Nov 6

BBC -
China is planning to hold a robot Olympics in 2010.

The international event will be held in the city of Harbin and will see robots take part in 16 different events.

Robots will be able to compete in familiar Olympic sports such as athletics as well as those more suited to machines such as cleaning.

Entry to the competition will be restricted to robots resembling humans. They must possess two arms and legs. Wheels are banned.

The organisers of the games expect from more than 100 universities from around the world to send competitors to the event.

Philanthropy is not a life style choice for most of Australia's rich and famous.
But Australian science, especially the federal Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO )got a major financial boost due to a 10 year struggle fighting with HP, Apple, Dell et al. over the invention of WiFi; that was settled back in April.

However, Australian politics and science remain closely related, and casting aspersions on the ruling parties attitude to global emissions is not kosher.

Observer.UK

It is a vast device the size of London's Circle Line but is engineered to a billionth of a metre accuracy. Ensuring that no flaws arise at scales and dimensions like these pushes engineering to its absolute limits.

Cern almost succeeded last year. Now it is convinced that it has got it right this time. "All I can say is that the LHC is a much safer, much better understood machine than it was a year ago," said Myers.

Most physicists believe he is right. "If it works, we will have built the most complex machine in history," said one. "If not, we will have assembled the world's most expensive piece of modern art."

Seoul | October 30

BBC - The internet is set to undergo one of its biggest changes, with the expected approval of plans to introduce web addresses using non-Latin characters.

The board of the net regulator, Icann, will decide whether to allow domain names in Arabic, Chinese and other scripts at its annual meeting in Seoul.

More than half of the 1.6 billion people who use the internet speak languages with non-Latin scripts.

Michael Inbar | October 12

MSNBC - Want to have Ben Affleck’s baby? While that appears to be the exclusive domain of Jennifer Garner, women can now at least give themselves a fighting chance of having a child who looks like a movie star, sports hero or world leader.

A Southern California sperm bank has taken to matching its donors to the celebrities they most resemble, putting an actual image to a process that previously had prospective parents sort through an often confusing jumble of printed characteristics, from ethnicity to eye color.

October 26

Some people who are upgrading their PC's from Windows Vista to Windows 7 are finding the upgrade paralyzes their computers, leaving them in a never ending rebooting cycle, unable to use either operating systems.

Many users started to post the problem in a forum on Microsoft's own website on Friday, one day after the highly touted new operating system was released. As of this afternoon, 3 days later, there are still people posting the same problem and no fix from Microsoft for most of the users.

The old duffer that just keeps coming back for more, John Mccain, is ba-a-a-ack. And this time he's funded by his new darlings, cable and telco companies, who have apparently loaded him up with funding to go smack down that pesky FCC and its net neutrality rules.

From Reuters (in a reprint from a PC World piece byMark Sullivan):
Surprise: McCain Biggest Beneficiary of Telco/ISP Money
http://tinyurl.com/yjmh5bd

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is the top recipient of campaign contributions from large Internet service providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast over the past two years, according to a new report from the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics. McCain has taken in a total of $894,379 (much of that money going to support his failed 2008 bid for the presidency), more than twice the amount taken by the next-largest beneficiary, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. ($341,089).
Meanwhile, McCain has emerged as the ISPs' biggest champion against new "network neutrality" rules from the Federal Communications Commission, which voted Thursday to move forward in the process to adopt such rules. Shortly after the FCC vote, McCain introduced a bill (the "Internet Freedom Act") that would block regulation of the nation's largest broadband networks.

A Censored Headline and why it Matters:

German High Court Outlaws Electronic Voting

Justices of the German Federal Constitutional Court. Image

(DailyCensored.Com) The justices above are clearly the most rational group of high level functionaries in the industrialized world. They did what no other court would do in Europe or the United States. They effectively outlawed electronic voting. On March 3, 2009, the German Federal Constitutional Court declared that the electronic voting machines used in the 2005 Bundestag elections for the German national parliament were outside of the bounds of the German Constitution.

They reasoned that electronic voting is not verifiable because citizen votes are counted in secret. It obscured a technology inaccessible to all but a very few initiates. Most importantly, the German high court noted, electronic voting machines don't allow citizens to "reliably examine, when the vote is cast, whether the vote has been recorded in an unadulterated manner" Mar. 3, 2009.

