US government told to take its hands off internetThe United States government has been told to end its oversight role of the internet during its own consultation exercise over the future of net governance.
In a stark result, over 87 percent of those that commented on the US's continued control of the internet's hierachy said that it was time for it to transition toward a new, more international model. The company that the consultation was designed to review - not-for-profit overseeing organisation ICANN - fared little better, wi... (more)
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340,282,366,920,938,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 new web addresses created by internet chiefs . . . so we won’t run out of space soon, thenTO THE lay observer it seems like an infinite network of computers, servers and cables stretching around the globe.
But the worldwide web is filling up. So quickly, it turns out, that programmers have had to devise a new one.
Of the internet addresses available, more than three quarters are already in use, and the remainder are expected to be assigned by 2009. So, what will happen as more people in developing countries come online? The answer is IPv6, a new internet... (more) This is part of the push for the "new internet" which will be heavily regulated, taxed, and controlled. |
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Scientist seeks burger investorsCHARLESTON, SC, United States (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist has developed a process to grow cow cells into full-size hamburger overnight but he can`t get anyone to invest in the process.
Vladimir Mironov, a biology researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the process involves taking immature cells that develop into skeletal muscles from cows -- or pigs, or chickens, or turkeys -- and fusing them to a protein that, with the help of steroids, grows into big hunks of ... (more)
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Invisibility at the flick of a switchAdverts for x-ray specs have tantalised kids throughout the decades. Sadly the reality is always a pair of useless plastic glasses, but this could all change due to a breakthrough made at Imperial College London. By exploiting the way that atoms move in solids the researchers have made solid materials turn completely transparent. 'This real life x-ray specs effect relies on a property of matter that is usually ignored that the electrons it contains move in a wave-like way', says Chris Phillips. ... (more)
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RIAA loses court caseTHE RIAA'S policy of accusing people of file sharing and then threatening them with court action if they do not stump up huge wodges of cash has suffered a bit of a setback.
Oklahoma mother, Debbie Foster, was accused by the RIAA of illegally downloading downloading music over Kazaa back in November 2004. The RIAA said that it would leave the single mother alone if she paid $5,000.
However, Foster didn't have $5,000 and more to the point, she had not downloaded any ... (more)
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Computer that mimics the human brainSCIENTISTS in Manchester plan to build a computer that mimics the human brain.
They say it will copy the way nerve cells interact, making computers more reliable.
The new style computer would be more `fault tolerant' and continue working even if some of the components broke or failed.
The pioneering £1m project is being led by Steve Furber, professor of computer engineering in the University of Manchester's school of computer science.
... (more)
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Microsoft shuts down Windows 98 Microsoft is urging an estimated 70 million users of Windows 98 to upgrade as it ends support for the software.
From 11 July, Microsoft will no longer help users over the phone with any problems they have with the ageing operating system.
The firm will also stop providing security updates for Windows 98 from the same date.
Support for the software was originally due to end in 2003, but was extended following customer protests.
... (more)
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Weapons in outer spaceTENSIONS IN the United Nations over space-based weapons ran to new heights recently when the United States delivered a hard-line statement on its right to develop such weapons.
Responding to repeated and increased international pressure in recent weeks, John Mohanco, US deputy director of the Office of Multilateral Nuclear and Security Affairs, said ``our government will continue to consider the possible role that space-related weapons may play in protecting our [space] assets."... (more)
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Hands shown to emit lightHuman hands glow, but fingernails release the most light, according to a recent study that found all parts of the hand emit detectable levels of light.
The findings support prior research that suggested most living things, including plants, release light. Since disease and illness appear to affect the strength and pattern of the glow, the discovery might lead to less-invasive ways of diagnosing patients.
Mitsuo Hiramatsu, a scientist at the Central Research Laborato... (more)
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Online News Association backs 'Net Neutrality'As the US Senate begins to examine new laws governing the pricing and delivery of Internet services, the Online News Association Thursday announced it was backing the concept of ?Net Neutrality? ? the idea that ?network providers should not discriminate between people or organizations that provide services over a network.? The ONA believes that Net Neutrality will help preserve and extend standards of free speech, which have found new expression with the proliferation of Internet access.
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Internet users face congestion chargeMillions of people will be forced to pay a 'congestion charge' for sending email under plans being developed by American telephone companies to create a 'two-tier' internet.
