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Library of Alexandria discovered |
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| Topic: Science |
12:25 am EDT, May 14, 2004 |
Archaeologists have found what they believe to be the site of the Library of Alexandria, often described as the world's first major seat of learning. Library of Alexandria discovered |
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| Topic: Science |
2:34 am EDT, May 11, 2004 |
A powerful method for extracting information from supposedly secure systems is side-channel attacks: cryptanalytic techniques that rely on information unintentionally leaked by computing devices. Most side-channel attack research has focused on electromagnetic emanations (TEMPEST), power consumption and, recently, diffuse visible light from CRT displays. The oldest eavesdropping channel, namely acoustic emanations, has received little attention. Our preliminary analysis of acoustic emanations from personal computers shows them to be a surprisingly rich source of information on CPU activity. This fact should be obvious to anyone who's ever tried to make low SNR recordings with a $5 sound card. Acoustic Cryptanalysis |
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| Topic: Science |
2:21 am EDT, May 11, 2004 |
Alan Kay rocks. To those that are unfamiliar with the blue plane-pink plane concept, the concept may sound like an optics notion. Fortunately, the idea is simultaneously more interesting, straightforward and yet complex. The different planes are used as a visual model to describe the two major "planes", or ways of thinking, existent today. Let us explore the meaning of the pink plane. It represents a more black and white way of portraying the universe. It declares that things are either right or wrong, they work or fail; it applauds discrete knowledge over reasoning and derivation of concepts. It is a plane of thought where math and science are memorized facts and equations. The blue plane, on the other hand, can be described as perpendicular to the pink plane. The two planes might coincide on a line, where the same rules apply in the physical universe, and hence results can be the same, however the means is completely different. In this plane of thought, visualization of concepts and creativity can be used to accomplish what is accomplished in the pink plane by trite memorization. It can be therefore shown that most advancement in any field has been accomplished by thought in the blue plane -- thought that in the pink plane would be deemed impossible or ridiculous. You might agree, or disagree with the previous statements and arguments and ask, so what's the point of it all? The questions I seek to answer are: How can we learn to switch our universe into the blue plane? Can we learn to be "bi-planar" and support both schools of thought? If the children are being instructed in the pink plane, can we teach them to think in the blue plane and live in a pink-plane society? What is to become of those of us past schooling, who are aware of these planes? Are we to dredge on with pink shades over our blue eyes? What other choice do we have, become hermits and form our own seceded blue colony? I have a few questions of my own: If Bush is pink, who is the blue candidate? Has there ever been a blue President? Can there ever be one? Blue Plane, Pink Plane |
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| Topic: Science |
10:47 am EDT, May 8, 2004 |
Classics of the Scientific Literature: Celebrating landmark papers published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences John Nash - Game Theory: The Mathematics of Strategy
Briggs & King - Nuclear Transfer: Bringing in the Clones
Dan Nathans - DNA Mapping: Altering the Fabric of Life
Edwin Hubble - Hubble's Guide to the Expanding Universe
Linus Pauling - Protein Structure PNAS Classics |
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Science and Engineering Indicators 2004 |
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| Topic: Science |
9:16 am EDT, May 7, 2004 |
The first source of uncertainty is the recasting of the relationship between S&T and US national security. A second source of uncertainty is the duration, depth, and eventual effects of the current worldwide economic weakness. A third source of uncertainty is the effect of the continuing globalization of labor markets on the US knowledge-based economy. The dynamics of skilled labor migration in the context of changing government and industry policies are hard to predict. A range of indicators traces a trend that shows growing competitive strength in the Asian region outside of Japan, chiefly in China, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. They have in place, or are instituting, policies and incentives to retain their highly trained personnel, attract expatriates, or otherwise benefit from their nationals working abroad, chiefly in the United States. US firms spend more R&D dollars in Asia than Asian firms spend in the United States. Science and Engineering Indicators 2004 |
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Richard Dawkins, on Language and Writing |
