Kev's News
None of the news you want - all the news you need!
Latest News
Archives
Topics
New Tech
Modern Life
Terrorism and You
Health/Environment
Art/Design/Music
Humor
Misc
About
Mailing List
Submit an Item
RSS Feeds
Copyright © 2024
Kevin Hughes
Advertiser
Feed
Star-Bulletin
Feed
HI Headlines
Feed
Pacific Business
Feed
Bytemarks
Feed
Hawaii Stories
Feed
HI Music News
Feed
HI Health Talk
Feed
HI Kingdom
Feed
State Reports
Feed
Craigslist HI
Feed
Search Results
for
news
December 20 to 31, 2005
Have a very happy New Year's, everyone. Thus ends the first full year of Kev's
news
...
The Google library project is named as one of the "ten most important emerging technologies". I agree: http://www.
news
target.com/002885.htm...
iPod Stuff http://www.rsna.org/publications/rsna
news
/dec04/ipod-1.htm...
"Cyber crime booms in 2004" http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4105007.st...
A lot of people are eating Splenda, the latest sugar substitute: http://www.
news
target.com/002958.htm...
"Prescription Drug Use at Record High for Americans": http://www.reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml?type=health
news
&storyID=698184...
The weight of American tourists is causing chairs on the Queen Mary 2 to break: http://www.heraldsun.
news
.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11609204%255E663,00.htm...
Antimicrobial products may harm developing nervous systems: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=571&ncid=751&e=4&u=/nm/20041206/hl_nm/antimicrobial_nervousystem_d...
April 25 to May 1, 2005
There was a lot of
news
this week, but the big
news
was the release of Apple's new system upgrade, called "Tiger". I've tested the heck out of it and it seems stable and faster...
Hawaii's High-Tech Successes, Today http://starbulletin.com/2005/04/21/
news
/index2.htm...
Gateway's new $200 LCD monitors... http://
news
.com.com/Gateway+prepares+trio+of+LCD+monitors/2100-1041_3-5687511.html?part=rss&tag=5687511&subj=new...
I just want to make a phone call - the new Nokia N91 has a 4GB hard drive, camera, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, mp3 player, headphone jack, USB connector, FM radio, Web browser, and records video...
Scientists make bacteria behave like computers: http://research
news
.osu.edu/archive/eggcarton.ht...
My Future China http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7693580/site/
news
wee...
An update on Iraq's ravaged cultural artifacts - not good: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4461755.st...
Did you know the keys on your GM van may open the doors on "a half-dozen other GM vans and pickups"? http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/Article
news
/story/CTV
news
/1114698835400_6?hub=topstorie...
Canada once took in 50,000 Vietnam-era draft dodgers. But today it's denying political asylum to those who refuse to participate in the Iraq war...
Some privacy measures are at least being considered for the new RFID-enabled U.S. passport: http://www.wired.com/
news
/privacy/0,1848,67333,00.htm...
Anti-terror laws are resulting in sophisticated software that can track every financial transaction no matter how small: http://www.wired.com/
news
/privacy/0,1848,67249,00.htm...
Unhackable communications get one step closer to reality: http://www.
news
.com.au/story/0,10117,15123388-29277,00.htm...
Aluminum Bottles http://www.recyclingadvocates.org/
news
letter/oct2004.htm#bee...
April 18 to 24, 2005
Hope everyone had a happy Earth Day. Not surprisingly, much
news
was devoted to how much high-tech junk is being generated and what to do about it...
Suspended animation gets one step closer to reality: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4469793.st...
Verizon and Movielink announced a movie download service for broadband users: http://
news
.com.com/Verizon+calls+action+on+movie+downloads/2100-1034_3-5679846.html?part=rss&tag=5679846&subj=new...
Did you know that half of all schoolchildren in France are bloggers (bloguers)? Score one for "vocal civic discourse": http://www.wired.com/
news
/culture/0,1284,67273-2,00.html?tw=wn_story_page_next...
"By approving liquid marijuana, the Canadian government has just certified that virtually everything our own government has been telling us about marijuana is wrong"...
Thanks to the newly approved Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, you will get more jail time for videotaping a movie in a theater than for killing somebody...
Partly thanks to its sale of hybrid cars, Toyota expects to see its best first quarter in 48 years. GM expects to lose $850 million that same quarter due to short term bets on "cheap" and "plentiful...
Rethinking The Everyday Things http://www.abc.net.au/science/
news
/stories/s341719.ht...
April 11 to 17, 2005
The New Hippies http://www.circleoflife.org/
news
/
news
letter/2005spring/newplanetbus.ht...
In related
news
, thanks to Google Maps, you can see how the forestry industry is de-greening British Columbia via clear-cutting. Hopefully activists will make use of this new tool to help enforc...
"Confessions of an EBay opium addict" http://www.
news
review.com/issues/Sacto/2005-03-31/cover.as...
"Half of U.S. taxpayers filing online": http://
news
.com.com/Half+of+U.S.+taxpayers+filing+online/2100-1028_3-5668387.htm...
Did you know that samples of a flu virus were mistakenly sent to 3,700 labs around the world and that some have gone missing? This normally would not cause worry except for the fact that the virus i...
Laptop design is causing posture-related problems: http://www.usatoday.com/
news
/health/2005-04-12-laptop-pain_x.htm?csp=3...
April 4 to 10, 2005
The bionic eye lets the blind see again: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4411591.st...
The market for dead celebrities has become quite lucrative. Bill Gates bought a lot of them recently: http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/
news
/story/0,11711,1455524,00.htm...
Outsourcing is giving rise to overworked employees in call centers in India. Rigid English linguistic training is making employees question their cultural identity...
Scientists are figuring out ways to stimulate neurons remotely with laser beams and are already controlling fruit flies: http://www.betterhumans.com/
news
/
news
.aspx?articleID=2005-03-07-...
A new military combat simulator stuns people via electric shock if shot. But the real
news
is that people really like games that hurt you...
Did you know that in 2000, EPA-banned GMO corn was found in Taco Bell tacos, which could produce anaphylactic shock? Here's more on how corporations are surreptitiously introducing GMO into th...
You may one day clean your teeth with a light wand: http://www.
news
cientist.com/article.ns?id=dn722...
Art made via electromagnetic fields: http://web.mit.edu/
news
office/2005/weird.htm...
March 28 to April 3, 2005
History, Patents, and You http://
news
.zdnet.co.uk/internet/ecommerce/0,39020372,39147408,00.ht...
If you have an iPod, this well-designed guide to all things poddish - software, accessories, reviews - is a must-read: http://ipodlounge.com/site
news
_comments.php?id=6799_0_2_0_...
Perpendicular recording likely marks civilization's mass transition from 2D to 3D storage technologies...
Today's college students are getting used to downloading high-speed movies and music on demand from their computers: http://
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050402/ap_en_mo/downloading_musi...
Some Iraqi soldiers are wearing this: http://starbulletin.com/2005/04/01/
news
/index13.htm...
Derren Brown uses basic psychological principles to perform amazing "mind-reading" and mass hypnotism tricks: http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/03/27/
news
/profile.htm...
Homeland Security is now calling its RFID chips in U.S. passports "contactless chips" because it sounds safer. Unfortunately, without encryption they'll make it easier than ever for terrorists to fin...
1,360 scientists from 95 countries say that two-thirds of the world's resources are "used up" in a four-year $24 million U.N.-sponsored survey...
G.M.'s vice-chairman, on why he thinks people will still buy big SUVs: "Rich people don't care": http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/
news
/20050402p2a00m0dm013000c.htm...
Atkins Nutritionals admits its diet could be dangerous: http://releases.us
news
wire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=4466...
A shortage of silicon is making solar cells scarce. A federal program could help, but funding for solar energy has gone from "pathetic" to "laughable and ridiculous"...
A new solar-powered street trash compactor is only four feet tall yet can hold ten times more trash than an average garbage bin. It also signals when garbage pickup is needed, eliminating unnecessar...
Gory images of this year's Canadian seal hunt: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?p=
news
&g=events/sc/032905seals&e=1&tmpl=s...
An interview with the most influential woman in rock, Patti Smith: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7352508/site/
news
week...
March 21 to 27, 2005
Anti-War Sentiment in Popular Culture http://www.
news
day.com/entertainment/movies/nyc-fockers0324,0,4148572.story?coll=ny-moviereview-headline...
This was a top item in
news
all over the world this week: Banksy, an artist mostly known for his quality graffiti work, snuck into New York's most famous museums and affixed his anti-war work to th...
Finally, indie rock group the Decemberists released a high-res version of their music video "Sixteen Military Wives" via file sharing. They are among the first musicians to release a music vide...
Viral marketing is huge these days. In this article are a few dos and don'ts of viral marketing: http://www.wired.com/
news
/business/0,1367,66960,00.htm...
Los Alamos National Lab scientists find a way to detect fingerprints via their chemical residue: http://www.lanl.gov/
news
/index.php?fuseaction=home.story&story_id=234...
Environment Hawaii, an independent, nonprofit, award-winning publication that has been around for nearly 15 years may be going out of business due to lack of financial support. It's the last 100...
A new
news
paper column only reviews cars that do better than 30 mpg. Let's see more columns like this...
The beneficial powers of darkness and listening to one's body clock: http://www.taipeitimes.com/
news
/edit/archives/2005/03/20/200324705...
"The Basics on Genetically Modified Foods" http://
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050323/ap_on_sc/genetic_foods_q_...
Here's the best article on the walking octopus I could find: http://www.nature.com/
news
/2005/050321/full/050321-14.htm...
A compliment to last week's interview with Robert Crumb, an interview with Aline Kominsky-Crumb, his wife: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7152283/site/
news
week...
U.S. music sales rise, despite massive amounts of file sharing action on the net: http://
news
.com.com/2100-1027_3-5631698.htm...
March 14 to 20, 2005
A nice quote from the Molokai land flap mentioned last week: "The controversy is hard to explain from the Western perspective that land is something to be bought, owned and sold to make profit.....
Did you know that Hawaiian is the sole growing indigenous language in the U.S.? Still, there are only about 8,000 Hawaiian-language speakers right now...
The first modern robotic shoe changes shape to match the terrain you're running on: http://
news
.com.com/Can+these+running+shoes+outsmart+you/2100-1041_3-5625839.html?part=rss&tag=5625839&subj=new...
James Dyson's new vacuum cleaner's called "The Ball" - instead of pushing it back and forth, you roll it around: http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/
news
.php?
news
Id=103...
Samsung launches monitors for the color blind. Why doesn't every LCD monitor have these features? http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/
news
/200503/200503160032.htm...
Another hydrogen fuel-cell bike prototype: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4353853.st...
Towards tolerance - "Under armed guard, a woman broke with more than a thousand years of Islamic tradition to lead men and women in a prayer service yesterday in Manhattan"...
Here's the story of Simlish, the fictional language of the very popular video game "The Sims", and the people behind it: http://www.gamespot.com/
news
/2005/03/18/
news
_6119747.htm...
So far over 10 million creations are under the Creative Commons license, the sensible alternative to traditional copyright restrictions...
"India vs America: Let the battle begin!" http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?
news
id=4305...
"Mount Kilimanjaro Photo Wake-Up Call for Action Against Global Warming" - in case you needed visual proof...
And here's photos of all those wildflowers that have been blooming in Death Valley lately: http://
news
.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=7328...
Could trapped frozen natural gas under the sea be a solution to the world's energy problems? http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,66925,00.htm...
This photographer is doing a booming business capturing 144 megapixel photos - they're so sharp that a picture of an entire building can be used to inspect cracks...
March 7 to 13, 2005
Trashing Hawaii http://starbulletin.com/2005/01/12/
news
/story4.htm...
One of my pet topics - what happens to your data and online personality after you die? This article uses the case of Aaron Huth, who still has an online presence (and bank account) a year after hi...
A study found that most Americans would cut defense spending and spend more on education and job training: http://www.technet.org/press/Press_Releases/?
news
ReleaseId=371...
"Invocation of eminent domain by cities to seize property for private development is on the rise": http://
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050311/ap_on_bi_ge/wal_mart_size_limitatio...
China is fighting the Tibetan exile administration with computer virii: http://www.phayul.com/
news
/article.aspx?id=9195&article=Trojan+Horse+Gallops+from+Beijing%2C+Disguised+as+Dalai+Lama+Statemen...
Half of the world's 6,000 languages will disappear in less than a century, leading to "grave consequences for biodiversity" says the U.N.. Most people use one of only 8 languages...