In a move which campaigners warn will destroy the openness and equality of the worldwide web, the US telecommunications group AT&T is lobbying politicians to allow the development of 'fast' and 'slow' internet services.
All data moving around the net is now treated equally and moves at the same ... (more)
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Cloned trees to get big city testingITHACA, N.Y., July 5 (UPI) -- Cornell University researchers are partnering with U.S. nursery operators in a project to help trees thrive in harsh urban landscapes.
The scientists, led by Nina Bassuk of Cornell's Urban Horticulture Institute, have developed a new cloning technique called clonal propagation. The technique allows oaks to develop their own root system, rather than growers having to use the difficult grafting method.
Since oaks are nearly impossible to ... (more)
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Widespread illegal experiment conducted at Meir HospitalProfessor Mordechai Ravid and five other doctors and interns at Meir Hospital in Kfar Sava conducted an illegal medical experiment on some 60 women, most of whom were Arab.
The experiment was conducted without obtaining the requisite approval of the hospital's Helsinki Committee for human experiments, and without the patients' signed consent.
The experiments were conducted between 2001 and 2003, on diabetic patients aged 45 to 70.
The hospital appoint... (more)
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'Plasma needle' could replace the dentist's drillMANY of us would go to great lengths to avoid the dentist's drill. Sticking a needle with a flaming plasma tip into your mouth may not at first strike you as much of an improvement on conventional dentistry. However, the plasma needle, which is cold and painless to the touch, could be just the panacea we have been waiting for.
The needle's creator, physicist Eva Stoffels-Adamowicz, who is based at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, says it could also be use... (more)
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Judge bars shrill Navy sonar: Temporary order issued in suit seeking to protect whales, porpoisesThe Navy is forbidden to use an intense form of sonar -- known to have spooked Puget Sound orcas in the past -- during combat exercises this month in the Pacific, a federal judge ruled Monday.
Environmentalists suing to halt the sonar use offered "considerable convincing scientific evidence" that the exercise would harm or even kill whales, porpoises and other marine creatures, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled in Los Angeles in granting a temporary restraining order... (more)
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Russian Researchers Develop Tomato Vaccine Against HIV and HepatitisGenetically modified tomatoes containing edible vaccine are to be used to challenge two of the world’s most lethal viruses, NewScientist.com reports.
The aim is to create affordable vaccines for HIV and the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that could be easily grown and processed in the countries where they are most needed. So far, none of the 90 or so potential vaccines against HIV have proved successful and, though a vaccine already exists for HBV, it is too expensive to be used by... (more)
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Department of Defense Funds $450K Blog Research ProjectThe Air Force Office of Scientific Research will fund a three-year research project shepherded by Versatile Information Systems Inc. that will seek out “relevant and credible” information pertaining to terrorist activity on blogs. (via boingboing.net)
Defenselink Press Release:
ARLINGTON, Va., June 29, 2006 – The Air Force Office of Scientific Research recently began funding a new research area that includes a study of blogs. Blog research ... (more)
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Weather modification raises red flags, but pushes aheadJUPITER, Fla. - In a field brimming with optimistic and untested ideas, entrepreneur Peter Cordani has one of the boldest: airdrop 400 tons of superabsorbent powder into an approaching hurricane.
The powder would sap water from the hurricane, in theory slowing it and saving lives and millions of dollars. The project is in its infancy, facing skeptical scientists and daunting challenges. Its creator has spent $1 million already and must raise much more.
"We know it w... (more) Related: Owning the Weather: A documentary that looks at the history of weather modification and its use by the military. |
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U.S. Army orders Excalibur guided shellsTUCSON, June 21 (UPI) -- Raytheon has received a $42.7 million order for its Excalibur precision-guided artillery shells from the U.S. Army.
The 155-millimeter Excalibur projectile uses satellite guidance and tailfins for pin-point attacks on distant targets with minimal collateral damage and less danger to close-by friendly forces.
Analysts say the high-priced shells will reach Iraq and Afghanistan in the near future, where they will offer coalition forces a rapid,... (more)
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Get Ready for Internet Toll Roads"Without a clear policy preserving the neutrality of the Internet and without tough sanctions against those who would discriminate, the Internet will be forever changed for the worse," said Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
An amendment to require network neutrality -- the idea that all content moving across the Internet would not be prioritized for delivery on the basis of fees -- was defeated Wednesday in a U.S. Senate committee.
In an 11-11 vote, the Senate Committee ... (more)
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