The written opinion effectively bars electronic voting in future elections based on the complexity of voting machines and the inability of voters to watch their vote being counted. This raises the bar of acceptability well above the meaningless solutions offered by "paper trails" for touch screen voting or the so-called "paper ballots" for computerized optical scan voting machines, the most popular form of voting in the United States.

Germany's 2009 Bundestag elections were conducted with hand counted paper ballots.

Have you heard that one of the world's leading economic powers, the fourth largest economy in the world, banned electronic voting; said it was undemocratic? Given the multitude of problems encountered in the U.S. and the number of questionable election results, wouldn't it make sense that when Germany banned electronic voting and replaced it with paper ballots, there would be at least a days worth of national coverage in the United States?

Nothing like that occurred. The Associated Press (Times of India) story on the verdict danced around the periphery of the world media market with coverage in Turkey, India, Australia, and Ireland. But there were no major media takers for the AP story in the United States.

There was every reason to carry the story. In a 2006 Zogby poll, 92% of the 1028 registered voters surveyed said they agreed with this statement:

Citizens have the right to view and obtain information about how election officials count votes - 92% agree. New Zogby Poll On Electronic Voting Attitudes Aug. 21, 2006

Not intent on watering down health care reform the Blue Dogs are now going after one of the few things Obama has been very prgoressive about: net neutrality.

Melissa Rohlin | Helsinki | October 15

LAT - Life, liberty and the right to broadband access?

If Thomas Jefferson and our enlightened forefathers were here today, perhaps our unalienable rights would mimic Finland's, which will now include the right to broadband access. According to Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communication, 1-megabit Web access will become a legal right for all citizens in July.

France is one of the few countries that has made it a human right but Finland said it's the first country to make it a legal right.

Stephen J. Dubord | Raleigh, NC | October 13

The New American - The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now able to scan millions of driver’s licenses using facial recognition technology as they seek to track down fugitives.

The project, initiated in North Carolina, has led to at least one suspect being apprehended. Now the Bureau wants to expand the program nationwide, but privacy experts are warning that this puts innocent people into a virtual criminal lineup.

“Everybody’s participating, essentially, in a virtual lineup by getting a driver’s license,” stated American Civil Liberties Union attorney Christopher Calabrese. And there is no way to opt out of the lineup other than not having a driver’s license.

Simon Hancock | Reykjavik | October 9

BBC - Since the financial crisis, Iceland has been forced to retreat back from high octane bubble living to nature.

Fortunately, there is a lot of that nature to retreat to.

It is a breathtaking world of volcanoes, endless prairies and ethereal winter landscapes.

Cecilia Kang | Washington | October 6

WaPo - Bloggers who offer endorsements must disclose any payments they have received from the subjects of their reviews or face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, the Federal Trade Commission said Monday.

The agency, charged with protecting consumer interests, had not updated its policy on endorsements in nearly three decades, well before the Internet became a force in shaping consumer tastes. The new rules attempt to make more transparent corporate payments to bloggers, research firms and celebrities that help promote a product.

Sep 30 | The Tech Blog

Don't like the idea of your neighbors rudely snooping on the wireless signal you slaved to pay for from the lazy comfort of their living room? It's not just about slowing down your connection; while they're downloading Mad Men via bittorrent, you could be on the hook for their actions.

Wireless security and encryption systems are fraught with problems and insecurity, and other methods to restrict your signal to a small area are cumbersome at best.

Enter a new solution: Anti-Wi-Fi paint.

Venessa Lee | Singapore | Oct 3

AFP -

They go by names such as GhostNet and botnets but they have nothing to do with harmless computer games. Instead, they are associated with something more dangerous - spying in cyberspace which, in the worst-case scenario, can undermine a country's national interests.

Earlier this year, Canadian researchers uncovered a cyber-espionage operation involving GhostNet, an electronic spying network that uses malware, or malicious software, The New York Times (NYT) reported in March.

Through the network, the camera and audio-recording functions in an infected PC can be activated, enabling a stranger to see and hear what is going on in the room where the computer is located.

According to the NYT, GhostNet had stolen documents from hundreds of government and private offices, including those of the Dalai Lama. It had infiltrated at least 1,295 computers in 103 countries.

The researchers believed that its targets included the governments of South Asian and South-east Asian countries.

The threat posed by GhostNet is just one of the many serious forms of cyber attacks that have led governments worldwide to set up special agencies to counter them.

On Wednesday, the creation of Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority (Sitsa), a special agency to protect Singapore from cyber attacks, was announced.