Australian scientists prove that less trees along the Amazon River mean less rain: http://
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050310/sc_nm/environment_rainfall_d...
Learning From Nature http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4319739.st...
Let's see Starbucks use these new paper coffee cups that are decomposable and biodegradable. The U.S. Navy's ordered 20 million of them...
There's lots of great interface ideas and art in the Flash Film Festival finalists: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/americas/04/vote_usa/map/html/default.st...
Book Art http://www.ibooknet.co.uk/
news
_images/Jan2005/movie_win.ht...
For the first time, a music festival has released its entire live content online - 2.6GB worth! http://www.wired.com/
news
/digiwood/0,1412,66819,00.htm...
February 28 to March 6, 2005
Howard Stringer becomes Sony's first non-Japanese CEO, after five years of stock declines and poor business decisions. The beginning of the end was circa 1998, when the mp3 community (then a loos...
Fujitsu's 120GB notebook drive. Side note - a friend asked a major hard drive recovery specialist which drives they thought were the most reliable. The answer - Seagate for desktops, and Hitachi fo...
The Vectrix electric scooter gets up to 62mph: http://world.honda.com/
news
/2004/2040824_02.htm...
There are now at least 50 million Web sites on the net: http://
news
.netcraft.com/archives/2004/05/03/may_2004_web_server_survey_finds_50_million_sites.htm...
From Miami to Oakland, kids are putting 150-decibel train horns on their cars and stunning bystanders: http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/
news
/nation/11007028.ht...
More on T-Mobile's security - an undocumented backdoor in their systems allowed a hacker to gain access to extremely confidential customer information, including people's data from their Sidekicks...
Ira Rennert's house was featured on VH1 this week. It's the largest in the world, containing over 100,000 square feet worth of structures, 30 bathrooms, and its own power plant. He owned the compan...
1,000 patients are getting iSights to enable at-home telemedicine. Hands down, the iSight provides the best PC video and audio conferencing quality I've ever experienced...
A "brain pacemaker" turned previously untreatable "beyond suicidal" people into antique dealers and PTA members. Ever seen "The Terminal Man"? http://
news
.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=22157200...
15 celebrities drove hybrid cars to the Oscars: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050301/ap_en_mo/bootlegger_jail_deat...
Big art projects pay off - The Gates generated $254 million in economy activity, with 4 million visitors: http://abc
news
.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=54930...
More on the DJammer, the "next-generation electric guitar": http://www.wired.com/
news
/digiwood/0,1412,66722,00.htm...
February 21 to 27, 2005
In related
news
, a man connects a Mac mini to a 60-inch TV and creates a spectacular-looking media center. It ends up being far more capable and much, much smaller than any of the other boxes attache...
In a panel at a Web conference in 1995 I talked about the inevitable rise of instant stardom and its perils, once the Web got popular. Here are some of the latest subjects - a very funny online vide...
There will be no encryption on new U.S. e-passports, even though they could be read stealthily from 30 feet away: http://www.wired.com/
news
/privacy/0,1848,66686,00.htm...
People using T-Mobile services (like Paris Hilton, who had her personal address book posted all over the net this week) should realize how incredibly easy they are to hack...
The new 1-kilometer high Solar Tower, which could power 200,000 homes, has found a building site in Australia. This got a lot of press this week...
The way things are going, the world's population will be 9.1 billion by 2050: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/4297169.st...
Nature is a lot tougher than you. Scientists revive 32,000 year-old frozen bacteria: http://www.
news
cientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7064&print=tru...
February 14 to 20, 2005
Scientists create the first deafness "cure" using gene therapy: http://www.
news
cientist.com/article.ns?id=dn700...
U.S. scientists have created a robot arm that can be manipulated by thought alone: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4275245.st...
The mating scent of the German cockroach has been found - here's the clever methods scientists used: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/
news
/archive/2005/02/17/national/w110206S34.DT...
Iraq vets at the Walter Reed Hospital are discouraged from making the connection between military duty and post-traumatic stress disorder...
A muralist is jailed for painting breasts in a Michelangelo reproduction on a wall outside his studio: http://www.freep.com/
news
/locmac/mural18e_20050218.ht...
The Weekly Gloom and Doom http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
news
/main.jhtml?xml=/
news
/2005/02/04/ncoral04.xml&sSheet=/
news
/2005/02/04/ixhome.htm...
U.S. cities are increasingly looking into tapping ocean waves for power: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20050214/sc_nm/energy_waves_d...
Jazz composer Maric Schneider is likely the first artist ever to win a Grammy for an album that was solely distributed on the Web...
February 7 to 13, 2005
The recently launched Google Maps has changed the face of mapping services on the Internet overnight thanks to its excellent design. Note that it doesn't work (well) in Safari quite yet...
Big
news
for software developers - an open source enterprise-class message queuing technology is being made. Implications for trading networks, P2P frameworks, and instant messaging technologies...
An Ikea store opening in London turns into a riot, leaving 20 with heat exhaustion and five in the hospital: http://www.thisislondon.com/
news
/articles/1651154...
This may help explain why the Economist has more frontal nudity than all other international
news
magazines combined...
Podcasting is getting more media attention, along with front page space in USA Today. Here's a good overview of the state of podcasting right now...
Careful, identity thieves can masquerade as legitimate wireless hotspots: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/usatoday/20050207/bs_usatoday/identitythievescanlurkatwifispot...
Dubai is building the world's biggest waterfront development - it's 2.5 times the size of D.C.: http://
news
.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050204/BIZ/502040340/100...
A conservative pro-Bush anti-homosexual journalist who had "unfettered" access to the White House and CIA documents was revealed as working under an alias and having close ties to male ga...
Martin Mubanga's account of his 33-month stay at Guantanamo Bay: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_
news
/story/0,6903,1406987,00.htm...
A quarter of the economy's growth is taken up by healthcare spending: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/latimests/20050209/ts_latimes/healthcarecoststakebigbitefromeconom...
Genetically modified plants are proving to be an excellent way to clean up toxic soils: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,66575,00.htm...
A new study shows that melatonin may have broader effects in the brain than previously thought: http://www.berkeley.edu/
news
/media/releases/2005/02/07_melatoninfin.shtm...
Another new study shows that peanuts are the nutritional equivalent of the "perfect fruit": http://www.
news
target.com/004495.htm...
A new digital animation technique - making people dance in a robotic pop-lock style. Here's an amazing remix of Gene Kelly in "Singing In The Rain"...
In related
news
, an interesting study on the power of graphical manipulation to persuade people...
January 31 to February 6, 2005
A new industry group has been formed for holographic discs, which may store up to 1TB - that's one terabyte, or about 1,000GB...
Microsoft is mad about all the Apple iPods that employees are buying and using at work: http://www.wired.com/
news
/mac/0,2125,66460,00.html?tw=rss.TO...
The music industry sued an 83-year-old dead woman for file sharing: http://abc
news
.go.com/US/wireStory?id=47238...
The Rich Get Richer http://starbulletin.com/2005/02/03/
news
/index1.htm...
Cell phones are making area codes obsolete: http://www.wired.com/
news
/wireless/0,1382,66437,00.htm...
This Week's Gloom and Doom http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050130/ap_on_sc/warmer_world_...
Make your own fires in the coming apocalypse with this gadget: http://
news
.com.com/Sensors+drafted+to+turn+off+lights+nationwide/2100-1008_3-5563775.html?part=rss&tag=5563775&subj=
news
.1008.2...
Art must survive to nourish the spirit. Here's blast wall art in Baghdad: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4229377.st...
Fantasy coffins in Ghana: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4215923.st...
January 24 to 30, 2005
It's time for Hawaii to promote innovate mixed-use businesses that foster community development. Mentioned last week was the concept of "bike stations", which could be placed next to mas...
The high cost of filming in Hawaii is leading productions to think twice about shooting in the islands. This article compares Hawaii's incentives to other locations...
Introducing the spray-on plastic solar cell: http://
news
.nationalgeographic.com/
news
/2005/01/0114_050114_solarplastic.htm...
Scientists have succeeded in turning stem cells into nerve cells. This may allow cures for those with nervous system injuries and diseases...
Scientists find a way to create petrified wood in days. Implications for new types of filters: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=1894&e=3&u=/ap/20050125/ap_on_sc/petrified_woo...
Fujitsu announced the development of plant-based plastic in PCs: http://www.greenbiz.com/
news
/
news
_third.cfm?
news
ID=2757...
A man sold his forehead as advertising space for $37,375: http://www.wftv.com/
news
/4126793/detail.htm...
McDonald's is outsourcing drive-through ordering, which means that people ordering food in Oregon actually are talking to people in Michigan...
The first feature film to be delivered via wireless internet technology was shown at the Sundance Film Festival: http://www.wired.com/
news
/culture/0,1284,66380,00.htm...
This was understandably popular - people are worrying about hybrid human/animal experiments, including human/rabbit egg combinations and mice with human brain cells...
The Bush administration OKs drilling for oil in rare grassland in New Mexico, despite objections from the state's governor, who used to be the Secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration. Thi...
news
week on the decline of the American Dream...
Only nine chlorine plants in the U.S. put eight tons of mercury into the environment each year, although some say 65 more tons are unaccounted for annually. This is mostly due to the use of obsolet...
Incredible before-and-after comparisons of the faces of meth users: http://www.oregonlive.com/
news
/oregonian/photos/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin/view_gallery.cgi/olive/view_gallery.ata?g_id=292...
Unusual events "unheard of in the history of seismology" have been recorded in the Andaman and Nicobar islands since the tsunami: http://sify.com/
news
/fullstory.php?id=1365831...
January 17 to 23, 2005
I had the pleasure of listening to XM Satellite Radio all week (which was bundled with my Alamo rental car) while working in Mountain View, CA. It sounds great and the music choices are wonderful...
A new cheap DVD recorder (sold at Wal-Mart for $140) may make the VCR obsolete: http://www.syracuse.com/
news
/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/
news
-1/1104918939312170.xm...
UK scientists find the natural human-produced chemicals that repel mosquitos: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=585&e=5&u=/nm/20050120/sc_nm/science_mosquito_d...
Cornell researchers figure out how to make plastic from citrus fruits and CO2, eliminating the need to use petroleum to make plastics: http://www.
news
.cornell.edu/releases/Jan05/Orangeplastic.deb.htm...
"Villagers furious with Christian Missionaries" http://in.
news
.yahoo.com/050116/139/2j1rp.htm...
"Study: Watching Fewer Than Four Hours Of TV A Day Impairs Ability To Ridicule Pop Culture" http://www.theonion.com/
news
/index.php?issue=4103&n=...
Since 2003 airport security screeners have stolen $36 million in items from travelers. The Transportation Security Administration spokesman says, "We have a few bad apples. That is unfortunate. We'...
Learn Disco! http://www.
news
today.com/_tpl/qbn/learn_disco.htm...
January 10 to 16, 2005
The big
news
in Kev's world this week was the introduction of the Mac mini - it's a small yet powerful box not much wider than a CD that supports pretty much any display, keyboard, and mouse for $500...
Scientist have created synthetic "vesicles" that resemble crude living cells - the line between life and not-life is starting to get pretty blurry. "This is rather philosophical," says Dr Libchaber o...
The new 555-seat Airbus A380 is the world's biggest airliner ever built. And it's more fuel efficient than your car: http://
news
.airwise.com/story/view/1105904715.htm...
Some avid video game players are having difficulty separating reality from the game, thanks to the increasing quality of such technology: http://www.wired.com/
news
/games/0,2101,66225,00.htm...
Companies are now selling "exergames", or video games that incorporate physical exercise: http://ap
news
.excite.com/article/20050110/D87H96L80.htm...
In the same way that the MPAA is cracking down on movie pirates, Monsanto is cracking down on farmers that save their patented GM seeds from year to year...
One in five FDA scientists were pressured to approve drugs they thought were unsafe. One described his work as "junk science". Not a good thing for our pill-popping society...
"Popular shampoos contain toxic chemicals linked to nerve damage". Apparently this includes Head and Shoulders, Suave, Clairol and Pantene Hair Conditioner: http://www.
news
target.com/003210.htm...
For geeks only-the makers of Mr. Potato Head have come up with "Darth Tater": http://www.starwars.com/collecting/
news
/hasbro/img/20050113_1_bg.jp...
January 1 to 9, 2005
The State of Virginia allows hybrid cars to drive in high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, and this has led to so many hybrid vehicles being bought that now Virginia's HOV lanes are clogged with the...