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| Topic: Science |
9:04 pm EDT, May 1, 2004 |
You cannot write unless you love reading. If you're too aware of your own technique you may dissect it to destruction. Prick your reader's imagination with a stunning fact, or a fresh metaphor, or by turning a familiar fact dizzyingly upside down, or by filtering it through the alien lens of a Martian eye. However useful science may be, and however relevant to everyday life, that is the least important thing about it. Science is, above all, wonderful. You may write to inform. You should write to inspire. Richard Dawkins, on Language and Writing |
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The Case Against Perfection | The Atlantic, April 2004 |
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| Topic: Science |
11:12 pm EDT, Apr 5, 2004 |
Breakthroughs in genetics presents both the promise that physicians might be able to treat and prevent a host of debilitating diseases and the predicament that the newfound genetic knowledge might enable the people to manipulate human nature. Sandel discusses the issues regarding designer children, bionic athletes, and genetic engineering. Michael J. Sandel, a professor of political philosophy at Harvard and a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, writes about genetic engineering in the April issue of The Atlantic Monthly. Subscription required for access to full text, or pick up a copy at a newsstand near you. A few excerpts: The genomic revolution has induced a kind of moral vertigo. In order to grapple with the ethics of enhancement, we need to confront questions largely lost from view -- questions about the moral status of nature, and about the proper stance of human beings toward the given world. The fundamental question is not how to ensure equal access to enhancement but whether we should aspire to it in the first place. The problem is not the drift to mechanism but the drive to mastery. And what the drive to mastery misses and may even destroy is an appreciation of the gifted character of human powers and achievements. The problem is not that parents usurp the autonomy of a child they design. The problem lies in the hubris of the designing parents, in their drive to master the mystery of birth. We used to speak of nonmedical drug use as "recreational." That term no longer applies. The steroids and stimulants that figure in the enhancement debate are not a source of recreation but a bid for compliance -- a way of answering a competitive society's demand to improve our performance and perfect our nature. What would be lost if biotechnology dissolved our sense of giftedness? The Case Against Perfection | The Atlantic, April 2004 |
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Today's Word is 'Pendulous' |
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| Topic: Science |
1:01 am EST, Mar 24, 2004 |
Researchers commonly use genetically engineered mice to study cancer, but the animal disease differs slightly from the human one. So researchers have sought to transplant human breast tissue into mice to make a better model. The key, Weinberg says, is to transplant two types of human breast cells into the mice, one of which has been blasted with radiation. The cells grow into human-like breast tissues, complete with milk ducts. Unlike human breasts, however, the mice's growths sit flush to the chest. Humans are unusual in this respect, says Daniel Medina, who studies breast cancer at Baylor College of Medicine at Houston, Texas: "In few other species are breasts pendulous." Today's Word is 'Pendulous' |
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Advancing Both Science and Safety |
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| Topic: Science |
11:33 am EST, Mar 14, 2004 |
Sean O'Keefe puts the Hubble decision in context. It's nice to see him following one of Powell's Rules: "Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it." In making my decision I had to balance the world-class science that the Hubble has produced, and will continue to produce, against the risks to the shuttle and its crew. The safety considerations tipped the scales. I welcome the decision of the National Academy of Sciences, announced last week, to review my conclusion. If you've not seen the plans for the James Webb Space Telescope, take a Google and see what NASA has in store for the next decade. You ain't seen nothin' yet. Advancing Both Science and Safety |
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| Topic: Science |
8:55 am EST, Mar 10, 2004 |
Galaxies, galaxies everywhere -- as far as NASA's Hubble Space Telescope can see. This view of nearly 10,000 galaxies is the deepest portrait of the visible universe ever achieved by humankind. Called the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, this galaxy-studded view represents a "deep" core sample of the universe, cutting across billions of light-years. NASA offers a higher resolution (1275x1275) version of this image than most news organizations. Follow the link for "View Full Size Image". Hubble Digs Deeply |
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