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| compos mentis. Concision. Media. Clarity. Memes. Context. Melange. Confluence. Mishmash. Conflation. Mellifluous. Conviviality. Miscellany. Confelicity. Milieu. Cogent. Minty. Concoction. |
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Flatland: Next-Generation Simulation Visualization, Today |
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| Topic: High Tech Developments |
9:24 pm EDT, Sep 23, 2002 |
Flatland's potential can be seen in an application related to one of the more difficult problems in scientific visualization: the folding of protein molecules in a solution, a key process in the search for new drug therapies. In the visualization, the water molecules appeared as tetrahedrons with one large ball at the center representing an oxygen atom and two smaller balls at the ends of sticks representing hydrogen atoms, their colors indicating proximity to the electrical field. "We could look at things from different perspectives, trying different hypotheses for why the hydrogen didn't bind until we uncovered our error." The latest effort with Flatland is a "situational awareness" visualization for network intrusion detection. The LAN will be represented as a landscape being defended from potential attackers in a surrounding dome-like sky. The Internet and its different domains and regions will be distributed in the sky as constellations, with unusual patterns or intrusion attempts immediately recognizable. This representation of network and Internet activity brings to mind William Gibson's original vision of cyberspace in the novel Neuromancer. Flatland: Next-Generation Simulation Visualization, Today |
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Qwest Restates $950 Million in Revenue |
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| Topic: Telecom Industry |
3:47 pm EDT, Sep 23, 2002 |
With government hearings looming this week, Qwest Communications is restating nearly $1 billion in revenue from swaps of capacity on its network. It may have to adjust another $531 million in revenue from cash sales of optical capacity assets to third parties. Two Qwest executives are scheduled to testify about the capacity swaps Tuesday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Former chief executive officer Joe Nacchio is expected to testify in October. Qwest Restates $950 Million in Revenue |
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Adelphia Founder and Executives Are Indicted on Fraud Charges |
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| Topic: Finance & Accounting |
3:41 pm EDT, Sep 23, 2002 |
Adelphia founder John Rigas, his sons and two other former executives were indicted Monday for allegedly stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the nation's sixth-largest cable television company. The 24-count indictment charges the men with conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud, and seeks $2.5 billion in forfeited assets for the alleged large-scale accounting fraud and corporate looting. Adelphia Founder and Executives Are Indicted on Fraud Charges |
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Copyright Hurdles Confront Selling of Music on the Internet |
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| Topic: Intellectual Property |
6:26 am EDT, Sep 23, 2002 |
Even though two of the three major pay music services -- MusicNet and Pressplay -- are backed by recording companies, the record labels do not always seem to be sure what side they are on. "It's as if Franz Kafka designed this system and employed Rube Goldberg as his architect. It's full of tripwires." Copyright Hurdles Confront Selling of Music on the Internet |
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Advice to a Young Scientist |
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| Topic: Science |
11:13 pm EDT, Sep 22, 2002 |
From the back cover: To those interested in a life in science, Sir Peter Medawar, Nobel laureate, speaks with warmth and pride of his calling. He deflates the myths surrounding scientists -- invincibility, superiority, genius; instead, he argues that it is common sense and an inquiring mind that are essential to the makeup of a scientist. This book, published in 1979, was the second in the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Series; Amazon has ten sample pages available for your review. The first book in the series was _Disturbing the Universe_, by Freeman Dyson. Advice to a Young Scientist |
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Symposium on the Frontiers of Engineering | National Academies |
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| Topic: Technology |
5:30 pm EDT, Sep 21, 2002 |
This book is freely available online. Here are a few of the chapter topics: Miniature Spy Planes: The Next Generation of Flying Robots
Toward Micromechanical Flyers
Design Challenges for Future Wireless Systems
Next-Generation Mobile Wireless Internet Technology
Service Architectures for Emerging Wireless Networks
Wireless Integrated Network Sensors
Reengineering the Paralyzed Nervous Systems
Merging Living Cells and Microsystems Engineering Here's a sample from a chapter mentioned above: A typical miniature unmanned air vehicle has a quiet engine and is difficult to spot in the air. It can cruise the skies day or night in a wide range of weather conditions gathering information for law enforcement, traffic monitoring, air-pollution control, farming, fire spotting, power line inspection, search and rescue, and weather monitoring. Individuals will log on to a Web site and request image data for a specific region. This request will prompt teams of mini-UAVs to fly to the appropriate location, gather the requested data, and send the data to the customer over the Internet. The mini-UAVs doing the work will be all but invisible. Symposium on the Frontiers of Engineering | National Academies |
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The Genomic Revolution: Unveiling the Unity of Life |
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| Topic: Science |
5:21 pm EDT, Sep 21, 2002 |
This book takes readers on a fascinating journey through genomics -- from the basic presentation of ideas about heredity through the essential principles of molecular biology, including an exploration of the ethical implications of the genome project for individuals and society. Some of the worlds leading experts in genomics -- Harold Varmus, Leroy Hood, Daniel Kevles, and Craig Venter, to name just a few -- contribute their assessments of the state of current scientific research. Written for anyone wondering why we are the way we are, this book is a timely and important collection that spans the science, the promise, and the potential pitfalls of a field moving so quickly that its achievements may alternately delight and trouble us, but almost always surprise us. This new book is freely available online. The Genomic Revolution: Unveiling the Unity of Life |
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Small Wonders, Endless Frontiers: A Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative |
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| Topic: Nano Tech |
5:18 pm EDT, Sep 21, 2002 |
Committee for the Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, National Research Council. 68 pages, 2002. "With potential applications in virtually every existing industry and new applications yet to be discovered, nanoscale science and technology will no doubt emerge as one of the major drivers of economic growth in the first part of the new millennium." This report is freely available for online viewing. Small Wonders, Endless Frontiers: A Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative |
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Bush's National Security Strategy |
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| Topic: International Relations |
7:11 pm EDT, Sep 20, 2002 |
Following is the full text of President Bush's new national security strategy. The document, entitled "The National Security Strategy of the United States," will soon be transmitted to Congress as a declaration of the Administration's policy. This is required reading if you want to understand the how and why of the next year-plus in international affairs. Bush's National Security Strategy |
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Wolfowitz to SSCI and HPSCI |
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| Topic: Current Events |
9:18 pm EDT, Sep 19, 2002 |
Here's what The Wolf said to Congress today. It's all on point. But in part, on the collaboration tip: We also need to address a relatively new problem, what I'll call "information discovery." Many agencies collect ... and many agencies analyze ... but no one is responsible for the "bridge" between collection and analysis. Given the volume of information that we must sift through to separate signal from noise, this function is now critical. We cannot neglect it. There is much more that we can do ... A culture that discourages collaboration and the sharing of information forfeits [a number of important] new technological advantages. Care for some DARPA funding, anyone? Bueller? Bueller? URL has been corrected. Apologies for any confusion. Wolfowitz to SSCI and HPSCI |
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