The genome of a pollution-eating bacterium has been decoded, leading to more efficient garbage-eating biotools: http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,66188,00.htm...
Fluid flow simulation software is now open source. Implications for cheaper environmental studies and wind/water energy generation prototypes...
Here's what "Auld Lang Syne" really means. The song has a long, fascinating history: http://www.worldburnsclub.com/
news
letter/auld_lang_syne_what_about.ht...
The story of 21 year-old Matt Leto, possibly the greatest video-game player ever. He likely holds over 800 world records and is set to make six digits in competitions this year...
The top ten war profiteers of 2004: http://metro
news
net.homelinux.com:81/boards/showthread.php?pc...
A Marine is jailed for refusing to pick up a gun, citing religious reasons: http://www.mlive.com/
news
/sa
news
/index.ssf?/base/
news
-13/110450641421070.xm...
Monsanto paid a $1.3 million penalty to settle charges of bribing the Indonesian government to help facilitate the cultivation of its genetically modified crops...
December 13 to 19, 2004
Researchers find a new efficient way to convert water into hydrogen by using high temperature: http://www.
news
target.com/002819.htm...
Lexar's new super-mini USB flash drive. I hope cameras incorporate this: http://
news
.com.com/Lexar+unveils+new+USB+flash+drive/2100-1041_3-5488421.html?tag=n...
Flexible Technology http://www.
news
cientist.com/article.ns?id=dn680...
Yahoo! Maps now overlays live traffic conditions on its maps. How about antialiasing those map lines first before doing any new, folks...
A nice-looking homemade iPod ad is the first true homebrew ad on the net: http://www.wired.com/
news
/mac/0,2125,66001,00.htm...
Technology that helps fight "griefers", or people in online multiplayer games that do nothing but kill and loot, frustrating everyone else. Implications for social systems...
A gamer buys a piece of virtual land for $26,500. I should enter the virtual holy cheese sandwich business: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4104731.st...
Construction on the world's tallest tower begins in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: http://www.
news
cientist.com/article.ns?id=dn678...
A New York art exhibition is stopped after showing a Bush portrait made of images of monkeys: http://www.reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml?type=top
news
&storyID=707910...
An Alabama judge wears the Ten Commandments on his robe: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=20&u=/ap/20041215/ap_on_re_us/ten_commandments_rob...
100% corn-based packaging now in use: http://www.metaefficient.com/metaefficient/archives/
news
/100-cornbased-packaging-now-in-use.htm...
Drinking green tea prevents Alzheimer's: http://www.
news
target.com/002894.htm...
The ten most accurately rated artists in rock music history: http://www.spin.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=
news
&file=article&sid=52...
December 6 to 12, 2004
The Supreme Court will hear the case on whether P2P service providers are liable for content on their systems! This popular item is worth repeating and may change how you experience, purchase, an...
"Santa's seen it all" http://www.canoe.ca/
news
Stand/EdmontonSun/Entertainment/2004/12/10/776067.htm...
Thanks to overcrowding and stress over Muslim immigrants, more are leaving Holland than entering: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
news
/main.jhtml?xml=/
news
/2004/12/11/wneth111.xm...
"Film use fading like an old photo" http://
news
.com.com/Film+use+fading+like+an+old+photo/2100-1041_3-5483832.html?part=rss&tag=5483832&subj=
news
.1041.2...
A slew of cell phone tour guide companies are taking off: http://www.wired.com/
news
/wireless/0,1382,65945,00.htm...
A nice introduction to randomness and why it's so important to science: http://www.science
news
.org/articles/20041204/bob9.as...
"Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee have asked Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell to answer for a host of voting irregularities they say occurred in Ohio Nov. 2."...
The Beginning of the Terminator http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65885,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
Watching TV "rewires" infant brains, causing behavioral disorders: http://www.
news
target.com/002754.htm...
It's still a little early to call, but here are some pictures of the year, more worthy for their subjects than aesthetics...
The Eiffel Tower has a skating rink for the first time in 115 years: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4086757.st...
November 29 to December 5, 2004
I've added a couple of experimental features to the blog which I'm still refining - one is a "Topics" link which analyzes all the words I've written. The larger the word, the more common it is. Also...
The debut of Wiki
news
, a free content
news
source that people around the world can contribute to...
Here's an overview of the current tech jobs in demand: http://
news
.com.com/Some+tech+skills+getting+pay+boost/2100-1022_3-5475210.html?part=rss&tag=5475210&subj=
news
.1022.2...
"No Child Unrecruited" http://www.motherjones.com/
news
/outfront/2002/11/ma_153_01.htm...
The Red Cross says Guantanamo is worse than Abu Ghraib: http://www.salon.com/
news
/feature/2004/12/01/redcross/index_np.htm...
The CIA is funding efforts to spy on chat rooms: http://
news
.com.com/2100-7348_3-5466140.htm...
A new consumer surveillance tool allows people to view satellite images of the ground at a resolution of two feet: http://www.reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml?type=internet
news
&storyID=694688...
The world is not growing enough food to meet the rising population: http://www.
news
target.com/002639.htm...
Relax - high blood pressure makes you stupid: http://www.
news
target.com/002674.htm...
"Researchers compost old mobile phones & transform them into flowers": http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/
news
andevents/pressreleases/NE1000000097300...
Scientists figure out how to make hydrogen from sunflower oil. Does this mean that one day I'll be able to power my car from my cell phone compost pile? http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3601130.st...
Artwork that comes with its own URL - the URL has become a work of art in itself: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4066893.st...
November 22 to 28, 2004
Meanwhile, here's an article on the democratic effects of the "blog revolution" in China. "...the information flow in the blogosphere has its own Way. The Way is our strategy: personal, fast...
New algorithms purport to tell real artwork from fakes: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65794,00.htm...
A ten-year-old toasted cheese sandwich said to bear the image of Virgin Mary sold for $28,000 on eBay: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4034787.st...
The chief economist at MorganStanley predicts that America has a 90% chance of an economic "armageddon", citing a number of "alarming facts"...
Gold teeth, freaking, and baggy pants - teenagers these days are driving school principals nuts! http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/
news
/nation/10289574.ht...
The story of Mr. Wu, a farmer in Tongzhou, China, who invents robots made with metal, duct tape, and second-hand batteries: http://www.sky.com/sky
news
/article/0,,30000-13251033,00.htm...
How the government uses laser printers to track documents. Since about 1995, color laser printers have microencoded the printer's serial number on every printed document. Use a blue LED light to se...
Experts say the health of the ocean is linked to Hawaii's economic health, warn of problems: http://starbulletin.com/2004/11/23/
news
/story13.htm...
A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is now walking again, thanks to stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood...
More than 27% of U.S. babies were delivered by Caesarean section, the highest percentage since 1996...
Everybody reported on the dolphins that protected four New Zealand swimmers from sharks: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cidW0&ncidu3&e=3&u=/nm/20041123/sc_nm/life_newzealand_dolphins_d...
November 15 to 21, 2004
Why doesn't someone in Hawaii go into the LIDAR 3D mapping business? Hollywood pays millions for LIDAR 3D models for use in movies, and to date there are no models of the islands...
New hybrid buses have started in Honolulu and wow the public. New smart card bus passes, too: http://starbulletin.com/2004/11/19/
news
/story3.htm...
Kaho'olawe restoration volunteers are needed: http://starbulletin.com/2004/11/18/
news
/story12.htm...
New businesses are sprouting up to meet demand for the new Firefox browser, now used by 19% of users according to some...
New yarns made of carbon nanotubes leads to smart clothing: http://www.physorg.com/
news
2038.htm...
The Library of Congress is putting 30 million pages of copyright-free
news
papers from 1836 through 1922 online...
Some think RSS is just a fad, but I think it's a long-term enabling technology - "RSS Edges Into the Bureaucracy": http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65702,00.htm...
The story of one of the world's largest spammers, who made $750,000 a month from jamming your emailbox: http://ap
news
1.iwon.com//article/20041114/D86BQ2JO0.htm...
SoHo's Apple Store is New York's hottest singles spot. Add a few barstools and I'd be there all day: http://www.nypost.com/
news
/regional
news
/207031.ht...
Two of three worldwide believe their leaders are dishonest: http://www.salon.com/
news
/feature/2004/11/19/global_survey/index_np.htm...
An interview with the ex-Chief Interrogator Israel's security service: http://www.
news
cientist.com/opinion/opinterview.jsp;jsessionid=PPIKEINCBHKJ?id=ns2474...
"China Plans to Have Over 100 Eyes in the Sky by 2020": http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=4&u=/nm/20041116/sc_nm/space_china_d...
Stem cells may be the key to controlling tumors: http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,65735,00.htm...
The latest design proposals for the latest high-tech Antarctica research station: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/
news
_and_Information/Press_Releases/press_pix/14_2004/gallery...
The band Wilco had so much success with giving away their first album online, they've done it with their second. Here's an enlightening interview...
November 8 to 14, 2004
"The Persuaders" also featured a short clip of Bob Dylan in his Victoria's Secret commercial. The danger is that kids these days only know Bob Dylan as the "Victoria's Secret" guy. There is hope...
Ever need to do a little research yourself on the latest trends? Just go to Google
news
and search for a few key phrases, sorted by date. Here are four: "international survey", "scientifi...
HP's prototype biodegradable printer: http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/2002091465/www.wired.com/
news
/images/full/cornprinter_f.jp...
Transmit your own TV station via low-power TV broadcasting: http://www.indybay.org/
news
/2004/11/1704787.ph...
All about the new anti-piracy technology coming to theaters: http://www.wired.com/
news
/digiwood/0,1412,65683,00.htm...
"White collar slavery" in the video game industry: http://
news
.com.com/Electronic+Arts+faces+overtime+lawsuit/2100-1043_3-5450316.html?part=rss&tag=5450316&subj=
news
.1043.2...
The FCC further deregulates Internet phone services: http://
news
.com.com/FCC+further+deregulates+Net+calls/2100-7352_3-5444883.html?part=rss&tag=5444883&subj=
news
.7352.2...
"Submission" http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6479272/site/
news
week...
"sorryeverybody.com" spawns "werenotsorry.com" and "apologiesaccepted.com"...
The military's Gestapo/Darth Vader-like successor to the Hummer: http://
news
.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=58126...
This article gives the best "you can see the changes with your own eyes" summary of the "Global Climate Change in the U.S." report: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65654,00.htm...
Communities offering "zero-energy homes" are popping up that allow homeowners to cut as much as 90% off their utility bill: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65615,00.htm...
November 1 to 7, 2004
Election Hangover http://www.
news
8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=122743&SecID=...
The Younger Generation Speaks Out http://www.worldnetdaily.com/
news
/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=4129...
A new super-tough coating that resists wire-wool scrubbing has been developed, leading to anti-scratch CDs, DVDs, LCDs, PDAs, and other devices: http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999658...
Boeing's high-tech 7E7 jetliner slated for a 2008 launch will finally allow cabin humidity to approach humane levels: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65586,00.htm...
A picture of the corn-based biodegradeable 25GB DVD: http://dsc.discovery.com/
news
/afp/20041101/corndisc.htm...
"Cell Phones Increasingly Used to Snap the
news
...
Nat'l Guard and reserve troops make up 40% of U.S. troops in Iraq and get the worst armor and equipment: http://www.cbs
news
.com/stories/2004/10/31/60minutes/main652491.shtm...
Asian Farmers Sucking The Continent Dry http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999632...
This was all over the
news
- Americans are getting heavier, leading to tons of extra weight and fuel for airlines. And 3.8 million more tons of carbon dioxide in the air...
Stem cell manipulation induces the birth of new neurons. This work may lead to Alzheimer's and spinal cord injury cures: http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,65560,00.htm...
One of the great mysteries of evolution - that of how the eye evolved - has been solved. This mystery has been one of the arguments for introducing creationism into schools...
Healthy Clothing http://www.metaefficient.com/metaefficient/archives/
news
/wholefoods-to-start-selling-organic-clothing.htm...
A photoessay on how "The Incredibles" was created: http://
news
.com.com/Photos%3A+Creating+the+Incredibles/2009-1026_3-5439348.html?part=rss&tag=5439348&subj=
news
.1026.2...
October 25 to 31, 2004
Yes, the same Hart eSlate voting machines used in Hawaii caused Democratic votes to turn into Republican ones in Austin, Texas: http://www.kevcom.com/kevs
news
/files/hart...
The world's first single atom-thick fabric: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/press
news
/discoveryoftwo-dimensionalfabric...