The threat from cyber attacks, which can be politically or criminally motivated, is apparently relentless.

"Every quarter of a second, there is an attack somewhere on the Internet," said Mr Ilias Chantzos, director of government relations at Symantec Corporation, maker of Norton security products.

Sept 29

BBC - The US government is expected to relax control over how the internet is run when it signs an accord with net regulator Icann on Wednesday.

The "affirmation of commitments" will reportedly give Icann autonomy to run its own affairs for the first time.

Previous agreements gave the US close oversight of Icann - drawing criticism from other countries.

Earlier this year, the EU called on the US to relinquish its control and Icann to become "universally accountable".

"The US government is the only body to have had formal oversight of Icann's policies and activities since its inception in 1998," it said.

"The Commission believes that Icann should become universally accountable, not just to one government but to the global internet community.

"This is particularly relevant given that the next billion of internet users will mainly come from the developing world."

Cecilia Kang | Washington | September 18

WaPo (Post I.T. Blog) - Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, plans to propose a new so-called net neutrality rule Monday that could prevent telecommunications, cable and wireless companies from blocking Internet applications, according to sources at the agency.

Genachowski will discuss the rules Monday during a keynote speech at The Brookings Institute. He isn't expected to drill into many details, but the proposal will specifically be for an additional guideline to existing principals [sic] on how operators like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast can control what goes on their networks. That additional principal [sic] would prevent the operators from discriminating, or act [sic] as gatekeepers, of Web content and services.

I just upgraded to the new version of iTunes. It's hellishly ugly in design. Anyone else feel the same way? I mean, iTunes, iPods, Macs, etc . . . are always elegant, right?

I hope everyone is enjoying their gmail fail as much as I am!

Oh dear, another concern troll, bemoaning today's youth and their infatuation with technology. Look, I'll be the first to admit that I worry a lot about today's youth, but I care far more about the basic education they are lacking--basic science and math literacy--than something as vague as losing their ability to read the 'silent langauge' of non-verbal cues or their infatuation with using two thumbs to communicate. I'd also be the first to say that buying the kid a sandpile and a swarm of GI Joe figures is probably much better for their long-term imaginative powers, but hey, I'm biased. I had Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to play with. (I was always partial to Han Solo.)

I really think this is silly. The bottom line is this: kids--especially early teens--are already hardwired to read the non-verbal cues that society has on offer. I mean, really, it's not like they were born with a Crackberry in their hands and their first word was texted to their mom.

Steven E.F. Brown | Aug 30

The Business Review (Albany) - A report on Internet speed in the United States says the country isn’t likely to catch world leader South Korea for 15 years.

Or for much longer — at current growth rates, the United States will only reach South Korea’s speed today in 15 years.

The report, by the Communications Workers of America, details Internet download and upload speeds all over the United States and some of its affiliated territories. In the last year, the average upload speed in the United States “barely changed,” the report said, and download speed only grew a little, from 4.2 megabits per second in 2008 to 5.1 megabits per second in 2009.

In South Korea, average download speed is four times faster — 20.4 megabits per second. The United States also lags Japan (15.8 mbps), Sweden (12.8 mbps), the Netherlands (11 mbps) and 24 other countries.

At average U.S. speed it takes about 35 minutes to download 100 family vacation photos, and four hours to upload them.

The report said U.S. speeds aren’t sufficient for the needs of in-home medical monitoring, distance learning programs, or to run a modern business from home.

I haven't blogged about this in a dog's age, but when I realized that Real DVD had lost in court to the movie industry, I had to post something.

Back in April I blogged this:

You might remember Judge Marilyn Patel from her ruling against Napster in A&M Records vs Napster, the ruling that sent the music industry into a death spiral of war with its customer base and insured that the universal jukebox which was so close in the year 2000 would not exist in our lifetimes.

Now she's hearing another big case pitting tech innovators against media conglomerates who don't even know what's in their own interests.

Sure enough, as anyone could have predicted, Judge Patel ruled against Real DVD and by extension, against fair use, freedom of information and ultimately against the interest of the very media companies she ruled in favor of. When 90% of U.S. consumers believe they should be able to make backup copies of the DVDs they purchase, its a futile battle to try to prevent them from doing so.

And just as with Napster, whose centralized servers potentially gave the music industry greater control of how music was distributed online, Judge Patel has ruled illegal a product made by a legitimate company that offers STRONGER copy protection than that used on DVDs.

