly coming out of the ground wherever you look.

I had a discussion with Reda Ammar, Ph.D, Professor & Department Head of Computer Science & Engineering, Don Swinton, Development Officer of the School of Engineering, Kylene Perras, Program Director, Leadership Giving, School of Engineering & Heidi Douglas Director of Engineering Alumni Relations I came away highly impressed with the progress the university has made.

I also had a chance to speak with Mun Choi, dean of the School of Engineering, a man who I have heard great things about and was honored to meet.

I learned the school is involved in a whole host of advanced technologies such as information security, networking and bioinformatics and is receiving millions of dollars in research funding. Moreover, the University is focused like a laser on finding jobs for students and is working with companies of all sizes to pursue joint research and even work to make a business out of idle patents companies have in their portfolio.

The tremendous demand to get into UCONN has resulted in the school becoming choosier. In fact, the average engineering student SAT scores for math and English has increased to over 1,300.

Posted in Science, Security, Technology

What the Post-Hurricane Irene Cavalry Looks Like

August 28, 2011

The closest thing we have to a modern-day cavalry has got to be these utility trucks hopefully on their way to restore power to millions of east-coast residents. This modern day cavalry in the videos below was spotted in Stamford, CT near the Ridgeway Shopping Center in the middle of town.

Estimates have ranged from one to two weeks to restore power in the area - hopefully these guys will get the job done more quickly.

Posted in Personal, Science, Smart Grid

ITEXPO West 2011 Austin Highlights

August 23, 2011

Before all ITEXPO events I do a final proofread of the show directory and this one may be the biggest ever at 132 pages with tabs (just doing our part to support the economy). We will post a PDF version soon so you can see what’s in it but until then, here are some highlights that caught my eye:

Keynotes & Exhibits Tuesday, September 13th at 9:15 AM we have Ian Pennell from Cisco and at 4:30 PM-5:30 PM we have keynotes from Siemens and IBM followed by a Grand Opening Networking Reception sponsored by Interact from 5:30-7:30.

Wednesday, September 14th at 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM we have keynotes from Polycom and DHL followed by exhibits from 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM. Then at 4:00 PM there is a Cocktail reception sponsored by Rackspace Hosting and at 4:45 you could win a pair of mountain bikes from Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop - an Austin Institution ( I am told). Then at 5:00 PM Bob Metcalfe kicks off StartupCamp4 Comms Edition with a keynote and this event continues until 8:00 PM and is free to attend.

Thursday, September 15th Exhibits open at 11:00 AM and the Jeep giveaway begins at 2:45 PM (see below).

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Avaya, Broadband, CRM, Call Center, Cisco, Cloud Computing, Communications Developer, Conference, Consumer Electronics, E-Commerce, FCC, Facebook, Fax, Financial, Gadget, Google, HTML5, IMS, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Microsoft, Networking, SIP, Science, Social Networking, Speech Technologies, Super WiFi, Technology, Twitter, Unified Communications, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Cell Phones Now Pose no Cancer Risk

July 5, 2011

The studies go back and forth and a few weeks ago the World Health Organization or WHO said there was an increased cancer risk as a result of cell phone use. Now, another study says the opposite is true.

The review was conducted by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Standing Committee on Epidemiology* chaired by Professor Anthony Swerdlow from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). The ICNIRP committee analyzed all published studies that have examined whether there is a link between mobile phone use and the main types of brain tumour, glioma and meningioma and determined that although there is some uncertainty, there is no link between cell phone use and brain tumors in adults.

The professor and his team analyzed data from thirteen countries going back 10-20 years.

We live in a world full of radio signals - a typical tech trade show for example could have dozens if not hundreds of WiFi access points. Add to that satellite, FM and myriad other radio signals coursing through our bodies at all times and you have to wonder if the addition of one more radio emitter near our heads will have any major effect on our likelihood of getting cancer.

Posted in 4G, AT&T, Apple, Blackberry, Broadband, Consumer Electronics, FCC, Gadget, IP Communications, Networking, Science, Super WiFi, Technology, Verizon, Wireless

Microsoft, Apple & Twitter News June 27, 2011

June 27, 2011

It’s been a busy day in tech and communications news – so far these are a few of the stories worth knowing about:

Microsoft needs to get larger? Scott Rothbort at TheStreet gives us eight companies Microsoft should buy – and you know what, some of these make great sense such as Adobe & Netflix but in reading the article, I wonder if Yahoo! makes sense anymore. Then again a management shakeup could help get the company to start competing more effectively against Facebook and Google. There are some hosting/cloud vendors and hardware vendors suggested as well – but does Microsoft need to get bigger at this point? Many think it is too big already and if anything needs to start running in a more lean fashion – which of course means spinning some parts off or selling them. For more check out my critique of Microsoft and Steve Ballmer.

It’s raining iPhones: Earlier today I tweeted about the rumors surrounding the iPhone 5 but it seems perhaps – according to some analysts we will see not only an iPhone 5 this year but also an iPhone 4S.

Posted in Apple, Broadband, Cloud Computing, Consumer Electronics, Financial, Gadget, Google, IP Communications, Microsoft, Science, Social Networking, TMCnet, Technology, Verizon, VoIP, Wireless

Why We Love Calorie-Rich Foods We Can' Even Taste

June 24, 2011

I realize most of you come to my blog for tech and communications news but I have a passion for many other things such as cars, science, nutrition, excercise and more. So occasionally I share some news which may not generally belong in my tech blog. But only when its really worth it.

This article from Wired about why the body likes the taste of protein discusses how scientists have been able to prove via mutated mice that your body not only responds to taste via your tongue's sensations but also via your digestive system which rewards the body when it eats foods which have a dense caloric profile.

In other words, mice have been shown to prefer water with certain protein in it as well as sugar - even though they can't actually taste either.

One of the commenters, pjs_boston had something interesting to add as well:

It is not surprising that rats prefer sugar water to unsweetened water, even when they can't taste sweet. After all, eating sugar in that absence other food compounds results in rapid absorption of the sugar and a corresponding sugar high.

Posted in Science

How Sea Water Cools Google's Data Center

May 25, 2011

Google recently released a new video showing some of the details regarding how they turned an old paper mill into a data center and are utilizing a seawater tunnel which was already in existence to pump water into heat exchangers to cool the servers. The warmed water is subsequently mixed with fresh seawater to cool it down before returning it to the ocean.

A polished video of how Google is using sea water to cool their data center

There is no word on how much money this method of cooling will save Google since one would imagine there is significant electricity being utilized to pump water through the large building. Moreover, it is unclear if this new cooling method in Finland can be replicated in other areas where oceanfront property could be more expensive.

But if the price of oil and electricity continues to increase significantly, the higher cost of oceanfront property may be offset by savings in air conditioning usage.

An early look at the facility before the cooling system was completed

Perhaps the greatest irony of the story is the fact the building was once a paper mill. Paper as we know is in less demand as a result of the Internet.

Posted in Facebook, Financial, Google, Science, Technology

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