New gold CD-Rs are said to last 300 years: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041029/ap_on_hi_te/techbits_cd_dv...
New 4GB flash SD cards: http://www.dpreview.com/
news
/0410/04102702sandisk_highcapcards.as...
The First Networked Open Source Community? http://www.kevcom.com/kevs
news
/?m=20041018.1....
Spyware is on 80% of PCs, viruses on 20%. But 77% of people think they're safe. Is this the same 80% that think evoting is secure, despite expert evidence...
An article on cell-phone video dating: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
news
/main.jhtml?xml=/
news
/2004/10/30/nvid30.xml&sSheet=/
news
/2004/10/30/ixhome.htm...
LCD sales are expected to rise by a factor of 10 before 2010: http://
news
.com.com/Flat-panel+demand+to+soar%2C+study+says/2100-1040_3-5195634.html?tag=n...
Best Buy opens online photo processing labs: http://
news
.com.com/Best+Buy+opens+online+photo-processing+lab/2100-1032_3-5432615.html?part=rss&tag=5432615&subj=
news
.1032.2...
"New report warns of pace of Arctic climate change": http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/
news
/local/10059420.ht...
Guess we'll all be eating squid in the future. There are more squids than humans by biomass now, thanks to overfishing and climate change...
Hypoallergenic cats and glowing deer: http://biz.yahoo.com/pr
news
/041026/phtu021_1.htm...
Dead things are a core part of the ecosystem. But many forests are in trouble due to excessive dead wood removal: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3946273.st...
New autostitching algorithms make seamless panoramas a snap. Now will someone please make a Photoshop plug-in or simple OSX GUI for this...
The great history of Sun Studio, the most influential recording studio ever: http://www.wired.com/
news
/roadtrip/riverroad/0,2704,65180,00.htm...
The RIAA issues its first gold, platinum, and multiplatinum certifications for digitally downloaded music...
Billboard Magazine starts a new chart for top ringtones: http://
news
.com.com/Billboard+chimes+in+on+ring+tones/2100-1039_3-5426742.html?part=rss&tag=5426742&subj=
news
.1039.2...
The rock band Marillion asked online fans to contribute money towards new albums - and has raised almost $1 million so far...
October 18 to 24, 2004
Re-establishing the Ancient Internet http://starbulletin.com/2004/10/23/
news
/story1.htm...
San Francisco sets the goal of providing everyone in the city free wireless access: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20041022/wr_nm/tech_sanfrancisco_d...
USB flash drives with a thumbprint reader: http://
news
.com.com/Memory+stick+turns+fingerprints+into+passwords/2110-1041_3-5421645.html?tag=prntf...
Ever needed a private room for adults? Yamaha's got one: http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=
news
&file=article&sid=59...
The median net worth of white households: $88,651. That of African-Americans: $5,988. http://www.salon.com/
news
/feature/2004/10/19/wealth_gap/index_np.htm...
According to a survey of 81 countries, Russians are the most miserable people in the world. The U.S. ranks 15th: http://mos
news
.com/
news
/2004/10/21/unhappy.shtm...
The Air Force traces a distress signal to a faulty TV: http://www.gtconnect.com/articles/2004/10/17/
news
/top_story/gtsun01.tx...
Nat'l Geographic survey - less than 15% of U.S. 18-to-24 year olds can locate Iraq on a map: http://
news
.nationalgeographic.com/
news
/2002/11/1120_021120_GeoRoperSurvey.htm...
"Humans Aren't So Complicated" http://www.wired.com/
news
/business/0,1367,65382,00.htm...
"World Living Beyond Its Environmental Means": http://www.reuters.co.uk/
news
Article.jhtml?type=science
news
&storyID=6567491§ion=new...
Once the Yucca Mountain 40,000-year nuclear waste repository opens in 2010, it will be 1/3 smaller than needed to store all the accumulated waste by then...
"Heavy traffic bad for your heart": http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3761012.st...
Warm offices are linked to higher productivity: http://www.
news
wise.com/public/articles/507802.htm...
"Scientists are developing a pill to reduce the terror of a traumatic event": http://www.acf
news
ource.org/science/memory_pill.htm...
Researchers develop an electronic replacement rat neuron that works "with a 95% accuracy rate": http://wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,65422-2,00.html?tw=wn_story_page_next...
The photojournal of a modern geisha in Kyoto: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/asia_pac_geisha/html/1.st...
ASCAP seals a huge deal to "let stations legally stream their on-air content over the "Internet": http://
news
.com.com/2100-1026_3-5414725.htm...
October 11 to 17, 2004
The first waterless dishwater uses supercritical carbon dioxide: http://www.unsw.edu.au/
news
/adv/articles/2004/oct/Rockpool.htm...
It's been a while since a Hawaii-based tech company made big
news
- CherryOS (based on Maui) touts a MacOSX emulator for PCs, and their Web site is getting slammed...
Is this the beginning of "jacking into cyberspace"? http://www.usatoday.com/
news
/health/2004-10-10-braingate-cover_x.ht...
Advertising is coming to RSS feeds near you. If you're putting ads in RSS, don't overdo it! http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65347,00.htm...
"Center for the Digital Future Identifies the 10 Major Trends Emerging in the Internet’s First Decade of Public Use" - TV down, net up, averaging 12.5 hrs/week...
Printer forensics can now trace documents to specific (laser) printers: http://
news
.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/2004/041011.Delp.forensics.htm...
"1/3 of the world's frogs, toads and newts are on the brink of extinction", thanks to pollution: http://www.theherald.co.uk/
news
/26091.htm...
The average mpg of a 40-foot Gillig Phantom bus, used in Honolulu: about 4. The average mpg of a hybrid-diesel bus used in Seattle: 7.5. http://www.wired.com/
news
/autotech/0,2554,65273,00.htm...
China faces an obesity epidemic: http://www.medical
news
today.com/medical
news
.php?
news
id=1488...
"McDonald's Losing Revenue in World-Wide Market" http://www.thehilltoponline.com/
news
/2003/04/11/NationWorld/Mcdonalds.Losing.Revenue.In.WorldWide.Market-415308.shtm...
Can nanofiltration solve the world's water problems? http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65287,00.htm...
In related
news
, 44 native remains found on the new Wal-Mart location in Honolulu await reburial...
Wal-Mart is battling the biggest labels over CD prices. This is basically a lose-lose-lose-lose situation here... Wal-Mart drives the music industry, labels get squeezed, consumers get less choice...
October 4 to 10, 2004
New nanoswitches could revolutionize data storage: http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/
news
/releases/display.php?id=78...
Finally, a startup uses BitTorrent-like tech for online movies: http://
news
.com.com/Start-up+delivers+movie+downloads/2110-1032_3-5395970.html?part=rss&tag=5395970&subj=
news
.1032.2...
Podcasting puts audio content you want to hear on your iPod. One day you can podcast Howard Stern from XM Radio! http://www.wired.com/
news
/digiwood/0,1412,65237,00.htm...
A UK photo exhibit shows real people next to their online virtual 3D character: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3683260.st...
"A senior U.S. military intelligence officer says that information obtained from prisoners at Guantanamo has proved useless in the war on terror"...
More
news
on efforts to restore coral reefs via low voltage currents, and sad statistics on worldwide coral deaths...
The world's largest wind power project starts near Beijing: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65139,00.htm...
September 27 to October 3, 2004
Hart Intercivic makes those evoting machines that people in Hawaii will be using in the upcoming general election. Here's a recent article about a letter written by a former Hart technician wh...
Future four-layer DVDs could hold 1,000 gigabytes: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3696306.st...
Telcos' latest shot in the broadband war - TV over phone lines: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,65105,00.htm...
A Microsoft server crash almost causes a 800-plane pile-up: http://www.techworld.com/opsys/
news
/index.cfm?
news
ID=227...
Digital print-on-demand bookmobiles are helping out kids in Third World countries: http://www.wired.com/
news
/culture/0,1284,64627,00.htm...
"Would You, as a Human Being, be Willing to Shake Hands with a Jew?": http://www.memri.org/bin/latest
news
.cgi?ID=SD7910...
"What a Top Reporter in Baghdad Really Thinks About the War": http://www.reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml;jsessionid=BUPIBLLDPBFU0CRBAEKSFFA?type=top
news
&storyID=638118...
California mandates free cell phone recycling. Every state should pass such a bill...
Will solar-powered ISPs take off? http://
news
.com.com/Is+there+money+in+being+%27green%27%3F/2100-1012_3-5381028.html?part=rss&tag=5381028&subj=
news
.1012.2...
Eat healthy leftovers - become a freegan! http://www.
news
day.com/features/ny-p2two3987360sep29,0,2957052.story?coll=n...
Ooh, cool jellyfish lights... http://gnr8.typepad.com/gnr8_
news
/2004/09/jelly_light.htm...
September 20 to 26, 2004
It takes a lot of energy and money to send Oahu's garbage to the mainland. Rather than spreading our trash around the planet, are there better alternatives...
The popular Kaimuki neighborhood trolley service ends. There's nothing wrong with more bus lines, but now there's less character, no open-air transportation with wide views, and less fun for tourist...
IBM scientists figure out how to make single-atom magnetic measurements, possibly leading to super-dense storage media: http://www.research.ibm.com/resources/
news
/20040909_samm.shtm...
Don't say "offshoring" anymore - the politically correct term is "global sourcing"...
In response to online classifieds,
news
papers are holding their own local auctions...
Bombing unarmed civilians in Fallujah - the video: http://www.
news
gateway.ca/Fallujah_video_massacre.ht...
Jimmy Swaggart talks about killing gays, drawing "laughter and applause" from the congregation: http://www.wsbtv.com/
news
/3752315/detail.htm...
"Automakers Give Biodiesel a Boost" http://www.wired.com/
news
/autotech/0,2554,65054,00.htm...
Using animal scents - rats for disasters and dogs for cancer: http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999642...
Discovery - morphine occurs naturally in the brain: http://wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,65053,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
Researchers are finding ways to reduce buckyball toxicity: http://
news
.com.com/Rice+lab+makes+nano+parts+less+toxic/2110-7337_3-5381544.html?part=rss&tag=5381544&subj=
news
.7337.2...
September 13 to 19, 2004
Has this startup developed the universal computer emulator? http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,64914,00.htm...
The Oprah car giveaway made a lot of money for GM. It's a sign of new types of promotions to come! http://olympics.reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml?type=business
news
&storyID=623604...
Why are political polls "a sham"? First, they don't call people with cell phones: http://www.
news
day.com/
news
/local/newyork/columnists/ny-nybres163973220sep16,0,5538561.colum...
Beer may have the same benefits as wine: http://communications.uwo.ca/media_
news
room/story.html?listing_id=14653&PHPSESSID=f154f9a200e1883aa69ae681fa5c06b...
XM radio offers online streaming music: http://
news
.com.com/XM+Radio+tunes+in+online+music+service/2100-1026_3-5367703.htm...
September 5 to 12, 2004
New breakthrough methods for creating (self-assembling) 3D nanostructures: http://www.triangletechjournal.com/
news
/article.html?item_id=66...
The newest revolution in aeronautical design-the fanwing, a quiet "sky barge": http://
news
.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=55861...
Drool... new DVD recorders with 400GB drives. Burn a one-hour DVD-R in 56 seconds: http://www.physorg.com/
news
1092.htm...
New applications of P2P technology are helping people to register to vote and search: http://www.slyck.com/
news
.php?story=56...
U.S. broadband triples in three years. 75% use cable, only 15% use DSL: http://www.
news
factor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=FCC--Broadband-Usage-Has-Tripled&story_id=2687...
Has your PC been taken over by a spamming virus? Spammers are selling your "zombie PC" to others: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/
news
/computersecurity/2004-09-08-zombieprice_x.ht...
How high-tech "fab labs" are training kids in impoverished countries to make needed tools: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,64864,00.htm...
Bring out your Uzis! The assault weapon ban has expired with much debate on both sides: http://abc
news
.go.com/sections/WNT/US/assault_weapons_ban_040908-1.htm...
"Bacteria Turn Toxins Into Plastic": http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,64862,00.htm...
"Clean Air Tech Has Ancient Roots" http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,64871,00.htm...
Lee Bontecou is one of my favorite artists - she pioneered works that addressed the connections between technology and nature, before H.R. Giger's time. Once the talk of the art world, she dropped ou...
August 30 to September 5, 2004
"Despite a strong state economy, the homeless rate in Hawaii has nearly doubled over the past four years, and the majority of the new homeless are native Hawaiians and those with some Hawaiia...