From the LA Times editorial board:

When Hollywood tries to preserve last century's business models and "release windows" that restrict availability, it risks missing the opportunity that new technologies present to increase consumption. Redbox, whose kiosks promote impulse rentals, is just one example. Other targets include companies that use new technologies to improve consumers' experience with the movies and television shows they've acquired. Last week, for example, the major studios and an affiliated licensing group won court rulings against products that enable consumers to copy DVDs onto a PC or home video jukebox -- even though the resulting copies were better protected against piracy than the original DVDs.

RealNetworks' RealDVD software and Kaleidescape's home servers drew fire in part because they can make permanent copies of the rented or borrowed discs. But people who are so inclined can do that already with tools that are cheaper and less restrictive. More important to the studios, RealNetworks and Kaleidescape add value to a movie collection by making it easier to manage and watch. In so doing, they increase the incentive to own a movie rather than just rent it.

One lesson from the technology industry is that there is a trade-off between controlling products and unleashing the innovation that spurs growth. Just look at how well the iPhone has fared since Apple invited independent developers to create applications for it. Hollywood should remember the principle underlying the case against China: Centralized control stifles a market. Rather than trying to stop potentially disruptive technologies and business models, Hollywood should find a way to harness them.

This is just another example of our sclerotic and corrupt system choking itself. When short-sited industries write their own regulations intent solely on protecting rental incomes and antiquated business models, everyone loses, including the big Hollywood moguls.

Adele Waugaman | June 2 | Reuters

When obstetrician Laura Stachel arrived in rural Nigeria to collect data about maternal care, she was shocked to discover that women were dying in childbirth because clinics had no reliable power supply.

After taking a course on solar electricity, she created what she calls the "solar suitcase" - which is now proving a life-saver in one of the hospitals she visited.

Laura's "solar suitcase", a kit of solar panels and rechargeable batteries, can light operating and delivery rooms, run a blood bank refrigerator and power two-way radios so that staff can call in off-duty doctors for emergency surgery.

WE CARE Solar

Erick Schonfeld | Washington | August 1

WaPo - Right about now, Apple probably wishes it had never rejected Google Voice and related apps from the iPhone. Or maybe it was AT&T who rejected the apps. Nobody really knows. But the FCC launched an investigation last night to find out, sending letters to all three companies (Apple, AT&T, and Google) asking them to explain exactly what happened.

On its face, it might seem odd to some people that the FCC is investigating the rejection of a single iPhone app. After all, iPhone apps are rejected every day. But the Google Voice rejection caused an unusual amount of uproar, and there is nothing like a high-profile case to make an example out of in pursuit of pushing a bigger policy agenda. The FCC investigation is not just about the arbitrary rejection of a single app. It is the FCC's way of putting a stake in the ground for making the wireless networks controlled by cell phone carriers as open as the Internet.

The New York Times reported yesterday on a meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

The researchers — leading computer scientists, artificial intelligence researchers and roboticists who met at the Asilomar Conference Grounds on Monterey Bay in California — generally discounted the possibility of highly centralized superintelligences and the idea that intelligence might spring spontaneously from the Internet. But they agreed that robots that can kill autonomously are either already here or will be soon.

They focused particular attention on the specter that criminals could exploit artificial intelligence systems as soon as they were developed. What could a criminal do with a speech synthesis system that could masquerade as a human being? What happens if artificial intelligence technology is used to mine personal information from smart phones?

The researchers also discussed possible threats to human jobs, like self-driving cars, software-based personal assistants and service robots in the home. Just last month, a service robot developed by Willow Garage in Silicon Valley proved it could navigate the real world.

But never fear, there's still a use for human beings, organ farming:

The black-market kidney trade is a growing problem — the World Health Organization estimates that organ-trafficking accounts for 5% to 10% of all kidney transplants worldwide. So how do kidney sales work?

The organ market is largely made up of impoverished and desperate sellers, wealthy, ailing customers and predatory middlemen. Most sales take place in developing countries, where a kidney can often be purchased for the price of a high-end TV. In Iran — the only country in the world where organ sales are legal — a healthy kidney retails for about $6,000. The going rate is less than half that amount in India, which has an abundance of doctors capable of performing the procedure and destitute masses often unable to raise cash any other way.

If we continue down the road we've been on of ever increasing consumption and total selfishness, we're headed down a very dark road.