The first room temperature plastic magnets are created: http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999632...
Revolutionary lens implants for the severely nearsighted are expected to receive FDA approval soon: http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,64803,00.htm...
The world's smallest atomic clock will lead to devices with super-accurate time everywhere (1 second is lost every 300 years), affecting cryptography, global communications, etc....
Jewish groups are up in arms about the Christian cross-like podium at the Republican National Convention: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040901/pl_nm/campaign_pulpits_d...
Outsourcing Greed http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/
news
/archive/2004/09/01/international1217EDT0614.DT...
From May to July the U.S. produced 86% of the worldwide volume of spam: http://www.tech
news
world.com/story/US-Still-Tops-Spammer-List-36128.htm...
The city of Philadelphia is considering providing free or cheap wireless Internet access to everybody...
Free, unedited, translated daily TV
news
programs from the Middle East...
Are you an inefficient hypertasker? Workplace pressures, inadequate tools cause stress. I say this is a technology problem, not a brain problem...
This week's 12 and 16-year-olds marked as terrorists and apprehended by the Secret Service: http://www.
news
day.com/
news
/local/longisland/ny-likid0904,0,892344.story?coll=ny-topstories-headline...
Protesters use texting, microradio, and other technologies now: http://www.latimes.com/
news
/politics/la-et-carpenter27aug27,1,7839459,print.story?coll=la-home-politic...
Melbourne scientists say they've developed a cure for malaria: http://www.abc.net.au/
news
/
news
items/200408/s1182008.ht...
"BMI posts record year, despite music industry doom and gloom": http://arstechnica.com/
news
/posts/20040903-4156.htm...
August 22 to 29, 2004
"RSS Attracts Really Serious Money" http://www.wired.com/
news
/business/0,1367,64716,00.htm...
Finally, Coke vending machine offers cashless purchases via cell phones: http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf/CID/onair/asabt/
news
/32688...
Yet another "revolutionary spam firewall": http://
news
.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,10558883%255E3102,00.htm...
Famous tech writer John C. Dvorak calls for the death of Microsoft Word: http://abc
news
.go.com/sections/scitech/ZDM/MS_word_commentary_pcmag_040824.htm...
The plight of the minimum-wage dairy worker: http://www.salon.com/
news
/feature/2004/08/27/dairy_farms...
A new poll shows growing support for voter-verified paper trails in elections: http://www.wired.com/
news
/politics/0,1283,64700,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
It costs the U.S. Government $6.5 billion a year just to keep things secret. 90% of those things shouldn't be: http://www.wired.com/
news
/print/0,1294,64731,00.htm...
An experiment reviving coral reefs with low-voltage electrical current receives "remarkable results": http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,64671,00.htm...
New ventures try to generate electricity from sea power with wave turbines: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,64695,00.htm...
A car engine that runs off air: http://www.rednova.com/
news
/stories/3/2004/08/26/story002.htm...
A Rolling Stone report on Clear Channel, which owns 70% of live events in the U.S.: http://www.rollingstone.com/
news
/story?id=6432174&rnd=1093030170593&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.85...
August 15 to 22, 2004
I was in line at the Kalihi DMV for two hours getting a replacement license. Three of six clerks are working, and those working spend about 30 seconds each transaction just retrieving paper-base...
Coming soon - wireless cable TV anywhere: http://
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&u=/fo/20040819/bs_fo/125003bbe4961082abfaed82c5f376c...
New technologies ease the pain of (hospital) needles: http://web.mit.edu/
news
office/2004/sonoprep.htm...
Nanotech funding grows to $8.6 billion. Hype, or not? http://
news
.com.com/Nanotech+funding+to+grow+to+%248.6+billion/2100-7337_3-5310762.html?part=rss&tag=5310762&subj=
news
.7337.2...
FedEx Kinko's debuts Web-based job uploads. I didn't test it too much, but it seems to work with Safari...
A new wave of digital disposable cameras: http://reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml?type=technology
news
&storyID=601968...
Unpatched PCs are compromised in 20 minutes. Someone should make a tiny USB-powered firewall device for upgrading PCs...
"Broadband users a majority in U.S." http://www.nwfusion.com/net.worker/
news
/2004/0818netrabroad.html?net&code=nlnetflash52...
People are buying more plasma TVs: http://
news
.com.com/Report%3A+Consumers+tuning+in+to+plasma+TVs/2100-1041_3-5318404.html?part=rss&tag=5318404&subj=
news
.1041.2...
More population shifts. The world's changing! http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=14&u=/ap/world_populatio...
August 8 to 14, 2004
Topic of the Week: Changing Hawaii http://starbulletin.com/2004/08/11/
news
/story8.htm...
Revitalize the Waterfront and Downtown http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2000/May/08/image2/local
news
6_b.jp...
Save Maui http://starbulletin.com/2004/08/10/
news
/story3.htm...
Spray-on microdots reduce car theft: http://www.wired.com/
news
/autotech/0,2554,64509,00.htm...
The first(?) chip to use ultrawideband technology: http://
news
.com.com/FCC+certifies+Freescale+ultrawideband+technology/2110-1039_3-5305961.html?part=rss&tag=5305961&subj=
news
.1039.2...
"MIT study may hold key to boosting brainpower": http://web.mit.edu/
news
office/2004/sheng.htm...
Dopamine blockers turn slackers into workaholics: http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,64550,00.htm...
Why dynamic languages (still) represent the future of computing (warning: tech-heavy): http://www.activestate.com/Company/
news
Room/whitepapers_ADL.ple...
A great business model for online publishing - "fast turnaround e-books": http://wired.com/
news
/mac/0,2125,64563,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"Fewer college students choose computer majors" http://
news
.com.com/Students+saying+no+to+computer+science/2100-1022_3-5306096.html?part=rss&tag=5306096&subj=
news
.1022.2...
Fearful of viruses, hospitals running Windows-based medical systems are applying security patches, which themselves may lead to life-threatening situations...
The first mobile phone virus: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3554514.st...
E-commerce turns 10. Don't believe the hype-the first secure online Web-based shopping transaction was done via Randy Adams' Internet Shopping Network, which I developed the interface for in 1994...
A core problem: religions take themselves too seriously! They end up emphasizing symbols over ideas: http://www.csaceliacs.org/CDinthe
news
/NJCoastStar080304.ph...
Abu Ghraib: "...private-sector employees actively took part in horrifying prisoner abuse". Examines the growing trend of the government to sidestep laws by hiring corporations to do the dirty work...
3D hologram technology becomes a "powerful tool" to detect forgeries: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3552132.st...
August 2 to 8, 2004
The new, groovy world of open-source business models: http://
news
.com.com/Breaking+the+rules+with+open+source/2100-7344_3-5290983.html?tag=nefd.led...
A new building system is making polystyrene homes for the rebuilding effort in Afghanistan: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3528716.st...
A 11.7 foot high-resolution screen is displayed at a homeland security conference: http://
news
.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/2004/040727.Bertoline.Thomson.htm...
"Onion routing" may help make anonymous communications over the net more secure: http://www.wired.com/
news
/print/0,1294,64464,00.htm...
"Stealth wallpaper" can prevent insecure wireless networks from being hijacked: http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999624...
Some amazing bluetooth hacking - address book contents can be stolen from up to a mile away! Or run a sneaky bluetooth content-grabbing program from your PDA and walk around unnoticed...
Students in India and China commit suicide (and spark riots in the process) due to their inability to pay tuition/testing fees: http://in.rediff.com/
news
/2004/aug/05flip.ht...
About 22 year-old Ryan Pitlak, a marketing student who may have made hundreds of thousands from spam, coming from hundreds of shell companies he set up...
As seen in recent floods in Hawaii, storm drainage systems can clog up due to improper use. Could the use of permeable pavement systems help alleviate flooding in areas such as Manpunapuna? It'...
July 26 to August 1, 2004
After a year in operation, Kev's
news
goes online! Since everyone seems to have a blog these days, I decided to go ahead and just do it. I see the rise of blogs as a symptom of people learning how t...
The first debut of an entire TV show episode over the Internet: http://www.reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml?type=technology
news
&storyID=5776375&src=rss/technology
news
§ion=new...
Water molecules can now be moved with light, allowing the rapid testing of blood and other liquids: http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/medical
news
.php?
news
id=1140...
IBM introduces "chip morphing" technology, which enables self-repairing, evolvable computer chips: http://www.reed-electronics.com/electronic
news
/article/CA440647?spacedesc=new...
What the U.S. can learn from South Korea, where broadband is cheap, over 10 times faster, and is transforming government and society with telemedicine to the house, video on demand, and a lucrativ...
New U.S. passports out this fall will be embedded with biometric computer chips: http://www.nydaily
news
.com/front/story/215642p-185508c.htm...
About the first truly effective shark repellent, A-2: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/
news
/archive/2004/07/30/international1353EDT0604.DTL&type=scienc...
There's a "50% chance" of a major accident while cleaning up the U.S.'s dirtiest nuclear site. And there's not enough room for the waste at the large Yucca Mountain site...
July 19 to 25, 2004
"We Don't Need No Stinkin' Login": http://www.wired.com/
news
/infostructure/0,1377,64270,00.html?tw=rss.TO...
Quantum computing breakthrough - a single electron's spin is controlled using ordinary transistors: http://
news
room.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=535...
An LED research breakthrough may lead to LEDs replacing lightbulbs in five years: http://www.eetimes.com/at/
news
/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=2560014...
New algorithms detect digitally faked photos: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~
news
/releases/2004/07/01.htm...
New technologies in the running for the next replacement for hard drives, including molecular storage and cow protein...
Verizon debuts Fios, its broadband-over fiber service, 30 times faster than DSL: http://
news
.com.com/Verizon's+fiber+race+is+on/2100-1034_3-5275171.htm...
An inside look at the birth of the iPod. Its manager quit because he had no confidence it would be popular. He works for Microsoft now...
UH is building a plant waste processing facility that will net $100k a year by tunrning plant waste into charcoal: http://starbulletin.com/2004/07/21/
news
/story9.htm...
A UH breakthrough - vegetable colorants show cancer-fighting properties: http://starbulletin.com/2004/07/22/
news
/story1.htm...
The UK is thinking about compulsory "drug vaccinations" for children: http://
news
.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=54443...
The two-story Glidehouse 2, now in production: http://www.livemodern.com/Members/Marshall/
news
items/gh2sneakpeek/vie...
July 12 to 18, 2004
Samsung's new 3 million pixel camera phone: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/
news
/200407/200407110024.htm...
New chips designed in 3D stacks hit the market: http://
news
.com.com/%27High-rise%27+chips+sneak+on+market/2100-1006_3-5267738.html?tag=nefd.to...
New surfboards with shark-repelling devices will hit the market this year: http://
news
.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,10131332%255E2682,00.htm...
During the summer, Office Depot is allowing people to drop off and recycle one electronics product per day, for free: http://money.cnn.com/2004/07/13/
news
/fortune500/recycle_pc/index.ht...
The popularity of the iPod is forcing makers of CD copyright-protection technology to switch formats: http://
news
.com.com/iPod+undermines+Microsoft+on+copy-locked+CDs/2100-1027_3-5263842.htm...
What globetrotting Laurie Anderson is up to these days, NASA's first artist in residence: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5406042/site/
news
week...
According to European copyright law, Elvis' first big hit will enter the public domain in 2005, along with a lot of other still-selling music...
July 5 to 11, 2004
Have you ditched Internet Explorer yet? It's lost 1% in popularity so far, its first recorded decline in five years. That's about 300,000 people...
After two years of noodling, Ford announces the first hybrid SUV: http://www.wired.com/
news
/autotech/0,2554,64132,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
Genetic algorithms can help evolve a faster, more efficient Internet: http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999611...
Clive Sinclair rolls out the world's smallest folding bike: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20040708/od_uk_nm/oukoe_singapore_bicycl...
More about transparent videoconferencing, which has received a lot of press lately: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,64129,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"Movie piracy on Internet called an epidemic": http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/
news
/267468...
Steve Winwood's label "has seen a noticeable increase in record sales" thanks to putting a free track on file sharing networks: http://www.wired.com/
news
/digiwood/0,1412,64128,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
June 28 to July 4, 2004
"US Government warns against Internet Explorer" http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=74&e=3&u=/cmp/20040702/tc_cmp/2210340...
The first(?) application for turning your cellphone into a universal remote control: http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=
news
&file=article&sid=37...
A new hypersensitive sensor has been developed in Israel, allowing heart readings from "several feet away" without physical contact: http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,64048,00.htm...
Car VIN (vehicle identification) numbers are running out. This is a much thornier problem than the Y2K issue. With fascinating information about how VIN numbers are encoded...
All about the latest Rainbow Gathering, which attracted 10,000 and caused the Forest Service to allocate nearly $1 million for management...
"Iraqis seek self-rule on the net" http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3840019.st...
An Antarctic scientific research vessel gets equipped with two heavy-caliber machine guns to fight fish poaching off of Australia...
An article on those trying to get China to eat more vegetarian and less things like sparrow chicks, snake heads, and badgers. Old cultures are hard to change though. "Asked why she eats domestic cats...
June 21 to 27, 2004
Second, the Carlyle Group is looking to buy Verizon Hawaii - this is just part of their recent massive purchases of telecoms in the Pacific region. The deal is "complex", as it involves a number o...
If you've seen Fahrenheit 9/11, you know who the Carlyle Group is - the largest private defense contractor in the world and one of the most powerful companies that most people have never heard of...
Texas is putting wireless net access into rest stops to encourage breaks - a great idea! http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=528&e=3&u=/ap/20040621/ap_on_bi_co_ne/wi_fi_rest_stop...
"California sues food companies over mercury levels in canned tuna": http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/
news
/archive/2004/06/21/national2208EDT0765.DT...
Now here's a secondary BigChampagne report that indicates that "artists receiving little or no radio play are still gaining very significant activity on file sharing networks". Meaning...
June 14 to 20, 2004
What does the military have to say about humanity? Here's a booklet carried by Vietnam soldiers which they were told to keep at all times: http://www.kevcom.com/kevs
news
/files/humanity.pd...
This has been popular, but I love the quote: "[Defense] firms are about to pitch "a frightening new breed of stun gun" to police in America and Europe that has left human rights groups appalled abou...
A breakthrough way to compress 3D models has been invented, meaning better video games, movies, CAD applications, and more...
Japanese balloons and the importance of uncensored wartime
news
...
"Genetically-modified virus explodes cancer cells": http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999505...
This is almost a non-
news
item - I got a pristine bootleg online the other day...
June 7 to 13, 2004
Crystalens is a new laser-based technique for treating cataracts. The implanted lens moves using the power of existing eye muscles: http://starbulletin.com/2004/06/10/
news
/story9.htm...
New, smaller antennas can reach 100% efficiency: http://www.uri.edu/
news
/releases/?id=265...
Following in the footsteps of AT&T, telephone giant BT is transforming its entire phone network to using IP (Internet) protocol: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3791319.st...
Why the FCC should be abolished: http://
news
.com.com/Why+the+FCC+should+die/2010-1028_3-5226979.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=new...
For the Euro 2004 soccer championships, English fans are encouraged to smoke dope instead of drink alcohol in order to minimize potential riots...
"Declining respect for American cultural values exacerbated by the crisis in Iraq is having a potentially disastrous effect on the image of US brands such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Nike an...
May 31 to June 6, 2004
This week: unconscious passwords, isolation epidemics, and video grid time-shifting! "Future of Visual Gadgets Rolled Out" A nice summary of the Society for Information Display's internationa...
New methods and companies are forming to prevent camcorders from making pirated videotapes in movie theatres: http://
news
.com.com/2100-1023-961484.htm...
A former Microsoft technology manager bashes the company for its mediocre products and addiction to cash cows: http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0422/040602_
news
_microsoft.ph...
"Facing critical shortage of musicians for military funerals, the Pentagon has approved the use of a push-button bugle that plays taps by itself as the player holds it to his lips....
"Drowning in an Ocean of Plastic" http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,63699,00.htm...
Never mind the
news
you've read last week about the lack of sex in Japan. I'm curious about "hikikomori", a contributing condition affecting one million teen boys - they never leave their rooms...
"Childhood obesity in the United States looks significantly worse than previously believed, suggests the largest assessment ever of public school students....
May 24 to 30, 2004
Curious locals dig up Area 51 wireless perimeter sensors on public land and get busted by the FBI and Air Force agents: http://www.securityfocus.com/
news
/876...
An S.F. gallery closes after its owner is assaulted for displaying a painting depicting the abuse of Iraqi soldiers by American troops. And this in the typically "counterculture" North Beach area too...
Drink beer to reduce liver damage! (see last week's "Caffeine May Prevent Liver Damage"): http://www.
news
.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9700246%255E2,00.htm...
Now available - ultrathin lightweight flexible touch panels from Fujitsu: http://
news
.designtechnica.com/article3953.htm...
May 17 to 23, 2004
5) Things are tough enough. $45,000 is poverty level in Los Angeles: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=2026&e=7&u=/latimests/20040518/ts_latimes/thoughfarfrompoorafamilystrugglesdail...
The first 40-inch organic LED display: http://asia.cnet.com/
news
tech/personaltech/0,39001147,39179788,00.ht...
Artificial muscle technology is coming along: http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/
news
/local/8701587.ht...
Two teen poetry students give a public anti-Iraq/Bush reading. Their teacher is fired and the poetry club shut down...
"U.S. demands war crimes immunity": http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3736683.st...
Spain clubgoers are implanted with RFID chips: http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999502...
A "talking toilet" gadget that scolds men if they put the toilet seat up sells over 1.6 million units: http://www.reuters.co.uk/
news
PackageArticle.jhtml?type=top
news
&storyID=513208§ion=new...
Rupert Murdoch's first commercial waste-to-oil plant launched and makes 200 barrels a day from the turkey processing plant next door. It's 80% efficient and runs on its own energy...
$20 biodegradable cardboard speakers pack flat and actually sound decent: http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999192...
Drink coffee before hitting the bar! "Caffeine May Prevent Liver Damage": http://rednova.com/
news
/stories/2/2004/05/20/story006.htm...
Do women plan during sex? http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=1&u=/nm/20040521/od_nm/odd_germany_sex_d...
Seattle's new public library looks quirky outside but is astounding inside. May make you rethink the role of (public) architecture. And check out the great VR movies...
The New World Symphony uses Internet2 videoconferencing for orchestra training: http://
news
.com.com/Classical+finally+cracks+the+Internet/2100-1025_3-5218629.html?tag=nefd.to...
May 10 to 16, 2004
A woman lives for almost four months without half her skull due to a "delay" in medical insurance processing: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/
news
/archive/2004/05/13/national1415EDT0666.DT...
A high school prom committee falls under legal fire from the RIAA when it distributes a song played at the prom to students as a souvenir: http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2004/05/12/
news
/
news
1.tx...
More about the RIAA fudging numbers to claim sales lost to file sharing: http://www.kensei-
news
.com/bizdev/publish/factoids_us/article_23374.shtm...
Hawaii's capital is crawling with algae! http://starbulletin.com/2004/05/12/
news
/story3.htm...
The UK is trying "chewing gum posters" to help alleviate gum on the street, and there have been "tangible results". Gum is a $225M/year problem...
Are jet-created clouds responsible for some climate change? http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,63365,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"Defects from smog passed on in mice" http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Article
news
/TPStory/LAC/20040514/HGENES14/TPHealth...
May 3 to 9, 2004
The Sasser worm, developed by an 18 year-old in Germany who also made the ubiquitous "Netsky" email virus, infected an estimated million computers last week, 80% of which belonged to home users an...
Current chip design is overkill, often applying more precision to tasks when needed. By making chips that guess results when needed, one may be able to reduce power usage by a factor of 1,000...
A high-level report from the 2004 Flexible Displays & Electronics Conference: http://www.pcworld.com/
news
/article/0,aid,115963,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.as...
Don't forget about the new 400GB hard drives! http://www.pcworld.com/
news
/article/0,aid,115839,00.as...
The "eBay economy" is growing. This is a great business idea - sell things on eBay for others. Mailbox places should take this up as an additional service...
A public library's success story in converting its public access systems to Linux: http://www.
news
forge.com/os/04/05/03/1520209.shtm...
Laser spectroscopy is now being used to detect suicide bombers in Israel. Why don't the lidar folks at UH get into this? http://www.abc.net.au/
news
/
news
items/s1100567.ht...
Will false teeth be a thing of the past? Successful experiments have regrown teeth from stem cells: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Article
news
/TPStory/LAC/20040504/TEETH04/TPScience...
I forgot to add this last week - killer whales are getting louder in response to the din of whale-watching boats: http://www.science
news
.org/articles/20040501/fob2.as...
"Blood pressure rising in kids" - I'm starting to get tired of these "X rising in kids" articles... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Article
news
/TPStory/LAC/20040505/HHYPER05/TPHealth...
April 26 to May 2, 2004
More
news
about the amazing Toyota Volta (the first hybrid sports car) which looks great, goes from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, and gets 40 mpg...
Laser-based retinal imaging technology is finally maturing, with over 100 such displays now in use by the Army's Stryker Brigade: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3647437.st...
A new open-source software kit turns batches of old, obsolete PCs into wireless community networks: http://wifinet
news
.com/archives/003279.htm...
The first criminal charges under the nation's "can-spam" laws have been filed: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/
news
/archive/2004/04/28/national1809EDT0777.DT...
As an experiment, every 5th- and 6th-grader at this Texas elementary school is getting a laptop with digital versions of textbooks and 2,000 works of literature...
"Green tea provides a more effective and environmentally-friendly method of preparing computer hard disks, say US scientists." In certain applications it's better than diamond for polishing...
"Eco-friendly" diapers may not be so eco-friendly after all: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,63182,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"Study Blames Corn Syrup for Rise of Diabetes in US": http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=16&u=/nm/health_syrup_d...
An analysis of John Lennon's private jukebox provides a fascinating glimpse into his influences and musical rip-offs: http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/
news
/story/0,11711,1164013,00.htm...
April 19 to 25, 2004
This week's theme: helping Hawaii be more eco-tech-friendly. 1) Keep Act 221 to high-tech, and make a new act specifically for television and movie production. The two industries have different needs...
2) Support blending ethanol with gasoline, and support the growth of local ethanol manufacturers. Which raw (waste) materials are cost-effective to import to Hawaii to produce ethanol? Does importin...
3) How about this for a cleanup-inducing pilot project? But use the voices of well-known locals: Berlin's pilot program of talking trash cans that congratulate you when used have proven to be a hug...
And Intel plans to cut the lead content of computer chips by 95%: http://www.signonsandiego.com/
news
/business/20040407-1355-ca-intel-lead.htm...
Voting machines company Diebold may face criminal charges: http://www.wired.com/
news
/evote/0,2645,63191,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
Like the razor and the toothbrush, the yo-yo is getting more and more seriously high-tech: http://www.science
news
.org/articles/20040417/bob9.as...
"Hawaii tops nation in extinctions": http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/23/
news
/story2.htm...
"Rate of Ocean Circulation Directly Linked to Abrupt Climate Change": http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
news
room/MediaAlerts/2004/2004042216883.htm...
Study: "less soft drinks reduces obesity": http://www.usatoday.com/
news
/health/2004-04-22-soft-drinks_x.ht...
If you listen to a CD I give you, will you be busted? As part of a nationwide crackdown, the FBI raided Deer Valley High School: http://www.azcentral.com/
news
/articles/0421dvraid-ON.htm...
April 12 to 18, 2004
It's the 10th anniversary of unsolicited commercial email, aka spam. Yay, not. On my servers I got about 1,500 spams daily until I installed a custom filtering system. Now it's down to about 20, bu...
An extensive 20-year study of a baboon troop found a permanent, unprecedented cultural shift occurred when the most violent, dominant males died out from a tuberculosis outbreak...
A study finds that the average (Windows) PC has 28 spyware programs on it, each of which may send your private information to other parties without your knowledge...
A study shows that the most dangerous music to play while driving is "Ride of the Valkyries". Also, go light on the techno: http://www.suntimes.com/output/
news
/cst-nws-tunes15.htm...
AT&T's new music identification service seems to work pretty well: http://www.dailywireless.com/modules.php?name=
news
&file=article&sid=179&mode=&order=0&thold=...
The Pixies played together in public for the first time in about 12 years: http://www.mtv.com/
news
/articles/1486354/20040414/story.jhtm...
A new firefighting chemical looks and acts just like water, but it doesn't get things wet: http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/
news
/04132004_bb_sapphire.htm...
April 5 to 11, 2004
"NEC Develops Fastest Rechargeable Battery" http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/
news
/29967...
"Americans are increasingly resorting to stomach-shrinking surgery so much so that health experts and insurance companies are becoming alarmed": http://www.
news
-medical.net/view_article.asp?id=38...
"Dodgy Patents Rile Tech Industry" http://www.wired.com/
news
/business/0,1367,62930,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"Scotts Testing Genetically Modified Grass" http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=624&e=2&u=/ap/20040409/ap_on_sc/bioengineered_gras...
"Disaster looms if Greenland's ice cap melts" http://www.suntimes.com/output/
news
/cst-nws-ice09.htm...
"Easy-to-use unit converts scrap wood to electricity" http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=red
news
/2004/04/09/build/business/30-wood2electric.in...
March 31, 2004
"Building modernism on a pre-fab budget" http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Article
news
/TPStory/LAC/20040310/ROCHON10/TPEntertainment/TopStorie...
"Co-housing brings neighbors closer" http://www.collegian.com/v
news
/display.v/ART/2004/03/10/404ebc2d7e6e...
Hawaii construction and typical apartment developments use a lot of concrete, a material that John Lautner considered "most desireable" for his needs. But these developments often end up being block...
March 29 to April 5, 2004
"Nude women have been on the menu at The Sutler for years, but the Nashville pub covered up the 19th-century Victorian photos after being warned they might be too racy for state law....
"The Molvania Tourists Rarely Get to See" http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=1&u=/nm/20040401/od_nm/britain_travel_d...
A brawl involving 750 students that resulted in two arrests and eleven suspensions broke out during an anger management assembly at a suburban high school...
"How E-Voting Threatens Democracy" http://www.wired.com/
news
/evote/0,2645,62790,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1...
Scubadoo, the first underwater motorcycle! Will it revolutionize scuba diving? http://www.gizmo.com.au/public/
news
/
news
.asp?articleid=275...
Microsoft reports that 16 million PCs were affected by the recent MSBlast virus, ten times more than previously thought: http://
news
.com.com/2100-7349_3-5184439.html?tag=nefd_to...
"Spreadsheets: 25 Years in a Cell" http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=1738&e=5&u=/zd/20040323/tc_zd/12197...
news
map, an interesting way to visually show
news
. Not sure if it's useful, but it is kind of pretty...
"Study: File-Sharing No Threat to Music Sales" http://
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&u=/washpost/20040330/tc_washpost/a34300_2004mar2...
Some bands find their fans are donating thousands to charities to make up for their file sharing: http://www.rollingstone.com/
news
/
news
article.asp?nid=195...
"Dogs do resemble their owners, finds study" http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999483...
March 22 to 28, 2004
"Congress Moves to Criminalize P2P" http://www.wired.com/
news
/digiwood/0,1412,62830,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"U.S. students shun computer sciences": http://www.mercury
news
.com/mld/mercury
news
/
news
/8263034.ht...
The first device ever with an electronic paper display, a reading device, hits the shelves next month, with a 170dpi screen: http://www.eink.com/
news
/releases/pr70.htm...
"Soya-powered planes promise greener air travel" http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999481...
The pros and cons of Quorn, the "fungus-based meat substitute" that was introduced to the U.S. in 2002...
March 15 to 21, 2004
Three out of four Americans have access to the Internet! http://www.pr
news
wire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK3.story&STORY=/www/story/03-18-2004/000213051...
Books on how having more choices makes you unhealthy and unhappy: http://www.swarthmore.edu/
news
/text/schwartz3.htm...
Office workers are exposed to more germs from phones and keyboards than toilet seats: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3505414.st...
There is NO excuse not to buy a PC (non-laptop) larger than a shoebox any more. Anything larger is wasteful, ugly, energy and noise polluting. Here's the Nanode, the first Nano-ITX-based PC...
One quarter of cell phones in 2004 will include a camera: http://www.rcr
news
.com/cgi-bin/
news
.pl?
news
Id=1727...
Samsung introduces the first 2-megapixel camera phone: http://
news
.com.com/2100-1041_3-5176228.html?tag=nefd_to...
Anti-vandal technology has been installed that detects spray can sounds. Of course, once the above device is marketed, you can circumvent this with silent spray cans...
A steep decline in "birds, butterflies and native plants" in Britain is alarming scientists: http://www.wired.com/
news
/culture/0,1284,62715,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
Apple sells 50 million songs over the Internet: http://www.forbes.com/
news
wire/2004/03/15/rtr1299214.htm...
Some independent music stores are finding that "file sharing can help create a buzz online that can lead to more sales": http://www.wired.com/
news
/digiwood/0,1412,62742,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
March 8 to 14, 2004
Preventable deaths from obesity are overtaking tobacco - this was a pretty big
news
item last week...
But I always enjoy the European take on these
news
items - "Fat of the land is killing more Americans than cigarettes"...
...so here's a pill that allows you to do it - it speeds weight loss and helps smokers kick the habit at once: http://
news
.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=49965...
A new DVD recorder from HP burns silkscreen-like labels on the entire side of the disc: http://www.pcworld.com/
news
/article/0,aid,114592,tk,wb030804x,00.as...
The most comprehensive picture even taken from the Hubble Telescope was unveiled. It shows nearly 10,000 galaxies. They offer super-high resolution pictures, suitable for printing on large canvas a...
It's officially true! Thanks to confirmation from China's first astronaut, you CANNOT see the Great Wall from space! http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3505040.st...
March 1 to 7, 2004
To save money, school systems and other organizations are building their own DIY fiber networks and selling off the excess bandwidth instead of paying up the nose to regional operators (such a...
Philips developed a "fluid lens" - a variable-focus lens system with no mechanical moving parts that mimics the human eye's focusing mechanism...
The first car designed by women for women was launched at the Geneva Auto Show, with emphasis on comfort, storage, and low maintenance: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3528757.st...
Also (to be) shown at the show, the first hybrid sports car from a major automaker (Toyota). It looks groovy, gets 31 mpg, and goes from 0 to 60 in four seconds...
Heard of SCO, that company that's suing Linux users? According to an acknowledged memo, Microsoft may be funding them to the tune of $86 million... but it is clear that Microsoft wishes to fund SC...
An influential Washington policy group released a report stating that the entertainment industry's pursuit of anti-piracy laws is bad for business and for the economy...
Wireless technology is helping native Americans in California go online and learn computing skills: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3489932.st...
Movieoke is taking over! Lip-sync to your favorite scenes from movies: http://www.fox
news
.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,113222,00.htm...
"For the first time, a microbial fuel cell has generated electricity while cleaning wastewater, a development that could make sewage treatment more affordable for both industrialized and developin...
February 23 to 29, 2004
Congratulations! You may be a content provider! "Nearly half of U.S. Internet users have built Web pages, posted photos, written comments or otherwise added to the enormous variety of materia...
This has been pretty popular, but for those who don't know... DJ Danger Mouse released the critically acclaimed "The Grey Album", a remix of rap vocals and the Beatles' White Album. EMI demands a hal...
Face recognition technology will be incorporated into the MPEG-7 standard, allowing one to retrieve a scene with a specific person in a 24-hour video in one second. Of course, this has far-reachin...
10 million Pacific giant crabs are invading Norway's coast and destroying the local ecology. "But Glenn, a 30-year-old car mechanic, replied: 'It's true the seabed now looks like the Sahara but the...
February 16 to 22, 2004
Hoo boy, lots of
news
this week. You heard it here first, folks! Leaked Pentagon report warns climate change may bring famine, war "LONDON (AFP) - A secret report prepared by the Pentagon warns tha...
Got a Mac? Hallelujah! http://www.macworld.co.uk/
news
/top_
news
_item.cfm?
news
ID=798...
Polaroid Warns Film Users Not to 'Shake It' http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=581&e=1&u=/nm/20040217/tc_nm/tech_polaroid_outkast_d...
The Pentagon researches ways for GIs to fight for up to five days without a break. Have they not heard of crack? "The question is: 'Are there temporary biochemical approaches we can use to squeeze th...
Brain Fingerprinting http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3495433.st...
Add wireless to your business! At Schlotzsky's in Texas, a survey finds that more than 40 percent of customers say that free wireless access is a factor in choosing the restaurant to dine at...
And get a flat panel display too! They're more environmentally friendly... Flat panels to outpace CRTs in 2004 http://
news
.com.com/2100-1041_3-5161666.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=new...
I can't wait to upgrade my memory! Cells-on-silicon breakthrough "Researchers... have found that nerve cells grown on a microchip can learn and memorize information which can be communicated to th...
NTT Develops Stamp-Size 1GB Hologram Memory http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/
news
/29092...
Mathematical formula 'predicts marriage breakdown' "The mathematics we came up with is trivial, but the model is astonishingly accurate": http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999467...
February 9 to 15, 2004
The SPAMmobile hits Hawaii for the first time: "It's like God has landed on the earth," a local man said, shaking my hand, taking in the glory of the SPAMmobile. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry....
Borneo Forest Faces Extinction http://www.wired.com/
news
/culture/0,1284,62252,00.htm...
A Swedish company has developed an environmentally friendly way to dispose of (and recycle) bodies. This is as opposed to the current methods, whose byproducts are polluting incinerators, toxi...
Can technology save us from the future oil crash? "Researchers say they have produced hydrogen from ethanol in a prototype reactor small enough and efficient enough to heat small homes and powe...
February 2 to 8, 2004
A new art form! Combine caroling with shouting - and you have this Finnish group of men that wears black suits with ties made of car tires: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3454567.st...
January 26 to February 1, 2004
Well, the last week has been short on
news
, due to my being stuck in California at a crappy hotel - Crowne Plaza - the toilet's broken, the hot/cold faucets are reversed, the vending machine doesn'...
China Tightens Web Control http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3434115.st...
Yet another serious flaw in Microsoft software that may not even be fixable: http://www.techworld.com/
news
/index.cfm?fuseaction=display
news
&
news
ID=94...
news
on "The Corporation" - which analyzes the institution known as the corporation as if it were the person that it legally is. The analysis? It "fully meets the diagnostic criteria of a psychopath"...
"Philips unit unveils "rollable" displays": http://www.eetimes.com/sys/
news
/OEG20040126S002...
"Wireless Cable TV In The Works": http://www.wired.com/
news
/wireless/0,1382,62061,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"Scientist Create New Form of Matter": http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=3&u=/nm/20040128/sc_nm/science_matter_d...
January 19 to 25, 2004
An aspiring filmmaker made a splash at Sundance with the first feature-length film ever made with nothing but iMovie. Total cost of the production: $218...
"Republican staff members of the US Senate Judiciary Commitee infiltrated opposition computer files for a year, monitoring secret strategy memos and periodically passing on copies to the media"...
January 12 to 18, 2004
"The average age of people who buy fitness equipment is 31," Mr Martinez told BBC
news
Online, "and the average age of gamers is 29....
Atoms can be seen and counted with the new SuperSTEM microscope: http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,61892,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
Cuba cracks down on Internet use: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3386413.st...
The federal government plans to analyze employees' hair, sweat, and saliva as a part of new drug tests: http://www.cbs
news
.com/stories/2004/01/15/tech/main593356.shtm...
January 5 to 11, 2004
One Sri Lankan's take on globalism and its effect on world cultures (November 2003): http://www.daily
news
.lk/2003/12/05/fea12.htm...
A behind-the-scenes article on illegal online movie-swapping teams: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story2&u=/latimes_ts/20040107/ts_latimes/secretmoviemoguls&e=...
Burger King customers told: 'You are too fat to have a Whopper' http://www.ananova.com/
news
/story/sm_853744.html?menu=
news
.latestheadline...
The FBI can now obtain financial records without requiring a judge's permission: http://www.wired.com/
news
/privacy/0,1848,61792,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
The FBI gathered hotel guest list information on 270,000 in Las Vegas: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jan-07-Wed-2004/
news
/22934251.htm...
Yet another international study on global warming was released - 1/4 of all species could be extinct by 2050? "Global Warming Imperils Species...
December 29 to January 4, 2004
Happy New Year! Slow
news
week though...
Did you have champagne over the holidays? Tiny bubbles are better - when picking champagne, look for more, smaller bubbles: http://dsc.discovery.com/
news
/briefs/20031229/champagne.htm...
December 22 to 28, 2003
Hope everyone had a happy 2003! Kev's
news
is now six months old. (Obligatory holiday picture link below)...
"10 Ads America Won't See" http://www.adage.com/
news
.cms?
news
Id=3942...
Spamming and phishing The PayPal email scam - and other fake corporate email scams - are getting more insidious lately. Beware! The term for this is "phishing", and attacks increased by 400% in th...
Yet another victim of the Nigerian Email Scam. It's become or 4th or 5th largest industry there! This article has interesting details on how it's done these days, involving dozens of actors, props...
"Fax - the technology that refuses to die" http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_
news
/magazine/3320515.st...
December 15 to 21, 2003
Your Vote's In Safe Hands (not): http://www.wired.com/
news
/evote/0,2645,61640,00.htm...
The first federal law regulating spam was passed, but it may do more harm than good: http://
news
.com.com/2100-1028_3-5124724.htm...
Nanoscale fibers smaller than the wavelengths of light have been developed - see the picture of one winding around a human hair! http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/
news
/03/pr03147.ht...
Sony has developed the first autonomous running robot: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,61658,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
The anatomy of a Hawaiian high-tech
news
item This year, a UH-Manoa researcher working with international collaborators discovered a new unknown subatomic particle, called X(3872)...
Big
news
, huh? Here's how it got around...
December 8 to 14, 2003
Whoo boy, lots of new stuff in the world lately. Guess I'll just jump in: http://www.wired.com/
news
/evote/0,2645,61543-2,00.html?tw=wn_story_page_next...
When Apple opened its first non-U.S. store in Tokyo, it created the longest line ever seen in the Ginza district, with 2,400 people spanning 10 long city blocks...
A new way to filter out toxins from the blood has been invented. It uses magnetized nanoaparticles, and may revolutionize current dialysis techniques as well as eliminate certain classes of diseases...
Cerritos, CA becomes the first entire city to go completely wireless: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=562&ncid=738&e=8&u=/ap/20031211/ap_on_hi_te/wi_fi_cit...
"Motorist gets vehicle registered online during traffic stop" http://cbsnewyork.com/nj
news
/NJ--NJO--OnlineRegist-jn/resources_
news
_htm...
A nice slide show on "Aging in America". For the first time in the U.S., there will soon be more people over 55 than 18 and under: http://www.msnbc.com/
news
/946607.as...
December 1 to 7, 2003
Are you a "pack rat"? "Facing jail because his house is filled to the brim, a hoarder finds hope in a woman with a talent for organizing...
Australia to Boost Great Reef Protection http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=624&e=3&u=/ap/20031203/ap_on_sc/australia_great_barrier_reef_...
"Public Libraries Use Internet to Sell Old Books, Help Budgets" http://www.tech
news
world.com/perl/story/32269.htm...
Old "lost" Hawaiian literature is getting resurrected via e-books: http://starbulletin.com/2003/12/01/
news
/story6.htm...
The "online citizen movement" MoveOn is getting stronger... http://www.salon.com/
news
/feature/2003/12/01/moveon/index_np.htm...
In an effort to thwart modern spam filters, spammers are now using excerpts of classic novels and poetry in their emails: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3247200.st...
November 24 to 30, 2003
"Congress Expands FBI spying Power" http://www.wired.com/
news
/politics/0,1283,61341,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
Abercromie & Fitch got in hot, steamy water last week for their R- and X- rated clothing catalog. Their first sweater doesn't show up until page 122. The people in their catalog aren't wearin...
New labels for fruit change color as the fruit ripens... http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999442...
November 17 to 23, 2003
Kev's
news
is now using a mailing list program, which means that people can subscribe and unsubscribe automatically, all from...
You can subscribe to calendars, view monthly summaries, and more. Media organizations can pick up RSS
news
feeds at...
We now return you to our weekly broadcast. Lots of new science/tech this week for some reason... Things got a little heated in London...
Austism, its role in genius, and the latest theories about the disorder: http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/
news
/7337997.ht...
The rise of informal iPod sharing: http://www.wired.com/
news
/mac/0,2125,61242,00.htm...
A new unexplainable sub-atomic particle has been found: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3277579.st...
Pebble Bed Modular Reactors may be the future of nuclear power, as their design eliminates the possibility of a meltdown: http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,61088,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"Technion scores nanotechnology breakthrough" http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999440...
November 10 to 16, 2003
A new study of love confirms that the brain patterns made when people first fall in love are the same one gets when eating chocolate: http://www.
news
cientist.com/
news
/
news
.jsp?id=ns9999437...
People are increasingly naming their kids after brand names. In 2000, almost 300 girls were named Armani: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3268161.st...
On Kauai, the Navy wants 6,000 more acres of land... http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2003/11/03/
news
/
news
02.tx...
"Who are they and what do they want?" http://
news
.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=46417...
"Playlistism" http://www.wired.com/
news
/mac/0,2125,61177,00.htm...
Some popular
news
stories: Scientists have created the first artificial virus (and it reproduces)...
November 3 to 9, 2003
Kev's
news
: No matter what happens, there it is! Did you know that this is the Year of the Hawaiian Forest? In honor, here's a picture from last week of what they're replacing the forests with.....
Unlike the U.S., Australians "do e-voting right" by opening up the software running their voting systems to public scrutiny: http://www.wired.com/
news
/ebiz/0,1272,61045,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
"Music fans in the US are buying almost twice as many singles in digital form over the internet as they are on CDs from stores, according to a report"...
The home of New Society publishers, a great publisher of books on sustainable living: http://www.
news
ociety.com...
Scientists are now visiting "traditional herbalists" in search of breakthrough drugs. http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,61090,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
October 27 to November 2, 2003
Quote of the week: "If voting could really change things, it would be illegal." -- Revolution Books, New York, NY Feel safe? Last week was "Protection From Pornography Week"...
Obesity is THE worst killer in the U.S. http://www.channel
news
asia.com/stories/health/view/54595/1/.htm...
The first optical processor, which computes at the speed of light... http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,61009,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_6(Picture...
Infrared light heals wounds/boosts immunity, but nobody knows why: http://www.wired.com/
news
/medtech/0,1286,60786,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1...
"Why Those Young Men Aren’t Watching TV Anymore" http://www.abc
news
.go.com/sections/Business/SiliconInsider/SiliconInsider-1.htm...
October 27, 2003
Kev's
news
: None of the
news
you want to hear, all the
news
you need to hear! Electricity from water The first new method of generating electricity in 150 years...
Sanyo is making corn-derived biodegradable CDs - they'll hit stores in December. Much better for landfills. They degrade after 50-100 years: http://www.pcworld.com/
news
/article/0,aid,112979,00.as...
Next year public, free globally connected 10-foot high 24-hour cylindrical videoconferencing portals will be set up in major cities...
A school has begun tracking students with RFID devices, the first known school to identify and track its children. Good? Bad? http://www.wired.com/
news
/technology/0,1282,60898,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_...
The Military and Makua http://starbulletin.com/2003/10/26/
news
/art7b.jp...
The fires in Southern California as seen from space (picture): http://us.
news
2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20031026/capt.ny11310262336.california_wildfires_ny113.jp...
October 20, 2003
Some interesting facts about Wal-Mart, which is making a push to open hundreds of new "supercenters": http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-
news
/990922/post...
A summary of the launch of iTunes for Windows this week: http://www.apple.com/hot
news
/articles/2003/10/musicevent...
October 14, 2003
Spread of AIDS among Young ‘A Global Catastrophe’: http://www.
news
.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=202879...
Homeland Defense employee has his German fiance detained, handcuffed, jailed, and after 20 hours without food, shipped back to Germany, without being officially arrested, a la "The Patriot Act".....
October 6, 2003
"Girl, 5, makes bong in class" http://
news
.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7401630%255E13569,00.htm...
"3G Mobile Signals Can Cause Nausea, Headache" http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=581&e=7&u=/nm/20030930/tc_nm/health_mobile_damage_d...
"The Incredible Shrinking Studio" http://www.wired.com/
news
/digiwood/0,1412,60639,00.htm...
September 30, 2003
"A prototype digital video system producing images of such high quality that the human eye struggles to distinguish them from reality has been developed by Japanese engineers...
You heard it here first folks. Windows is indeed a threat to national security: http://www.internetwk.com/breaking
news
/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1520028...
This is a pretty funny design. Sorry. http://www.ananova.com/
news
/story/sm_822534.html?menu=
news
.quirkie...
A Jurassic-age plant once thought extinct has been discovered, cultivated, and commercialized: http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3139450.st...
September 22, 2003
All about the best slot machine cheater ever: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/
news
/2003-08-11-slot-cheats_x.ht...
Invisible always-on cameras in glasses, brought to you by HP: (it does have an off switch, however) http://
news
.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3111004.st...
September 15, 2003
The importance of dreaming for the future Why are people retreating to past fantasy instead of thinking forward? Humanity's perception of the future indeed shapes its present. Recent Hugo award winne...
The iTunes music store just sold its 10 millionth song! Yay! http://www.macworld.co.uk/
news
/main_
news
.cfm?
news
ID=684...
"12-Year-Old Sued for Music Downloading (by RIAA)" http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/Article
news
/TPStory/LAC/20030910/UCDCDN/TPTechnology...
September 8, 2003
According to "youth marketing experts", Apple is one of the coolest, popular brands among teenagers (even though they're probably using Windows at school)...
In some developing countries counterfeits are of better quality than the real thing... http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_
news
/story/0,3604,1035131,00.htm...
The best article so far on the Aquada, the first amphibious sports car that actually looks sporty: http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&u=/ap/britain_amphibious_ca...
India's struggles with genetically modified crops... http://www.wired.com/
news
/business/0,1367,57615,00.htm...
Thanks to the human genome project, researchers are pioneering the field of ionomics, the study of how genes regulate ions. That can lead to plants that soak up heavy metals.....
September 2, 2003
The Ungreening of America, a special report by Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/
news
/featurex/2003/35/we_531_01.htm...
"Urban Sprawl Makes Americans Fat, Study Finds" http://reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml?type=health
news
&storyID=335350...
"Japan, China, Korea may develop Windows replacement" http://www.reuters.com/locales/
news
Article.jsp;jsessionid=2d0%3A3f51a1c4%3A6ac473d23077bb30?type=technology
news
&locale=en_IN&storyID=336325...
August 25, 2003
Promising biomass-based power generation technology "Fueled by sawdust pellets, corncobs or coconut shells, BioMax generates electricity for rural towns, businesses...
Ocean Sponge May Be Best for Fiber Optics http://abc
news
.go.com/wire/US/ap20030820_1203.htm...
Rockin' on without Microsoft This is the best, no-nonsense, pragmatic, pro-business view of one CEO who removed every bit of Microsoft software from his company. If you're still using Windows in you...
2003 Ozone Hole May Be Record Size, Australia Says http://reuters.com/
news
Article.jhtml?type=science
news
&storyID=332016...
EPA to ease air pollution rules for maintaining coal-burning power plants http://www.napa
news
.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=9AD35892-B809-4C2C-B0FB-A6BF6A803FF...
Affected by the recent computer viruses? The solution: 1) Don't use Outlook. 2) Don't use Windows. I just spent a couple hours cleaning up a friend's infected Windows machine this week. In over 1...
August 12, 2003
Slow
news
week. Most of the new good stuff popped up today. This week's theme: trends on the edge of culture...
FOX
news
apparently owns the trademark to the phrase "Fair and Balanced". We'll see if it holds up in court...
Potential Date Alerts http://story.
news
.yahoo.com/
news
?tmpl=story&cid=582&ncid=582&e=7&u=/nm/20030807/wr_nm/tech_tonline_matchcom_d...
August 4, 2003
We'll be seeing more good and bad uses of cell phone cams in the future: http://abc
news
.go.com/sections/us/GoodMorningAmerica/camera_phone030801.htm...
It is official U.S. policy to encourage people to buy larger, less efficient cars: "The Senate rejected a proposal to require a sharp increase in automobile fuel economy Tuesday after concerns wer...
July 28, 2003
Thanks to 10,000 years of selective breeding by humans, bananas will vanish forever in a decade: http://globeandmail.ca/servlet/Article
news
/TPStory/LAC/20030719/COBANANA19//?query=banana...
Another case for biodiversity in everyday life: "Tree-Eating Beetle Poses Threat In U.S....
The Star Wars Kid's parents sue... http://www.wired.com/
news
/culture/0,1284,59757,00.htm...
July 21, 2003
Reading the wrong thing in public gets man in trouble with the FBI: http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/
news
stand/2003-06-04/
news
_cover.htm...
July 16, 2003
"Why," you may wonder, "are you sending me email like this, Kev?" you may ask. I say: because you have a committed interest in keeping the world from being absolutely mediocre. Therefore an...
July 3, 2003
http://
news
.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=421166 http://
news
.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=42116...